Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 122-A "Two Weeks"

Patron Release: 2020.08.12

Naruto couldn't actually say he was surprised. Well, about Asuma's declaration at least. He was a bit surprised Asuma had brought up his other Identity but it was bound to happen eventually and considering who was still teaching him to be Hokage it only made sense that Hiruzen would have informed his son. As for wanting him out of Konoha, well, that had been pretty obvious- he felt- when the man had sent a team of his ANBU to kill his Wolves in Mizu no Kuni.

It wasn't as if Naruto hadn't been preparing for exactly this, either. The point of creating a new base in Yu no Kuni was to be ab;e to move all their operations out of Konoha, he had just thought it would have been almost completely upon their terms, not something requested by the Godaime Hokage.

He could admit that it was sort of refreshing in a way to have someone so openly admit to what they wanted. Granted Naruto himself was usually the one taking advantage of situations but it was still a nice break from subtlety. Not that Naruto had been maintaining that as of late, now that he thought about it. He really had been doing things just a bit too openly, hadn't he? That would need to be remedied.

Still, just because Naruto had been planning on moving on from Konoha doesn't mean the Godaime needed to know that. Raising a single brow the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni gave an inquisitive look. "Gone, is it?" He asked, lips twitching slightly. "That's a rather unexpected surprise, Godaime-san." The honorific dropped and from the slight widening of black eyes and the way hands tensed Naruto would place money on the fact that it hadn't been missed by Asuma. "Please, do elaborate…" The other brow rose to join it's twin and Naruto's look became expectant. Even though it was worded as a request between the tone and the look on his face it was clear he was giving an order. "Won't you?"

Asuma was genuinely surprised his teeth hadn't cracked with the amount of pressure he had placed them under just to keep his mouth shut. Connecting the two identities and having what should have been a Gennin under your command addressing you as though he were the superior were tw overy different things. It was only the knowledge that-socially- Naruto's status as Daimyo was above Kage that allowed him to restrain himself. He still wasn't happy about it.

"You're a foreign Daimyo present in Konohagakure with your private army. Allied with Hi no Kuni or not, Konohagakure is not here to protect you from those who might seek retribution."

"Oh? Is that how you see it? Interesting." He carefully adjusted his expression to ensure he showed only boredom and disinterest worthy of a Daimyo being told of plights he cared nothing for. "I assure you, Godaime-san, I'm not in Konoha to hide. I'm here because this is what I call home."

"Regardless of your intentions, should someone wish to target you Konoha will be dragged into the crossfire. That is unacceptable."

Purple eyes peered into him for several seconds of heavy silence before an understanding spread through them. "That's not the only reason, is it?" He didn't give Asuma a chance to answer that but judging by his expression the man probably would have declined to answer anyway. "No, of course not. This will be the official reason you offer to anyone who asks though, isn't it?" Naruto's gauntleted hand waved dismissively. "Fine, we've established that." The stare of those unnaturally bright orbs became exponentially more intense. "Now, tell me why you really want me gone Sarutobi."

"I'll humor you, then." It was a valiant attempt to take charge of the conversation, suggesting that the requested information was being shared solely because the Godaime had felt like being gracious rather than bowing to the whims of the Daimyo. In reality they both knew it was because an unspoken agreement of open candor had been reached between them. Hiruzen and Danzou had enjoyed their word games, Asuma wanted to skip the games entirely.

Naruto could respect that sort of directness.

"You and your Wolves are running around Konoha because you're allied with Daimyo Iroh or Hi no Kuni but your tendency to stab your allies in the back is well known. You also have a tendency to stick yourselves into messes around the world in order to gain further influence or beneficial positions, making a variety of enemies who will wish to retaliate.

"Add to that the fact that I will never trust a private military within the walls of Konoha to always have her best interests at heart, I want you as far away from Konoha as possible but will settle for out of view so I can at least pretend." Asuma was tempted to leave it there but knew it would end up being brought up anyway due to the permissions he had received from Iroh. "That is not to say you are not welcome to visit the village of your birth on both personal trips and in a more professional capacity as our Daimyo's...ally. It simply cannot continue to be your residence."

"I see." Naruto tilted his head in thought. "And my professional capacity as a Konohagakure no Sato Shinobi?" He inquired. A manila folder he assumed was his official record was slid across the aged oak of the Hokage's desk. With a quick brow raise towards Asuma he turned his attention to it, slipping open the folder to skim over the first document in the stack.

Discharge paperwork, should have been his first assumption really.

He still took a minute to read through it, noting with increased skepticism the facts that he was being discharged honorably due to political conflict and was still being made eligible for Konoha Shinobi Retirement Benefits. It was only at Genin level, naturally, which provided only minor medical benefits and a small discount on alcohol at select stores but that was honestly much more than he would have expected. The main thing was that he would still, technically, be a registered Shinobi. Just not an active one.

That was, perhaps, more considerate than Naruto would have given Asuma credit for. Unless there was another reason for him to remain. Naruto took a second to contemplate that before a knowing grin spread across his lips.

"You're a sly, sly man, Godaime-dono." In times of war Konoha could call upon inactive but still capable Shinobi to defend her. It was generally accepted that those Shinobi would be assigned positions and roles that kept them off the front lines- typically meaning they became active to protect the village itself while everyone else was gone- but there was nothing that actually stopped them from being assigned missions after being re-activaed. So Naruto would still be a Shinobi who could be called upon to defend Konoha, despite the fact that he was being asked to leave due to his status as Daimyo.

A dishonorable discharge would have made it so he couldn't rejoin the active Shinobi forces of Konoha and would have been a significantly more effective severance of his ties with the village. Sending him away but keeping a way to "technically" call him back, that was more deceptive than Naruto would have given him credit for but he supposed he should have expected something from Hiruzen's son.

Blunt and direct he may have preferred to be, but that was no reason to forget that he was still a Jounin. Of course, they both knew that even if Naruto was called to serve Konoha in time of war there was really no way to force him. His duties as a Daimyo would far outshine his duties as a former Konoha Shinobi both legally and socially, at most he might look bad for not going back and helping Konoha but all he had to do was make a move that would aid Konoha during that war in order to have contributed positively.

A sudden realization struck the young Daimyo and the look he gave Asuma became appraising. He had either done this to ensure ties with Naruto himself or he had done this to establish ties between Konoha and Nami no Kuni in case Konoha ever needed their help and Naruto couldn't actually tell which one the man had been aiming for. Both, perhaps, if he was anything like his father.

"I don't know what you could be referring to."

"No, no." Naruto grinned. "Of course you don't." He peered down at the open file again as his grin vanished. Flipping it closed he pushed it to the side of the desk and leaned forward slightly, hands coming together in a pose close to Asuma's own. "But let's say I don't agree, what then? I like Konoha, I don't particularly care for the thought of leaving. What would you say to that, Godaime-dono?"

Another silence filled the room, growing heavier by the second.

"I could not force you, technically." Asuma finally broke the silence. "But you do understand that would put you against me and, thus, against Konoha."

"It wouldn't put me against Konoha, I'll never be against Konoha. If anything, Konoha would be going against me but…" Purple eyes burned into Asuma's eyes. "Thats' already happened, hasn't it?" Naruto relaxed back into his chair, hands settling on the armrests. For a few seconds he closed his eyes and took calming breaths to keep himself from becoming at all heated. He didn't want to come anywhere close to losing his cool during this meeting, he had to ensure he remained perfectly calm. "By your actions, my children lost their lives in Mizu no Kuni. I will not forget that, Sarutobi, but I can understand that we were both supporting different sides of a conflict we really had no right to involve ourselves in."

A pointed look was sent towards the Godaime. "Even if I know you only started to support the Rebellion in order to oppose me. I cannot say I'm free of blame from that situation, though, it should have never come to your attention. That was my mistake."

"Fine, then Konoha would continue to be against you. Is that what you'd prefer?"

An amused snort left Naruto. "Don't presume to threaten me, boy. You don't control nearly as much of Konoha as you might think you do."

Black eyes blinked at the sheer audacity of Naruto's words, momentarily unable to comprehend the fact that he had just been addressed as a child by someone well over a decade his junior. There was also something else that seemed off as the young man spoke, something about his presence that went from a mature Shinobi to something that seemed so much older than they appeared. He hated every fibre of his being for the traitorous thought that flitted through his head, but compared to the age of the being before him Asuma was just a boy.

Somehow.

With notable effort he managed to dismiss the thought and compose himself. It had to be those eyes, those damnable eyes. They were both intensely bright and unbearably heavy, throwing the weight of countless lifetimes at anyone who they fell upon. But those lifetimes had not made them world-weary, no, the piercing light of those eyes were of an unbroken will, one that would withstand the entire world burning down around them and would work alone to rebuild it one brick and one seed at a time.

They...weren't human, Asuma decided. They couldn't be. And this was coming from a Konoha native, someone who grew up in the village known for possessing the two most famous Doujutsu. As strange as the Sharingan and Byakugan were they still seemed human, these purple orbs were completely alien. Asuma didn't know what they belonged on but it wasn't a human.

There was also the fact that Naruto was right, in a way. The Daimyo didn't actually know what Asuma was aware about when it came to him, but Naruto and his Wolves had a lot of support throughout Konoha itself.

Between the Yamanaka, the Inuzuka, and the Hyuuga he was already in a very secure position. Add his mother, the head of the still politically intimidating Uzumaki- even after death the bastards refused to give up without a fight, the weight of that name continued to be absolutely terrifying despite only having two living members- and actually making any overt moves against him would have disastrous results.

That was to say nothing about any influence his Wolves might have over other Konoha civilians because he didn't actually know any of their identities. For all he knew some of them sat as part of the civilian council which would give them their own resources to dedicate to Naruto's needs.

And finally, of course, there was the influence he held over other Konoha Shinobi. The fact that Naruto had let himself in when two ANBU had been guarding the door had not gone unnoticed by Asuma. He was going to need to comb through their ranks for possible Wolves again but the unfortunate reality was that some of his ANBU were likely Wolf- or at least Naruto- sympathisers rather than members themselves.

That would be the single group Asuma didn't want to have any ties to the Wolves. Even if there were less of them, having a team of elite Shinobi that he knew had no loyalties to the Wolves would have been quite comforting, almost like an incorruptible private army. That thought reminded him of another private army in Konoha he'd been unable to prove the existence of or remove from her great walls- ROOT.

As much as Danzou always said ROOT served the interests of Konoha- or so Hiruzen had always told Asuma- he felt pretty confident in saying the man and his agents would probably side with Naruto too should things come to it. Probably claiming something like "supporting the future of the great tree" or some other such rot.

All together that left Asuma with the Nara, Akimichi, and Aburame for major Shinobi clans and the Sarutobi as a political weight. With two Kage from it and their close ties to the first two Hokage the Sarutobi Clan carried its own impressive weight. It wasn't quite the Ancient Uzumaki or the Senju- which, now that he thought about it, would probably aid Kushina in supporting Naruto if she were to do anything- but it was something at least.

To be perfectly honest, Asuma was completely outnumbered and if Naruto ever claimed his father's name there would be no way to get him out of Konoha if he didn't actually want to go.

There was a goddamn reason Asuma was asking rather than trying to force him out. There was no way he could have someone so rooted- evidently Danzou had stopped by to visit Hiruzen too many times in his office- in Konoha when they had their own agenda. Even if parts of it did align with Konoha's interests there would come a time when enough of it didn't that the two entities would come into conflict. If that was to happen it would result in civil war.

Asuma would not be putting Konoha through that and, like his father with the Uchiha, he would be nipping that in the bud as swiftly as he could. Unfortunately in this case he couldn't just use force to get the job done.

Where was an Uchiha Itachi when you needed one?

Then again, there was a good chance they were sitting on the other side of the desk. This time they would not be siding with Konoha over their family.

"Everything's going to be fine, stop worrying." Tsume's voice was between a whisper and a groan as the masseur continued to work on her back. "Gods know you had enough stress and knots to keep these gentlemen in business for a year before you entered, you don't need to be adding to that while they work."

"Sorry." Mai did her best to relax back onto the table, keenly aware of the well-practiced hands and the thin sheet that separated them from her skin. Tsume had gone without, bold and brash as ever, and she was probably having the better experience for it but Mai hadn't been keen on the idea of Masseurs over Masseuses. The idea alone made her uncomfortable and if not for the fact that they'd already booked the appointment before learning the usual Massusses were going to be unavailable today she would have called it off entirely. "You know I can't help it, trouble always finds him so easily."

"Him?" Mai could hear the grin in Tsume's voice and her groan was only partially caused by the hands working just under her shoulder blades. "I knew it would just be him you're worried about." Sure, it still stung a little considering it was two of them on vacation, but he had been the one to provide this opportunity in the first place and Tsume was very much aware how deeply Mai felt for him.

"Of course it's just him, he's the one trouble's attracted to!" Mai huffed. "The others just enable him to engage with it."

"Have some faith, he's a big boy. Besides, no matter what trouble he does get himself in he still has everyone else there to drag his ass from the fire. They'll have him safe and ready for you to yell at on your return."

That earned a smile from Naruto's second in command. "Yeah, I guess they will." She relaxed more fully into the bed, much to the Masseur's appreciation. "If nothing else, I'm sure Hanabi will probably be keeping him in line." That girl was already a fantastic assistant, Mai had no doubts she would be able to step up in her absence to be the one who knocked sense back into Naruto whenever he got into one of his moods. Girl had a hell of a glare on her, too, which would really help keep him in line.

She hoped.

"A civil war is the last thing you'd want to break out in Konoha." Asuma, while certain Wolf negligence would bring their enemies to his village, also knew that Naruto and his dogs were fond of the village they called home. If he could make use of that, he would.

"Is it?" Naruto returned with a raised brow and a challenging expression. "Civil wars are usually considered beneficial, the people fighting for what's best for their home and changing things that upset them." There was a pointed look to the Godaime with that, indicating that he would be the primary thing to change. "Besides, didn't Konoha just support a civil war in Kirigakure? It sounds like you're not too against them yourself so maybe that's exactly what we need."

Asuma was acutely aware of the bead of sweat making its way down the back of his head and over his neck to vanish into his Hokage robes. Naruto and his allies would almost certainly win that conflict, though not without a serious amount of Konoha casualties. That weakened Konoha would not be in a good position globally to support Iroh's recent conquests and would be a prime target for their old rival Iwagakure or the always-ready Kumogakure Shinobi.

Not only would those who supported Asuma be in serious trouble if that civil war broke out, all the civilians would be both during and after due to the inevitable conflict with other villages or some of the Wolves' enemies coming for their new village. As Hokage, Asuma knew he couldn't allow that.

But bowling to the whims of the Wolves, that wouldn't end up with them in a much better position either.

"A lot of Konoha blood would be unnecessarily shed if it came to that."

"It will only come to that if you force my hand, Sarutobi." Naruto returned to a lounging position entirely inappropriate for both the present company and the serious matter being discussed but something about it just seemed...right...as Asuma examined him for any hint of hesitation or bluff.

The young man was completely serious and entirely willing to ignite a civil war within the village he claimed to love so much.

The still silence of the room was charged with tension and fell heavy on Asuma's shoulders as he stared into the unflinching purple eyes of Nami no Kuni's Daimyo.

"I'll need a week, possibly two." Naruto's voice cracked through the tension like a whip, breaking the silence and momentarily catching Asuma off-guard.

"Wha-"

"I'll need at least a week." Naruto repeated slowly, as if to a child. "Possibly two. It takes time to move people and assets, you know."

"Wait," Asuma's black eyes widened with a surprise he couldn't quite disguise as he connected Naruto's words to the original subject of their discussion. "You're actually-"

"Leaving?" Naruto interrupted him with a lazy, dismissive wave of one hand. "Don't be so surprised, Sarutobi. I have plenty of projects underway and quite frankly Konoha is a bit too cramped to fit them all at the moment."

"But this whole time-" Asuma was still trying to figure out why the young Daimyo would be so open to playing along with the Godaime's wishes when he had just spent the entirety of their meeting so staunchly opposing him."

"I never said we weren't going to, Sarutobi, I asked what you would do if I said no." Naruto gave him a singularly unimpressed look. "This was my first time meeting you, after all, I wanted to know the sort of man who had replaced Hiruzen as Konoha's Kage."

The young Daimyo shook his head with a wave of crimson. "You have a long way to go if you ever hope to match up to your father, but I suppose that's to be expected. He's gone through all of the Shinobi World Wars and ruled the village for decades, it's only natural that he would be leagues ahead of any possible replacement." Purple eyes bored through Asuma's very being. "But there is a fire in you. Poorly directed, perhaps, but still present. I think with enough years in those robes you'll make a fine Hokage…."

The look became pointed. "That is, if you can manage to not get yourself killed by picking inane fights with those who outrank you, out-power you, and who have only good intentions for Konoha's continued prosperity."

Naruto stood up from his chair and turned to the door, the bag of fine sand hidden in his robes opening to form a hand that returned the chair to its rightful place and confirm that he did in fact contain the Ichibi within him to the Godaime. "Two weeks gives me until the end of the month, Sarutobi, we'll be gone before you turn the page of your calendar."

The door opened and shut for the passing of the young man who was easily the world's youngest Daimyo at the moment leaving Asuma to stare blankly at its aged wood.

….Had it really just been as easy as asking?

He almost couldn't believe it and his Shinobi instincts were screaming at him that he must have missed something, but Naruto had said he and his Wolves would be leaving Konoha. As long as he kept a close eye on them during the two weeks they would be here everything should be fine.

Right?

Black eyes blinked slowly twice and then locked onto the manila folder sitting innocently on his desk. Whispering a string of curses he realized the young Daimyo hadn't actually signed the paperwork.

Maybe he was planning something after all.

Gods, gods, it couldn't be that hard to kill them, could it? Orochimaru frowned down at the papers before him. Most of them were his attempts to separate each and every beneficial function of his seal so Naruto would be able to properly recreate a superior version for his own use but his thoughts couldn't quite stay focused on that when he knew his godson, his beloved Crimson Prince, was putting himself in a position that opposed actual deities.

Orochimaru was no stranger to gods or beings powerful enough to be considered such but he had never tried to destroy one. The beings of the Deep Cells seemed mostly content with ruling over the other abominations and monstrosities contained within in exchange for regular sacrifice and it was a system that kept both in check so Orochimaru had been loath to meddle with it.

Normally he was all for poking and prodding the world to learn every tiny secret and exploit it for his own benefit but even he didn't want to risk that when there was so much raw power involved. He couldn't even comprehend some of the powers he had "witnessed" during the original experiments and subsequent sealing of the Deep Cells and not for a lack of knowledge on his part. There were simply some things so beyond humans that no amount of studying and discovering would ever allow them to wrap their heads around the impossibilities that were so casually ignored by those things.

Orochimaru wasn't one to unsettle….ever...but those things unnerved even him. There was a reason he took such great care to keep it secure and to keep those within placated. Honestly, ignoring death- rather, dying without having learned everything the world had to offer- those cells were the only thing Orochimaru would ever admit legitimately scared him. Things there were balancing on the finest of wires and one little mishap could end the world he was so desperate to learn.

But if he didn't know how to kill one of those, how was he supposed to figure out killing something like Au, the very sun itself? He didn't actually know which was stronger but for as old as the things in the Deep Cells were he knew that Au was absolutely ancient. The Golden Serpent had probably watched the beings of the Deep Cells as they first formed and scoffed at the children who fled from his light to cower in their caves and probably still gazed longingly at his light, licking their lips and wishing nothing more than to devour it and make it's glorious power their own.

They would be burned to nothing should they ever attempt it, Orochimaru thought. It only made sense, because if they were capable of devouring Au's light he had no doubts they would have done so already. The gluttonous darkness was not known for its restraint.

That really didn't help him- and more importantly Naruto- any considering he didn't know how to defeat those lesser gods. Sealkeeper might actually be of use for that purpose, he just couldn't figure out how.

Briefly he toyed with the idea of sealing a god into a person like some sort of Jinchuriki but he dismissed it almost immediately. There was no way in hell something like that would ever work -

Right?

"Hanabi!" Naruto's voice carried clearly through the building that couldn't quite be called an apartment anymore as he strode through the door and towards his office. By the time he had passed the first hallway she had managed to appear at his side. The girl was already so similar to Mai it was a bit scary sometimes.

"Yes, Naruto-sama?"

"Gather your team, the Wolves will be leaving Konoha."

She stopped mid-step as the words processed fully. "Wait, we're leaving?"

"The Godaime is rather nervous about our continued operations in Konoha," He offered a small chuckle at the notion that their presence would be in any way detrimental but he did understand where Asuma was coming from. He wouldn't want some forign force operating within Nami or within the Wolves themselves. Well, with the exception of Mai's personal forces, but they were going to be the top Wolves in the future when she took over so it was good for them to start distancing them from the others now so they could take their rightful places at Amaterasu's side upon her ascension. "And we're getting a bit cramped within her walls anyway. It's time to move somewhere a bit more...amiable...to our needs."

Okay, that made sense to her. It's not like she really cared for being in Konoha at the moment anyway, she couldn't exactly go outside without raising questions among the populace and she was sure there were still plenty of branch members who might hold a grudge. Somewhere else would actually allow her more freedom than she currently enjoyed and that sounded pretty good to her.

Wait.

Cream eyes widened in realization. "Somewhere?" She asked. "Are we not going to Nami?"

"No." Naruto didn't slow his stride or turn back as he continued to his office. "That's not the plan. If we do end up in Nami it will just be temporary. We have a team already working to secure a new base for us, hopefully they can be ready."

Hanabi considered it for a second. More Wolves had been drawn back to Konoha to help with some recent projects but overall there weren't that many here. The majority of them were already in Nami no Kuni so if he intended to only relocate those currently in Konoha it wouldn't be too difficult. In fact, the hardest part would be ensuring they gathered all documents and records and managing to keep them semi-organized during the transition.

That was probably the reason he called for her, that part was going to be her job.

The first project she was to tackle on her own that hadn't been her own idea, her first proper task from Tsukuyomi's right hand.

"I'll have my team prepare our records for transfer and notify the others to begin packing their things. When do you want us out of here? Today?"

"No, no. There's too much to be done for that. The team in Yu no Kuni hasn't even sent back their first report yet. I told the Godaime we would be out of here by the end of the month, we have two weeks."

That was much more doable and Hanabi breathed an internal sigh of relief. This was a simple project and as long as she kept everyone focused and on track they could be ready to go within the week at a leisurely pace, then it was just a matter of ensuring it stayed that way.

"I understand. Is there anything else I should know?"

"No," Naruto's red hair shook ahead of her. "But if you come across the Snake-Woman and want to tell her that we'll be leaving you're welcome to. I really don't care if she knows or not."

That time Hanabi stopped completely in the middle of the hallway.

Snake-Woman?

Had she...had she missed something?

Sealkeeper: He Who Binds

Chapter 122-B "Hiashi's Garden"

Patron Release; 2020.08.24

Five golden snakes curled into tight coils, heads lying flat against the wooden floors in subservience as they beheld the being before them. Surely she was a great serpent to have such a unique form, only one with the favor of Glorious Au himself would be granted such an honor.

Only two of them were both old enough and well-learned to recognize the being before them for what it was- Ak'Gyun, the favored priestesses of Au. The last had been tempted away from the father long, long ago after the mortal faith had dwindled and the other temples had been ravaged by time, nature, and men who had no idea what sacred grounds their feet rested upon. He had whispered into their hearts as they continued to tend the Akya-Jin temple and one by one had been drawn away from their sacred duties.

It was said that Au'Khan-Ajare had been so flattered by their forms that he hadn't been able to resist not having them for himself but most of Au's children- those who knew the stories, at least- suspected he had done it solely to remove the last bits of influence his father had over the mortal world at the time.

There was a reason Akyanji's sacrifice had been so important.

But the Ak'Gyun before them could not have been one of those tempted away so long ago for she still shone brightly with the radiance of Au and they could taste the presence of the father in the very air around her. There was no doubt she had been recently in his direct presence and that alone spoke of the favor she must hold in his eyes more than her form ever could.

"Blessed Ak'Gyun," One of them muttered just loudly enough to be heard in the otherwise silent room. As the other three realized what that meant an almost palpable feeling of excitement began to charge the air. If this was an Ak'Gyun what could they be there for? Surely it must be for some great machination of Au, some task that would put into motion something spectacular. "What purpose of Au has brought us to this place?"

"The High Priest wishes to test us following the failings of one of your siblings." She meant Ashun, but technically- from the High-Priest's perspective anyway- Aya fit into that too. She also didn't believe it necessary to mention the little fact that he wasn't actually the High-Priest at the moment or that this task would determine whether he would ever be. She would rather they not mention the amulet around her neck, either, so she wouldn't have to make up some sort of story for that too. "I have been given the details of this task and will be working with you as we fulfil it."

It was a way to say she had needed help without actually saying she needed help and she was pretty sure none of them had made the connection.

Probably because they were still trying to wrap their heads around being in the presence of an Ak'Gyun- she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she now was one- and because the thought of an Ak'Gyun needing assistance would have seemed absurd to them.

"What task does he have for us?" The other older- though nowhere near the age of Akishi herself- snake asked, lifting her head just enough to be able to observe the human-like face of the Ak'Gyun. It was wrong, in a way, but also strangely beautiful. They wondered if this was similar to what the Mother looked like.

"We are to infiltrate the palace of the human Lord of Yu no Kuni, remove him and his family, and then assume their identities." Naruto's plans afterwards to have the imposters use their new influence to benefit his human servants went unsaid. They didn't need to worry about that until after they had actually managed to pull it off.

"Just a human lord?" The two eldest shared a look while the three younger seemed almost to buzz in excitement at the idea of having a task from the High-Priest delivered to them by an Ak'Gyun. "Surely, removing him is no difficult task."

"If it was just him, yes." Akishi's eyes narrowed at the older snake who spoke. "But his entire family must be removed simultaneously to avoid suspicion and their replacements must be ready immediately. That is to say nothing about ensuring the replacements know and act in ways identical to the true lord and his family."

The other older serpent spoke up next. "With what are we to replace them?"

"That," Akishi grimaced slightly. "Is our test."

All five of the snakes immediately understood that this task wasn't going to be so simple after all.

"...A report on your current status and the condition of the laboratory are required immediately in light of recent developments within Konohagakure no Sato. It is critical to know if the laboratory is inhabitable as it currently is or how long it will take to make habitable in the barest sense of the word as we relocate Konohagakure operations to outside of Hi no Kuni by the end of the month. I will expect to receive these reports by the hand of the sibling I have sent carrying these orders and they have been instructed to provide you with no more than fourteen hours to provide said reports to ensure they are able to return to me with ample time to act upon them. Expect a second Wolf with word of my decisions and further instructions for you and your team."

Naruto signed the letter in pen before adding the seal of the House of Wolves and his personal seal as Tsukuyomi. He debated adding all three but in the end this really wasn't a matter of Nami no Kuni directly.

That and it was already more formal than he suspected Gaju would be able to recognize. Just sending a Wolf to tell him that Naruto needed immediate updates on the status of Orochimaru's old laboratory would have sufficed but if he was going to do something he might as well do it properly.

It also did some good helping him organize his own thoughts and priorities. There wasn't too much to be done but the intention was for them not to return to Konoha. They had to make sure they had everything they needed prepared the first time .

…..He was going to need to find a realtor for the Den, too, wasn't he? Bah, he'd see if Danzou wanted it first. He had more important things to worry about than reality. Speaking of which, the landlady was still running the upper floors of the apartments that had more or less become the diplomatic offices of Tsukuyomi here in Konoha. Technically they had bought the whole thing but he was wondering if it was worth keeping ties to it while they were gone. It would be easy enough to just hand over the reins to her completely, but having the option of a place to stay should he ever return to Konoha was also tempting.

And while Nami no Kuni and her Wolves weren't hurting for cash, it was kind of wasteful to completely ignore the opportunity for income. Actually, were they making any income from the apartments? He was going to have to find the agreement to figure that out because he couldn't quite remember if the landlady was still receiving the full amount from other occupants in exchange for managing the building or if she was just being paid from what the Wolves were taking in.

Normally he could just ask Mai- she had even drawn up the agreement in this case- but she was still off on a well-deserved vacation with Tsume and her current replacement probably wasn't even aware they owned the building.

He scribbled down a note to find the agreement at some point and turned to the next letter he was going to have to prepare. He hated to bother her while she was getting some much needed rest but he doubted Mai would appreciate returning to Konoha just to discover they had all left. A quick look at his calendar- that was much more bare than it should have been, he really needed to remember to add things to it more frequently- confirmed that she was due to return on the third, right after he had told the Godaime that they would be out of Konoha.

He might have found her scowls quite cute but as attractive as she was angry he was not going to risk her wrath for something of this calibre. He was quite fond of living, after all.

"To the Lady Amaterasu of Nami no Kuni's House of Wolves, First Seat of the Lesser Wave Court-"

A knocking on his door was quickly followed by the sound of it opening as Orochimaru poked Sasuke's head into his office. "Naruto-kun, I heard something strange from your Wolves. They were talking about-"

"Leaving Konoha?" Naruto raised a brow with his question. "That would be because we are. We'll be gone by the end of the month."

"But-" Orochimaru seemed deeply confused, an expression that didn't seem to fit Sasuke's face very well. "Why? There's so much we're still working on, why would we leave now?"

"We've been planning to leave anyway," He gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned back to the letter he was writing but he continued to speak. "It's the whole reason we're looking into your old laboratory. You're right about the projects too, but we have too many to maintain both proper secrecy and decent efficiency. We need more room. Mostly, however, it's because the Godaime is more than a little nervous about our presence in his village and has asked us to leave."

"You don't have to listen to him, Naruto-kun, Hokage or no."

He looked back up at the Snake Sage, his brow rising once again. "Thank you Orochimaru, I'm well aware of that. We were already planning to leave, I don't see any reason not to accelerate our timetable a bit to placate Sarutobi. He's caused some problems but he's not a major threat. He is, however, the one in charge of Hi no Kuni's hidden village."

"He's tied to the Daimyo." Orochimaru connected, earning a nod from Naruto as he resumed writing.

"Yes. Just as we're allied with Iroh he, in a sense, works for the man. Or, at the very least, they have a working relationship as any Daimyo and Kage should have. I'm not going to play tug of war with Iroh's favor when Mizu no Kuni made it obvious the man's already playing both sides."

"You're sure?" Orochimaru suspected, but he had never seen anything concrete to confirm such a suspicion.

"Konoha has been neutral in the matters of the rebellion since they started, do you think Hiruzen was unwilling or unable to help? No, it was just politics. They couldn't move to help without Iroh's permission because it could have been seen as an attempt at a hostile takeover, especially when Yagura was both rightful Kage and the acting Daimyo. Asuma wouldn't have done it either, no matter how much he wanted to try to knock us down, unless he had received permission. He's been courting Iroh's favor since Kaze no Kuni's invasion, he wouldn't throw it away so easily."

Those were good points. Still nothing proven but a solid enough reasoning that Orochimaru could be reasonably certain of it.

"Besides," Naruto's lips twisted into a small smirk. "When there are three players, why wouldn't you turn two against each other?"

There was something about the way he said that and the expression on his face that had Orochimaru wondering if he was missing something. "You mean Iroh-" black eyes widened as the realization struck him. "You, you're talking about you. You're turning them against each other- but how?"

"Nothing too serious, some distrust between them at most, but I do wonder what Iroh will think about his Kage removing his ally from a place he could keep an eye on him? Who knows what I'll be getting up to, especially when I'm no longer being distracted by him turning Asuma and I against each other?"

"Iroh isn't the type to suffer rivals, you know, and I have the potential of becoming one - especially if Asuma and I had started working against him together."

"But the other side-" Orochimaru started before that filled itself in as well. "If you're not working together Asuma might have done something to you. What's to say he won't be brash enough to go after Iroh himself after that?"

"Exactly. Iroh's managed more than any other Kage in recent history, he's going to be worried about holding onto that now. It would be the perfect time for a village of Shinobi to revolt and their Kage to establish himself as the new ruler of Hi no Kuni."

"Wasn't Asuma one of his guards at some point?"

"Of course," Naruto's smile widened just a bit more. "Who better to plan an assasination?"

Sometimes Orochimaru really did wonder if this was his godson or if he had impregnated Kushina without remembering it somehow. The young man before him reminded him of himself so much sometimes it was almost unnerving.

Almost, but not quite.

Orochimaru actually found it quite endearing.

"I need a map, one that shows your human countries and where your lords reside." The Wolf jumped, hand shooting to their chest in a futile effort to calm a frantically beating heart as Akishi slithered up behind them with her demands.

"By Tsukuyomi you-" The Wolf continued turning around only to freeze as they beheld the being before them for the first time. "..Wha-"

"A map, you humans make them, don't you?"

"Uh, ah…." It took a few seconds for their mind to reboot enough to actually respond. "A...map? Y-yeah, we have...maps."

Akishi was less than impressed with this servant of the priest, especially when his attention seemed to gravitate for her chest for some reason. "Good, get me one. I need to figure out where this 'Yu no Kuni' is."

"Y-yeah, of course." Despite his words, he didn't seem to be making any effort to move. Before Akishi could say anything else, however, another voice echoed down the hallway.

"Do you have those reports yet, Yako? It shouldn't have taken ...this….long….." Hanabi trailed off as she began staring at the half-snake woman before her. "Ooooh," She realized. "So this is what he was talking about."

One of these days she'd figure out why so much weird shit happened around the Wolves. Or, for the sake of her sanity, she hoped she would.

He hadn't changed out of his Daimyo robes he realized as he approached the Hyuuga compound, the matter brought to his attention by the unusually high number of stares to follow him as he walked through the village. Then again, it could just be that Asuma had released his other identity to the masses- either officially or otherwise- and they were just staring gobsmacked at a very, very young Daimyo quite a ways away from home.

Naruto was fairly certain that wasn't the case though, he didn't see any benefit Asuma may have gained to release that while he was still here lest he inadvertently pull more support to the Daimyo and risked Naruto changing his mind and deciding he liked Konoha even more when they all knew who he was.

….Unless Asuma had done so banking on the opposite, hoping all the attention would be irritating enough to drive him away. It was hard to tell because as blunt and straightforward as the man preferred to be he was still a Sarutobi and Naruto's experience with them said it was ill advised to underestimate just how crafty they could be.

Asuma was inexperienced and ill-suited for the role of Hokage, but he wasn't a moron. Just...a bit overzealous in his approaches. That was, Naruto felt, a very gracious and polite description of the man's tendency to try tackling perceived problems head-first. Not the best or most advisable course of action, but he supposed the Raikages had been doing it for a while and they were still around so it couldn't be too bad.

Well, it could be, but it wouldn't destroy Konoha.

Probably.

He supposed that wasn't going to really be his responsibility soon, at least not directly, considering he was going to be outside of Hi no Kuni. That was part of the reason for this visit, the other part was something he'd been meaning to do for far too long and the fact that he was only going to be doing it now, just two weeks before they left, made him feel like kind of an ass. What had he been so busy doing that he couldn't have arranged this before? He could have given instructions to a Wolf and ahd the matter settled with less than five minutes of his time.

Even now there was no reason he needed to be the one doing this besides the fact that he would need to apologize for being so late at the same time.

Technically a Wolf could have covered that part too, it simply wouldn't have been the same.

The Hyuuga gate came into view and he dismissed the thought for the time being. Business first, then he could focus on other things.

He was sure they had seen him a while ago- or they would have if they were doing their jobs properly- but the two former branch members snapped into a more attentive pose as he took the final dozen steps to the gate.

"I'm here to see Hinata no Mikoto." Even as he spoke they had already begun opening the gates for him. All members of the Hyuuga clan were aware that Naruto held immense favor in their goddess's eyes, much more than anyone actually part of the Hyuuga clan. Some were rather disgruntled by this fact but none dared to question it or act out against him in fear of displeasing the young goddess.

"Of course, we'll have someone inform her that you've arrived."

"No," Naruto waved them off without pausing in his stride. "I'll make my way to her. Is she in her office?"

They didn't get a chance to answer as one of Hinata's Wolf guards caught his attention and- knowing who he would be looking for- gestured in a different direction. "No, not the office. He muttered just loudly enough for them to hear as he entered the compound propper. "She's in Hiashi's garden."

The Two guards shared an unnerved look, wondering how he could have known exactly where she was within the compound. They didn't really like any idea that came to them, especially the idea that she was somehow calling him to her location. An outsider shouldn't be more favored than her own mortal family, it just wasn't right.

Fortunately for them they held their silence. After all, who were they to question fate? If his fate brought him closer to Hinata no Mikoto they would just have to accept it.

Accept it and hope that fate also led to an imminent burial so someone more worthy could be the goddess's favorite.

Hiashi's gardens were named such because they happened to be right outside the man's window. Hinata, gentle soul she was, hadn't had the heart to kill or banish her father and instead had placed him under house arrest in a room she'd had more or less turned into a studio apartment.

He spent most of his time- having little else to do- sitting next to the barred window and observing the gardens. Hinata had ordered a small shelf to be built right under hsi window when she learned of it so that several potted plants could be placed there for him to care for. There were more in the room but with the shelf he was able to tend to them while seeing the greater garden. It was the closest thing to properly enjoying the gardens she could provide for him and he appreciated it even if his face continued to remain locked in a scowl he had kept up since the branch family's revolt.

It wasn't the usual neutral expression or the disappointed frown that the Hyuuga main family had perfected over generations but a legitimate scowl, as if all existence around him was in some way distasteful. The only times it ever seemed to soften was when Hinata herself paid him a visit, sitting on a chair placed outside his window for that very purpose.

The former branch family wasn't very comfortable with her speaking to the man and benign so close while she did so- though to be fair they weren't too pleased that he still drew breath, especially when they still had to provide him with meals and ensure he was taken care of as if they hadn't overthrown the main family to escape such servitude to the main family- but the words of the goddess were law and if she desired to visit with the man they couldn't stop her.

At least they could draw some small manner of comfort from the fact that she kept one of her Wolf guards nearby while she did so, though the more keen Hyuuga had realized that had been done solely to put them at ease.

It made sense, too, for what did the goddess have to fear from a caged man?

Nothing.

Surely she was a kind and wise goddess that led them to do something so painfully unnecessary just to comfort them in their mortal fears. Those who had realized it only had their faith in the young goddess grow stronger as they found themselves humbled by her simple thoughtfulness

A Wolf currently leaned against the eastern wall of the courtyard, one eye on the "goddess" as she retold her week to the former clan head with gentle words. Were the Wolf a Hyuuga they could probably read her lips but that would be rude. Of course, if they were a Hyuuga they might also believe that Hinata was an actual goddess.

Ridiculous, every Wolf knew it was the work of a real deity who had given her the appearance of divinity in their eyes. If they had known it was Naruto's touch that was capable of freeing them from the shackles of their previous fate they might start worshiping the right god.

For whatever reason Tsukuyomi didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest and while the Wolves might wonder about it they would never dare question him and his decisions. Well, except Mai, but that was a sacred duty given to her by Tsukuyomi himself.

He might have been a god but he was still failiable , a bitter truth they only accepted because he would tell you so himself. If you asked a Wolf though there was a pretty good chance they would say otherwise and that the world just failed to obey.

Those Wolves assigned to this false goddess were some such Wolves.

It was for that reason their other eye- the one they were actually paying attention to- was focused down the walkway to their right. Hinata's guard knew that Naruto could stop by to visit Hinata at any time and they all held onto hope that it would be while they were on guard so they would have the opportunity to be in his presence again for even just a few moments. Those in Nami had it easy, Hinata's guards thought, because while they didn't get to see Nartuo often either they were at least greatly separated from him. The Wolves in the Hyuuga compound knew he was nearby but had to accept the fact that he didn't regularly visit the Hyuuga clan.

As the figure of her god appeared on the wooden walkways Hinata's current guard went from slouching against the wall to standing at sharp attention, fist slamming into her heart in the Konoha salute Naruto had shamelessly stolen for his forces.

Hiashi saw this from the corner of his eye as Hinata continued speaking to him and his own attention snapped over to the walkway to see what had caused such a reaction in his daughter's guard. It took her a moment to realize he was no longer looking at her but Hinata peered over her shoulder for some glimpse at whatever had caught her fathers' attention.

As soon as she saw her guard saluting she knew exactly who had come to visit.

Even just seeing the side of her face Hiashi did not miss the way his daughter's face lit up and a second later he saw who it was to cause it.

Naruto.

He should have known.

Hiashi had mixed feelings about the former Uzumaki prince. On one hand the boy had no doubt had a hand in the branch family's revolt- the Wolves made it pretty obvious- which led to the deaths of each main member with the exception of himself. Hanabi might have been fine considering she had been with her class watching the Chunin exams when the branch family made their move but he hadn't heard anything about her and Hinata didn't seem to know where she was either.

On the other hand, the part he played had been good for Hinata and it was difficult for him to be displeased about that fact. Just seeing her light up was a treat in itself but he would have preferred if the one who's visit had her so excited wasn't also the one who had quite literally ripped the family apart.

Okay, maybe that wasn't completely fair. The rift had already been there and had been widening for years, he had just been one of the catalysts that allowed the branch family to finally sever themselves and take the entirety of the clan for themselves.

Yes, he would remain bitter about that but if only in his mind he would admit he was a sore loser and his loss still smarted. It stung his pride but the much younger Naruto had without a doubt won their little game.

Only it wasn't nearly as small as Hiashi had first suspected. He had no way to prepare for something like this to unfold during its course. Who would have expected carefully chosen words to be dashed apart by swift actions and treachery within his own family? He hadn't taken things seriously enough, why would he ever suspect Naruto had been a legitimate threat and not just an interesting conversational partner over dinner?

What a fucking mistake, but how would things have changed if he had taken him seriously? Would he really have been able to stop someone from taking advantage of the animosity that had festered for so long? It was a miracle no one had done so previously when you took the time to think about it. All someone would have to do is offer support and give the branch family the confidence they needed to actually go through with it.

Seal or no, with how outnumbered they were there was no way the main family could actually fend them off. Fear had been the only thing holding the family together and even Hiashi could see that was no way for a family to function.

Perhaps this was all for the best.

As his daughter stood up from her chair without another word to him he had to remind himself that the world outside his window was his no longer and he was just here to observe. His life had been taken the day the branch family revolted, he simply hadn't been allowed to die yet and he was both too stubborn and too prideful to even consider forcing the issue.

The red headed young man walked confidently down the wooden walkways as if he belonged among the noble Hyuuga clan, his form covered in deep purple silks and accented with gold. Compared to the plain black robes he had worn this outfit seemed to scream that he was a noble of suitable standing to not just be in the Hyuuga clan as a guest but that the Hyuuga themselves should be honored that he had stopped to visit them.

Without looking one of his hands reached out to pat the head of Hinata's guard as he passed and despite her mask her body language seemed to radiate with satisfaction from the small gesture. The influence he had over Hinata's guards was concerning, even if they were his Wolves, but it took another second for Hiashi to realize that they were reacting to Naruto in a way similar to the branch members in his daughter's presence-

They saw him as a god.

The realization hit Hiashi hard not because it explained their fanaticism or because it showed just how dangerous the young man he had underestimated really was but because Hiashi could see it.

And by the gods he hated himself for it.

Quick AN before I list all the Patrons so generously supporting the story.

First, on the matter of Patrons- though I don't really know why they would be reading the chapters they've already received- if you happen to be both a Patron and one of those who voted against resuming payments please make sure you unpledge so you don't get charged for September. I'll tweet out a reminder here too, as long as I don't forget in the next few minutes.

Recently there was a request for Eyazahrid Merch so I did take some time last week to get something arranged. I'm expecting to receive proofs in the next week or two and I'll tweet pictures of them when they arrive. The discussion about Merch did happen in the discord so if you haven't and want to be part of such discussions in the future please feel free to join via one of the public links. There should be one on my site, one I tweeted, and I think I posted a link in a chapter back in January. Make sure to follow me at Eyazahrid on twitter so you can see the proofs when I get them.

Now onto my lovely Patrons.

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