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Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Also, this story is a lemon fiction therefore is intended for people of a legal age from wherever they come from. So, if these types of stories offend then stop reading now. Thanks.

Eroninja: The Chunin Exams Part Deux: The Mad Rush Backwards! Part IV

Toka felt a growing sense of unease as she stood beneath the spray of the showerhead as she cleaned the sweat and grime which had accumulated while Naruto and her tried to make it back to Konoha before the second round of the Chunin Exams ended. A part of the unease growing within her was due to her beginning to feel like she was more of a hinderance, then a help at present. Beginning with what she viewed as her shameful behavior during the end of the rescue mission that they were returning from due to her having put her feelings for him above the welfare of other shinobi of the Leaf. By forcing Naruto to evacuate her from the collapsing base himself rather than going with his clone, she felt that she had abandoned her pride as a kunoichi since she had put her emotional wellbeing above the mission. An act that she had found all the more shameful due to her having the temerity to lecture Naruto about his having allowed several of his lovers to put their own wants and desires above the goal of uniting the shinobi world. Yet, when push came to shove, she had acted in a similar manner and as a result may have doomed several Leaf-nin to being crushed beneath tons of earth and concrete. Perhaps all the more shameful was despite what her current feelings on the matter may suggest, she wouldn’t change a thing due to his remaining unharmed. Despite fearing that her actions may have diminished some of the esteem that he had for her.

Not that she could blame him, as the opinion that she held of herself had also taken a bit of a hit as well. Particularly due to how she had spoken to him regarding her tagging along because she believed that she would be able to hold her own on the forced march back to Konoha. However, it had only been a few hours after they had parted ways with Ibiki and the other survivors before she realized just how badly she had underestimated Naruto’s stamina, as she had begun to struggle to keep up. Particularly as they had been running over the dunes of Wind Country as the sand quickly began to sap her stamina due to her using chakra to keep herself on the surface of it much as if she was running on water. But just as she began to falter as her chakra reserves began to run dry, Naruto without missing a beat easily scooped her up into his arms as he carried her across the ocean of sand. Perhaps even more embarrassing to her then being carried in his arms, was the fact that it had been apparent that she had been slowing him down as he almost immediately began running even faster despite the added burden.

Toka although tempted to tell him to leave her behind, didn’t bother to give voice to the idea as she knew that he would never agree to it. So, she spent most of the journey being carried in his arms. They would occasionally stop for a few minutes, especially once the sun had risen so they could have a quick snack and drink some water. At which point they would take off again, with her running under her own power until such a time as her stamina would begin to falter at which point she’d find herself being bridal carried across the sands of Wind Country. A pattern which carried on for at least thirty or so hours until the moon once again hung high in the sky. Toka realized that even Naruto’s seemingly endless stamina was reaching its limit as she found herself easily keeping pace at a point where he would usually have already begun to carry her. But, before she could suggest they call it quits for the night, he had pointed to some lights off in the distance before stating, “I believe we should hold up there for the remainder of the night.”

Toka nodded, and with it having been one of the few times that he had spoken to her since the end of the disastrous mission, she had tried to determine if they held any hint to his current feelings towards her. Such as if he was annoyed that she had tagged along, or even worse. But, in the end, she had been unable to determine anything other than what the statement was meant to convey. When they had arrived at the lights, she found it to be a small hotel located along a path which many of the trading caravans seemed to favor. Before arriving, they had henged themselves to appear as a married couple which did avert some of the concern she had that Naruto was displeased with her, as at least he was open to sharing a room with her. However, after checking in and arriving at their room, he had somewhat distantly said, “I imagine you want to wash up. You can go ahead and shower first.”

Although, she had indeed been desperate for a good washing, in truth she had wanted to speak with him since they would at least be resting for a few hours. However, Naruto didn’t seem to reciprocate the desire as he immediately moved to a desk within the room, and finding a notepad and pen laying atop it immediately began writing something down. Leaving him to it, she had entered the bath which brought her to the current point in time, although she had lost track of how long she had spent in the shower due to her reflections, not to mention just how good the warm water felt against her skin. Figuring that she had been lost in though long enough, she turned off the water and began drying herself before wrapping the towel around her body. She used another to wrap her hair up to allow it to dry as well, before heading out to the room where she announced, “I’m finished.”

Naruto looked back and nodded, before returning his focus to the notepad as he finished up his writings. Toka was a bit surprised to see that it looked as if he had already used roughly two-thirds of the pages, before he stopped and flipped the used pages back onto the pad. He then stood giving her a grim looking smile before entering the bathroom himself where she soon heard the water begin to run.

Toka was curious as to what he wrote, but told herself that she shouldn’t look. But another part countered that if Naruto had wanted to keep it private, then he probably would have taken the time to secure it. However, the rational part of her quickly countered that he also figured that she was a grown woman, and so wouldn’t stoop to snooping through his stuff. For a moment that seemed to settle the internal debate that she had been having with herself. But the curious part of her, taking advantage of the concern that she had been feeling regarding Naruto current opinion of her slipped in a not so subtle, “What if it is about you?” Which seemed to shatter the reasonable portion of her psyche as she imagined all the different aspects of her personality suddenly adopted the same worried expression that she saw reflected in the room’s darkened window.

Cursing her weakness, she quickly made her way to the desk, and picked up the pad which she began to read through. However, rather than a stinging indictment of her recent behavior, instead she found that it was almost a clinical and extremely detailed report of the events that had taken place with the base. Details, which she found that she had either completely missed, or not been present for making her realize that Naruto wasn’t just recording his own perspective, but also those of the clones which he had sent into the base ahead of them. Perhaps what was the most impressive aspect about the report was how he seemed to be giving those view points in a chronological order giving a clear timeline of the events as either he or the clones experienced them. However, she found that it wasn’t just the events that he transcribed as she flipped through the pages, but drawn layouts for each of the floors as well as descriptions of the creatures that had been presen along with estimates of their capabilities based on the perception of the clones that they had dispelled.

Toka found that she wished she could show the notes to her cousin Tobirama, the original creator of the Shadow Clone jutsu. She had little doubt that he would be thrilled and impressed to see it mastered to such an amazing degree.

Having gotten distracted from her original purpose for reading them, as the former commander within her assumed control and gushed over how she could only have dreamed of receiving such an in-depth after-action report especially following a disastrous battle, she was caught off guard as the door to the bathroom opened. Feeling like she was caught in the midst of reading someone’s diary, she was tempted to hide the pad behind her back but resisted feeling it would only compound her guilt.

However, as Naruto stepped out and looked at her, he didn’t seem bothered by her looking through it at all. In fact, as he walked towards the bed in a relaxed manner with one towel wrapped around his waist, while he held the ends of another that was draped over his shoulder, it seemed as if he had washed away more than the dirt and grime that had covered him. However, that didn’t seem to be the case for her, as she imagined that her face perhaps showed the concerns that his return had caused to rise back to the surface, as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Toka replied causing Naruto to squint his eyes and tilt his head in the manner he usual adopted when confused.

But hearing the emotion in her voice, he quickly moved towards her, and reaching under her chin so she would meet his eyes, he asked, “For what?”

“For coming,” Toka said pulling away, and turning her back to him. Holding his notes up she said, “I was so haughty when I joined you on this mission. But, you didn’t need me. I’m just a burden, if not for me you’d probably have already linked up with the others.”

Naruto frowned at her back, but said, “Toka, sure I was annoyed with how you just decided to tag along, but it is only because you didn’t discuss it with me.”

“That’s because you would have said no,” Toka replied quickly.

Naruto opened his mouth to refute the claim, but before he did, he sighed as he was forced to admit, “You’re probably right!” Wrapping his arms around her torso, he said, “But, I’m glad you did. Having you there to communicate back to Ibiki, allowed me to focus on what my clones were experiencing. Maybe getting back a little slower than I may otherwise be able to on my own is a small price to pay for your help.”

Toka wanted to just relax into his embrace, but instead she pulled free as she felt that she hadn’t even admitted her most disgraceful actions. Which she did as she said, “I also put my own feelings before the mission and forced you to choose between me, and our fellow shinobi. I’m a failure as a kunoichi.”

She braced herself while on the verge tears, expecting for him to reproach her for the transgression of putting herself before the mission. After all, during a date they had gone on just before the start of the exams, she hadn’t held back in her criticisms of Mabui and Yugito, for putting their own desires before the mission that was bringing peace to the Shinobi World. However, what she didn’t expect was for Naruto to begin laughing in an extremely boisterous manner.

Whirling on him, and seeing his head was thrown back due to his amusement, she was tempted to deliver a shot to his midsection at his laughing while she felt like she was exposing a shameful part of herself to him. Naruto shook his head as he chuckled some more, and noticing her glare said, “Someday, I’m going to have to sit you all down and ask why you think it is such a crime to feel concern for me?”

Toka frowned, and off balance from his response began to stammer, “It’s not… it’s because…”

Naruto smiled at her reply as she trailed off, but growing somber once more moved to grip her by the shoulders as he said, “You made the correct call.” Turning away from her, he moved to sit on the bed before continuing, “Toka, I had hundreds of clones within the base. There was no reason to expose myself to danger. In fact, on the deepest floor I reached, I had one of my clones blast a section of the wall which seemed to expose another tunnel where Chouji and the others may have fled. But, before any clones managed to clear the tunnel that had been exposed the entire base came crashing down. If I’m being honest, if not for you being there, I probably would have tried to go myself, and might not be here now as a result. So, thank you!”

Rather then being relieved, hearing him thanking her, caused her to feel even more guilt as she admitted, “I didn’t do it because it was the right tactical call.”

“No,” Naruto said with a nod, “You did it because you love me, and valued my life more then the others. I left the task of searching for them to my clones, for much the same reason.” Naruto gave her a sad smile as she acknowledged his reply with a shallow nod, before stating, “I know it isn’t an easy thing to admit, since we’re trained to put the mission and by extensions the good of others first. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also protect, and value some people more the others. It’s only natural. In the best cases, you are acting to protect everyone, including those who you hold most dear and so being asked to sacrifice everything in order to achieve some objective is something that you can happily live with. But those times when you are being asked to sacrifice those you care about most, and just trust it is for the best, well I feel it is only natural to be repelled at the thought.”

Naruto rubbed his eyes and looking up she could see just how tired he was, as he said, “In any case, a mission like what we just experienced is why I cannot just let you or any of my lovers suffer for the greater good, of the mission.” A little bit of guilt appeared on his face as he continued, “Today over forty people are either dead or missing, and all because I opened the scroll Kanji gave me.”

“That’s not true,” Toka countered quickly.

Yet, before she could say more Naruto held up his hand as he explained, “It isn’t a direct line. But, because of my choice that day, we eventually became aware of there being an Organization or Shadow Cabal, through one of Kanji’s victims. Which after looking into, gave Ibiki the thread that eventually led us here. That isn’t to say they wouldn’t have become a threat someday down the road. Only we cannot see all the ripples our actions will one day cause, and I cannot guarantee that everything is going to work out in the end. Because of this simple truth, I cannot just trust the future that we are working for is going to be worth suffering through the moment for. There are at least forty people right now, that because of a choice I made years ago, whom I’m sure would disagree it is for the best.”

Toka couldn’t say she disagreed either, especially as she had demanded that he leave eight of them behind because of her own feelings for him. Tossing the notepad back onto the desk, she then pulled the towel from her head and undid the towel around her body. She then let gravity pull take hold of it before also dropping to her hands and knees before she began to crawl over to him.

“Toka,” he began to say as she reached him, and let out a groan once she reached into the towel still wrapped around his waist and took hold of his cock.

Beginning to tug it, she said, “You’re right. We cannot know what ripples our past or present actions will bring in the future. So, for now, all we can do is make sure to milk the present for all it is worth.” Once his cock had hardened, she opened his towel and quickly swallowed it; while wishing she could take it to the base as her Grandniece could. Hearing Naruto groan in response caused her pussy to grow even wetter, and so she made plans to have Tsunade teach her how to also become a Legendary Sucker.

Naruto tried to resist the pleasure that he was experiencing from Toka’s mouth by saying, “We shouldn’t be doing this. We said sex was off limits during the exams.”

Toka let his cock pop free of her mouth, and gave it a long lick before replying, “But, technically we are not taking the exams. Right now, we are just two lovers returning from a disastrous mission, hoping to leave it behind by basking in each other’s warmth.”

She quickly swallowed his manhood again, forcing him to admit that he really didn’t want to push her away,so simply settled back to enjoy the moment. Toka feeling him relax, let him slip free of her lips once more to say in a sultry whisper, “That’s it, lay back and let me take care of everything.” Naruto did as she asked, as he scooted to the middle of the bed while Toka continued massaging her saliva into his dick. Once he was situated in the middle of the bed, she climbed up his body and positioned her dripping snatch directly over him, and guided his kunoichi tamer inside.

Toka moaned as she sank down onto his cock, and once it was fully nestled within her began rocking her hips back and forth. Naruto reached up to grab her tits which he squeezed, while flicking her painfully erect nipples. Toka moaned in response arching her back to grab his knees, while she began working her hips even faster.

Feeling herself nearing climax, and wanting to push the moment off for as long as possible, she rose up to her feet, and while still impaled on his cock rotated to face in the opposite direction. Resting her hands on his thighs, she began raising and lowering her hips as she began to bounce on his dick. However, her strength quickly faded as the desire to cum became stronger and stronger causing her to sink to her knees where she just began working her hips up and down to make his cock appear and disappear inside her.

Toka was a bit surprised by Naruto’s passivity, as he wasn’t even meeting her downward thrusts. But, let the thought go with a mental shrug as she figured that he had taken her words about leaving everything to her to heart. Feeling her end approaching, she raised one of her hands up to her breast to fondle it while pinching her nipple, which caused her to stiffen as she pushed herself down fully on Naruto’s cock. “Cumming!” she shouted, and was rewarded for her efforts as she felt her womb begin to be flooded with his warm seed.

After catching her breath for a moment, Toka raised up her hips and could feel some of the overabundance cum that had filled her almost immediately begin to drip out. Looking back over her shoulder, she felt a flash of ire as she noticed that Naruto had fallen asleep. However, she immediately disregarded the irrational flash of emotion as she couldn’t deny just how hard he had pushed himself over the last few days. Instead, she took some sense of satisfaction in the soft contented look which he was currently wearing as his own breathing returned to normal. Seeing the gentle smile, Toka felt something shift within her as she knew there was nothing that she wouldn’t do to protect and preserve it, just as she now understood that he would move heaven and earth to ensure the happiness of his lovers. The feeling the coursed through her as a result, made her believe that her chakra had just undergone a transformation in color as she was filled with a similar warmth as when he had just filled her.

She turned back around to snuggle into him, but noticed that although his conscious mind was no longer awake his body hadn’t quite followed suit as his dick still stood erect. Deciding to make sure his dreams were pleasant ones, she lowered her mouth to it and began to clean it of their combined fluids. After savoring their taste, she once more mounted him and sank down onto him intent on enjoying the present to the fullest as she wrung out every last ounce of his seed before the night was done.

************************************************
Haruna was kneeling on a towered platform while dressed in the full regalia of her position as Daimyo of the Land of Vegetables. The early morning sun was fortunately being blocked by a tent which had been erected on the platform that had been raised for her to judge the current caliber of the shinobi being trained in what was once the Flower Village. Although, there was some disagreement as to whether the village should continue to be known by that name. Naturally, Haruna was rather against changing the name, feeling that to do so would dishonor her former bodyguards both of whom had given their lives for her and the Land of Vegetables. But, the current Grandmaster of the Village, a title that he preferred to be called in place of being called a Kage felt it was a necessary distancing from the past failures of the Flower Village. Although he was rather insistent, he also demonstrated some understanding to her feelings as he had not outright broached the subject again after she had requested some time to think on the matter after he had made his initial request shortly upon assuming the position. But that hadn’t meant he had just let the matter drop either. As Haruna had noted upon arriving at the village earlier that morning with Anko that none of the shinobi, outside of the Watari who originally had sworn fealty to her wore the symbol of the Flower Village on their person, and despite her being here to take part in an official ceremony even the awning above her found it missing.

While before the platform two trainees put on a display of the skills that they had been learning, Haruna discreetly watched the man that they had recruited to replace Anko as head of the village, who had been performing the duties following her decisions to provide the Wandering Shinobi whom had been betrayed by Sora a home within her lands. For the most part following the event they had worked out of the capital so that Anko could continue to perform her actually duty of serving as her bodyguard. As well as coordinate with those shinobi as they had taken part in her schemes to disrupt the smuggling operations of the Sasugaki Kunitake. A minor Claw noble who had housed her in place of his Daimyo while she had been living as a political hostage. He had also tried to break her by turning her into his sex slave so that she would elevate him to position of Daimyo of Vegetable upon her return. Fortunately, her bodyguards had learned of this, and before their passing had taken over the reins as her masters so as to prevent her from crawling back to him. A role Anko currently assumed, although she had taken steps to make Haruna no longer dependent upon her. Actions she had undertaken, in part, for the day when she would inevitably be called back to Konoha, but also so Haruna herself could stand with Naruto as an equal rather than a broken sex slave.

The man kneeling beside her had also been hired due to it likely being sooner rather than later before Anko would need to return home, and had been suggested to them by one of the original Wandering Shinobi to join the village, Ibuki. Although, she imagined the young woman on some level may have come to regret this recommendation as she had been demoted down to a trainee. With the reason being how she and the others had defied him back when they had been Wandering Ninja by running off with Sora. Haruna turned her gaze back towards the sparing match taking place, just as one of the trainee’s scored a strike that knocked his opponent to the ground. The Grandmaster shouted, “Point, and match. Stand and be recognized.”

The two shinobi stood, and bowed to each other before turning towards them before offering an even deeper bow. “Well, what do you think Lady Haruna,” the Grandmaster said while holding his hand towards the two trainees.

Feeling a bit put on the spot, she began to reply, “I’m sorry to say that when it comes to offering assessments of their talent, I do not quite feel it is something that I can do with any sort of proper insight.” She noticed the two trainees’ faces fall, so smoothly added, “However, even as a layman like me I can see why you would feel confident enough in having them spar for us today.”

The Grandmaster nodded although he kept his face unreadable, before replying, “It pleases me to hear you say so.” Turning to his direct disciple, the man said, “What is next on the docket, Guy?”

The brown-haired man that he had addressed was standing behind his master, and wore a sleeveless gi which was a dark orange. Upon his face, he wore a stern express which seemed to be his default as he replied, “Next up are Kimberely, and Ibuki who will be completing their apprenticeships today, and demonstrating why it is you believe one of them should accompany Lady Haruna to Konoha.” Guy then moved to the front of the platform, before shouting, “Trainees Ibuki and Kimberly step forward.”

Ibuki was quick to do so as she moved to occupy one of the spots the other trainees had just vacated, before giving a wave towards Haruna, who was about to return it before Guy said, “Is that the proper decorum for a kunoichi to have?”

Although her lower face was covered by the collar of the undershirt that she wore beneath the brown outfit she appeared to favor having worn it even while she had been a wandering ninja, Haruna had little trouble telling the kunoichi was sticking her tongue out at the man whose perpetual scowl intensified. Ibuki recognizing that her childish behavior was perhaps dooming her chances for advancement, quickly reined her tongue in as she adopted a more rigid stance while holding her hands behind her back.

The slim woman who had stepped forward at the same time was almost Ibuki’s complete opposite in terms of appearance. A distinction which stemmed from more than her just having the dark brown skin which would seem to signify that she had some hereditary ties to the shinobi of Kumo. But, while Ibiki was dressed in garb that most would perhaps associate with one in her position as a kunoichi, the other woman seemed like she would be more at home at either a track meet, or some kind of warehouse party. Her long black hair which ended in dye blue tips, was braided and held back from her face by a yellow headband, and she wore a red short jacket which left her midriff exposed, and was trimmed in white. The fingerless gloves that she wore were the same color as her jacket, while the skin tight capri pants that she wore were black, and held in place by a white belt. Haruna got the feeling there may be some connection between the young woman, and Guy as they both seemed to favor the same type of footwear as her feet were adorned in red sneakers that had white soles and blue laces. Attached to her hip was some sort of device which Haruna wasn’t familiar with, although she suspected it may be a portable music player of some sort due to the wire which ran from it to a pair of blue earpieces that she had in her ears, and from the way she seemed to bounce her head slightly to a beat that only she was hearing.

Haruna also got the sense that there was perhaps more than a little bit of bad blood between the two as Kimberely moved to stand beside Ibuki, and she seemed to give her a dismissive role of the eyes. A gesture which Ibuki didn’t miss, and likely said something derogatory in turn which Haruna couldn’t make out due to the face covering that she wore. If Kimberely’s device was a music player, it didn’t to hamper her ability to hear what she had said as she sent a glare towards the woman that may be standing in her way towards graduating, as well as the prestigious assignment of guarding the Daimyo during her upcoming trip to Konoha.

Guy looked like he was about to announce for the two to face each other, and bow in order to signify the start of their match. However, before he could, the Grandmaster stood abruptly to say in a playful manner, “Sorry everyone, but I don’t know about you all, but I’m thinking the current program is getting a little stale.” Guy appeared to look rather annoyed at his master’s sudden interjection, but Haruna got the sense that he was somewhat used to his eccentricities as it was quickly replaced by a look of acceptance. Standing aside so his master could occupy the spot as he said, “Plus, I think it would be a better test of our two potential graduates if they were thrown something of a curve ball as a final test.” Holding his hand towards the two women who had been standing guard at the steps leading up to the platform they were occupying, he said, “So, rather than facing each other. You two will be facing the daughters of my esteemed predecessor as the Grandmaster of the Bushinryu style. Rena and Maki Genryusai.”

The two women moved from their posts at the foot of the stairs and leaping onto the area stage where the two trainees stood, crossed each other before moving to stand opposite the two women that they would be battling. The first woman, Rena, had long black hair and was dressed more like a lady in waiting, rather than a shinobi as she wore a formal looking red Kimono. Still, it was clear to see that it had been altered to allow the woman to move freely as she assumed a battle stance; by pushing one leg forward showing it was not tightly wrapped around her lower half.

By contrast, her sister Maki had long blonde hair held up in a pony tail, and her attire left little doubt that it was designed for battle. Consisting of little more than a halter top like gi, which reached down to just below her pelvis and was held in place by an ide yellow sash wrapped tightly around her stomach. This left her legs entirely bare all the way up to her hips, although Haruna could see she was wearing some sort of matching red undergarments beneath, while she also seemed to favor the same foot wear as both Guy and Kimberly. Standing about half a head taller than her sister, she was also armed with a pair of Tonfa which were strapped across her back in making an X .

The crowd seemed to grow genuinely excited by the matchup, although both Kimberely and Ibuki seemed less than thrilled by the seemingly last-minute change. Leaving Haruna to wonder if it was due to the caliber of the opponents that they were about to face, or the prospect that they would need to work together in order to best them.

They were hardly the only ones, as the Grandmaster turned away from the arena to retake his spot beside her at which point Guy hesitantly asked, “Sir… are sure this is a wise course of action?”

The older man chuckled before asking in turn, “Who can say? But, Is your concern for your protégé or your fiancé?”

Guy sent a quick look towards the black-haired woman, before replying, “I have no doubts in regard to either of their skill levels. Only…” Haruna watched with piqued curiosity as he paused as he sent a look towards both her and Anko, making it clear he was uncomfortable speaking freely about the matter openly.

As such, the Grandmaster finished the thought for him, “Only, you suspect that due to the animosity which exists between our two hatchlings that we’ve just advertised before our prestige’s patron are ready to leave the nest, they will fall well short of expectations.”

“To put it mildly,” Guy said as his master retook his seat although in a far more relaxed manner then before.

Although he chuckled in amusement, likely taking some enjoyment from the discomfort that he had caused for his pupil in before he replied, “Well perhaps they will. But, if those two are unable to set aside their differences, perhaps it simply highlights how much further we all have yet to go before becoming a proper village.”

Haruna saw that Guy wanted to retort but quickly caught himself no doubt still not wishing to air their dirty laundry before the woman they had sworn to serve. His master seemed more than willing to let the matter lapse into silence as he focused on the match about to take place.

********************************
Ibuki kept her gaze fixed on the man who currently bore the title as the Thirty-eighth Grandmaster of the Bushinryu Style of Ninjutsu. She felt a flash of annoyance at him as he seemed entirely too pleased with the chaos that his sudden announcement had thrown her world into. Not for the first time, she regretted having suggested him to Haruna and Anko when they had gathered her and the other Wandering Ninja that Vegetable’s ruler had spared to restart the Flower Village, and requested suggestions for someone to take over as head of the village. Naturally, many of the older Wandering Ninja had suggested themselves, which Anko had immediately shot down stating that none of them were even on par with her and she couldn’t leave them in even worse hands than her own.

She had sensed that many of her fellow Wandering Ninja had also been thinking of putting forth the same name, but their pride and no amount of shame was preventing them from speaking it. This was due to how when Sora had made his pitch to the Wandering Ninja about creating a home for them, it had caused a division within their ranks after Zeku the current Grandmaster had told him to get lost, as any home earned through such means would be built on a rotten foundation inevitably leading to its destruction. This division which had fractured along the lines of those who had felt they had spent enough time wandering in the wilderness, and those who believed Zeku was correct. Not too surprisingly, this split had mostly been along the lines of those who practiced the Bushinryu Style and those who had followed their own Ninja Ways.

Which had been the reason that Ibuki and the others had ultimately defied Zeku and decided to follow Sora as her own shinobi tradition was that of a minor clan which had fallen into ruin during the chaotic period when the first shinobi villages had been founded and her elders had ended up joining a minor one which had failed to establish itself. A shinobi tradition which had faded with each generation until both her father and mother had been forced to abandon it all together as a means of support and settle for menial work in order to support her. While her parents had claimed that they had no regrets, she had felt that wasn’t entirely the case as whenever they had passed on some of their techniques to her, they often would wear wistful looks as they watched her practice. Thus, when Sora had made his pitch to the Watari, she had been seduced by the idea of reestablishing her family’s heritage as proper shinobi by establishing a new shinobi village.

Still, Ibuki did recognize that accepting Sora’s offer had felt like a betrayal to the Watari that practiced the Bushinryu style. Primarily, coming only a few years after Hoki along with his sect of the Watari, had also broken off from the main group, and had tried to topple the government of Bird. The main reason many felt this was a betrayal, being due to how it was only because of the legitimacy of the Clan which had founded the Bushinryu, the Genryusai Clan, which had lent the Watari as a whole any legitimacy. Which had allowed them to attain enough legitimate jobs to prevent them from becoming outright bandits, outside of the few who eventually had.

Although, Ibuki had to concede that perhaps claiming they were legendary was perhaps a bit much, at least when compared to the likes of the Uchiha or Senju Clans. But, in fairness she believed that prior to the founding of the current era, the Genryusai name would have elicited as much fear as either of those clans. But, had only faded due to comparably more peaceful atmosphere in which the shinobi applied their trade. After all, even the Fuma who had also once been just as feared, and had left a lasting mark on the world of shinobi through the shuriken which bore their name found their own star having faded considerably in the current era.

However, whereas the reason that the Fuma had become so diminished was due to their having backed a Daimyo with delusions of grandeur, who had used them foolishly in a war that he couldn’t win, and then thrown their lot in with Orochimaru after he had founded his Sound Village. The Genryusai had refused to throw their lot in with anyone after Konoha had been founded, and had then led to the scramble of other countries trying to establish their own. The Genryusai had believed that the villages, many of whom had been made up of hated rivals would quickly disintegrate over the bad blood which existed between them and before long things would return to how they had always been.

A bet which obviously hadn’t panned out for the Genryusai, who although their star had faded significantly since then had become the first and greatest band of Watari. Although, they were often forced to work in Countries too poor to afford the services of a shinobi village, or occasionally would luck into a lucrative contract by being in the right place at the right time. Which was how Ibuki had become a Watari as it had been none other the Zeku, the current grandmaster, and Guy, his apprentice, both of whom had appeared in her village when it had been assaulted by bandits. While her father and mother, along with a few of the townsfolk that had also shared lineage to the same fallen clan had tried to defend it, they had sadly been no match for the missing-nin that had run the band. But, fortunately Zeku and Guy had been tracking them, and had caught up in time to prevent the situation from turning into a bloodbath. At least for the townspeople.

Afterwards, although they had been on the verge of defeat, Zeku had been impressed by their spirit and recognizing them for what they were had offered them a place among the Watari. Who he had been returning to after being away for decades. However, many like her mother and father had rejected the offer, as their near fatal encounter with bandits had burned away the wistfulness for the life that they had been denied. However, for Ibuki it had only fired her up all the more wanting to develop the strength needed to protect those she cared for. Her parents although obviously concerned for the life that she wanted to embrace, ultimately had decided to support her and thus she and a few of the other children from the town had set off on their new lives as shinobi in training.

Zeku’s predecessor had not exactly been pleased when he had turned up after so long with what the man had called a bunch of strays. But, Zeku had argued that including new blood into the Watari would only strengthen them in the long run. Pointing out how the Thirty-seventh Grandmaster had done much the same for him once. Although, It had been clear to Ibuki that this hadn’t exactly swayed the Grandmaster’s thoughts on the matter, especially as Zeku had made it clear that he intended to aid the current crop of trainees which he had brought in with learning the styles that their families had passed down. Still, while Zeku and a few others had indeed kept their word, it was clear to see that due to the Thirty-Seventh Grandmaster favoring his own school’s teachings, it was causing cracks to form among the different bands of Watari.

This schism eventually led to Hoki’s faction breaking away, as he doubted his own ambitions would ever be realized so long as the Genryusai were calling the shots. Although, Ibuki had felt that Hoki was always kind of a deceptive slimeball, it was clear that due to the Thirty-seventh Grandmaster’s continued favoring the practitioners of his Clan’s style, especially whenever particularly lucrative contracts were secured, that many of the other Watari bands were beginning to question tying their fates to the Genryusai.

Seeing at best the dissolution of the Watari into smaller bands, which would likely result in many of them turning to outright banditry. Zeku had decided to challenge his predecessor for the position, and had triumphed thereby becoming the Thirty-eighth Grandmaster in the process, and the first non-Genryusai to hold the position. However, even though he would try to heal many of the cracks which had appeared during his predecessor’s stint, it had become quite apparent that it hadn’t been enough when Sora appeared to make his own pitch as many of the non-Bushinryu practitioners had leapt at the opportunity he had presented.

She imagined that Zeku had taken this as a personal betrayal although many of the bands that had joined Sora had been with the Watari long before he had assumed control. But she believed it hadn’t so much been those bands leaving which had stung so much as those like her, whom he had personally brought into the Watari and had also jumped ship to Sora. Although, she couldn’t speak for many of the others, seeing as how a good portion of them had died due to it having always been Sora’s intention to use and discard them, she did believe that many of them had felt it was just their chance to make a mark on the world in a way which would change the Watari’s fate. Which was to inevitably fade away much like the clan which her family had once belonged to had, as even the Genryusai over the past century had slowly whittled down to the point where there were only two that remained with direct blood ties to the former formidable clan.

But they had sadly learned that much as Zeku had said at the time, when a man comes around making promises which sound too good to be true, they usually were. Still, somehow despite deserving quite the opposite, even with the horrible price the Watari which had left due to Sora’s honeyed words had paid, they had somehow still ended up being rewarded with the prize they had sought. A place with which they could call their own and hopefully begin writing a new chapter to their stories, one of ascension rather than the slow gradual deterioration that they had been. Something which Ibuki believed Zeku had also desired, although he had the wisdom to see Sora for who he truly was.

Which was why, when Anko had informed them that the village would need a leader as she would at some point need to return to Konoha, she had suggested Zeku. As well as because she felt it could begin to heal the rift which had existed between the disjointed bands of the Watari that had remained. Still, little did she realize that despite the high price that she and the others had already paid to secure their current standing within the Land of Vegetables, that she would be asked to pay yet more.

She had been among the Honor Guard to travel with Lady Haruna and Anko when they had traveled to meet with him where they had made camp in an extremely tiny country to the west of Demon. Zeku had obviously been surprised by the proposal, and even more so when he learned from Haruna that she had been the one to suggest him. Yet, after seemingly only a moment’s thought, he had replied that he would accept the position, but only if she were to accept demotion to the rank of trainee. Naturally, Ibuki had felt rather betrayed by the proposal. Yet she had been rather pleased not only by her comrades who had also been assigned to guard the Daimyo raising their voices in protest. But that that both Anko and Haruna had almost immediately stated that they considered the request a nonstarter. With two of them speaking quite highly of her skills, particularly in the operations she had taken part in to dismantle a smuggling operation of some Claw noble ran which Haruna bore a grudge towards. Although, they hadn’t gone into any specifics as to why.

Zeku however had remained firm, yet before the discussion had grown too heated, he had suggested that just Haruna, Anko, and himself take a walk. He had phrased it as a chance to display his skills to his prospective employer, as it was perhaps too hasty to discuss terms when they were not even sure if he would live up to their expectations.

Haruna had agreed, and the three of them had headed off into the nearby woods, leaving those who at the time had been identifying themselves as Flower Ninja with their former Watari Comrades. Although nothing was said, the tension between the two groups was palatable. When Haruna returned with Anko and Zeku in tow, with it being clear the latter two had just had a bit of a row, although neither gave any sign of who had been the winner.

When they had retaken their spots, Haruna had started off by stating that while she had been impressed by his skills and felt he could fill the role as Village Head, she still felt that he was asking too much of one of her shinobi, especially one had already proven her talent and loyalty. Zeku had remained intractable, causing the talks to look as if they were going to end, which was when Ibuki had stepped forward to say she would agree to his terms. A move which had obviously surprised the contingent of Watari that had been standing behind Zeku, and even those who had accompanied Haruna had looked taken aback.

Haruna had studied her for a moment, before asking if she was sure to which Ibuki had nodded although admittedly a bit reluctantly. With an accord seemingly struck, Haruna and Zeku had negotiated a few remaining details before she had announced that they would immediately be returning to Vegetable, and that the rest of the Watari would join so thereafter.

Freshly demoted, Ibuki had remained behind and restarted her career as a trainee from the very lowest run. Although, she had not remained there as her skills had quickly carried her through, as sometimes she’d only be asked to attend a single lesson before being informed of her being advanced. It had made her wonder why Zeku had been so adamant in forcing what she viewed as a punishment on her. A question that more than a few of the Watari had shared, as many of them did little to hide the distaste that they harbored for not just her but those like her who had left with Sora. While those that followed the Bushinryu path were the most strident in displaying their dislike of her. They had hardly been alone as members from the other paths had also grown to hate those that had left with Sora, finding them to be a convenient scapegoat to blame for the fractious nature of the Watari. Which although it had always been such, had obviously grown to an extreme degree since she had left. Still, her return hadn’t been entirely unpleasant as it had allowed her to reconnect with her best friend Sarai Kurosawa.

Ibuki paused in the recollection of what had brought her here to look towards the gathered trainees and found it easy to spot Sarai. Not only because of her purple hair which was done up in a short ponytail that just peeked out from behind the visor-like sunglasses currently sitting on top of her head. But because she was one of the few trainees who looked as if they weren’t hoping that she’d get her butt handed to her by the two women standing opposite her and Kimberely and carried the blood of the founders of the Bushinryu Path.

Sarai gave her a nervous looking smile and a hesitant thumbs-up, before quickly returning to the relaxed stance the other trainees were in of standing with their legs spread apart and hands folded behind their back. Ibuki turned back to see Guy glaring at Sarai before focusing back on her and Kimberely before announcing, “Begin!”

**************************************
Anko winced as almost immediately it was apparent that Ibuki had an uphill battle ahead of her as the match began. Especially as Maki and Rena surged forward diagonally to target not the woman that they had line up across, but the one their sister had. Meanwhile, the two kunoichi they faced had reacted in opposite manners as Kimberly had charged forward to take on Maki, while Ibuki had leapt backward to create space between herself and all three women.

Although, Ibuki obviously had expected Kimberely to follow suit as she cursed upon landing since while Maki had been moving to attack her, the dark-skinned kunoichi-in-training had seemed to focus exclusively on the woman directly across from her. Thus, as the blonde had adjusted her trajectory to follow her target, it brought Kimberely into range of Maki’s sister all the sooner. However, before Rena could attack her, she had to pause as Ibuki threw a kunai which passed close enough to her supposed partner that Kimberely felt the breeze. Alerted to the other threat, she leapt away throwing what appeared to be an aerosol can onto the ground to prevent both sisters from moving after her as it began rattling before exploding in a colorful burst of paint.

Kimberely landed beside Ibuki before shouting, “Watch it! You nearly clipped me there. I know if might be difficult, but how about you try not to stab me in the back?”

“How about you try using your brain?” Ibuki retorted, “You can’t just charge in without a plan.”

“The plan’s simple,” Kimberely fired back, “Stay out of my way, pick one of them and deal with your own opponent.”

It was clear to Anko that Ibuki found such a plan to be less than satisfying, especially as it was equally apparent that the sisters whom they faced were moving like one would expect pack predators trying to isolate prey. Especially as Kimberely’s “plan” such as it was, already began to fall apart as it was the sisters that moved in to decide whom they would face. Quickly forcing both trainees onto the defensive. Anko frowned though as the sisters, despite who they had originally tried to target, were now engaged with the kunoichi that they had originally lined up against.

Her concern stemming from how this seemed to favor Ibuki due to Rena appearing to be the slightly less skilled fighter of the two siblings. Allowing Ibuki to continuously keep her at a distance while harassing her with kunai. Kimberely while just as nimble as Ibuki, was clearly having a harder time due to Maki being just as quick while also wielding one of her tonfa. Which Anko had suspected was the reason why Maki had tried to originally engage with Ibuki, who favored using weapons as well, as the blonde’s tonfa would have allowed her to batter aside the kunai. While Rena had to put in much more effort in avoiding them.

Anko shook her head as the sisters’ plan became clear to her, and she had to admit it was quite clever as it would target one of Ibuki’s strengths while also taking advantage of Kimberely’s weaknesses. The first phase of which began as a punch from Kimberely slipped past Maki’s guard to apparently connect with her jaw. Maki stumbled back as it looked as if her opponent had struck her right in the sweet spot before falling to her knees. Kimberely, lacking actual combat experience quickly surged in to take advantage, at which point her opponent placed a hand on the ground and used that as a pivot while rotating into a spinning kick which connected with the side of dark-skinned woman’s head. Meanwhile, Ibuki who had tasted actual combat, which normally would have been a strength, was being extremely cautious as she continued to play to her advantages by keeping her opponent at a distance. However, once Maki’s kick had connected this turned into a huge disadvantage as the distance allowed Rena to easily disengage as she rushed towards the dazed kunoichi. Flipping over her sister, who rose up and used her tonfa to batter away the kunai Ibuki tried to hit her fleeing sister with. Who while upside down in the air, wrapped her arms around Kimberely’s midsection, and now with her captive in tow completed her flip by slamming the kunoichi into the mat.

Anko winced as the stage, which was raised off the ground and designed so the highflying users of the Bushinryu could use their techniques without sending each other to the hospital, still made the sound of wood splintering from the impact. Rena quickly rolled back to her feet as it was clear that Kimberely had taken the full impact of the attack, and so was likely going to be out of the fight for the foreseeable future.

Ibuki quickly reacted to the changing circumstances as she pulled out several more kunai and slipped them into a holder attached to her right leg so that they would be more easily available as she used them to keep the sisters at bay as she began darting about the arena. To Anko it looked as if she was trying to buy Kimberely time to recover. However, considering the rings limited size, it wasn’t long before she found herself isolated in one of the corners. So, with escape seemingly impossible, she decided to switch to attack, and charged Rena while throwing several kunai towards Maki forcing her to use her tonfa to deflect them. At the last second, she also tossed one at Rena with the idea that it would create an opening for her to attack. However, the dark-haired kunoichi easily battered the blade down with her bare hand causing it to stick into the ring.

Ibuki smirked under her mask as she couldn’t have asked for a better result so committed to her attack. But she found no opening in Rena’s defense as she easily blocked Ibuki’s opening punch and countered with a strike which caught the kunoichi in the chest. However, Ibuki burst into a poof of smoke as she was replaced with a painted wooden statue of a tanuki. Rena’s blow shattered the substitution catalyst that Ibuki had prepped and hidden under the stage just that morning.

Anko nodded contently at Ibuki’s foresight, although she noticed many of the trainees who viewed her in an unflattering light probably considered it to be a form of cheating as there was a ring out component to the match. Which Rena’s blow likely would have resulted in. Although, Anko figured that if anyone tried to raise a fuss over it then she would be able to successfully argue that being under the ring still counted as being within the confines of it.

Ibuki then switched places with the kunai that she had tossed at Rena as she reappeared behind her due to the dark-haired woman’s attack against her having carried her past it. Rena sensed the danger as she spun around just in time to be caught in the stomach by the first of a series of three kicks that Ibuki delivered. The younger kunoichi then launched her up into the air with another series of kicks, before flipping away. For a moment, it looked as if Rena would sail outside of the ring, but she recovered in midair as she righted herself so that she managed to just land on the edge of the ring.

Ibuki wasn’t quite so fortunate though as just before she had landed, Maki launched herself into a kick which caught the still airborne kunoichi in the back. The two of them sailed through the air, before Maki landed at the edge of the ring next to her sister and slammed her tonfa into Ibuki’s back as she spiked her into the ground just outside of it.

Which Guy announced as he shouted, “Ibuki, ring out.”

Kimberely, upon hearing this forced herself back to her feet, yet before she got them fully under her, found her face smashed down into the ring by Rena. Who having dashed across the ring and snatched up one of Ibuki’s discarded kunai, placrf a knee along her upper back, held the blade to her throat saying, “Do you yield?”

Closing her eyes to precent the tears that she felt from falling, she nodded her head prompting Guy to shout, “Kimberely, defeated via submission. Winners, Rena and Maki.”

“Well done, Ladies,” Zeku said addressing the winners while rising from the pillow on which he sat. Both women gave him a short bow, before returning to spots that they had occupied at the foot of the stairs leading up to the platform where he and the Daimyo knelt. He waited for Ibuki to climb back into the ring, and then for Kimberely and her to assume the same stance the other trainees were in before saying with a disappointed shake of his head, “Now this is quite the unfortunate turn of events. Here we are holding a graduating ceremony, yet our two would be graduates failed their final test. Wha…”

“Sir!” Kimberely said interrupting the Grandmaster of the Bushinryu Style which she had been taught.

Although, she quickly stopped herself from uttering her complaint. This still prompted her master Guy to shout harshly, “Silence! Know your place.”

Zeku stepped up behind Guy before placing a calming hand on his own apprentice’s shoulder as he said, “Do you have a complaint Trainee Jackson? Speak freely.”

Although hesitant at first, she stated, “I…I just do not feel this was a fair test of my abilities. Not only did you change the nature of the fight but forced me to work with the very person that I was preparing to defeat.”

Zeku nodded, before replying, “Indeed I did. How about you Trainee Ibuki, do you feel my changes made the test unfair?”

Ibuki looked as if she was going to agree for a moment, perhaps thinking the Grandmaster’s question was a kind of lifeline. But, noticing Anko, who appeared stone-faced as she stood behind the Daimyo, she ended up responding, “No, Grandmaster.”

Anko allowed her expression to reflect how pleased that she was by the answer that she gave, while Kimberely looked over with an expression that screamed how her thoughts were of an opposite nature. But Zeku kept his own to himself as he said, “I see. Well then, I must confer with the Daimyo to see if she believes if either of you two failures deserve the privilege of guarding her while she travels to Konoha. Remain at attention until we have reached a decision.” He then nodded to Guy, who moved to the cloth flaps of the tent covering the platform, and undid the knots holding them open before moving to stand before it as a guard.

**************************************************

Zeku moved to sit opposite Haruna as he knelt back on his pillow. He then lowered his head in a deep bow, before stating, “I thank you for indulging me, milady.”

“I believe it is Ibuki, that should be receiving your gratitude,” Haruna stated, “All three of us have left her twisting in the wind these many months.”

“Speaking of which, why are we making her sweat the results again?” Anko asked, eager to end the farce feeling that the kunoichi had already been asked to endure enough.

Zeku inclined his head in understanding, but replied, “I understand your feelings. But I’m afraid that I must beg for one more indulgence.”

Haruna frowned having a sense of what it was, which prompted her to say, “I take it you are referring to your desire to rename the village.”

“Yes,” Zeku nodded, before stating, “Lady Haruna, I know the Flower Village, and its people hold a special place in your heart. So, please understand that I do not say this lightly, but its legacy is one of failure.”

From where I sit, they are not the only ones to possess such a legacy, Haruna snapped, “Did you not just force a young woman to endure months of being an emotional punching bag in order to address some of your own group’s failings?” She shot back almost immediately, but recovering temperament she quickly added with some remorse, “Please forg…”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Zeku said cutting her off with a kind smile, “As I said, I understand your feelings completely. Plus, to see your immediate willingness to defend against an insult paid to those who have sacrificed everything in service to you is what makes you a leader worth following. Furthermore, all you did was describe exactly what I asked for when we first spoke alone all those months ago. We Watari are defined by failure; however, those failings are ours to bear, and something I hope can be put behind us. However, I feel that asking us to define ourselves as the Village Hidden Among the Flowers would be counterproductive to that goal as it is asking us to bear failures not of our own making.”

Haruna still wanted to protest, but paused as Anko said, “A name carries with it a certain amount of power, Haruna. It doesn’t just create ties to the past and present, but it can help shape its future as well.”

“Indeed,” Zeku responded with a pleased nod as he saw Anko’s words seemed to sway the Daimyo’s opinion some, “We, the Watari will also be putting aside that name, in the hopes that a new name will be something that we can all unite under. But that name should be something which frees us from the failures of the past. Not a link to more.”

Haruna felt conflicted, as she could understand what the man was hoping to achieve. Yet, at the same time a part of her wanted to achieve the same sort of redemption that Konan was working towards in rehabilitating Akatsuki’s reputation in the eyes of the people. However, she understood that while Konan was the link to Akatsuki’s past, and she could claim a similar one existed between her and the Flower Village, there was a major difference in that she wasn’t exactly going to be out there fighting on the front lines to change the perception of the Flower Village. That task would fall to the Shinobi under her, who were hoping to change their perceptions of themselves both in present and into the future.

Although it was a difficult desire to let go of, recognizing that it was for the best of those who would be fighting for her and her people. Not to mention, would further honor the young woman who had already shown that she was willing to make sacrifices to bring them to this point, she said, “Very well. I will put my personal wishes to the side, so that you may do what is best for the shinobi under you.”

Zeku bowed deeply as he placed his head to the floor, stating, “Thank you Lady Haruna. I hope that in time that you think as highly of us, as you do for the shinobi that have served you in the past.”

Haruna smiled warmly as she said, “I do not doubt that day will come. Especially as there is already soon to be one among your number whom I already think quite highly of.”

Zeku raised his head, giving her a pleased smile as he replied, “Then I suppose it is all the more imperative that we add her to our ranks as soon as possible.”

**************************************************

Ibuki was growing impatient as she waited for some sign that the meeting taking place was coming to an end. Even though, in truth only a handful of minutes had passed. Although, she wasn’t sure if it was a case of it being better for her future as a shinobi depending on whether the meeting went longer or shorter. Due to her belief that both Anko and Haruna were arguing for her to be elevated to a genin again, she began to imagine that the longer the debate stretched on, it would indicate just how opposed the Grandmaster was to it. Although admittedly, she could also picture a scenario where it could be Anko and the Daimyo arguing passionately about Kimberely not deserving to be elevated.

She perked up though as Guy shifted ever so slightly as if to hear what someone was saying to him from within the tent. At which point he shouted, “Trainee Ibuki, your presence has been requested.”

Ibuki’s eyes widened, but she didn’t dally as she quickly ascended the steps leading up to the closed off tent which Guy opened as he stood aside to allow her to enter. Finding the Daimyo and Grandmaster kneeling side by side, with Anko hovering behind Haruna’s right shoulder, she ignored the pillow that had been placed before the two leaders so that she could drop to her knee as she raised a fist to her chest, and lowering her head declared, “I’m ready to receive your judgement.”

She closed her eyes, as a part of her feared hearing that she had failed, but to her surprise it was Anko who spoke as she said, “Raise your head Ibuki.”

A little hesitant to do so, she nevertheless mustered the courage to look up, and her mouth dropped open as she found Zeku nearly bowed over with his head almost touching the floor. Even Haruna was giving a small one, although hers was nowhere near as deep. Zeku raised his head, before saying, “I ask your forgiveness for the hardships that I have forced upon you these last few months.”

Ibuki felt lost which she gave voice to as she said, “I… huh?”

Zeku rose up to kneel once more as he explained, “As you know, there has long been a growing divide between the various bands that have made up the Watari. Although, my predecessor and many who follow the Bushinryu are not blameless in creating it, that is mainly due to them feeling those who walk separate paths have long traded on their good name. With more than a few having dragged it through the mud. A feeling that only was exasperated when you and the others abandoned us to aid Sora in his scheme. Perhaps worse, unlike when Hoki left to try and topple Bird, thanks in part to Lady Haruna’s kindness it appeared as if you all were actually rewarded for what in truth was a rather treacherous undertaking.” Despite her still wearing her mask, Zeku could tell she was frowning perhaps feeling the judgement his words conveyed didn’t quite match his actions when she had entered, and so continued, “Now, I understand that in the end you all paid a steep price and ultimately aided in protecting the Land of Vegetables. On top of this, yours, and the others service to her has been exemplary.”

Ibuki’s frown deepened the reason for which given voice as she asked, “Then why did you feel the need to punish me?”

Zeku sighed before stating, “Because of everyone who left, I felt you alone would be able to handle the pressure and hopefully begin healing the divide.”

Ibuki scoffed as she stated, “Clearly Kimberely and the others didn’t get the memo.”

Zeku chuckled, before replying, “No, and because of that she performed below expectations while you shined. However, in truth that was the outcome that I had desired. But, first let me explain the reason that I singled you out. To start, although Lady Haruna and Anko confirmed it back when we broke off to test my capabilities, I had already suspected that you were the one to suggest me for the position. While for starters, I’m sure that you saw it as a means to reunite with Sarai and for her to share in your good fortune. I also believe that you understand what it is that I hope to achieve during my reign as Grandmaster, which was to help mend the divides between the various Watari paths. A considerable undertaking as I’m sure you can imagine. Especially when considering how many within the Bushinryu feel the others are using their reputation until it no longer suits their purposes. With bad actors such as Hoki, and yes, even those who left along with you, ultimately tarnishing all the Watari with your actions. Because of this, I feared that even such a powerful gesture as inviting us to join in your good fortune at best would only temporarily alleviate the festering bad blood. Hence, why I needed someone who could demonstrate to everyone that they were committed to the ideal of putting the past behind them and would work for a better tomorrow.” Zeku paused before holding a hand towards Haruna and Anko as he added, “I was all the more convinced that you were the right choice when they refused my demand so stridently. You should know, Lady Haruna was not putting on airs when she was willing to reject the idea of my becoming Grandmaster outright. She only relented under the condition that you volunteer.”

Haruna smiled, although it faltered somewhat as Anko stated, “As much as I hate to admit it, sadly I do think something of this sort may have been necessary.” Explaining some of what transpired while Ibuki was serving as a trainee, “While, none of the missions were compromised, it was quickly made clear that many of the Watari with more defined schools dislike working with one another. As such, I usually had to be mindful of these differences and had to confer with Zeku when assigning teams. If the situation persists, this village will crash and burn before it even gets off the ground.”

Zeku again lowered his head in a gesture of respect as he continued, “Indeed, thus I must once again ask your forgiveness, and offer my thanks. I believe that because of the dedication you have shown, it will serve as a guiding path for all of us to move forward. To that end, Trainee Ibuki, for services already rendered, you will be promoted to the rank of Chunin and serve as the Lady Haruna’s bodyguard.”

“Congratulations Ibuki,” Haruna said pleased that she was getting the recognition that she deserved for what she had endured the last few months.

“Thank you!” Ibuki said happily before remembering she was addressing the Daimyo so quickly bowed to her. Although ecstatic, recalling some of Anko’s stories for how such promotions were handled in Konoha, particularly as one of the reasons for Haruna’s trip to the Land of Fire was so the Leaf-nin could act as the proctor for the next round, she asked, “But, I thought you needed to participate in a Chunin Exam to be eligible for such a promotion.”

“That is how it is typically handled in the other shinobi villages,” Zeku replied with a nod. “However, your village must first be recognized by one of the five major shinobi powers. At which point they would expect you to follow the same rules as them for how to handle the promotion of chunin. Which is limited to only be allowed during the exam period.”

“Why, would you even need another village’s blessing though?” Ibuki asked genuinely curious, “Wouldn’t they be considered our competitors?”

“While that is technically true,” Zeku replied, “It is generally safer for a minor village to ally itself with one of the major shinobi powers. For starters, it could allow them to work within territories that may otherwise provoke another village’s ire. While it may require us to kick a certain percentage of a job’s revenue up to them, that’s obviously better than the alternative. Secondly, it should prevent another country from outright attacking us, which was much the case for the Flower Village and led to its first dissolution. Another minor country isn’t going to start anything with Vegetable for hosting a shinobi village if they know that village is allied with one of the others.”

Haruna inclined her head, as she added, “That will be another of the items on our agenda in Konoha which is to ask them to officially recognize the village.”

“Which is why it is important for me to make these moves now,” Zeku continued, “Because if they agree, then we will be expected to follow the Chunin Exam model for handling promotions going forward.”

Ibuki was pleased to know that they though highly enough of her skills to promote her straight to Chunin, although admittedly she had already considered herself to be a genin of the Flower Village. Which prompted her to ask, “Lady Haruna, why didn’t you already seek for Konoha to recognize the village back when you first announced your intentions to restart the Flower Village.”

She noticed that Zeku didn’t seem too pleased by her usage of the original moniker for the village. But, before she could inquire if she had overstepped herself, Anko decided to answer, “That would mainly be due to my presence. Before Zeku and the others arrived, my acting as the village’s leader could have been seen by many as Konoha putting in place an advanced force for future conflicts.”

“Wouldn’t that be something they fear all the more if Konoha ends up saying they’ll back us?” Ibuki asked her tone clearly, confused since she felt it would be solidifying such an alliance against Konoha’s enemies.

“Politics can be strange like that,” Anko replied with a shrug, “While on the one hand you would think that is the case, in truth by officially announcing an alliance, it tends to calm everyone down in the sense that they’ll know where their enemies are. Plus, keep in mind that Konoha has a pretty shitty track record when it comes to supporting minor villages. We accepted alliances with both Rain and the Sound Village, with one turning out to be the home of a terrorist organization and the other a front so Orochimaru could run his experiments and then try to get in past the gates to burn us to the ground. Hell, even Waterfall tried to assassinate the First Hokage and that was after he gave them a Bijuu. So, if anything, the other shinobi villages upon seeing us backing you will probably think the greatest danger you pose will be directed towards us.” Nodding her head towards Zeku, she continued, “With that said, The Grandmaster does have a pretty respected reputation as an independent operator, so it should quiet down a few of the concerns that the new village would just be a lapdog for Konoha.”

“New village,” Ibuki repeated in a questioning tone as she frowned, since she and many of the Watari that had followed, Sora had adopted to referring to themselves as Flower-nin. Although not ignorant of how much of previous Flower Village iconography had been removed since Zeku and the others arrival. She had imagined that at some point Haruna would demand its return, as she had made it clear that she hoped to restore it to prominence. With this in mind, she directed her gaze towards the Daimyo to ask, “Are you saying that we are not going to be known as the Flower Village any longer?”

Haruna gave her a soft, sad smile before replying, “Yes, although it was my hope to restore the Flower Village, Grandmaster Zeku has made the case that for everyone to move forward, it would be best to allow you to forge a new destiny for yourselves without being burdened by the past. To honor the dedication that you have already shown, and because I agree with him that in this instance it is perhaps best for all of you to have a fresh start, I have decided to set my own desires aside.”

As Ibuki turned her gaze towards him, he halted any further questions by stating, “I believe the speech that I intend to give in regard to your elevation should answer any questions you have regarding my reasons. Now, if there are no further questions I believe we should proceed with letting everyone know our decision.”

Ibuki felt some of her elation return, but suspecting that many would probably oppose it especially among those who followed the Bushinryu path she sobered somewhat before asking, “What about Kimberely?”

Zeku was both surprised and pleased that she seemed concerned about her fellow Trainee’s fate. Interested to know her thoughts on how to proceed, he asked, “I haven’t entirely decided on that myself. I was probably going to base it on how she reacted upon learning that you had been chosen over her. But now I am curious to know your thoughts on the matter.”

Ibuki felt a bit put on the spot, but feeling buoyed by the faith all three of those present had put in her said, “Don’t you think the divide is only going to get worse if the darling of the Bushinryu doesn’t get promoted too? You said it yourself that you were already expecting the outcome, couldn’t you just let it slide by saying something generic like failure being the best teacher or something.”

Zeku nodded, but replied, “Perhaps, and to be honest I was leaning to saying something of the sort. But failure can only be a teacher if you are alive to learn the lesson. Can you say that you would trust Kimberely to watch your back out in the field where second chances tend to come in short supply?”

Ibuki thought over the question honestly, before replying, “Maybe not right now. But hopefully someday.”

Zeku nodded, before stating, “I hope for that as well. Now, return to your spot outside.” Ibuki nodded before leaping back to her feet, and seeing her exuberance he added, “Oh, do try to look solemn as you leave. Let’s leave those outside guessing for a little while longer.”

Ibuki nodded taking a moment to hide her happiness, before stepping outside to rejoin Kimberely on the platform. She had a hard time not smiling, especially as she could feel Kimberely eyes discretely watching her for any sign as to what had transpired within. Needless to say, as time stretched on following her exit from the tent, the wait became considerably easier to bear.
****************************************

Zeku waited as Guy after having been instructed to reopen the tent, tied the flaps back into place before descending the stairs join the two candidates standing on the platform. Stopping between them, he studied Kimberely for a moment, who already looked rather dejected, no doubt considering it a bad sign that she hadn’t been called up to confer with him and the daimyo. But his true focus was on the crowd, as he could see just how the Watari would break into warring camps if the divide between them wasn’t healed and whose loyalty was reflected in which of the two kunoichi they had been supporting. Hoping today would at the very least be the start of that process he said, “After conferring with Daimyo Haruna it is our decision that the one who will advance is Ibuki. Moreover, she will not just be returning to the rank of Genin, but has been promoted to Chunin”

Zeku paused, and favored Sarai with an amused smile, as she cheered passionately for Ibuki’s being selected as the kunoichi that would be promoted. She quickly contained her exuberance upon realizing that she was one of the few actually cheering, a decision which was aided as she could feel the glare Guy was directing towards her. Taking stock of the crowd, it was clear that the Watari that had left along with Ibuki and had taken part in Sora’s plot were obviously satisfied with the decision. No doubt many having found his demoting her to a trainee to be unreasonable, particularly as they had all participated in missions together back when Haruna had offered to become their patron. The Watari like Sarai, who had opted to stay behind and were not users of the Bushinryu style were much more of a mixed bag. Many like Sarai were simply pleased that Ibuki’s talents and performance in the match were being recognized. However, a pretty sizeable contingent, while perhaps satisfied that someone not of the Bushinryu path was being honored, had their own gripes with the shinobi that had left with Sora. Mainly due to how many of those that had followed the Bushinryu path only became more belligerent towards them afterwards, due to their feeling it would only be a matter of time before they abandoned the Watari after having traded on their Founder’s name for so long. As such, they also harbored some rather negative views towards Ibuki and the others, but not so much that they couldn’t derive some satisfaction as seeing the practitioners of Bushinryu being knocked down a peg or two.

Which just left those who were of the Bushinryu path, who almost exclusively looked extremely displeased at the announced result. A feeling which he partially understood, mainly from his own upbringing as an orphan that had been taken in by the Genryusai Clan, and taught the Bushinryu style. However, as he had matured. he saw that the rigid way that the Clan conducted itself, primarily by favoring those with blood ties to the Founder of the style itself over even those it had taken in and taught was slowly destroying it. When he had turned twenty and feeling stymied at the lack of trust being put in his abilities, he had asked his master why the Clan had even bothered to take in strays such as him, if they refused to trust them with the difficult assignments. To which his master had replied that while he wasn’t blind to how his clan’s rigidity was slowly destroying it, he also believed in the superiority of the Genryusai. Still, seeing the writing on the wall and feeling that the greater tragedy would have been for the Bushinryu style to cease to exist with them, he had chosen to bend on his principles where he could.

Hoping to do his part to save the clan which had given him a home, if somewhat begrudgingly, Zeku had asked to leave and make a name for himself. His goal being not only to prove the worth of those the Genryusai had taken in, but to save the Clan from itself by one day challenging his master and taking the position of Grandmaster for himself. Which was exactly what he had done, having traveled all over the continent for the next twenty years as he applied his craft. He had made a sizeable name for himself among many towns and villages particularly during the Second and Third Shinobi wars. As with most of the Shinobi from the Five Major Villages being busy butchering each other, this had left many villages and towns open to the predation of bandits, and missing-nin that had abandoned the wars to go into business for themselves.

Shortly after the conclusion of the Third Shinobi War, Zeku had come across the orphaned four-year-old Guy and spent the next decade training him in the Bushinryu style. To be honest, Zeku at this time had considered abandoning his goal of becoming Grandmaster, mainly as he had heard that he wasn’t the only one busy making a name for himself during the preceding two wars, as it had been a banner time for the Watari as well. As such, he had felt that perhaps his master had changed his ways, and learned to begin relying on more than just his clan. Still, he felt it was prudent to see the situation for himself, which was when he had stumbled upon Ibuki’s village dealing with its own bandit problem, and had offered to bring her and some of the other children with him to join the Watari.

However, what he had found upon his return had reaffirmed his decision to take the Grandmaster position, especially as he saw that all that remained of the Genryusai was his master and his two daughters. However, he had not acted immediately as he had tried to work behind the scenes to heal some of the divisions tearing the Watari apart. Particularly as he imagined that showing up out of the blue and wresting the Grandmaster position away from his master would probably do more harm than good. However, when Hoki had grown frustrated with his predecessor’s behavior of favoring those on the Bushinryu path over the other Watari groups and decided leave in order to topple the Land of Birds Daimyo. Zeku knew that he had needed to act so had issued his challenge. His master had almost gleefully accepted, and although it had been the Bushinryu tradition that it would be a match that ended with one of their deaths, Zeku had emerged victorious and as his first act as Grandmaster had spared his predecessor.

To his surprise, his master had been rather pleased to see his breaking with tradition, and not only because it was an act which ultimately spared his life. But, because he believed Zeku would be a leader of great change, and with his Clan, now reduced to just him and his daughters, hoped it would lead to the safeguarding of their futures. Still, his master had opted to leave and take up the vows of a monk. He had explained that as his Clan had dwindled to almost nothing over the course of the two Shinobi Wars and hearing of his former students own exploits, it had forced him to rely more and more on those Watari who were of the Bushinryu School if not of the same blood, which coupled with his lack of trust in the other Watari paths had caused them to act with the same haughty matter as the Genryusai had back when he had been a child. Thus, he was removing himself to prevent from becoming a rallying point for any hardliners that may appear and oppose his reformations.

Mindful of this concern, Zeku had tried to make his changes slowly. But there were several factors that made implementing them rather difficult. The first of which, was that sadly after nearly a century of being considered secondary to the Bushinryu path, the other Watari had long become accustomed to sourcing their own jobs. Which hadn’t been too much of a concern during the Shinobi World Wars as there had been plenty of work to go around. However, in the relatively peaceful period which had followed and with most of the work once more being handled by the shinobi villages, jobs were becoming increasingly hard to come by, even for those of the Bushinryu path. Especially following Hoki’s actions in the Land of Birds, which had tarred all of the Watari with the same brush. Which meant that even though he had tried to spread what few jobs came their way out to all the Watari, while also turning a blind eye when a separate Path secured one for themselves, many still felt that he was picking the most lucrative jobs for the Bushinryu. Which wasn’t exactly a charge that was without merit, but rather than it being a form of favoritism, it had been due to those jobs tended to be the most difficult and with the Bushinryu being the largest and most skilled of all the Watari groups, thereby they would be the best capable of handling them. Although he had toyed with the idea of trying to form teams made up of Watari from different paths, today’s demonstration only showed why that would have probably been a disaster, and with jobs being few and far between he couldn’t afford too many such failures.

But hoping that such concerns would soon be a thing of the past, he addressed the crowd, “I see many of you appear to be against our decision. Do not be bashful, give voice to your complaints.”

At first no one appeared to be willing to step forward, and so Zeku was about to give the signal to Guy, who had also made his way to stand behind him on the training platform, to get the ball rolling.However, suddenly one of Guy’s apprentices perhaps seeking to defend a fellow student of his, stepped forward to say, “I think it is a mistake to honor someone who clearly had intended to cheat.”

“Hey,” Ibuki whirled to face the man who was deeply tanned with slicked back black hair, and a bushy beard. He was wearing a purple uniform similar to Guy’s, and was armed with a sword that was strapped to his back.

Zeku placed a calming hand on Ibuki’s shoulder, before responding to the warrior as he said, “May I assume that you are referring to the substitution doll that Ibuki obviously put in place prior to the match, Gou?”

Gou nodded looking a bit unsure of himself now, especially seeing as how the Grandmaster had immediately zeroed in on his reasoning thereby indicating that he saw nothing wrong with it. Zeku shook his head, before stating, “How is that cheating? Both candidates knew exactly where and when the test was being held. Just because one had the foresight to prepare ahead of time to better take advantage of the knowledge, doesn’t mean she was cheating. Only a fool enters a battlefield of another’s choosing, without first trying to make sure it is to their advantage as well. What you called cheating; I call initiative which only further highlights the gulf of experience between them.”

“Yeah maybe, but you changed the entire nature of the match also,” another trainee called out from the crowd. “If you’re saying there is an experience gap, then it almost sounds like you were favoring Ibuki from the start.”

“Perhaps I was,” Zeku said causing most of the gathered Watari to look at him with perplexed expression, especially those of the Bushinryu path who also were looking at him as if he was some sort of traitor. “However, even if that was the case, that does not mean that I but Trainee Jackson in a no-win situation.” Moving past the kunoichi on the platform, he called back, “Trainee Jackson.”

“Sir,” she responded turning around to face him, and the those gathered before the platform.

Zeku turned to face her before asking, “I trust you studied who you were told was going to be your opponent during the lead up to this match?”

Kimberely clearly looked confused, especially as she did not face that person so responded, “Y…yes sir, but…”

Zeku cut her off as he stated, “Then doesn’t it stand to reason that you should have an excellent understanding of her capabilities, such as her strengths and weakness.”

Growing frustrated, she replied, “None of which does me any good if I didn’t end up facing her.”

“Really,” Zeku replied with a disappointed shake of his head, “You’re telling me that none of that knowledge could have been useful in forming a successful partnership with her when facing another pair of opponents.”

Zeku watched as Kimberely looked as if she wanted to refute it out of principle, but finally she said, “No sir.”

“Yet, rather than doing just that, you instead decided to go it alone. Isn’t that, right?” Zeku stated causing Kimberely to nod. Which prompted him to ask, “Why?”

“Because, if she had just handled her…” Kimberely began to say.

But she was sharply cut off by Zeku as he said, “Do not blame her for your failure. I gave you an assignment Kimberely Jackson. Defeat your opponents, and rather than using every tool in your possession to achieve that aim. Including working with another kunoichi that you may not like, yet could probably form a functioning team with due to your knowledge of her abilities. You instead allowed your personal feelings to cloud your judgement, even as it was Ibuki that kept you in the fight for as long as you were. As evident by your pitiful display once she was eliminated. That is why you failed today.”

Kimberely hung her head, wishing her colorful headband wasn’t preventing her braids from falling forward to cover her face. Zeku turned towards the others gathered before the platform before shouting, “This is an arrogance that I see in many of you. Particularly those of you who follow the Bushinryu path. You claim that for the past century, the other Watari Paths have traded on the achievements of your forebearers, and there is some truth to this. Just as many of you were justifiably angered by the actions taken by Hoki, who tarnished all of us equally. I also understand why you don’t see must of a distinction between him, and those of us that took up Sora’s cause.” He paused taking stock of the crowd, and noticed that many of those Watari that had followed Sora for a time looked ashamed of themselves. Holding a hand back towards the tent where Haruna was kneeling, he continued, “However, the party most affected by that decision instead of anger or hatred, instead chose forgiveness and offered them a home.” He lowered his arm towards Ibuki as he stated, “When the Lady Haruna later asked for someone to lead the village, it was Ibuki that suggested me, and by extension extended that opportunity to the rest of us. And how was she repaid, she was demoted and became an outlet for much of your frustrations with those who left.”

Moving to the center of the platform, he held out his arms to encompass the entire village laid out before him as he stated, “Look around you though. This village was only offered to us not because of the reputation of the Bushinryu, or any of the other Paths that remained behind. But, because of the dedication those shinobi that left showed to Lady Haruna. A commitment born because of the forgiveness and opportunity that she bestowed upon them. A dedication that Lady Haruna was more than happy to return, as she was fully willing to reject me and by extension all of you for daring to look down on one of those shinobi. It was only because of Ibuki’s selflessness in accepting my condition that we now get to call this place our home, and how have you thanked her.” Focusing on Gou, he said, “Accused her of cheating.” Although he had missed which ninja had shouted out, he looked in the general direction of where it had originated before stating, “Made excuses for the failings of one of your own.” Turning to look towards Kimberely, he said, “Refused to take the hand of a fellow shinobi that you were assigned to work together with in pursuit of a common goal.”

Turning back to the crowd, he said, “Worst still, you demonstrated to our patron that you would rather fail separately instead of working together in pursuit of her will. Fortunately for you, our Lady once more has forgiven the failings of those who have wronged her, this time by putting their own petty grievances ahead of what is good for the village as a whole. So, it is time to put those past grievances behind us. I’m not telling you to just forget them as it has helped shape us. However, it is time to begin looking forward to the horizon that is the future and begin boldly striding forward together as one to reach it. Because if today has demonstrated anything. It is that we either work together or die alone. Therefore, it is well past time for us to strive for a new identity that we all can take part in shaping. To that end, and with Lady Haruna’s blessing, we will now be known as the Village of the Striders. Those who will boldly stride forward to protect the Land of Vegetables along with the weak and defenseless.”

Nodding towards the Genryusai sisters, they as one pressed a button on the post that they were standing before which caused a flagpole to telescope from the top of it. The two women then inserted a crank into an opening on the side, and turning in unison raised a flag up the pole which once the wind caught it revealed what looked to be a highly stylized S.

Zeku paused to take stock of those gathered and wasn’t too surprised to see that those of the Bushinryu didn’t appear particularly thrilled by the idea of embracing a new identity at the expense of the old. After all, of all the Watari, they had the greatest foundation to fall back on, even though the Genryusai were down to its last two members, many of the Byushinryu practitioners took great pride in the links that they had to the once illustrious clan.

Hoping to drive his point home, he said, “I can understand that this is a daunting prospect for many of you. However, it does not mean you must abandon all the pride you hold for the path which brought you to this point. But rather, not letting the past stand in the way of us becoming something greater together. An idea that again Ibuki has already demonstrated.” Zeku could tell the young woman was rather uncomfortable from all the praise that she was receiving, but carrying on he explained, “The truth is, that before this match even began, I had intended to promote her. But, following the match, after asking about my intentions for her opponent, I asked her thoughts on what was to do be done with Kimberely. She rather magnanimously felt that despite all the failings that I have just called attention to, that I should promote Kimberely as well. Because, as she put it failure can be a powerful teacher.” Zeku turned to face the kunoichi in question, whose face reflected the surprise that her opponent had advocated for her. Which naturally brought with it a considerable amount of hope that did dim some once he continued to say in a serious tone, “However, I admit that I am hesitant to take her advice. As, in truth, I feel failure, especially out in field often does not allow for such second chances.” He let the moment linger for several heartbeats, before concluding by addressing Kimberely, “However, if the past of the Watari has shown us anything. It is that all of us have erred at one point or another. That is how most of us and our ancestors first became perpetual wanderers in the first place. So, with that being the case, let your failure today be the last mistake made by a Watari and become the secone of hopefully many new shinobi to enter into the service of Lady Haruna and the Village of the Striders.”

Zeku was pleased as both Kimberely and Ibuki dropped to one knee and raised their clenched right fist up to their chest as they stated, “As you command, Grandmaster.” He nodded before moving to stand behind the pair as he addressed all those present, “Then rise, and be celebrated by your peers. Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in congratulating our village’s first new Chunin and Genin. Long may they serve.”

As Ibuki and Kimberely stood causing the crowd to erupt into applause, he took heart in seeing that it appeared there were no noticeable holdouts. He looked back to see Haruna politely clapping, before noticing his gaze at which point she gave a slight nod of recognition which he took as her having bought into what he was hoping to achieve. Although buoyed by the outcome, he remained grounded by understanding that it was but the first step to curing the decades of mistrust between the various groups that comprised the new village. But, he accepted that was a problem for another day as for now he just enjoyed the moment in favor of welcoming the Strider Village’s first two shinobi.


**************************************************
The current ruler of The Land of Rice Paddies entered her chambers, and despite being alone she couldn’t escape the feeling that she was still being watched. She tried to tamp down on the feeling, hoping it was just a lingering sensation from her time spent in the Land of That, where her nearly every waking moment had been keenly observed by those loyal to its Daimyo. A state of affairs that she had not completely escaped from even after technically assuming a greater rank then him upon having been named Daimyo of Rice Paddies. A small fluke of fate born of her bloodline having shared some distant ancestor with its previous ruler. A ruler who had been slashed to ribbons in the very room she now resided in, after supposedly having aligned himself with Sasuke Uchiha in some scheme to discreetly secure supplies for his fledgling village, prior to its assault on Ame.

Not that Chiyo entirely believed the official report regarding what had happened to her predecessor considering that Konoha had been involved. Which as far as she was concern was reason enough to doubt it being true, but what made it even more suspect was the involvement of the bastard who had delivered her into the Daimyo of That’s hands. Hands that even now had not entirely relinquished their grip on her considering her engagement to his son, as well as the retinue of maids and butlers that he had provided as a “gift,” whose true purpose she knew was to keep tabs on her.

Moving to the foot of her bed, she began to disrobe as she planned to take advantage of an amenity that for a time allowed her to forget about all that had befallen her since Akatsuki had destroyed her home and murdered her father. However, unlike past times where she had stripped in preparation of taking advantage of her chamber’s exquisite bath and would begin to feel freer with each layer that she shed, this time around she couldn’t enter the proper state of mind. Something that she attributed to the feeling that she was still being watched.

She felt a hint of despair settle over her at the idea that the one true refuge that she had discovered since the destruction of her home may have been taken from her. However, she refused to succumb to it, since even if it had been, she reasoned that it had been better to have experienced it for a time, than to lament its loss. Much as she had told herself in regard to the happiness that she had once known, back when she had been the princess of the Land of This.

Having removed the outermost layer of the pink kimono that she wore and was of a similar style to the one she had worn in her homeland. She placed it on the bed and began to remove the white nagajuban that she wore beneath it. As her fingers undid the sash holding it closed, she wondered if her feelings for her fiancé Shu wouldn’t be quite as conflicted, if he had spent more time in the Land of That, prior to his being taken in as a political hostage. Although, if he had, she suspected that her feelings for him would have been almost entirely negative, as the once kind young man, since his having returned to his home had become arrogant and domineering.

Chiyo wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his change, as while it would be easy to lay the blame on his father’s influence. She also had to consider the possibility that she perhaps had never gotten to know the real Shu either. That the young man that she had grown up with had been a carefully crafted façade so as to not create any waves to ensure that his time as a hostage would proceed smoothly. Granted, there had been times when the resentment that he had felt had bled through particularly when he was frustrated, such as whenever Tatewaki, her father’s former retainer, would force Shu to train. She wondered what the former samurai from the Land of Iron would think of the current Shu, who had become a considerable warrior since returning home. She strongly suspected that much like her; he wouldn’t be pleased to see the man that Shu had become.

Still, Chiyo at the time hadn’t been able to just bring herself to write off Shu entirely either since when Sasori of the Red Sand had attacked, he could have simply left her to her fate having already escaped the castle with the Leaf-nin sent to extract him. However, he had rushed back to it hoping to save her, and she still believed his offer to provide her sanctuary had been made in earnest, unaware of the machinations that his father would later use to justify the seizing of her homeland, namely forcing them to marry. Not that she had been entirely against the proposition when it had first been announced. Since if she was being honest with herself, she had possessed feelings for him and was convinced that he had some for her as well. Sadly though, as the years had progressed, those feelings had faded as the power dynamic between them had shifted, and she began to see more of his resentful side coming to the surface.

At first, she had tried to write it off as simply being due to the change in the nature of the relationship between them, with her technically being his guest now. With this being the case, she found that she had to adjust to their expectations of her now, rather than others bowing to her wishes. For a time, she felt this had strengthened her feelings for Shu, as even though she believed that her father would never harm Shu under any circumstances, and at the time believing this was the case for the That Daimyo as well. Nevertheless, felt she could better understand how even though her father would never harm him, it could still exert a toll on him. Especially as she doubted Shu’s faith that his safety was assured was as strong as hers. Thus, it would no doubt cause him fear that if he became too big of a nuisance, he would soon find the hospitality that he had been receiving drastically diminished.

A feeling that Chiyo had possessed as well, even though she had been told that she was an honored guest. Still, although she had been rather reserved in the weeks after arriving in That, she hadn’t been too bothered by her situation since at the time the That Daimyo had appeared to be friendly enough. Moreover, it had been somewhat easy to get caught up in Shu’s exuberance as he got to indulge in his curiosity as he explored the City-state which was his home.

Yet, as time passed, Chiyo began to feel trapped in ways that she never imagined her father had made Shu. For starters, unlike him, she had always possessed a passion for training and yet when she had inquired of the Daimyo if it would be possible for her to resume her own, especially after Shu had been forced to start taking lessons, the Daimyo had informed her that it was not necessary. Chiyo had respectfully disagreed, recalling Tatewaki words to the Daimyo’s son whenever Shu had asked why it was necessary for a hostage such as him to train when they just needed to behave, to which her father’s retainer had basically stated that fate was unpredictable, as she felt her own current circumstances more than proved. However, the Daimyo had in his own way echoed Shu’s belief that her fate was now unchangeable. After he had conveyed this sentiment was when Chiyo had begun to understand that she was not truly a guest, but rather a political hostage herself.

A concern that she had tried to bring to Shu’s attention, believing that he would understand her plight. However, he had brushed it off, claiming that she was just upset that things were different in his homeland and that she just needed time to adjust. Chiyo had been disappointed by his response but had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, suspecting that she perhaps would have acted the same in his place if he had come to her with disparaging things to say about her father. Especially as she had to admit that Shu had been forced to live within certain constraints as well during his time in the Land of This, such as being unable to leave the castle except when with an armed escort.

Afterwards, she had begun to live within the bounds which That’s Daimyo had placed on her, especially after it had been announced that Shu and she were to be wed. Believing that in time, together they would be able to enact reforms which would benefit both of their homelands, especially after her faith in That’s Daimyo had already been damaged and had faded completely as rumors began to reach her of trouble in the Land of This. Namely, the soldiers which the Land of That had provided to secure the area in the aftermath of the tragedy refused to return home, and it was due to the That Daimyo’s possession of her which was preventing the remaining nobles of This from raising up to force them out.

With the revelation that it was her presence in That which was preventing her people from raising up to retake their ancestral lands back, Chiyo had considered trying to flee the city-state to return home. However, understanding that even if she succeeded, it would only invite further violence to be visited upon the Land of This. As she doubted that they would be able to force the Land of That’s forces out, especially when considering that the decimation which had been visited upon her homeland had been committed by a single shinobi even as it had been at full strength. With that being the case, she highly doubted what few defenders remained would be able to handle even That’s limited forces. Particularly, as during her time in the Land of That, she had come to understand that while the same ancient treaty which had required That’s Daimyo to turn over their first born child to serve as a political hostage, also limited the number of forces they were permitted to field, the Land of This’s neighboring city-state had found ways to bolster their forces in ways which hadn’t attracted attention. Namely, by putting highly competent warriors in positions outside of their armed forces, the most prominent of these supposed non-combatant forces being what she had dubbed the Maid Corps.

She had discovered the Maid Corps existence when a handful of missing-nin had managed to launch an attack on That’s Daimyo. They had timed their attempt during a food eating contest, which That’s Daimyo had held in the former Land of This on the one-year anniversary of its destruction. When Chiyo had complained about his hosting what in the past had been viewed as a celebration on what she now felt should be a somber day, That’s Daimyo had claimed that it was a way to celebrate her homeland’s memory, and her father’s in particular, since it had been his favorite event. Although Chiyo hadn’t believed him, feeling it was just a way to demonstrate the power that he now held over her homeland by showing her off to her former subjects. She had tried not to let it bother her, as Shu had genuinely appeared to be excited by the idea, so she had tried to get into the spirit of the event. She had even managed to do so a little as the early rounds she had watched had reminded her of happier times. But it didn’t last long as once the quarter finals had begun, the missing-nin had attacked, and had nearly succeeded in reaching the Daimyo, at least until the head maid that had accompanied them had stepped in. The woman, who was named Yamase Maiko, unlike the other maids appeared to favor a more masculine uniform as she usually wore black dress pants, and a suit jacket. Beneath which she wore a collared black button-down shirt that she paired with a grey tie. Stunningly beautiful, with pale skin that paired well with her long black hair, which she kept in a bun while she carried out her duties with a calm and professional demeanor One, which despite the chaos that had erupted around her on that day had remained in place.

Most of the That Daimyo’s guards who had been tasked with guarding the platform from which she, Shu, and the Daimyo had been watching the eating contest were quickly slaughtered by the missing-nin as they emerged from the crowd of spectators. The majority of them had then turned to deal with the guards who had overseen keeping the crowd in line, while two of them broke away to attack her and the others that were seated upon the platform. Later Chiyo would learn that the two missing-nin that had rushed the platform had once hailed from Kirigakure and went by the moniker of the Demon Brothers. Unfortunately, they had not lived up to the moniker, as Chiyo could tell that while they were skilled, they appeared to be no match for Yamase, who had moved to intercept them after revealing that she had somehow stashed two blades about as long as her forearm within the sleeves of her jacket.

The Demon Brothers had tried to deal with the new threat by wrapping her up in a razor wire chain which was attached to the gauntlet each of them wore as they separated to circle around her from opposite directions. For a moment, they looked like they were about to succeed, but just as the chain was about to pull tight around her, she seemed to suddenly disappear. But, before it had really registered to Chiyo that she was gone, a blade flew down to land where she had just been standing. Amazingly, it had appeared to do so just as several links of the chain had passed through the now empty spot, as the blade of the sword had passed through them to pin the chain to the ground and caused the two masked brothers to nearly get yanked off their feet as their movement was suddenly halted.

Yamase then landed gracefully on the handle of the blade that she had thrown, and remained perched upon it as the Demon Brothers stared at her in surprise. However, they quickly recovered their senses as they triggered a release in their gauntlets which disengaged them from the chain. Before the ends of the discarded chains even hit the ground, they both leapt at her, with one brother going low aiming to slash her legs with the sharp talons of his gauntlet while the other aimed to slash at her stomach.

With it being apparent, that the brothers were expecting Yamase to be only able to deal with one of them, leaving the other to strike her. She used their coordination against them as she waited until the last second to jump up, and over the brother aiming for her legs, before using her blade to batter aside the gauntlet of the one that had been aiming for her stomach. She then used her other hand to grab him by the neck and pulled his face into her rising knee.

The dazed masked man landed on his back which knocked the air out of him while Yamase landed gracefully beside him. But rather than striking the prone man, she quickly moved back to her sword and pulled it from the ground before twirling it above her head to set the chain still wrapped around it swirling in the air. As the chain wrapped itself around it more, and more she then spun and set it flying towards the other brother who spun to face her upon landing. The chain flew free of the blade, forcing the standing Demon Brother to raise his gauntleted hand up to block the makeshift projectile. Although he succeeded in defending himself, he cried out in pain as Yamase having followed in the chain’s wake, stabbed one of her blades not only through the chain as it had made contact with the man's gauntlet covered forearm, but rather than stopping the blade almost effortlessly passed through the metal of the gauntlet itself.

“Meizu,” the man that Yamase had knocked out of the air moments earlier called out worriedly. But rather than moving to his brother’s rescue, he pulled a kunai and threw it at That’s Daimyo.

Yamase reacted immediately, abandoning the blade that she had impaled in Meizu’s hand and forearm to intercept the airborne kunai using the body flicker technique to appear before the Daimyo and knock the projectile aside with her remaining weapon. She then paused to adjust the frame of the glasses that she wore, before crouching to leap back into the fray.

The Brother that had thrown the projectile moved to aid the injured one, while another of the missing-nin who had just impaled a soldier through the chest shouted, “Gouzu, stop fucking around and kill the prick already. We’re running out of time.”

“Wrong,” the guard that the man had just impaled on his sword said as he began to turn into a blue gelatinous like substance, before once more shifting into a stunning blonde who was dressed as a maid. The missing-nin looked confused, as he looked down at the sword that was still lodged in her now voluptuous chest, although where the blade contacted her body, it still appeared to be made up of the blue substance. Then giving him a wicked grin, the woman that Chiyo had recognized was named Soi said, “Your time has already run out.” Her chest fully morphed back into the blue-slime which surged down the blade and gripped the missing-nin’s hands before trying to pull him into her chest. The man screamed as he attempted to pull himself free, which for a brief moment seemed to be working as the end of the sword which had been protruding from her back appeared to be sinking back down into it, however this was revealed to be a trick of the eye as once the blade fully disappeared, instead of pulling himself free the man surged forward as first his arms and then his head were pulled into her chest which cut his cries short. The man was then pulled from his feet which began to kick fruitlessly in the air as he slowly sank into woman’s body which seemed impossible due to her size relative to that of the man disappearing within her. Finally, his feet disappeared into her, which was when her chest appeared to return to normal as she licked at her chops like a beast which had just enjoyed a meal.

Recognizing that the window had now closed, Gouzo tossed a handful of smoke pellets down and into the crowd just as Yamase leapt to cut them down. However, when the smoke cleared, it looked as if only a few of the missing-nin had successfully managed to extract themselves. At first, it didn’t appear as if Gouzo of the Demon Brothers would be counted among the escapees, as he looked to have shielded his brother’s escape by sacrificing himself to be impaled on Yamase’s blade. However, Yamase pulled it free and turning away, it was clear to see that she was dissatisfied which at first could be assumed because she had allowed one of the brothers to escape, but the true reason was soon revealed as the still standing Gouzu began to turn into water, before losing cohesion and splashing on the ground.

Turning to the blonde maid who was busy consuming another of the missing-nin, with this one being pulled into her stomach feet first, she said angrily, “Stop toying with your food Soi, and bring me those bastards’ heads.”

The screaming woman who had been busy clawing at the ground while Soi had slowly absorbed her into her body, was shown just how futile her efforts up to that point had been as she was suddenly yanked fully into the blonde, who responded saying, “Oh, the heads are usually the best part. Can’t I just tell you after I consume them. I promise I’ll make them suffer for days as I dissolve them.”

“I don’t care, just see it done,” Yamase replied as she moved up the platform steps. Then kneeling before the Daimyo, she said while addressing him and his son, “Milord, Young Master. Please allow me to accept responsibility for failing to completely deal with the trash that would dare attempt to spill your sacred blood.”

“Now, now, Yamase,” the Daimyo said sounding amused, “Your efforts on our behalf were beyond reproach. However, there are others who apparently have failed in their duties. Chief among them being our intelligence minister. Please see to it that he is properly punished.”

“As you desire, Milord,” the woman said standing up and to the side as she motioned for the Daimyo to take his leave down the steps of the platform, “Once I have secured you and the Young Master to a safe location, I’ll send word back to one of my subordinates to deal with the matter. I’ll also have Soi interrogate her prisoners to see who put them up to this.”

“Excellent,” the Daimyo replied as he stood before adding, “Then I’ll leave this matter in your capable hands.” He then made his way down the platform, while followed by his son, who much to Chiyo’s surprise hadn’t really seemed all that inclined to check on her.

For a moment, she wondered if they would just leave her behind if she remained seated, but it wasn’t to be as the Head Maid fixed her with a cold glare before stating, “Are you perhaps waiting for a handwritten invitation?”

“N..no,” Chiyo had replied quickly moving to follow the Daimyo and his son, as his remaining guards moved to surround them. However rather than being a comforting presence, she found that it felt as if they represented the bars of the cage that she now found herself in.

As she finished recalling the day when she first realized that some of the women who attended to her and the That Royal Family were much more than they appeared, Chiyo had finished undressing leaving her clothes on the foot of her bed. She then moved towards a door on the opposite wall from which she had entered. However, she paused for a moment in front of a full-length mirror and studied her reflection wondering where the time had gone as she had spent nearly seven years trapped in That and so had blossomed into a young woman of nineteen. She still wore her brown hair in the same Hime inspired style of her youth, with the primary difference from the more traditional style being the two long bangs which framed her face. She imagined that her arms and legs were a tad toner than most nobility, a byproduct of her secretly having disregarded the That’s Daimyo restriction on her training. Another boon of her elevation to Daimyo of Rice Paddies, was that she was now was free to disregard it openly, and had, having hired an instructor in order to continue her training in the use of the Naginata. Not that she had stopped while in the Land of That but had been forced to train in her room away from prying eyes.

When her interest in resuming her training had been made known, Sasame Fuma had offered to act as an instructor. No doubt hoping to foster and develop a relationship with her. But Chiyo had coldly shut her down and refused to elaborate on the reason. In hindsight, she knew it was a childish response, especially since she was unsure of how many women actually comprised the Land of That’s Maid Corps outside of the two that she had seen in action, both of whom had followed Shu and her to Rice Paddies. Which she suspected was a deliberate move on the That Daimyo’s part as it served as a not -so-subtle reminder that even though she was no longer residing in his castle, that didn’t mean that she had escaped from under his thumb. However, she found herself unable to trust the Fuma, as she viewed them to be tainted by their past association with Konoha, and Sasame in particular, with her apparent friendship with the Uzumaki who had handed her over to the Bastard that had hired the killer that had murdered her father.

It had been shortly after the assassination attempt on the That Daimyo’s life, when it began to click with her that he had been the one to hire not only the Leaf to extract his son. But the member of the Akatsuki that had destroyed her homeland. A part of herself had felt foolish at not considering the possibility earlier, but she had believed that as Shu had been put in danger during the incident as well, it had served to muddy the waters enough that she couldn’t see him intentionally putting his son at risk. However, the reason that she had begun to suspect otherwise following the assassination attempt, was because it was eventually revealed that the man who had ordered it had been one of the more powerful remaining nobles from her homeland. The man had professed his innocence, although as it became apparent that he was unlikely to receive a fair trial, he had stated that his only regret was that he hadn’t hired them.

Chiyo had tried to protest the proceedings, feeling that much of the case rested too heavily on the missing-nin that Soi had captured, and was perhaps only fingering the noble as part of a plea bargain. Particularly as the mastermind behind the incident being a member of This’s nobility seemed to clear The Land of That to increase the military presence which they had established in her homeland. But the court case had made it clear that no such deal had been made, as the missing-nin himself had dispelled the possibility. Claiming on the stand with his chakra sealed how he accepted that he deserved to die for his crimes and was offering the testimony freely so that he could meet his ancestors with a clear conscience. However, as the man had been led from the stand, Chiyo couldn’t shake the feeling that for a moment he had smirked at her. Needless to say, with one of the perpetrators themselves fingering the noble, his fate was sealed. Chiyo had tried to argue for leniency, but That’s Daimyo had refused claiming that he needed to set a firm example to dissuade any others from following in his footsteps.

The noble had requested the dignity of ending his own life, however perhaps suspecting that he would use it as a call to action That’s Daimyo had refused. Much to her horror, he had instead had him beheaded that very night. Something she would only learn the following morning, after having spent much of the night trying to think of some means to have his sentence reduced.

Believing that things had lined up a bit too perfectly for the Daimyo, and his designs on her Family’s lands had caused Chiyo to suspect that it had been the Daimyo himself who had orchestrated the attack to remove one of the largest voices speaking out against his ever increasing strangle hold on the Land of This. Which of course led her to conclude that if he was willing to put his own life at risk for the sake of his ambition, then he almost certainly would be willing to endanger his son’s. Particularly, as she realized that the only reason Shu’s life had been endangered was because he had convinced the Leaf-nin to go back to rescue her.

Still, although she was thoroughly convinced of the That’s Daimyo guilt in regard to the destruction of her home, and death of her father. Chiyo, understanding that the crimes of the father were not the crimes of the son, decided to place her faith in Shu and so spent the next few years, on the surface at least, playing the proper political hostage. Her hope was that by appearing to accept her situation, she would be able to heal some of the distance which had appeared between Shu and her, and perhaps in time expose him to the truth of who his father was. But secretly she had continued to train herself, often attending Shu’s own training sessions in order to appear as a happy and supportive fiancé, while later putting the lessons to use in her own nightly training sessions.

For a time, things seemed to be working out as she intended, as the relationship between Shu and her had seemed to return to its previous closeness, except with the power dynamics between them being reversed. A development that Chiyo had been rather pleased with, since the change in roles was not just due to her being a political hostage. But also, a result of Shu becoming more skilled and confident in himself as a warrior. Granted, as she felt she was growing in her own right as one, she wished she could reveal her growth to him to hopefully show that she could stand with him as an equal. But she had refrained as she didn’t believe he was quite ready to confront the truth of who his father was.

Chiyo had suspected that she would first need to marry Shu before she would be able to enact the next phase of her plan, which was to turn him fully against his father, hoping by then the bond between them would be unshakeable. As such, she did find herself walking a bit of a tightrope as she tried to improve the relationship between them, while keeping her own hatred for his father suppressed. Yet, as the years passed by, it became a task that she had found harder to perform, as Shu had begun to grow more handsy in showing his affections. Admittedly, Chiyo had played a part in it, figuring that by increasing their physical familiarity it would only make it easier to turn him against his father in the long run. But she soon found herself growing uncomfortable with his requests as the occasional make out session, would usually come to an end whenever he tried to pressure her to do more. When this did happen, she would quickly put a stop to it, doing her best to maintain her composure while promising him that all that she had to offer would be his once they were married. When this change in behavior with him had first begun, Shu had acted understanding once she reasserted her boundaries, but increasingly often as of late he would not bother hiding his growing frustration with her. Particularly as she refused to budge when he would try to talk her into giving him some relief using her hand or even her mouth.

Chiyo paused on her way to the bathing chamber to again focus on the full-length mirror that she usually stood in front of every morning as her attendants dressed her in her royal regalia. Standing before it now in the nude, she ran her fingers over her breasts, which were at the lower end of an E-cup being around ninety centimeters. Although quite proud of her figure. She frowned as her fingers traced over her inverted nipples which she had always been a little self-conscious of. However, her fear that if Shu found out about what she perceived to be minor deformity might cause him to lose interest in her, wasn’t the reason why she had refused to allow things to progress physically between them. Despite feeling a temptation to give in herself, especially as she admitted Shu had matured into a dashing and capable man. But, having observed his father set his greedy sights on more than one woman in his court, and pursue them passionately until they succumbed to his desires only for them to be promptly discarded afterwards, Chiyo was wary that Shu may take after his father in that manor also. Particularly his increasingly more transparent frustrations with her had caused her to doubt his more honeyed words about loving her. Still, she had clung to the hope that perhaps her doubts were born of her just growing increasingly paranoid due to the constant feeling that she was surrounded by enemies.

Her trust that regardless of how much Shu had appeared to change since his return home that there was a core of goodness in him was an easy hope to cling onto as she only need recall that when her home had been destroyed, rather than leaving her to her fate, he had charged into the danger to ensure that she escaped as well. Particularly, as while she felt her continued existence was a useful boon to his father in keeping a good portion of the Land of This’s nobility in check. She didn’t believe for a second that her survival had been a necessary factor. In truth, she believed quite the opposite was probably the case, as while her being a hostage had its uses, she believed it also was an impediment since so long as she was alive, he could never truly solidify his hold on her homelands as he had to maintain the charade that he was safeguarding them until she was old enough to assume the throne.

This did beg the question for her as to why the That Daimyo hadn’t just killed her. Although, she suspected that it may be due to how the Leaf hadn’t necessarily kept a low profile when they had returned Shu to his father having walked right up to the castle. Along with a notable number of refugees which had recognized her in the aftermath of This’s destruction and had also been fleeing to the Land of That. So, with plenty of witnesses to her survival, she imagined that even That’s Daimyo would incur a considerable amount of international ire if he turned around and had her executed or tried to make her disappear. Not to mention it would likely lead many to conclude the role that he had in his fellow City-state’s destruction. Thus, having her marry Shu had become his best means of making his gains permanent, while she hoped that the same event would in time lead to her salvation as Shu proved to be her hero a second time.

Sadly though, roughly two years ago she had discovered that she was indeed surrounded by enemies. The revelation that she was truly on her own came one night while she practiced putting what she had picked up during Shu’s lessons about harnessing chakra into action. Primarily by using chakra to escape out her window and move about the castle grounds stealthily. While growing proficient in the usage of chakra had been extremely difficult, once she had gotten a handle on it by climbing the walls of her room, she had found it to be surprisingly easy to move about the castle. Not that doing so was any great feat on her part, since she did have the run of the castle, outside of a few areas. So, in truth it had been more akin to a game of hide-n-seek for her, since on the rare occasion when she was caught, she would just claim to be out for a late-night stroll. Still, she couldn’t afford to be caught too many times as then the wrong people might begin to suspect that she was up to something, especially if she caught entering in a compromising situation such as entering in from some window on one of the higher floors.

A feat she had performed on the night in question, as she entered the castle’s library from a window on its second floor shortly before midnight. Her goal had been to locate a book which could help her further refine her usage of chakra, as well as how to use it to hide items using seals. Yet, before she could begin her search, she heard a strange clapping sound coming from the lower floor. Being sure to keep to the shadows, she moved to the railing and nearly gasped aloud as she found Shu ramming himself into Yamase. The Head Maid was bent over the desk reserved for Shu while he studied with her pants pulled down to her ankles. Her dark hair was still up in its usual bun, although several strands of it were now loose and hanging about her shoulders as she appeared to be doing her best to stifle her moans. Her ever-present glasses were missing, as she had apparently removed them leaving them on the corner of the desk making Chiyo wonder if she had taken them off in order to seduce him.

An idea which caused tears to appear in the corner of her eyes as she watched Shu’s betrayal, especially as he had just left her chamber a few hours earlier. Which while, she had not allowed their meeting to end with her succumbing to his desire for things to progress physically between them as per usual. He had not appeared to be as put off by it as had been the previous norm. Something she had attributed to their wedding being only a year away as she had recently turned seventeen but now realized it was because he had found someone willing to give him what she would not.

However, at present Yamase also seemed to be denying Shu something he wanted as he suddenly pulled out of her. Chiyo catching sight of her first erect penis was somewhat intimidated by his size. Although she couldn’t really say if he was truly large having nothing really to compare it against, outside of wondering how it would fit within her. Still, Yamase had no problem taking it, as Shu spun her around before pushing her up on his desk, he then yanked her pants free of her legs and tossed them behind him, then effortless plunged himself back inside the maid who did her best to stifle her moans, even as she wrapped her legs around him.

Shu pushed her back so that she was laying atop of the desk, and then violently ripped her shirt open exposing her impressive bust. Leaning forward, he pushed her bra up over her tits exposing her pale skin, and just slightly darker nipples which he leaned forward to suck on causing her to let out a moan. Shu pleased with the results, straightened up as he began slamming himself fiercely while he squeezed her malleable breasts. Chiyo watched somewhat mesmerized despite the sadness enveloping her as she couldn’t help taking notice of how their personalities appeared so different from normal, as Shu’s face outside of the pleasure that he was feeling also contained a sneer which seemed out of place for his usual calm demeanor. At least outside of when his frustrations seemed to get the better of him. While the usually calm and collected maid was now moaning like a harlot as she allowed her mask to fall.

To Chiyo’s shock, she learned that Shu wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the woman’s less dignified side as he said, “How’s that you slut? Isn’t my cock so much better than my father’s?”

“Yes,” Yamase said in between moans, “Your cock is by far the one I prefer. You… you’re not only so much bigger then…yes… him. But…you fuck me so much harder and longer than he ever has.”

Climbing up onto the desk while pushing Yamase legs up against her shoulder, Shu began hammering her cunt as he said, “Then why do you insist on continuing to serve that fossil?”

“B…because he is the… MASTER!!!!,” the maid said, the end of her statement turning into a cry of pleasure as she climaxed while Shu buried his cock fully inside her and began doing his best to breed her.

As she climaxed, she pulled Shu into a kiss which he eagerly returned while the tension bled from his body once he finished planting his seed. After which he climbed down from atop the desk to sit in his chair as he watched his seed begin to leak from her just used cunt.

Chiyo remained motionless as she could tell that despite the pleasure which he had just experienced, something appeared to still be bothering him. Which she had attributed to the maid’s response. A conclusion Yamase appeared to share as after catching her breath, she sat up on the table saying in a chiding manner, “Don’t pout Young Master. In time my body will solely be yours to enjoy.”

“But, when,” Shu said not bothering to hide his frustrations, “I’m tired of playing second fiddle to him.”

Sliding from the table, she allowed an amused smile to grace her face as she said, “A feeling that I’m sure all young men eventually harbor towards their fathers.” Kneeling before him, she began running her hands over his cock causing it to begin hardening once more, as she continued, “Especially, when they are far and away more impressive than their progenitor.” She then leaned forward and wrapped her lips around his dick, causing Shu to groan as she began bobbing her head in his lap. Coming up for air, she continued to stroke him while she said, “I know you are frustrated at remaining in his shadow young master. But, doing so still carries its advantages, even if I and the other maids prefer serving you to him.” She then resumed sucking him, as she continued her task of cleaning his rod of their previous release.

However, Shu soon stopped her as he asked, “But, when will it be my time.”

“Soon,” the maid promised, “After the wedding, we can expose your father’s crimes and use that as a means to depose him.”

Naturally Chiyo was almost as shocked by this declaration as by her catching her fiancé in the midst of fucking the head maid. Shu showing it wasn’t only with her lack of indulging his lust which was frustrating him pulled Yamase up into his lap as he asked, “Why wait? We already have everything we need to expose him.”

“Because we need to solidify his gains,” the Head Maid replied, “after the wedding your hold on the Land of This will be legitimate. Especially as the foolish girl will no doubt believe it was, she who turned you against your father. Then after you’ve properly seeded her, and have passed on your sacred blood, I’ll be able to show you the destiny that was stolen from your bloodline.”

Shu seemed to accept the woman’s words, although placing a hand on Yamase stomach he said, “Still, I don’t see why I need her, when we have everything that I need to pass it on right here.”

“Patience Young Master,” the woman moaned as she moved Shu’s hand to her breast even as she raised up to line his cock up with her pussy once more, “I’ll gladly bear you many children when the time is right. But first she has her own part to play, which is to elevate you to a hero in the eyes of the people both here and in This. At which point, once she is with child we will have no further need of her.”

Groaning as he felt Yamase’s pussy wrapped snugly around his cock once more, Shu said, “Gods, I can’t wait for the day when I no longer need to hold myself back with her. It’s enough to make me wish I never bothered going back for her.”

“Shh, enough of that talk Young Master,” the maid said while rolling her hips against him, “Your actions that day ensured your destiny. So, even if she is too foolish to give you what you desire as thanks. Just continue to let those frustrations build for a little while longer and know that any of us maids will happily wring them out of you.”

Shu decided to take her up on the offer as he rose up out of the chair before turning around to plant her in it as he once more worked to fill her up with his seed. Chiyo, having seen and heard enough, decided to take her leave while they were distracted. Returning to her room, she allowed herself to breakdown as she felt the last hope that she had left disappear. In those darker moments, she contemplated ending her own life, as it had sounded like whatever scheme Shu and the Head Maid were cooking up required him to produce an heir. She even considered going to the That Daimyo and alerting him of the plot taking form beneath his own roof, going so far as considering seducing him if that was what it took for him to believe her. However, the idea that the man who had plotted her father’s murder and the slow enslavement of her people would escape from justice in that case sickened her.

Realizing that her moving against Shu was perhaps born of the hurt that she felt at his perceived betrayal, and in truth, if she did nothing then she would at least be able see the man behind her father’s death brought low by his own son, much as she had already been planning caused her to calm somewhat. Moreover, a part of her began to feel as if she deserved to be treated as little more than a part of Shu’s scheme, since in truth she had been in essence planning to use him in a similar manner. Granted, she had possessed genuine feelings for him, but she couldn’t deny that she had also been hoping to manipulate him. So, even if she had felt betrayed by his sleeping with the Head Maid, and by the sound of it other members of the Maid Corps, she couldn’t exactly deny that the reason that she had refrained from sleeping with Shu, was probably for the same reason that the Head Maid had, as she also appeared to be plotting against the Daimyo. So was in this case using sex to gain some sort of leverage over Shu to get him to go along with her scheme. Thus, leaving her reaction to what she witnessed appearing to just be anger born from it looking as if his lust was stronger than his feelings for her.

Chiyo’s thoughts momentarily returned to the present, as she ran her hand down through the neatly trimmed hair between her legs, and stifled a moan as her fingers traced along her slit. She frowned as she found that despite her complicated feelings about what she had witnessed, that thinking of that night tended to arouse her as she wondered what she would have experienced if she also gave herself over to Shu’s lusts. Pushing such concerns away, she turned away from the mirror as she proceeded to her private bathing chamber while her mind resumed its recollection of the events which led to her current position.

The days and weeks that followed were a bit of a blur for Chiyo, as she just numbly accepted her fate so long as she would get to live long enough to see the That Daimyo’s death. She even began to take a perverse sense of pleasure from the knowledge that the son that he had rescued from her home’s destruction had been plotting his. As such Chiyo had once nearly succumbed to the temptation that she felt when Shu had tried to push her past her boundaries. However, to her surprise, she hadn’t been able to let herself go through with it, as even though she now knew the wedding truly mattered little to Shu. To her, despite her own admitted manipulations, had hoped it would be the night when she gave herself to the man that she had believe would be her hero again and would save her from her the situation that she was trapped in. With Shu showing that he had no intentions of being that hero, she found that holding onto her chastity suddenly mattered all the more to her, so had pushed him from her. Shu, having sensed that she was on the verge of giving in, had been furious at her sudden reversal and had snapped at her. Although tempted to tell him to just have one of his maids to take care of his frustrations, she had refrained knowing the revealing what she knew would probably go extremely poorly for her. But she did little to hide her disdain that she now harbored for him, as she told him to handle it himself.

That particular encounter had reignited a bit of a fire within Chiyo, as she resolved to find some means to extract herself from her predicament, although it didn’t stop her from praying both to the gods and her father for aid in preventing the wedding. Fortunately, it seemed that either the gods or her father had answered those prayers. Although, strangely enough her apparent salvation had appeared to be related directly to actions the Leaf itself had taken in the Land of Rice Paddies When after aiding the Fuma in dealing with the bandits that were causing a crisis in Rice Paddies, it was discovered that they were not only in league with the Rice Paddies Daimyo, but someone else behind the scenes. With the Daimyo’s involvement discovered, those truly behind the scheme had elected to kill him rather than let him reveal who he had been working with. This would later be revealed to be Sasuke Uchiha as he was stealing supplies for his planned attack on Amegakure to kill Konan of Rain. Which Chiyo was sad to see fail although she was grateful to him for killing her predecessor as ultimately with a Daimyo in need of replacing, it was determined by the Religious Caste which monitored such things that she was the closest blood relative remaining after which a conclave was held by the Daimyo of the Five Great Elemental Countries where it was announced that she was to be elevated to Daimyo of the Land of Rice Paddies.

It had been the Fire Daimyo’s diplomat, Lady Riyo, who had traveled to the Land of That to reveal the conclave’s results. Chiyo could tell That’s Daimyo had been greatly pleased by the revelation, likely seeing it as some investment that had paid off massively in his favor. Shu by contrast hadn’t appeared too impressed by the news, making her wonder just what this greater destiny that he was being told that he had was related to, if not climbing the ranks of nobility. However, his disinterest didn’t last long as Chiyo had asked if her assuming such an elevated station, meant that she would be freed of her commitment to marry Shu. She had phrased her question as more a matter of protocol, stating how she was unsure if such an arrangement would cause any local conflicts that could disrupt relations with the neighboring countries. Although she tried to make it sound as if she was hoping that wouldn’t be the case, she ended up pushing for the wedding to be postponed until she could get a reasonable lay of the political landscape. A request that Lady Riyo had passed along after she and her entourage had delivered Chiyo to the Land of Rice Paddies, and which the five Daimyo which had elevated her, eventually granted.

Chiyo had taken immense satisfaction when the news had been delivered, although apparently the That Daimyo had managed to sway them enough to allow Shu to move into Daimyo’s residence as well. While she had not protested being forced to once more share a roof with her fiancé, she had made sure that he received quarters at the opposite end of the Daimyo’s palace. Not that she imagined Shu minded as it undoubtedly left him plenty of free time to indulge with Yamase as she and Soi had accompanied him along with several dozen other servants. A future gift from the That Daimyo, which she was confident, also included more members of the Maid Corps that she had yet to identify.

The reminder that she hadn’t completely escaped the plots of That’s Nobility had left Chiyo painfully aware that she was alone without allies upon which she could rely. Particularly since she considered the Fuma to be all but corrupted by their association and reliance on the Leaf. Not that she imagined that they would be able to put up much of a fight against the Maid Corps considering their inability to handle mere bandits.

With this being the case, she had attempted to import new allies by offering up exclusive access to Rice’s northern ports, figuring that with the Land of Spring becoming a resource-exporting powerhouse, that she’d be able to secure the necessary funding to hire allies that she could rely on. Sadly, shortly after making her declaration that they were for sale, one of the gangs which littered the land had kicked off a gang war which had dried up most of the prospects that she had been courting. With only the Branch Family of the Hyuuga having bothered to show up to make a serious offer. However, Chiyo had refused to meet with the Hyuuga representative from the accursed Leaf Village, often sending some attendant with a weak excuse as to why she was unable to keep her appointment. A state of affairs which had carried on for the last several weeks. She had just now sent an attendant to beg off from attending another such meeting in order to indulge herself. Having not bothered to wait for a reply, Chiyo found that what was even more frustrating for her, then the Hyuuga being the only one displaying any interest in the ports that she was offering, was that she could see her continued disrespect towards the Leaf Kunoichi was ruffling most of the original palace staffs’ feathers, resulting in their probably already low opinion of her to sink even further.

Finding herself backed into a corner, Chiyo had considered reaching out to Sasuke’s Darkness Village and offering the ports up to him, figuring that the Uchiha would love to have such a foothold so close to the Leaf Village. At times, she even considered offering up the Hyuuga currently staying in the palace as a means of sweetening the deal. However, Chiyo knew that would be an extremely dangerous game for her to play, since there was a chance that if the Five Great Daimyo learned that she was considering working with such a criminal that they could just stripped her of her title. Not to mention, she had little doubt that if the Fuma that were supposedly under her command caught wind of such a plot, then it would only be a matter of time before the bastards of Konoha were made aware.

Reaching the door which led to the one perk that she had truly come to enjoy since coming to the Land of Rice Paddies nearly a year and a half earlier, she turned the knob in order to sink into the tub which was filled by a natural spring and allowed her to forget about her troubles for a while.

********************************************************

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan as she sat naked in the Daimyo’s bathing chamber. Taking in the decor, she was a bit surprised that Daimyo Chiyo seemed to enjoy spending so much time within it considering that at the center of the pool of water stood a rather ostentatious nude statue of what she assumed had been the Daimyo’s predecessor. He was standing with his fist held high, while gathered around him were a bevy of naked women clinging to him. Still, she supposed that despite the rather tacky monument to the man’s overabundance of undeserved pride, the rest of the room was serviceable. Plus, she imagined the isolation itself was something of a boon which Chiyo had come to enjoy.

The water which was continuously piped in from an underground hot spring, and which then filtered out as it eventually drained into limestone patches lining the bottom. This kept the water at a continuous level while allowing the slightly colder water to be removed. To once more be heated by the spring. Hinata was impressed by the setup but truthfully found it a rather foolish thing to waste money on considering the state of the Land of Rice Paddies. Although she guessed that if the man had been wiser with his money, let alone his allies, he would probably still be alive. She even suspected that in a way the very tub that she was currently enjoying had contributed to his death as it had been how she had snuck into the Daimyo’s chamber.

A fact which she was sure Chiyo was not going to appreciate as she doubted the woman would feel quite as comforted by the room once she learned its secret. Something she moved closer to doing as the door to the chamber began to open. Fortunately for Hinata the steam filling the room, not to mention her sitting directly behind the statue obscured her from Chiyo’s vision as she stepped further into the room. She heard the woman’s feet as the Daimyo stepped into the water, and made her way towards the tub’s center, but just as her figure began to appear around the statue, she sudden went on guard asking, “Who’s there?”

To Hinata’s surprise the question wasn’t tinged with fear, and further still as she stood from the water to fully come around the statue, Chiyo leapt completely free of it to land near the room’s entrance. Where she quickly assumed a defensive stance, although Hinata noticed that her left hand occasional inched towards her inner right wrist where she was already aware a trump card was hidden. Once the Daimyo caught sight of her, the woman’s eyes widened in surprise which she assumed was partially due to her own nakedness, but they quickly narrowed as she said angrily, “You?! What are you doing here?”

Hinata gave the woman what she hoped was a disarming smile as she said, “Just seeing what it was about this bath which had captivated you to such a degree that you would continuously postpone meeting with me to enjoy it.”

“How…” Chiyo demanded angrily at the sanctity of her little piece of heaven being intruded upon, especially by some bitch from the Leaf.

“..did I sneak in? Likely the same way that your predecessor snuck many of the women which he was said to entertain here,” Hinata stated calmly moving back to sit on one of the resting spots built into the large tub hoping that it would prompt Chiyo to relax some. “It was likely the same way his killer gained access to his chambers if I had to guess. I’ll gladly show you after we have concluded our talks.”

“There is nothing to conclude,” Chiyo stated coldly, “I would think my refusing to meet with you would be evidence enough of that.”

Hinata let out a soft disappointed sounding sigh before responding, “That it did. However, are you truly in a such a strong position that you can afford to dismiss me without even hearing what I have to offer?”

Chiyo had dropped her guard as she began moving to soak in her bath, due to the sight of the naked Hyuuga enjoying it in place of her was infuriating. But she paused her approach in order to angrily retort, “Whatever position I currently find myself in is entirely because of your fucking village.”

Hinata had expected the Daimyo’s outburst at some point, although she was still a tad surprised at how quick she was to lose her cool. Chiyo realizing that reacting emotionally would only weaken her standing further quickly calmed herself, prompting the Hyuuga to reply, “I cannot deny my village’s actions helped contribute to the dire situation you currently find yourself in. I can also understand why you may feel anger towards us, especially as a result of our current relationship with Akatsuki being a friendly one.”

“Friendly,” Chiyo scoffed bitterly, “You’re practically tied by blood now. How could it not be when the mother of the blond bastard that handed me over to That is now a member?”

Hinata felt a spark of fury herself from the brunette referring to Naruto in such a disrespectful manner. Yet she kept her composure while replying, “Yes, Kushina Uzumaki has indeed joined the Akatsuki. However, this does not mean that we were allies when your home was destroyed. Especially considering how close Konoha came to sharing the Land of This fate at their hands.”

Chiyo having submerged herself in the tub, kept the annoyance that she felt from the Hyuuga’s response from her face. Primarily, as she was forced to admit that Hinata had a point. One which she conveniently would overlook whenever she allowed herself to indulge in the hatred that she felt towards both groups. As otherwise she would then be forced to admit that the That Daimyo likely had used both groups. Which didn’t exactly free Akatsuki from the guilt that they bore for the destruction of her home. But, accepting that fact meant she couldn’t quite view the Leaf’s actions with the sinister intentions that she would have preferred to.

Still, despite having had plenty of practice at hiding her true feelings and believing that she had mostly succeeded just now. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Hyuuga could see right through her and likely knew that her response had created cracks in the worldview that she had built up for herself. Chiyo spared a brief moment to wonder why she had been quite so quick to display her true emotions to the Hyuuga when she first entered the bath, and suspected that it was likely due to Hinata approaching her in what she viewed as the only place where she could just be herself for a time. She began to resent the Hyuuga for her intrusion, and hoping to end it quickly, countered, “So what. You were nearly destroyed by the group that you have now aligned with. It doesn’t change the truth about you shinobi, you all are just money hungry mercenaries who will destroy people’s lives for a paycheck. Even if you weren’t working with Akatsuki directly then, you still accepted that bastard’s money to meddle in my country’s affairs.”

Hinata studied Chiyo’s brown eyes for a moment, before simply nodding after which she stated, “Yes, we did. I cannot speak as to why the Hokage agreed to take the mission. In truth, even if I asked her, I doubt she would recall her reasons.” Chiyo looked ready to snap once more, but before she could Hinata continued, “However, you should be thankful that she did.”

“What?!” Chiyo roared angrily as she rose up from the water and nearly threw herself at the other woman. But she calmed quickly as she sent a quick look back towards the chamber’s entrance as while she hadn’t exactly been quiet at points during the exchange, she felt the shout that she had just let out should have attracted the guards stationed just outside her bedroom chamber.

She felt a fearful chill run up her spine as Hinata said calmly, “I’ve placed a seal within the room so that anyone outside it will not hear us, no matter how heated our discussion becomes.” Chiyo tried not to let the knowledge that if the Hyuuga wished to harm her, there would be no one coming to help her. Not that she truly expected even the palace guards to put all that much effort into rescuing her if it came to that. Though, she didn’t plan to go quietly if the Hyuuga did decide to attack her. Yet, being honest with herself, Chiyo imagined that the only way that she would manage to escape with her life in a confrontation with the Leaf Kunoichi would be if she managed to strike first with her ace in the hole. Hinata seeing the fear coming over the Daimyo, tried to move her past it, “Returning to my point, had Tsunade not accepted the mission, then you would likely have perished along with your homeland. Most shinobi upon having already secured the target that they were sent to retrieve, would not risk failing their mission by charging into a battle with them and endangering the charge that they were tasked with extracting.”

Chiyo sat back down in the water, but didn’t remain sitting for long as she began replying with increasing indignation, “So, you’re saying what? That I should be grateful to you! You have no idea what hell your fellow Leaf shinobi helped deliver me into! What, it’s like to share a roof with the man that you know destroyed your home, and murdered your father!! So, let me tell you exactly where you can all stick the idea that I should be grateful to you!”

“I was not expressing an opinion that I felt you should feel a sense of gratitude to us,” Hinata said calmly which served to dimmish some of the Daimyo’s ire and resulted in her sitting back down. Continuing, she clarified her position stating, “Regardless of our intentions, by accepting the That Daimyo’s contract, we probably freed him to proceed with his plans because we ended up removing his son from danger. Even removing the Akatsuki element, it could have proven folly to accept the mission since it would have disturbed the balance that your City-state holding him as a political hostage was meant to achieve. However, odds are that if not us, another shinobi village simply would have stepped in to accept what on the surface was a rather easy A-ranked mission that could be farmed out to a team of Genin being led by a Chunin.” Standing Hinata moved towards the monument to the previous Daimyo’s vanity as she said, “While I can understand where the ire that you feel towards my home is coming from. If you wish to escape the situation that you currently find yourself in, then you may need to consider working with the very people that you feel helped put you in it.”

Chiyo raised an eyebrow, although it wasn’t due to the Hyuuga’s words as she had simply scoffed at the idea of working with the Leaf. But was due to Hinata reaching between the legs of one of the women statues clinging to the one of the previous Daimyo. The Hyuuga then depressed the button, which was disguised as the nude statue’s clit, causing a soft hissing sound as a section of the back wall was suddenly unsealed before opening inward to reveal a hidden passage. Just inside the tunnel, Chiyo could see the Hyuuga’s clothes neatly piled along with a towel that she had brought. But, Hinata was not intending to leave just yet, so moved to the opposite side of the large in ground tub, before moving to sit on the edge.

The Rice Daimyo finding herself a bit shocked at her having been mere feet away from a means of escape since taking control of the country couldn’t even let out a humorless laugh. Instead, she turned towards the Hyuuga, and was annoyed at how calm and collected the other woman appeared so said, “What makes you think I need anything that you have to offer?”

Hinata shrugged, before saying confidently, “Because simply put, you have nowhere else to turn.” Standing the Leaf Kunoichi approached Chiyo while laying out her situation, “Since you were installed as Daimyo, you’ve done nothing to ingratiate yourself to the people you now oversee, including the Fuma. If anything, your offering up to sell the rights to the Northern ports to the highest bidder indicates a decided lack of interest in the wellbeing of the people of Rice, considering how it is one of the few assets of any significance left in this country.”

Glaring at the Hyuuga, Chiyo said, “Yet that isn’t stopping you from trying to take advantage.”

Nodding the blue-haired kunoichi replied, “Well of course. The Hyuuga Main Family has made itself extremely wealthy via the ports and other businesses that it controls in the Land of Fire.” Turning her back on the Daimyo, Hinata began moving towards the edge of the tub, as she explained, “My goal is to elevate the Branch Family, and to do that I need to grow its own powerbase independently of the Main. By securing the Northern Ports, we’ll be able to achieve that, as shipments from Spring will no longer need travel around the Land of Lightning shaving weeks from their reaching customers in the Land of Fire, and furthermore preventing the need for a longer and more dangerous sea journey.” Turning towards Chiyo as she paused on the first step leading from the indoor spring, she said, “Of course, you knew this which is why you offered them up in the first place. But it was poor timing on your part that a gang war broke out. Unfortunately for you, most companies or individuals who could benefit from such a purchase aren’t going to invest when the land route although shorter, is just as, if not more dangerous than going the long way now.”

Chiyo frowned as she felt the reason that Hinata had provided for the lack of interest that other potential buyers had shown to the offer that she made, should have included the Hyuuga so asked, “Then what value do they have for you, if not that?”

Hinata smiled before replying, “I, of course, have similar interests in them. I just have more faith that things in Rice can be turned around. Provided you are willing to work with me.”

“Never,” Chiyo said determinedly, and took an immense amount of satisfaction in the smile fading from the Hyuuga’s face.

Shaking her head sadly, Hinata moved towards the hidden entrance that she had revealed. She first began wiping the water from herself with the towel that she had brought, and as she did so, stated, “A shame really. If you had agreed to help, then I think you would find the allies that you need to turn your situation around, along with the Land of Rice Paddies.”

“Do you really believe that I could work with anyone from the very village that helped pave the way for my home’s destruction?” Chiyo asked incredulously.

Hinata finished with the towel, before she began to put her usual clothes back on while warning, “If you have any interest in surviving then you’re going to need to.” Having pulled her pants on, she paused in her dressing while turning towards the Daimyo and with her shirt in one hand said, “Because time seems to be running out for you.” Running a hand up her stomach, and through the valley of her breasts, she continued while her voice took on a seductive tone towards the end, “The reason I decided to force this meeting after weeks of patience, is because your fiancé approached me with an offer of his own. He said that he would see to it that I receive control of the ports, if I agreed to meet his price that is.”

Seeing the sensual way that the Hyuuga was carrying herself, Chiyo didn’t need to ask what else besides money would be part of the asking price. She felt herself grow weak in the knees at receiving further confirmation that Shu was making his own plans, and that they apparently didn’t include her. But she steadied herself before she sunk into despair, and asked, “Then why not accept his offer?”

Hinata resumed dressing as she pulled her fishnet shirt on, before responding, “Because I can’t trust a man who would try to undercut the woman that he had formed a bond with. Particularly as that bond is to be cemented in matrimony. If he can work in the shadows against you, then how can I trust that he would keep his word?” Picking up her jacket, Hinata added truthfully, “Besides, you’ve managed to delay your wedding to him for over a year now. You may manage to continue to do so, and if I’m going to begin to raise my fellow clan members’ station in life, then I need to begin sooner rather than later. Whatever, deal I strike with him, will not be able to proceed until you two are wed, and well I fear what fate will befall you if he believes that he can make such promises to begin with.”

Chiyo was tempted to respond in a mocking manner about the Hyuuga’s supposed concern for her wellbeing. But she refrained due to her being unable to detect any insincerity in the kunoichi’s voice or demeanor. With the Hyuuga seemingly being well aware of her situation, and thus recognizing how weak her position was, she realized that potentially alienating Shu by telling her what he had proposed wasn’t in the woman’s best interest. Chiyo recognizing that Hinata’s admission had been an overplay of her hand, decided to take advantage of her apparent unwillingness to work with him, so asked, “How did you come to know of this hidden entrance? Was it the Fuma?"

Hinata was caught a bit flatfooted by the Daimyo’s question, as she had hoped that Chiyo would respond in a more favorable manner to the revelation that Shu had approached her, and show that despite that she was inclined to work with the Rice Paddies Daimyo. However, she began fearing that she had made a mistake, and that Chiyo wasn’t so much looking for allies, but a means to just harm those whom she felt had wronged her. A possibility that she had considered, seeing Chiyo’s willingness to sell the control of the ports in the first place, smacked of the short-term thinking of someone just looking to raise substantial capital for some other project. Especially, as a wise ruler, would have probably used them in their own schemes to try and turn things around in their country. Admittedly, Rice was in a rather deep hole due to the mismanagement of the previous Daimyo, and the gang war which had erupted across the country. But, seeing as Chiyo had put them up for sale before the breakout of the latter, Hinata was forced to admit that she may have made a mistake in being so open with the Daimyo. Not willing to betray Sasame’s trust, and aware that lying would destroy any credibility that she had built up with the woman, she was about to refuse to answer when she sensed an impending attack, although not directed at her.

Rotating on instinct, Hinata moved in front of Chiyo as she battered aside the arrow that had been aimed at the partially submerged Daimyo’s forehead.

Chiyo’s eyes widened in shock as one moment Hinata had been standing in front of her, and the next she was instead facing the blue-haired woman’s back. She heard what sounded like wood clattering on the stone floor but didn’t dare move her eyes off the darkened tunnel where the projectile had appeared from. Although, she did move to partially shield herself by using the statue as cover, while she made ready to active her hidden trump card. She narrowed her eyes as Sasame Fuma appeared from the tunnel’s darkness, still holding the bow that she had used to seemingly assassinate her.

Even to the Daimyo’s ears, Hinata sounded genuinely confused as she asked, “What are you doing Sasame?”

Sasame stepped into the chamber before beginning to circle around the inground tub as she said, “Putting the Daimyo on notice.” As she continued to move around the outer edge of the tub, Chiyo made sure to move in the opposite direction while being sure to keep the statue between the two of them. Focusing on the Hyuuga, she said, “I’m sorry to interrupt your negotiations Hinata, but it looked like they were on the verge of stalling out.” Her gaze then drifted to Chiyo as she answered the woman’s question by stating, “I was the one that informed Hinata of the tunnel’s existence. We discovered it shortly after your illustrious predecessor was torn to shreds by his former allies. I’ve made sure to keep a guard posted at it entrance outside the castle since then.”

“Yet you never bothered to tell me,” Chiyo said accusatorily, “Perhaps keeping your options open should you decide to make use of it yourself.”

Sasame paused as she admitted, “The thought has crossed my mind from time to time.” Chiyo was about to leap from the water to attack, although she doubted that she would succeed in reaching her, even if Sasame seemed to have dropped her guard as she crouched to pick something up, which she then promptly tossed into the pool. Chiyo focused on the object as it floated on the water, and realized it was the arrow that the Fuma had shot at her. She recognized that in place of a traditional arrowhead, there was a round cotton bag attached to the end that was used during training exercises to mitigate injuries. At which point Sasame continued to say, “However, I’ve yet to talk myself into actually going through with it. Despite your being such a self-centered bitch.”

“How dare you!” Chiyo shouted angrily, “Do you understand who it is that you are addressing?”

“Yeah,” Sasame replied while venting her frustrations with the woman, “Another shitty noble who because of a quirk of fate was installed by foreign Daimyo to lead my home. Yet rather than providing leadership, has done nothing but wallow in self-pity. Worse still, you are trying to undercut the people of Rice Paddies by offering up its ports to the highest bidder.”

“One of whom you seem to be concluding with,” Chiyo pointed out irately.

“That is because, I know Hinata will use them not only to help her own clansmen but also the people of Rice,” Sasame replied calming down. “Something that you have demonstrated no interest in doing since you’ve arrived here.” Beginning to resume her pacing around the tub, she asked, “Now, are you going to start acting like a Daimyo interested in helping the people of Rice by working with Hinata and me to help quell the chaos that has erupted across the country?”

“Or what, you’ll kill me yourself,” Chiyo said defiantly as she stepped from behind the statue almost daring Sasame to take a shot at her.

“No,” Sasame said with a shake of her head, “There’s no need to get my own hands dirty. Do you honestly think Hinata was the only one your fiancé or his representatives have reached out to? He’s already bribed quite a few of Rice’s nobility over to his side. Sadly, that rot was introduced back when Orochimaru was still running things.”

Chiyo wasn’t shocked by the revelation, after all one of the reasons that she was trying to offload the ports was so that she could use the capital to secure her powerbase in Rice. Although, she was somewhat surprised at Sasame having kept abreast of the situation. “Then why not just work with him? I’m sure that he’d gladly help you too if you spread your legs wide enough.”

“He probably would,” Sasame admitted, “However, much like Hinata, I have my own reasons for not trusting him. For starters, rather than lining the pockets of greedy nobles, he could have used that money to help improve the lives of Rice’s citizens. The second reason is that I have already aligned my Clan with the Black Fox Gang of IronFog. With their help, along with the Hyuuga’s, after you sell them the ports and they secure them, we’ll be able to coordinate a three-prong assault which should allow us to wipe out the remaining gangs.”

Chiyo frowned since she couldn’t understand why Sasame would be willing to put her faith in one group of criminals over another to solve the gang problem Rice was currently embroiled in. In her search for allies, she had heard a few rumors related to the Black Fox Gang, but nothing substantial outside of it sounding as if its leader supposedly hated Naruto as much as she did. Which made Sasame and Hinata’s willingness to collaborate with them even more baffling to her. Finding her suspicions along with her curiosity peaked, she nevertheless maintained her confrontational demeanor as she said, “So, you are admitting to treason.”

“If taking steps to help the people of Rice while the current Daimyo is too busy selling them out for her own aims is treason, then yes,” Sasame said unabashedly. “We’ve already lived through one such regime and I refuse to sit around a second time to let it play out again.”

The Rice Daimyo’s gaze hardened, but it did lack the steel that she had previously favored the two women with. Mostly as unlike with Hinata, who was working her own angle supposedly for the betterment of her clan, Sasame’s admittance that she was willing to be branded a traitor was rather sobering. Although, she did reckon that if she tried to run to her guards to see the Fuma put in chains, she’d quickly earn several arrows to the back. Still, she pushed back saying, “So, you don’t have a problem with the selling the ports, just that I am the one doing it.”

Sasame looked annoyed with her response, which she gave voice to by stating, “Are you purposefully being obtuse? My issue is that you refuse to do your duty as the Daimyo. You don’t care who you sell the port to; they could be some shady businessman like that one that tried to bleed the Land of Waves dry. You don’t care what happens to this country, only that you can somehow benefit from it?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Chiyo erupted, “I’ve seen firsthand how this world works. The strong use the weak and discard them when they’ve exhausted their usefulness. Why shouldn’t I use this small gift that I was bestowed for all it is worth to escape from my predicament. A hell that your fucking Leaf allies helped deliver me into.”

Sasame’s gaze hardened as she recalled her cousin and fellow clansmen that were used up by Orchimaru in such a manner, and being unwilling to see such misery once more bestowed on her home, nearly reached for one of her arrows to deliver it right between the Daimyo’s eyes. However, Hinata stepped between the Daimyo and her as she said calmly, “Lady Chiyo, how does that make you any different than the people who hold you hostage even now?”

“Who cares about being different,” Chiyo fired back, “I just want to see all my Father’s enemies destroyed. If I must become the very same as the devils that murdered him and my people in order to have that vengeance, then it is a price that I’ll pay happily.”

Sasame fired back angrily, “Step aside Hinata, I’m going to kill this bitch right now. By her own logic, I should just do it to prevent her from doing the same to my Clan and the people of Rice.”

Hinata looked back at Sasame with a fair of degree of understanding, before calmly saying, “But, you know that it isn’t what he would do.”

Sasame’s anger relented some due to the soft reminder of the man that she was bound, at least enough to not fill the Daimyo with a quiver full of arrows. Still, fearing that if she remained in the woman’s presence, she would eventually give in to the temptation she turned away as she said in a huff, “Forget this, you can keep trying to talk some sense into her if you want Hinata. But, its clear she has no interest in helping anyone but herself.”

Sasame began moving towards the hidden entrance, but Chiyo intrigued by the sudden reversal in the Fuma’s behavior due to the man the Hyuuga had alluded to caused her to inquire, “Wait! Just who is this man that you mentioned?”

“Why should we tell you anything?” Sasame asked upon turning back to face her, “Thus far we’ve revealed plenty and have only received derision in return.”

“You did try to hit here with an arrow, and threaten to kill her,” Hinata reminded the Fuma with a small hint of amusement being conveyed in the tone of her voice.

“Only because of how poorly she was responding to you,” Sasame said defensively as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Taking advantage of the small crack of curiosity that the Daimyo was showing, Hinata stated, “While crudely delivered, Sasame does have a point. We have laid far more cards on the table then you to zero avail. Why should we provide any more information to someone who clearly wants to position themselves as our enemy?”

Chiyo kept her face neutral, which struck both kunoichi as odd considering how emotional she had just been, as she replied, “Because, you can do nothing without my assistance. Therefore, you should do everything in your power to try and bring me over to your side.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Sasame began to say, “We’re only trying to get you on side…”

However she quickly was cut off by a harsh look from Hinata, who said, “Lady Chiyo, if we are to form an alliance then it must be for everyone benefit. Not just your own. You are not the only one suffering.” Hinata paused as the Daimyo glared at her, which she met with a look of sincerity that quickly caused her to look away. After which she said, “But, perhaps these talks are a bit premature considering who isn’t here at the moment. With that being the case, I think you should know that I was referring to is the current leader of the Black Foxes, and whom I think it would benefit us all greatly to have a sit down with. In fact, I think you should travel to Ironfog to meet with him as soon as possible.”

Looking skeptical, Chiyo dismissively replied, “Why, so you can arrange for it to look like some bandits killed me much as what happened to my predecessor?”

Sasame glared at the Daimyo while Hinata calmly reminded her allowing a slight tinge of danger to enter her tone, “If that was what we wanted Lady Chiyo. I think you would find there is little to stop either of us at present from creating that very scenario, and I wouldn’t count on whatever it is that you have stored in the seal on your inner wrist to tip the odds in your favor.” Despite the heat of the spring, Chiyo felt a chill run up her spine due to the Hyuuga reminding her of her effectively being trapped with the two women, as well as her being well aware of the seal where she was storing her trump card, the naginata that she had trained so much to master. However the veiled threat disappeared behind the Hyuuga’s smile as she graciously added, “But, no that isn’t what we want. Instead, I think it would benefit you greatly to see the current state of the lands that you find yourself in charge of, and what is possible for them if we all begin to work together.”

Chiyo feeling a bit unnerved by the Hyuuga’s ability to quickly shift between being threatening to friendly said, “I will need some time to think it over.”

“Of course,” Hinata replied presently before sharing a nod with Sasame which took it as a sign that they should leave. The pair made their way to the hidden passage where Hinata stopped to add, “But, please come to a decision soon. We have a limited window during the upcoming week where I believe we can arrange for a proper sit down.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Chiyo replied in a chilled tone as the door to the passage began to close upon Hinata pressing a panel built into the stone wall. Allowing a look of disdain to appear once it had fully closed, Chiyo began search the room for the seal the Hyuuga had hidden, and found it on the statue which contained the button to activate the door of the hidden passage. The discovery did little to soothe the anger that she felt at having her little sanctuary dirtied by the Leaf and Fuma bitches. Especially, as she imagined that Hinata had placed it there expecting it to be easy find while knowing she would begin searching for it immediately upon leaving. Tempted to wipe it away, and call for her guards in so they could follow after and arrest the two. She decided not too for the time being, as she began to wonder if perhaps she had just been handed another boon by the Gods.

Beginning to suspect that whatever the alliance that Sasame and Hinata were a part of it probably, it probably wasn’t being made with an actual gang leader. Especially when considering just how much faith both women appeared to have in him to apparently turn things around in Rice. Which considering what she knew of the Fuma’s past association with a certain blond-haired bastard, made her suspect that the Black Foxes leader’s supposed resemblance to him was part of some ruse so he could hide it plain sight. Meaning the whole thing might just be some Leaf ruse.

She began to smirk as she began to rub the seal at her wrist, and pictured using the naginata within to stab the Uzumaki in the heart. Thereby taking some manner of revenge against the Hokage whose thoughtless actions had cleared the way for the destruction of her home, and the death of her father. Although, she knew to act on the opportunity would undoubtedly end in her death, she felt more than a little satisfaction at the idea knowing Shu intended to betray his father, and would deny him the progeny that he desired to have with her in pursuit of his supposed destiny. Feeling her own calling, she left the bath and dressed in order to summon and send an attendant to inform the Hyuuga that she wished to meet officially.

Next Chapter: The Chunin Exams Part Deux: The Mad Rush Backwards! Part V

Author’s note: To begin, allow me to thank those of you who have read and taken the time to leave a review for the story. I truly enjoying hearing from you regarding how you are enjoying it. Which I hope continues to be the case for this one. Speaking of which, I originally was planning for the next chapter I work on to be a LBB which would focus just on Samui’s team, and some of the Persona characters to see what they are up to during this portion of the exam. However, this chapter ran a bit long being over 32,000 words meaning I left out a few scenes that I had intended to add towards the to wrap this up in a timely fashion. So, with that being the case, would you prefer the next chapter to be the LBB that purely focuses on those teams, or would you prefer I try to incorporate those events into the overall narrative? If you don’t feel particularly strongly about it, well I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this chapter.

Thank you again for reading, and until next time, take care! Sincerely, The Lemon Sage.