Naruto sat in his office in contemplation, eyes staring blankly at some spot on his desk, papers unattended as they lay strewn in an unorganized mess. That sight in particular was nothing new to Suzume, his desk may as well be made of papers considering how many passed over it every day. What was peculiar to her though was the fact that Naruto was not working on those papers, he usually tackled all the paper work with that near mechanical efficiency of his and then contemplated his thoughts after, for something to distract him enough to leave what she assumed was about 30 percent of this morning's paperwork unfinished well...it had to be a pretty big something.
Now normally when someone she knew was in deep thought depending on her mood she'd ask what they were thinking about or she'd just leave them be, knowing Naruto, it'd probably be wiser to go for the second option but considering her curious mood, and the desire to have something to brag about later she really wanted to try the first, after all, being an office assistant in a ninja village didn't give you many tall tales to tell sitting around a living room with friends who probably did more exciting things in a single hour than most office workers did in a lifetime.
So choosing to be a bit daring she leaned slightly on one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. "Got something on your mind do you Naruto-sama?"
Naruto's eyes shifted to her for the span of a single second before returning to their previous location. "Do you not have work to do?"
"Nope." She responded with a smirk, "All done, unlike you apparently." She remarked as she took a seat. "So what's on your mind, you never think this much on a subject, or at least I've never seen it."
"It is none of your concern." Naruto responded in his typical dismissive manner.
"Oh come on." She prodded. "I'm burning minutes off my lunch break for this." At the sight of his eyes, ever so narrowed in that deceptively calm way of his directed towards her she decided it would be best to add the familiar placating "Please?" At the end of her sentence, hoping for the best.
Naruto's eyes returned once again to their previous location.
"Oh come on now." She huffed. "Give me a hint at least." Smirking she added somewhat teasingly. "Girl trouble."
Now one should keep in mind that while a genius when it comes to fighting, strategical movements and generally most things that have to do with combat, Uzumaki Naruto is quite handicapped when it comes to normal human conversation. And his ability to take things, especially statements made, literally, well its what started this whole fiasco to begin with.
Taking this into account his answer, or rather his query isn't so surprising. "How did you know?"
Not taking this into account however and one tends to get a reaction like the one Suzume was displaying right now, eyes wide open, mouth hanging limply, and disbelief etched so firmly into her features it looked like it may have been carved there. "A-Are you serious?"
Naruto nodded before repeating. "How did you deduce it?"
She blinked stupidly for several moments as she fell back, allowing herself to rest against the chair. "I just guessed?" She admitted only half paying attention. She was almost dazed, as if she'd been hit over the head with something.
"Hmm." The blond drawled the fingernails of his index and middle finger scraping along his right temple repeatedly as his brow scrunched slightly. "Quite a nuisance that foolish girl is becoming."
Suzume's nose wrinkled, her eyes traveling up toward the ceiling as she tried to think of who she knew who could become a nuisance to him. Coming up with a blank she decided to just ask. "Who are you talking about?"
"That so called 'Angel of Suna'." The blond answered, the title rolling off his tongue like a growl.
Suzume did a double take before rolling her eyes and breathing, what she could only describe as, a sigh of relief. The thought of Naruto of all people with a woman, worse yet, a woman that was giving him problems, it was a scary thought really.
Shrugging off her previous stupefaction due to the misunderstanding she shrugged, deciding to state the obvious. "So why don't you just kill her." Pausing for a moment she decided to add "You're obviously good at that." As an afterthought.
Most people would have been offended by the statement, but to Naruto it was a simple statement that pointed out an undeniable truth, so he took it in stride, continuing the conversation with his usual nonchalance. "Its more complicated than that." He admitted.
"Why?" The assistant questioned with a quirk of her eyebrow.
"Sabaku no Gaara." Naruto answered simply. "Jinchuriki of the Shukaku...control's sand. The desert is his territory, and while I may be able to defeat him in a fight, his abilities could cost our forces more than we can afford right now with Kumo still standing."
Now while she wasn't a combat nin, her many years of filing and managing various forms of paperwork, which included, supply routes, troop movements and command orders had taught her a thing or two about strategies. And while most of these things she'd learned by listening to him or reading over some of his forms she figured she could at least try to help.
"Then why not get rid of Kumo first?"
"Zhuge Liang." Naruto answered simply again. "Attacking his home territory is a foolish endeavor. His strategies and tactics will also most-likely cost us more than we can handle now." He released another sigh. "We need a way to quickly destroy one while making certain we have enough in our reserves to take care of the other. Incase the Sabaku girl does not honor her end of our little deal."
"Well I don't know, he certainly did a number on us last time we invaded but he seems to have lost the most. I hear its costing nearly 3,000,000 a month just to secure raw materials to rebuild most of the defensive structures of their village.
Naruto's eyes seemed to widen minutely for a brief moment realization dawning on his features, his head pulled itself away from its resting place on his palm as he turned his head fully to face her. "That's it." He stated as his eyes began darting around before he stood up walking over to the map framed on the far wall.
"What? What's it?" The startled assistant questioned in confusion.
Naruto didn't answer instead giving a simple order as he usually did. "Send a message to Ginchiko, tell her to return to the mainland as soon as possible." Orders given he quickly walked out of the room with Suzume's bemused "Ok." at his back.
The red glow of the setting Kumo sun cast deep dark shadows over the land, darkened blankets like tendrils gripping the earth and surfaces with more and more fervor as the sun continued to disappear.
"The pieces are moving." Zhuge Liang's soft voice floated through the empty air of his home, trailing its way into Yue-Ying's ears as she sharpened the point of her hook spear.
Already knowing that he had her attention without needing to look he continued, the smoke from the incense making the light that reached his eyes shift eerily in the mid sunset light. "It may not seem like it now...but because of that girl in Suna events have been set in motion, events that cannot be undone."
"You mean the Angel of Suna." Ying stated, eyes gaining an inquisitive look. "You really think she's done something that important."
Liang turned to face her now, his back facing the rapidly dimming light beyond the horizon. "Not I, no. What I think doesn't matter, its what the people think."
He looked down to the floor, his hand brushing his goatee lightly as if in contemplation. "You can see it even here. Conversations break out about that girl and her latest victories over Konoha in Suna and hope enters our ninja's voices. Her tale becomes more and more extravagant, more grand, and more do they put their faith in her. More valiantly do they fight for her."
The sleeping dragon took a few steps into his house, placing the white feathered fan to rest on a small tea table before lacing his hands behind his back. "Because of this Uzumaki's hand has been forced. And he will strike swiftly, harshly, but not prematurely, he is too intelligent for that. The men under that girls command are brave, but bravery will not be enough to defeat Uzumaki alone. And unfortunately for us, with his vastly superior resources and reserves, it is he who will decide what field of battle we will eventually meet on."
"That girl will have to be protected then." Ying said in reply. "She has become too valuable to allow her to fall in battle now."
"Yes...you are right of course." Liang nodded once in agreement, still not facing her.
Yue Ying remained silent for a moment, eyes shifting in contemplation before turning back to him. "Zhuge...with Akina dead..." She paused, closing her eyes for a brief moment as the image of the girl came to her mind once again before vanishing. "You will have to fight him...do you think you can win."
Zhuge Liang held his tongue for a moment, the hard set of his jaw giving her the answer she already knew he would give.
When he began his voice was hesitant, tight with apprehension. "I have never fully tested my power against Uzumaki Naruto. For nearly a decade he has lead his armies to war, and wide has his will and power spread in that time, though my strategies may be better than his it may be the only thing I have that is better than his. Ruses, guile and deception can only last so long before he adapts. He will be difficult to defeat, as a Jinchuriki he cannot die by normal means."
"Can you beat him...Zhuge?" She asked again, demanding a straight answer from her gaze.
The sleeping dragon allowed his eyes to turn towards her for a moment before he sighed his response, like all things with him carried its own hidden meaning. "Not as a ninja."
Temari grumbled as she made her way through the mansion. Hinata for once, wasn't behind her, having been called away back to her clan estate, of which she had been shirking the duties to her younger sister for far too long.
She thought she'd be grateful for the Hyuuga's absence when she first became aware of it, but that thought was quickly withdrawn as the day ran its course. Hinata may have been as stiff as a board and about as much of a conversationalist as one but hell it was better than nothing, now all she had for company was the good old Anbu that hid their presence from her.
In other words she was bored.
She'd spent the first few hours of her day after she'd taken her shower in the library again, then she'd gone off to the gardens, using leaves and small twigs to practice her wind abilities again.
Then she'd gone to the kitchen, fixed herself something, and then finally back to her room to sleep for a bit.
When she woke up, she took another shower and was now headed toward the library again.
Joy.
If she didn't get out of here soon she'd be more likely to slit her own wrists out of boredom than be in danger of Kumo's assassins.
Parting the door to the library she stopped at the doorway as her eyes took in the sight of none other than Uzumaki Naruto sitting in one of the libraries various desks, sorting through a few of the books. Eyes scanning over them quickly, he paused at her sound, glancing up with his eyes alone as he slowly closed the book and set it down.
"I was informed you were asleep." He said slowly, his bored eyes easily meeting her stubborn gaze.
"I was." She responded with a quick nod. Shifting nervously from foot to foot before she caught herself and forced herself to stop. Shielding the unease she felt inside of her heart, glaring at him for all she was worth. Naruto continued to meet her gaze with nonchalance.
"And what are you doing up so late?" She questioned, venom dripping from her words. Glancing to the books she barely held back her own sneer. "Let me guess. Planning your grand salvation of another village? Or are you still honest enough to call it planning of a massacre. Since that is what you usually do."
Naruto blinked slowly for a moment, choosing not to answer the obviously rhetorical question before he turned his eyes to the next book, grabbing the text and opening it to scan over its contents.
He heard Temari snort in something he could only identify as disdain. He heard her step further into the room, taking a seat in one of the many leather chairs that furnished the library. He was somewhat surprised by this, having expected her to leave once she saw that he was in the room. But again, he paid it no mind, putting his focus on the task at hand.
There was a silence between the two for what seemed, to Temari at least, like an eternity. She didn't even really know why she stayed in the room, she supposed it was partially due to the fact that this room held the books that were her only source of entertainment for her in this house, and partially due to her own legendary stubborn nature rearing its head. Though what she was being stubborn about even she wasn't sure.
She glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eye, the sight of him there, just standing as he read over those books, probably on how to lead a desert campaign made her blood boil. She had already agreed to tell her brother of Kumo's deceptions. But apparently even that wasn't enough for him to simply give it a rest. And she had to wonder, really if he ever could "switch off." And if he couldn't, then what the hell would a world under him become?
"Do you enjoy what you do?" She questioned craning her neck to the side in order to face him fully.
Naruto's attention was brought toward her with the question. "Excuse me?"
"Killing." She clarified. "Do you like killing other people? You have to like something to be so good at it."
Naruto blinked. "It is not a matter of like or dislike. I do what I must?"
"What you must?" She parroted standing up so quickly the heavy leather chair nearly toppled over as it skidded back. She rounded fully to face him, anger simmering behind her eyes. "So let me get this straight. You must lead Konoha to a civil war that killed nearly half of this villages population, most of them killed by you, by the way when you committed the single largest act of genocide your village has ever known since the Uchiha Massacre?"
Her voice was growing louder and louder as she continued, stepping closer, hands fisted at her side as her lips were curled back in a feral snarl. "Is that your justification for everything you've done? That its what you had to do." She walked around the desk and Naruto turned to face her fully this time, his height allowing him to easily tower over the girl as he laced his hands behind his back, watching as she looked up, defiant.
She glared at him for all she was worth, somewhere in her clouded mind she recognized that it would be a horrible idea to attempt to actually physically hit him and so did the next best thing. Spitting at his feet she returned her line of sight to his before speaking. "You're nothing but a coward."
Naruto's eyes shifted to the saliva currently making its way through the small hairline separations between the hardwood floorboards before looking at the Suna kunoichi with that same languid boredom his expression always held. She was interesting, of that there was no doubt in his mind. She hid her fear well, better than most. She was his enemy, one who found herself at the greatest of disadvantages yet her bravery, unlike so many others who stood facing him on equal or favorable grounds, did not wither beneath his gaze, in fact, it seemed to grow stronger as time progressed an oddity, one who the people in his village were living proof of. She was not yet broken, and that is why, to him she was interesting.
When she did not receive an answer from the silent target of her ire she huffed. "I bet when that news reached you about Ame Taki and Kiri gathering in an alliance to oppose you you were jumping for joy."
She did not notice him stiffen ever so slightly where he stood.
"Must have gotten your rocks off on that huh. Three villages to bring down and three village leaders to kill. Must a made you feel like a real big man when you finally got em all." She sneered.
She did not notice his hands clench ever so slightly behind his back.
Though she knew that he needed her alive she also realized somewhere in the back of her mind that taunting him like this was in all likelihood a very very very stupid thing to do. But everything was all just so frustrating and recent events seem to have finally gotten to her enough to have the damn of pent up frustrations break open on her. There was also the fact that she just wanted to see something. Some indication that this thing could be hurt. That the flesh beneath the armor could be hit with something, some weapon. Even if that weapon was only taunts and words. And so she continued unaware to the rising danger.
"I heard one of them was a woman. Did you let your men have some fun with her or did you do it yourself just for kicks?"
Though previous reactions went unnoticed this one did not. A strong pulse of killing intent froze whatever words she held in her throat ready to be released, and the minute curl of his lips accompanied by narrowed eyes displayed his anger towards her statements.
When his voice met her ears it still held its lazy drawl but there was a definitive edge to his voice, something akin to a growl though not quite.
"I suggest you do not speak of matters you are ignorant of Sabaku. You are very lucky to be as important as you are." The threat was clear and Temari did not need to contemplate very far where it would lead to.
Naruto spared another glance to the books on the desk before brushing past her and leaving the room, allowing Temari the ability to breathe again as whatever killing intent he'd been allowing to leak out vanished with him.
She sighed in relief. What had just happened?
She glanced around for a moment, one which she allowed herself to catch her breath.
Well...she had certainly gotten some kind of reaction.
"Hey."
Akina's head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice of Daisuke, her current captain.
The tanned Anbu commander had a smirk on his face as he leaned down, a bowl of whatever soup had been cooked smoking in his palm as he held it out to her. "Want some, doesn't hold up well health wise but Chukosu can make a rock taste good."
Akina smiled, accepting the bowl gratefully as the man sat beside her. "You did well out there today."
"It was just a scouting party." She replied with a small shrug. "There will be bigger battles to come." She stated mater-of-factly.
After a brief pause he spoke again. "Not to them."
When Akina looked to him she saw him gesturing to the chuunin team in front of them. She had been sitting on a tiny hill of sand about four yards or so away from the main camp fire where several of the men now sat eating their rations and showing off either their new spoils or scars. When she looked at their faces, previously masked with heavy cloth to protect from the heat, she noticed that none looked to be a day over seventeen.
"To them." Daisuke sighed. "This is a victory, a great one. This is at most their second engagement. To them, they can take on the world with you here."
Akina knew that, she knew the name that was whispered among the ranks as she passed by, she knew that she was their inspiration to fight. The reason they thought they could fight.
The Suna Commander took a sidelong glance at the girl. 'Are you prepared to shoulder that burden I wonder.'
Akina sighed after a moment, rubbing her forehead. "I need a way to counter certain techniques."
"What kind?" He questioned as he took a sip of his own soup.
"Not sure if you saw it but if you did you remember that lightning technique Kakashi used when we fought."
"The one that was on his arm?" Daisuke questioned.
"Yea." She nodded. "I need to learn how to counter techniques like that one and the Rasengan."
"The Rasengan?" He questioned somewhat bemused. "I've only heard of Jiraiya and the Devil King himself using that technique." He smirked, gaining a playful edge in his eye. "Setting your sights high huh."
Akina shrugged, her own smile tugging at her lips. "Yea I guess. Still without something to at least stop those techniques taking on either Kakashi or Naruto will be much more difficult than what it has to be."
"Taking on the Devil king with anything will be difficult."
"Stop calling him that." She said quickly, almost snappish but not quite.
Daisuke blinked for a moment. "Why? It's the name people have been using for him for years."
"Its just-" She stopped, what could she say. 'He's my brother.', 'It's not right?'
Luckily she didn't have to finish the sentence as Daisuke was kind enough to do it for her. "You're right. If we place the enemy above ourselves they will always seem superior."
Sighing she nodded almost absentmindedly. "Yea..."
Daisuke smirked as he finished the last of his soup. "Well that settles it. Once we return to Suna I'll help you find a way to counter those techniques. I'm sure Kazekage-dono will grant you access to the libraries."
Akina smiled, for the first time in what seemed like months in a rather impish way. "Well of course he will. I am "The angel of Suna" after all."
Daisuke smirked at the jest. "Of course."