Chapter 7 Part 3
Evening. The Hokage's Office.
"Hokage-sama." Akashi, as usual, climbed in through the open window, completely ignoring the normal entrance.
Sarutobi sighed inwardly: this "affliction" plagued over half the shinobi in Konoha. Scolding them, fighting it, forbidding it, punishing them — all utterly pointless. An unavoidable evil you just have to accept in a shinobi settlement.
"Study this," Hiruko said simply, pointing with her pipe at a thin folder on the desk.
"Mmaa... Mmaa..." Hatake murmured, quickly flipping through a dozen pages. "Are you certain, Hokage-sama?"
"It's time the children got a whiff of the outside world," the Hokage replied, blowing smoke rings at the ceiling. Some people thought she never parted with her beloved tobacco — even in her sleep. Others were convinced she somehow managed to smoke while sleeping!
"Mmaa... I see." Akashi's one visible eye dipped back to the page, though she'd already memorized every word. "And we don't intend to punish him? This Tazuna lied to the officials — deliberately understated the mission rank."
"Let him be. His punishment isn't your concern, Akashi." The aged ruler of the Village chewed her lips. "He lied — he'll get what's coming to him. As will we."
"I understand. But why my team? I don't think they're ready, Hokage-sama."
"Leave it. Nothing truly dangerous awaits them." The Hokage set down her pipe and fixed the jonin with a steady gaze. "A couple of low-rank shinobi shouldn't pose a problem for them. The top student of the class, the Uchiha... and Naruko. The latest graduating class is strong, but these three stand out. This case is perfect for showing the youngsters where to aim. Showing them the path. Showing them the world."
"And Naruko? What if she goes berserk?" Akashi doubted.
"She shouldn't. This past year, she's been far more stable than before," the Hokage countered firmly. "It's time, Akashi. We can't coddle the jinchuriki forever, afraid of her instability. Someday we have to start. She's all we have."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"Don't worry. Nagisa will be with you. If Naruko can't restrain herself — he'll be able to hold back the Tailed Beast and force it back into its cage."
"Mmaa... You're that confident in him?" Akashi's gaze was skeptical. She recalled the lazy Nagisa and couldn't, by any stretch, see him as suitable for that kind of responsibility. "Is he really that reliable?"
"He's capable and prudent. His skills should be enough to contain the demon. You'll see for yourself — if you're unlucky enough." The Hokage's words were rock-solid. That confidence was backed by reports from the teachers who'd been training the stray monk the entire time he'd lived in Konoha. "Don't fret, Akashi — you won't be the only ones on this operation. Two covert teams will be running parallel to you. They'll have their own objectives, but they'll assist if absolutely necessary."
"Very well. I understand. Thank you for the explanations, Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi waved her hand, dismissing her subordinate — who promptly leaped out the window.
"Wild thing. Can't you leave like a normal person — through the door?" the old woman grumbled, shutting the window. It wasn't the Village leader's tone — just plain old grumbling.
Settling into her chair, the Hokage once again banished shameful thoughts of a nice rocking chair and buried herself in the remaining paperwork.
There was still plenty to do. The Land of Waves had no Hidden Village of its own — just a tiny nation, a couple of towns on a handful of little islands. Unremarkable. Of no interest to anyone. But with a bridge connecting those islands to the Mainland... Analysts all agreed: a land crossing would bring prosperity. New trade routes. And that meant — money. That meant — people. That meant — work. Ignoring a juicy piece like that would be criminal.
And this drunk of an architect, heading off to build a grand bridge near his little hometown — he'd shown up at the perfect moment.
How perfectly everything aligned.
It was moments like these that confirmed Sarutobi's belief: luck truly existed. And she had zero intention of letting this chance slip. She was already preparing to seize control of territories that promised serious profits in the near future.
Konoha, as the closest Village, would skim all the cream off those new lands. And Gato? Gato was irrelevant. In Sarutobi's eyes, he occupied the space somewhere between nothing and a pebble. Sent assassins? Let him. They'd be eliminated. If the arrogant businessman failed to grasp such a "transparent" hint... Well. Heirs were, as a rule, always more far-sighted than their predecessors.
"Good morning!" Sakurai greeted us, covering a yawn.
"Mornin', Sakurai-kun!!!" Energetic Naruko was practically vibrating with impatience.
"Morning," I nod.
"Umm... Nagisa-san, you alright?" Haruno asked, concerned. "Your face is kinda pale. Something wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just ate something... inedible." I wave it off.
"Mm... You sure you're okay? Maybe..."
"I'm fine, fine!" I cut him off hastily. I don't want to remember. Just thinking about it makes my intestines shriek in horror! I refuse to recall last night!
"Ah... Well, if you say so." The boy shrugged. "Oh, good morning, Sasuko-chan!"
"Uh-huh..." Hedgehog is, as always, sparing with words and emotions. She just walked up and leaned against the gatepost. "Sensei?"
"As you can see," I spread my hands. The team sighs — they get it.
We wait. Sakurai steals glances at Uchiha — she ignores him, lost in her own thoughts. Naruko harasses the gate guards. They're bravely fending off the little interrogator, but a few more hours and their defenses will break. Then Naruko either gets smacked, or the guards flee in shame, ceding the battlefield.
"Oh, you're already here. Morning, everyone!" Akashi arrived in her usual tone. "Here — meet our client. Tazuna-san."
The person next to the jonin... was utterly unimpressive and simultaneously stunning in how stereotypical he was. Plain clothes, one of those "onion" hats. A graying beard. Shuffling walk, slightly unfocused movements, and a noticeable sway. Tazuna was presenting himself in the worst possible light.
"Mmmnyeh... What's with these brats?" He grimaced, taking a swig from a bottle of cheap booze. "Can they even protect themselves?"
"Old fart! We don't like you!" I practically heard the genin think in unison. At that moment, Team 7 was unusually united.
"Now, now, Tazuna-san," Akashi said with her unshakable eye-smile. "They may look young, but they're fully-fledged shinobi. If you wanted someone else, you should've paid for a higher-ranked mission."
"As if I've got money for that!" The bridge-builder took another swig. "Two girls... at least there's some boys... Can they really protect me?"
"Noow, noow..." Did I imagine it, or did Akashi's eye twitch? "If anything unforeseen happens, I'll step in — and I'm a jonin. No need for concern, Tazuna-san."
"Hey — you got something against kunoichi, old man?!" Naturally, Naruko couldn't let that slide. Someone had dared to doubt HER strength?! Uzumaki? Let that go? The world would turn upside down first. "Don't underestimate us! I'm strong!!! Someday I'm gonna take the Hokage's seat, got it?!"
"Heeh? Hokage? Isn't that your strongest ninja or something?" Tazuna sized up the blonde with bleary eyes. "No chance. Go play in the sandbox, little girl."
"The hell I will!!!" The blonde flared up — once again radiating elevated levels of that ominous aura. "I WILL become Hokage! You hear me, you old fart?! And then you, and everyone else — you'll all respect me! You'll acknowledge my strength!!!"
"Pfeh... Not a chance." The bridge-builder waved a hand, starting down the path. "I won't respect you even if you do become Hokage someday... But that's impossible anyway."
"Grrrr... I'll kill him!" Uzumaki hissed — but only twitched in place. Two hands — mine and Akashi's — held the young jinchuriki firmly by the shoulders.
We exchanged glances. Akashi let go and walked after the client, tossing a shrug over her shoulder.
"Easy, Naruko." Leaning in, I spoke quietly into the girl's ear. The sensation was — oof. My whole face prickled from the phantom pulses of the demon's chakra. She's genuinely angry. Others might be used to it — might not even notice — but Naruko's words meant something else entirely.
"You'll acknowledge my strength!" — that's what she said. Her strength. Not a word about being recognized as a person. She wants to prove her power. Force everyone to respect her. That's what those words mean. This Naruko is more mature than the one from the anime I know. Mature in her ambitions. Reach a high position, make all the haters and doubters eat their words. It sounds selfish — but it's understandable.
And you know what? "This" Naruko — the angry one — is completely different from her "usual" self. I can see the shift clearly. And I know the reasons behind it. In a way, it kind of justifies her behavior. At least partly. Ugh — I need to do something about this. Later.
"But!.. That nasty old geezer!!.." Naruko burst out, her voice full of fury and genuine hurt. But the intensity was already starting to fade.
"Little Orange, calm down. Don't waste your emotions on people who aren't worth it. Who cares what he says? The ants?" I spoke pretty harshly. But my opinion of this man had sunk to exactly that level, so fair enough. Whatever his problems are — his behavior is ugly even from a basic human standpoint. He came for help. He's getting it. And he still has the nerve to complain. That's just shameful. "Be better than that. Calm down, alright?"
"Uff... Fine. I get it." Uzumaki grumbled sullenly. "Thanks, Koru-chan. I get it."
E-heh-heh... This is gonna be a long trip.