章 29: Chapter 26 Confidence
Naruto stared at Sasuke from his throne.
He knew what the Uchiha wanted and had permitted for his hateful presence to appear before him. He could have stopped it if he willed and Sasuke would have been powerless to do anything about it.
Still, when he took Itachi's body, he hadn't thought that there would be many things going wrong in his planning.
Everything was supposed to be going well with the Uchiha becoming his tool–or maybe a potential tool. He had no problems with Sasuke gaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it was only then he could be controlled by him. But with many things going wrong, Naruto wondered if he was also making a mistake.
Those eyes would not be able to turn on him, but it still did not change that they could turn other things he valued.
Going nowhere with his thoughts, the Emperor rested his head on the palm of his left hand and then spoke.
"Have you come across Zetsu?"
Sasuke's eyes sharpened: He knew there were issues there and his brother had already warned him.
"Why do you ask?"
"Don't be stupid. Just answer the simple question."
"He came to me, and went away before I could do anything. He wanted to recruit me and said there was a way he could get my eyes."
Naruto stared upon hearing those words. By 'my eyes' Sasuke meant Itachi's eyes. But that was not what bothered him in that statement.
How could Zetsu get those eyes when he had protected them? There could not possibly be a traitor amongst the Uzumaki unless it was that woman. On his own, Zetsu could not know about the secrets of the village. It was also unthinkable that one of them would turn out to be a traitor.
This village had barriers made to keep people and things out.
Someone like Zetsu could not come in any place without them knowing. Whether through land or air or below, you always went through a barrier before entering the village. There would be some investigation into this. Then again, Zetsu could have been lying to Sasuke.
He was manipulative–that much was apparent.
"You could have just burnt him with Amaterasu. Why did you not go that far?"
"I don't take orders from you, Naruto." Sasuke responded in a cold tone.
"Where do you stand, Uchiha?" Naruto asked, he did not raise his voice, his relaxed posture did not change either.
"What is that supposed to mean? Do you even think that just because I am in your village I will be scared of you? You do not frighten me!"
Naruto shook his head slowly. "For someone hailed as a genius you are rather stupid and blind," the Emperor said before raising his right hand.
He snapped his fingers and marks began to spread through the floor within the palace.
"What the h-!"
A massive force of gravity pulled Sasuke to the floor.
He slammed down on both knees.
Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger and frustration.
The moment the seal below activated, he had known something was wrong. The force pulling him down was too much. He couldn't even summon his Susano'o. When the force continued to pull him down, both his hands slammed on the floor as he attempted to keep his face from kissing down.
He did not hold for too long.
His face hit the floor, he realized, his Sharingan was no longer active.
Naori appeared out of thin air holding a jug with a pair of eyes.
"I will give you Itachi's eyes Sasuke…but should Zetsu appear before you again, you will take action. And if Konoha tries to act against us and betrays us in any way, you will be the one to turn the might of the Uchiha on them."
Sasuke didn't hear anything the Emperor said, he was struggling to keep his eyes open.
When he could no longer hold firm, everything turned black.
"Take him and ensure he is programmed in order. Once you are done, have Karin implant the Sharingan and then brand him. Once done, send him to a hotel in the Wave and have someone look after him while he recovers."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"The Uchiha was a handsome young man; it is a pity that such a handsome face had to be turned into something else."
Naruto opened his eyes, still on his throne, as Karin walked towards him.
She stopped just inches away from him, staring at him intently.
"Sasuke was not turned into anything. We simply put suggestions in his head."
"Is that not going to cause you trouble in the near future?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No…Shisui had a Mangekyo Sharingan that was capable of manipulating someone without that person or people even realizing they were being manipulated. It was indeed a powerful genjutsu. Perhaps it was out of paranoia but Danzo feared that it would also control him and then stole one of his eyes. Shisui gave his other eye to Itachi. Danzo used it for his devilish desires, but that just shows you just show powerful Shisui's visual prowess was, but he was not a typical Uchiha. Despite being a Jinchuriki, it would even manipulate me, and since you don't know, you can't escape from it. It completely rewrites your mind-frames. We developed a similar technique."
"For what reason?"
"Just insurance in case things go south." Naruto said with a shrug. "You should not worry yourself with such details."
"I must worry; recent events have shown that even you can get things wrong. You are not stupid, but that doesn't make you perfect. You can get things wrong and at this stage, and something of this magnitude, it would cause problems if ever discovered."
"Don't be concerned, we have things covered up." The Emperor responded in a confident tone.
Noroi appeared out of thin air–he didn't even acknowledge Karin's presence but leaned towards the Emperor and whispered.
"Nagato has not arrived in Amegakure, yet and we don't know where he is. His presence has seemingly vanished," the man said. "Konan has called for you as she is deeply worried."
Naruto sat motionlessly.
This simply could not be happening now.
Not when he had just finished things and was planning to take the Empire's rise to another level.
Nagato was not someone he had to worry about–but if he disappeared like this, he had reasons to worry. Zetsu was not someone who could defeat Nagato in battle even though he knew the secrets of the Rinnegan. Overwhelming power gave you that advantage.
But what could have happened to him?
Zetsu could not have pounced, could he?
Where was that good for nothing Kabuto?
"Have you exhausted everything?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. But we are still trying to look. Konan attempted to summon him, but nothing happened."
Naruto stood up from his throne.
He too was connected with Nagato.
It was something that was only arranged for emergencies but he should also be able to get the feeling. He did slow hand seals and then slammed his right hand on the ground silently.
A summoning seal appeared on the floor but nothing happened.
He stood up with a large frown on his lips.
Karin stared at him curiously.
"What is wrong, Naruto?"
Naruto did not offer an immediate response.
Kabuto had gone away, saying he wanted to handle something. But he didn't have to worry about the man betraying the Empire but it didn't mean that he could not do anything that could not be of benefit to them, not unless he had some twisted view that it would indeed be helpful–at which case, he had to worry.
"We will talk when I return." Naruto responded to Karin before facing Noroi. "Take me to Amegakure." He commanded Noroi.
The redhead placed his hand on the Emperor's right shoulder and they vanished into thin air.
Konan was deeply worried for Nagato. It was not like him to disappear. He was strong. She even thought that the Emperor could not defeat him if they were fighting a serious battle.
But, there was Zetsu.
There was still much that they didn't know about that thing, but what they knew was that although he didn't have the physical prowess to cause them danger, he was still dangerous. Her childhood friend had been talking much about getting rid of him.
That thing could not have been thinking about doing the same thing to him, right?
Because of Obito, they knew that Nagato had not awakened the Rinnegan but it was something that was awakened by the infamous Madara.
The Doujutsu was also the only piece that could make the man's dream a reality. Without it, there was no reviving the Jubi.
But how was Zetsu going to do this?
Madara had to be first revived and they were going to use the Rinnegan to do so. But Nagato would not willingly do something like that.
And with the power of the Rinnegan, it was not just anyone who could wield them to their full potential.
Konan did not feel relief when Naruto appeared at the balcony in the tallest tower along with Noroi.
For him, this would be a major loss.
He had almost everything to lose if Madara was indeed in the making of coming back. He was the one who came up with the plan to topple Obito. They had always been confident that Madara would not come back because they believed that no one would be able to defeat Nagato.
"When was he supposed to return?" Naruto went right at it the moment he saw Konan.
"Three days ago, but he never showed up. Two days ago, he only summoned the Preta path. I don't think it was for battle but a measure taken to avoid exposing himself." Konan said.
"Didn't he tell you where he was going?"
Naruto shook his head.
He frowned thinking that since Nagato was talking about Zetsu, he must have gone to Madara's hideout. The place was a red-zone they had sealed off. But Nagato could walk through the barriers and he could even deactivate them.
"Noroi, send someone to Madara's hideout and see if you cannot find a trace of Nagato. If you find anything, then we can conclude that things are going south." The Emperor instructed.
"Hai." Noroi vanished without saying another word.
Naruto faced Konan.
"This is a serious problem–and one we do not need at the moment. We can't simply put our hopes on that Nagato is fine and that he will come back. We must think about the worst case scenario."
"If something has happened to him, will you bring him back?"
"We have enough people to make the exchange of life…As you know, our jutsu requires us to make sacrifices. But we must still get his body back. At this stage, we don't know where he is and if we will even find him–which is a serious problem. Everything just seems to be going south now. Perhaps we should not have been so confident that Nagato would be fine and made plans in case something happened. We should have done more to hunt down Zetsu as we already knew that he was a threat."
"And the members of the Akatsuki? Not all of them were recruited by Nagato."
"That is another problem. At least we know if things are going where we fear, we know what they will be doing. With the members of the Akatsuki, if they decide to join Zetsu, we will have to hunt them down and kill them all before they cause trouble."
Naruto shook his head with disappointment over how things were turning out.
"Stay on guard. We will speak once Noroi has returned with answers. We will decide what to do then."
Haku was used to seeing Naruto stare into the empty space in front of him with a non-existing presence while sitting on his throne, but he was not used to seeing was the Emperor releasing an oppressing atmosphere that demanded all who stood before him to bow and be cautious.
It always felt like he was staring at the image of a god dressed in human flesh–or perhaps something worse than that–a demon. The Emperor certainly had a murderous killing intent that could make even the most experienced shinobi spill their guts out.
It was maybe how he channeled his hidden anger over his lonely and painful childhood.
He was not the only person who had been summoned into the throne room, Yoshino was also present. Haku did wonder how Naori could still stand next to the Emperor without the urge to flee from the man.
Despite what he knew of the Emperor, this feeling made him nervous.
After some time of waiting in silence, Noroi appeared out of nowhere and knelt down.
"Your Majesty." The man started, his tone flat. "It does appear that Nagato went to the hideout. But there was no sign of him or that a battle occurred. But he did not get inside. From what Shin said, the Preta was the one that went inside the hideout. We found it in the passages motionless–still, no sign of battle."
Haku frowned; no matter how you looked at it, even if you were hopelessly naïve and optimistic, you could not listen to those words and say Nagato had gone for a stroll and left his precious path behind.
He could understand why Naruto did not appear to be in a good mood.
Since he won the war, the important things haven't been going according to plan. It was almost like all the planning done was for nothing. Who could have thought that the man who called himself a god could just disappear?
While it was highly arrogant of Nagato, there was still no one who could say the man was not powerful.
If he was indeed lost, it would be devastating to the Empire's strength but much more of what was about to come as the result of allowing him to fall into the hands of the enemy.
The only person who could have gone this far would be Zetsu.
"We have a serious problem, Your Majesty."
"Don't state the obvious, Yoshino. Of course, I know this is serious. In all our planning, we never actually thought that something like this would happen to Nagato. We did think there was the possibility of Madara coming back to life–he isn't after all reliant on Nagato. He could return as a reanimation–which wouldn't have been a bad thing for us because then we could seal his soul away. But Nagato disappearing like this was something we thought not likely to occur."
"Then we can conclude that it was Zetsu. If no battle occurred, how did he even manage to do it? If he could do it to Nagato, then he could do it to you as well." Yoshino said in a serious tone.
"We must figure out how. That will lead us into understanding the mystery of what Zetsu is." Naruto said with a small nod of his head. "We must be on the lookout. Barriers must be kept up but everything else continues as planned. We cannot simply allow this to stop our plans."
"But the other nations must not know about this."
"Indeed. That will be easy for us to do unless Zetsu decides to act otherwise. If that happens, we must be on the defensive. We could face a rebellion. If we have the remaining members of the Akatsuki and those two villages coming up against us, as well with the presence of Madara, we will be imperially screwed from both the front and the back."
If not for the situation, Yoshino would have laughed at those colorful words from the Emperor.
The situation would be bleak if they had to face that kind of offense.
Madara was something that they did not want to face.
He had been a man who stood before the First Hokage and not to mention, if he was back, it meant they would be facing off against someone with the power of the Rinnegan and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and not to mention Mokuton. It was not only the doujutsus, but Madara's usage of them that made the situation troublesome.
And he thought the Emperor was overpowered.
For this generation he was, but Madara was a monster and his doujutsus made him a foe no one wanted to face.
"When facing the Rinnegan, Ninjutsu becomes useless, the Sharingan copies all ninjutsu. There is more power from the Rinnegan that only Madara should be able to use." Yoshino paused, and took a long breath. "We will be indeed screwed if things don't go according to plan."
"There has to be a way out of this." Haku said. "You have always been able to solve our problems, Naruto."
"Haku, what are Fuinjutsu barriers made off?"
"Chakra?"
"Not long ago, I was saying everything could be useless when facing off against overwhelming power. If Madara returns from the dead, he can walk into this village and there would be nothing our barriers can do to stop him. However, I don't think he will go that far, at the beginning at least."
"Indeed." Yoshino said with a nod. "Obito was supposed to gather all Bijuu and then use Nagato to revive him but now he will be revived without the Bijuu gathered. He will have to do that himself. At least in this case, the other villages will be involved."
"Looking at it coldly, such a situation would be beneficial to us." Naruto said.
Haku frowned. Of course, Naruto was often a logical being.
Although disturbed by this situation, it did not stop him from looking at the benefits of the situation. He was someone who always looked to benefit even from murder. Perhaps this mind-set was the reason the clan elders were always wary of him.
"We could get the other nations to cooperate over the threat of Madara. They still value their Jinchuriki and the thought of losing them could force the Great Nations to work with us. If we are successful in dealing with Madara, we will end up maybe having even better relations."
"Yes." Naruto said with a nod. "But for now, we don't tell them anything. Once they come here, we will inform them of what we know. There is also something that can be gained in getting rid of someone who could be a thorn to us."
Yoshino smiled coldly. His Majesty was certainly a cold strategist. The methods were not that complex, but they were brutally efficient.
"If we could fight Madara in the presence of the other Kage, Kurotsuchi could no doubt would be enticed to attack you. If she does that, we have a reason to kill her while the other Kages watch on and they cannot deny that she doesn't deserve it after everything. You would have worked hard to defeat the man who could have ended this world and destroyed everything. The other Kages would have more reasons to side with you and no matter what Iwa does, it won't win."
"Indeed." Naruto said. "But we must still find a way to deal with Madara."
"I'll try to move around to the other Jinchuriki to warn them about the danger. Once we have done that, I can have some people keep an eye on them so we can be sure if Madara has indeed been revived." Noroi said.
"Keep an eye on the members of the Akatsuki as well. As things stand, we don't know if indeed Madara has been revived or if he will be revived. Nagato is gone–that we are certain." The Emperor said.
"Yes, your Majesty."
Xxx
Naruto was lying in bed, his right hand raised up, eyes staring at it expressionlessly. He had been rooted like this for a couple of minutes, the only thing moving being his eyes.
Karin frowned seeing him like that.
Her husband was a tough man who didn't let things bother him–he had always looked so immovable. But in here, in bed, she was seeing a human, and that didn't please her.
"If you keep looking like that, you may as well just turn into a statue." Karin commented a bit dryly.
Naruto smiled; there was only one Karin and admittedly, her voice had a certain affect on him. Of course, she was not the one to pamper him with all that pity talk. She was not Temari. She was no Shizuka–she didn't need him for comfort. She had her mouth to give her what she wanted.
"Why would I turn into a statue when knowing it would simply just free you from our marriage? You can't be free to see another man in your life."
Karin stared and then slid under the sheets. She stared at the ceiling before responding.
"And yet, you are free to see other women."
"Well, of course, I am the Emperor."
"And I am just another one of your women." Karin muttered. "Is it this Nagato issue?"
Naruto nodded before bringing his hand down. He shifted it towards Karin, but it was slapped away. He tried again and the result was the same.
"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.
"Just trying to see if my wife has feelings for me. If not handled carefully, we might lose everything. I am not even sure about my chances with Madara. Maybe some time ago, I would have been happy that I am going to face a powerful shinobi. The battle instincts in me do crave a mad battle, but there is much more to lose if we don't do things right."
"Madara wins and then gets to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi on this world. Once that happens, we will all be doomed. Of course we won't know it because we will be in blissful dreams." Karin said. "What is the issue here? You just have to stop him, right?"
"It sounds so simple to say it but I wonder about it. All my ninjutsu can be nothing to that man. Of course it is nothing tested, but I'm not too sure. A lot of things have been happening that I can't control."
Karin laughed coldly.
"That is unlike you, Naruto. What happened to your unshakable confidence? Are even Naruto?"
Naruto smiled.
Whatever happened to it?
That was a good question.
Did he doubt himself?
No.
Naruto had always been confident. There was no logical reason to doubt himself now given all he has done. Facts he had. Perhaps it was the human heart that was playing tricks on him. But if he had to face Madara, he would do so and with the confidence that he would win.
Of course, he was willing to admit that his current power might not be enough to defeat the infamous Uchiha and that he would need more than what he had to actually stand a chance against the man.
"You are cold, Karin."
"You don't need me to tell you that it will be alright, do you? You are not a child and I shouldn't be hearing that from you."
"I'm not lacking confidence, but I'll admit that I am in deep thought about how to go about things now that it has come this far. I have always been proud of my power and that I have trained to get where I am. My insistence of not using the Kyubi's power has always been because of this…But now, I may have to swallow my pride and use borrowed power. Well, it will only be fair since Madara made himself strong by experiments."
"You are already going to try to gain Mokuton from Kabuto…What else are you going to do to even things out?"
"Once Kabuto has done what he needs to do, my body should be revitalized by the life giving cells of the Shodai Hokage. Once that happens, I will track all Jinchuriki and get their chakra. I wonder what will happen if I use all that chakra. Would I be anywhere near the power of the Jubbi?"
"I doubt it but it should make you strong enough."
"That is the plan. Well either way, we must win if he has indeed returned. I have not fought so tirelessly just to see everything destroyed. If I face off against such a man, and win, my status as the most powerful shinobi should be cemented, don't you think?"
"I should have just left you to brood." Karin said with a slight shake of her head. "But yes, and if you are able to work with the Kages, history will remember you a bit fondly."
"Then we must maximize the benefits of Madara's return."
"I'm not too sure Nagato will be happy hearing you speak those words if he is still alive. You are basically saying that it is beneficial with him being dead."
"Well, is it not?"
Amegakure
People were coming in and going into the village–it was a different situation. Of course, the check at the gates was still strict and they were not just allowing anyone inside. Jiraiya reasoned it was because the war was over and now they were looking forward to keeping the gates of the Empire open.
It was only going to benefit Amegakure if it opened its gates.
Jiraiya had entered through the gates, after some difficult questions and being reprimanded for not calling the leaders of the village in their given titles. It did nevertheless seemed evident that people were very much aware of what was happening outside the shinobi world.
Maybe it was beneficial because they used to have a warped view of the elemental nations because of the tragedies that used to fall on this village during wars.
The sun kissed the streets with light sun rays. It was not hot, just warm. The people seemed to rejoice in being able to enjoy the sunlight. The raincoats and straw hats that people used to wear to avoid the drops that poured down daily were nesting in their homes.
There was not a single puddle of water in the streets.
Evidently, it hadn't been raining for a couple of days now.
The Toad Sage made his way towards the tallest tower.
Unlike last time, the lower levels had many people moving around. Someone had even escorted him but then turned half away after telling him to just go up ahead. He had noticed that there seemed to be some work going on around the streets.
They were building something.
He found Konan standing motionlessly by the balcony, overlooking the unfamiliar bright streets of the Hidden Rain.
"Hello, Konan-chan." The toad sage greeted his once student with a smile on his lips.
Last time he hadn't been allowed to move around much but this time, he had been permitted to even walk by himself.
Konan eyed the sage for a second before looking down at the streets.
"What can I do for you, Jiraiya?"
"We haven't spoken in quite some time and this is how you greet me? I am wounded. Don't you love your sensei anymore?"
"I was not aware we were having that kind of relationship, Jiraiya-sensei." Konan said quietly. "But I doubt you came here for that, Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"I came to check on you and how things were going. From what I have received, Naruto has already visited Cloud and Stone. But there are no major movements to speak of…" The Toad Sage paused and asked. "Where is Nagato?"
"Not here." Konan said. "He went to Uzushio to deal with matters. As you can see, we are rather busy here and I would appreciate it if you went about your business quickly."
From Naruto's directive, they were going to keep Nagato's disappearance a secret from everyone else. At least he was not a public person.
Naruto could imitate his presence if needed with Kage Bunshin. The truth would be revealed when it was convenient but for now, there were much more fundamental issues to deal with.
Konan was not pleased with Nagato's disappearance–he was the only left in her life. But just because he was possibly gone didn't mean that she had to stop everything.
No, she had to continue working, for his dream.
The village was open.
There was no a threat to the village and much more importantly, Amegakure was rejoicing in this new freedom.
This village would grow, and they would move step closer to their peace.
"The Toads once told me that one of my students would either lead the world into destruction or to the path of peace. When you were young, I believed that person who would lead a good change would be Nagato but when I was told he died, I searched for another. I came to think that Minato would be one, but he too died. And then there was Naruto. I could never tell what he was thinking and the Toads seemed wary of him. When it became obvious that he was connected with you, I came to fear that there would be destruction."
Konan eyed the Toad sage for second before responding.
"It isn't that neither are capable of that destruction. Nagato and Naruto have that power. If they chose, they could collapse the Elemental Nations, but we have no desire for destruction. What we want is peace. We have suffered greatly at the hands of the Great Five Nations, but we are not looking at revenge, we want to usher the shinobi world into a different path. That is all I am willing to say to you, Jiraiya."
"If you want peace, I can lend you my help. You were all my students at one point, after all." Jiraiya was quick to offer.
Sunagakure
Temari noticed that there was something that changed as she walked through the streets, heading home. The people's reactions around her had been something–it suddenly became silent and she realized that there was something that had arrived.
The villagers were looking at someone, who they were not familiar with.
She twisted around and saw Naruto just behind her. She nearly skipped a heartbeat seeing the blond Emperor, smiling at her.
"Nar… Your Majesty…" Temari quickly corrected herself.
Naruto smiled. "Formalities to the side, Temari. It doesn't feel right being called that by you."
Temari shared the same sentiment. "It didn't feel right saying it either. What are you doing here?"
When was the last time she saw him?
Ah, when he took her to Konoha after rescuing her from Iwagakure.
Some time has passed since then. She should have gone to Uzushio weeks ago but certain events occurring stopped her from going. All this time she had been wondering when he would come to see her nevertheless. It was not right to go for long periods without being with someone you love after all.
Naruto folded his hands across his chest, and raised an eye brow.
"Is that how you greet someone you, love, Temari?"
She stared at him. "Sometimes I wonder about that…"
"Really? That is not what I heard. I was told that the people in your house sometimes hear your moans and my name being shouted at night."
Temari's cheeks flashed red slightly. "That is not true!"
"Then why are you all red?"
"Not because I did anything!" Temari cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "I just imagined that…"
"Imagined what? Have you become that naughty?"
Temari glared, causing Naruto to laugh before pressing on.
"Why the need to imagine it when you can experience it? You could have just sent for me…"
Temari looked around the streets; there were people still watching. They were probably wondering what they were talking about. They really didn't need to do this in the streets and she didn't want to be seen blushing by everyone.
Her relationship with the Emperor was not a public thing after all.
"Let's go somewhere...Private." Temari said before drawing inches closer to the Emperor.
She grabbed his right hand and they vanished along gusts of winds.
Naruto blinked when they appeared at her lounge in her house.
He then smiled. "Wind style Shunshin…You have improved your control over your Wind. I wish you'd be fine without your fan though."
"We all have our ways of handling things. You know that Wind is much sharper and efficient when used in conjunction with a weapon…Just as it is when you use it with your sword." Temari said.
Naruto nodded before holding out his arms.
"Come here and give me some affection."
Temari stared before sighing. She wrapped her hands around him and then smiled with contentment. The embrace was warm and tight.
She spoke in a whisper.
"I've missed you, Naruto. Many nights went by thinking about you."
Temari had a different smell–so did everyone. People were not all the same. It was what made each individual unique. The feeling each gave was different as well.
Life was certainly worth living because of uniqueness in everyone.
"I've missed you too, Temari." The blond Emperor said in a whisper. "I'd been a little too busy lately. It was always something after something, but that is not an excuse. In any case, you have me for the rest of the day and until tomorrow morning."
Temari separated from him and stared. "You serious?"
"Well, I am famous for joking around."
Temari hit him on the right shoulder before dragging him to the sofas. They sat down gracefully and she faced him.
"I am aware of certain events that would keep you busy, but I am happy you came."
"I haven't put it in to come…" Naruto said with a sly smile.
It took a moment for Temari to fully comprehend his words, and when she did, she stared.
"Must you always be a pervert?"
Naruto chuckled lightly. "You are not fun anymore. It was always nice to tease you. Well, people adapt to certain things. There are certain issues that we need to discuss."
"That sounds serious."
"It is. What do you say to being married to me?"
"Well, wasn't this going towards marriage? I didn't love you just so I could remain your mistress."
"People date and then break up?" Naruto said with a shrug. "But I wouldn't want a mistress, especially not when it is you. You deserve much better."
"Words are simple to say."
"Indeed, but that is why I am taking action. I'm telling you this because I'm finalizing my marriages, for both political and personal reasons."
"Marriages…" Temari swallowed.
Of course, she should have known about this.
She did know about it.
It was just not something she was comfortable thinking about.
She could be all alone in bed, thinking about him, but he would be in the embrace of another woman–not even thinking about her.
"You don't look happy."
Temari shook her head.
"I've just been ignoring the fact that you have two wives already and are likely to marry more. You are the Emperor and if it is right, you are going to do more marriages for political reasons. You want influence and to change this world, what better way to do this than through that way…We had already discussed the issue with Gaara."
"We won't have issues then." Naruto said. He then leaned back and stared into the ceiling.
"What would you choose? To live with me in the Sound or to stay here? I'm building another home in the Sound…So that can be your new home. Of course, if you choose, you could stay between here and there."
"That could work well..." Temari said in thought.
Gaara offered Naruto his tiny smile as the Emperor stepped into his office. He had already been informed that the man was in the village. Everything had been pushed aside, as he knew that he would be talking to the man about the future relations between Suna and the Uzumaki Empire.
"You could have told me that you were coming." Gaara said.
"It was something that was decided on the spot. I just felt I hadn't been making rounds to Temari and thought it best to come just unannounced."
The Emperor sat in front of Gaara's desk before speaking once more.
"I hope I am not being an inconvenience."
"Not at all." Gaara said. "I was meaning to talk to you anyway."
"We are still scheduled to talk soon along with other Kage."
"Those talks will focus most on what happens in the Elemental Nations and its future. I wanted to focus more on our personal relationship. You are closest to Kirigakure than any other Great Nation."
"We do share common interests, and that relationship will only get better now that war is over and Kiri has seen everything it needed to see."
"If possible, I also want Suna to share that relationship with you. I'll be honest with you. While we have done well over the past years, I do not like that Konoha still remains our only major partner. They have not abused that relationship in any way as we work on common trust, but I want this village to grow further."
Naruto stared at the Kazekage for a long minute.
He hadn't come here for such talks but it didn't hurt indulging the man. Gaara was of course someone he could get along with just fine, he was going to marry the redhead's sister. That would make them family.
Having better relations with this village would only be natural.
"We were never going to reject alliances forever, anyway. The main reason I rejected being allied with any village before the war was because I wanted the Uzumaki to fight their battles. I didn't want victory to belong to other people but the Uzumaki. We have achieved that and we are now looking to the future. We can listen to other people in a standing that is higher. When people are looking down at you, their thoughts of you are also very low and they negotiate unfairly. In our current state, we can speak to other nations equally."
"I can understand that." Gaara said with a small nod. "How can we of benefit to each other?"
"I'll be blunt with you; as far as I can see, there is nothing that Suna can offer that I do not have. I would be just fine without an alliance with your village."
"You're not wrong. You are only here because of my sister. We are going to be family; that relationship has to extend to our nations. That aside, it will only be good to have better relations not because we benefit from something. If we only think about benefits, what happens when you no longer benefit? First, let us be friends, and then anything else can come because of that friendship."
Uzushiogakure
"You came back." Haku said as he entered Naruto's office.
"Was I supposed not to return?" Naruto responded without looking up from the papers he was looking at on his desk.
Haku shook his head.
"I was expecting you to come back maybe in the afternoon. You have spent time away from Sunagakure and with how things are going to flow from now on, you might not get that many chances to visit Temari."
"We must balance things out. Work here is just as important, if not more important. It might sound harsh and cold, but marrying Temari does not make things work in the Empire…" The Emperor shifted his eyes towards Haku and then leaned on his chair. "Anything I missed?"
"Isn't Naori supposed to give you a briefing of Intelligence?"
"Nothing then." Naruto said in thought.
"Did you receive word from Nadeshiko? We must be heading there any day now. I want to get this over with and look at what happens afterwards. We must also look at Kirigakure and the delightful Mizukage after finishing business with Nadeshiko."
"You must be looking forward to be with the Mizukage."
Naruto raised an eye brow. "What makes you say that?"
"She is powerful, someone who stands with you and she is a sly woman…And not to mention older. You have always been attracted to older woman…At least as far as Yoshino is concerned. I think I have heard Karin saying something similar."
"Older women are not children that need to be pampered. Of course, they are still women and you must treat them as such, but they know what they are doing and you don't have to point the direction."
"No doubt you are talking about your sexual desires."
"No, I was talking about the experience of life. I have experienced many things in my life and I must be able to talk to someone who can challenge me with their experiences. If you cannot stimulate me, spending much time with you means that you will most likely bore me quickly." Naruto responded. "And?"
"Two days…They have set the time and everything. They will be waiting for us. Yoshino is arranging things on your side. Some of the elders want to go."
"I don't want them there. They must mind their own business. My marriage to Shizuka has nothing to do with the clan." the emperor said.
"No wonder you don't get along with them with that attitude." Haku said with a shake of his head. "They want to know about what will happen to Nagato and efforts to revive him should he be dead."
"We will discuss that." Naruto said in thought. "What would my mother say if she came back from the dead? Would she be sad to live in a world without her husband?"
He shook his head.
"No, never mind. Those people would most likely try to force her to marry and produce more children. I wouldn't want that for her…"
"And yet you are forcing us to do the same thing."
"You are not my mother." Naruto said with a shrug.
Haku shook his head. "Guren says she thinks you are best suited to be the one she can give her body to…"
"And I thought she would most likely form a relationship with Yukimaru. He has become old enough to satisfy her, yes?"
"Sometimes I think you are twisted." Haku said. "I know you must have done something to give her that thought. She would not have come to the thought without you helping her."
"I was thinking that I want to have children who are strong. Our empire doesn't have so many people. And if you, and I die, what happens then? I'm at an age where I can raise my children to become strong individuals who will stand on their own to protect their homes."
"Shizuka's children will remain in Nadeshiko...Mei's children will be groomed to lead Kirigakure…Temari's children to lead Sunagakure, and Guren to lead the Sound. If you have any more seed elsewhere, we will have a time where your blood controls all Great Nations…Is that what you want?"
"Naturally." Naruto said. "But I must still be alive to see it. When that occurs, your family will be the one to play peacemaker. Whether of the same father or not, people will fight. I would not be surprised if any of one of them decides to fight the other for my throne…One of them might even grow bold in my old age and decide that I have ruled for long enough and my methods are no good."
"What happens when such a thing occurs?"
Naruto looked up into the ceiling, unblinking.
"We will take measures…Even if some of them must be extreme."
"You mean kill your own children…"
"If that must be done, yes."
Karin rarely saw the throne room with so many people–it was just 22 people, all Uzumaki aside from Haku.
Naruto's personal space was not the one that welcomed all kinds of people. She would not have even bothered coming here had things gone her way. And Naruto had not minded either way. But the clan elders had instructed her to be here.
Of course, Naruto was not going to take her with him to Nadeshiko–he had already said so and was not going to change his mind. Now that she spent time with the elders, she understood why Naruto had grown weary of them.
They were senile old geezers who needed to be retired and not care about things that didn't concern them.
They thought it was their ultimate goal to protect the clan but it was not.
Why Naruto even agreed to such an arrangement baffled her. He could have chosen things better and took the clan for himself-it had become what it was because of him. Of course, she could not take anything away from Yoshino. The man had worked hard for his health and the Uzumaki.
She had noticed though, Haku had immediately come in between the two. Had the Ice user not come to the Empire, Yoshino would have been doing as he pleased and would have wielded more power and Naruto would not have put a stop to it–because Yoshino did things that would please the Emperor.
Karin looked up at the throne, the Emperor wore white ceremonial robes, his hair was still undone.
She shook her head.
There seemed to be some value in his hair being like that.
"You look well today. It is not often that you look like the part of the Emperor." Karin commented lightly.
The rest of the people in the throne room were kneeling before the throne, ready to receive their instructions.
"This is a good day for me and the Empire. We move a step closer to the unification of the Empire and take a step forward in growing its influence." the Emperor responded in a measured tone. "Have you come to bid us well wishes?"
"Of course."
"They are well received." Naruto said. "This must not be easy for you but this is still something we must do."
"We will have that kind of talk in private."
Naruto drew an amused look. "That is inconsistent with what you have often displayed. You have never shied away from discussing our relationship in public. But no matter…"
He turned to face his subordinates. "Naruhiro…"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You are going to serve Shizuka from now on. Her safety will be in your hands. You will also become a link that connects me and her. Once I assume the role as leader of Nadeshiko, I expect you to carry your duties with the same motivation as you would when serving me. Shizuka will become my wife, thus very important to me. Nothing must happen to her."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Naruto turned to Noroi.
"Noroi, I expect you to link up Intelligence with Nedeshiko. There will be one body, and you will direct its movements. Of course, this will be different from Guren's job. She is rather good at disposing things, no?"
"She is." Noroi said. "But, would that not affect her role as Daimyo of the Sound?"
"No, there will be time for her to execute her duties. Besides that, her position grants her cover since her other duties do not exist." Naruto said before standing up. "Yoshino, will you?"
The redhead stood up and walked toward the Emperor. He took Naruto's hand and walked him down the stairs.
Once they were in front of the other men, he spoke.
"We are going to Nade; the people are already expecting us. Let us go and enjoy this great day with our Emperor." He then smiled. "I know Nade is a land of women, but I expect you to behave…"
"That is gonna be difficult, Yoshino-san." Someone commented.
"Put on blindfolds if you must but do nothing I would not do." Yoshino said.
"Of course, you don't say, nothing His Majesty would not do…"
There was laughter from those words.
"You know that I'm still standing right here, yes? And you are just telling your fellow clansmen not to follow my lead as if I am a bad example."
"In terms of women, you are not." Yoshino responded. "Is that not the truth?"
"No…" Naruto said but did not add anything.
"Prepare yourselves." He said before performing a hand seal.
"Karin, step back a little, will you?"
He then slammed both his hands on the floor and a large seal glowed within the throne room before they all vanished into thin air.
The streets were crowded with people. There was the sound of joy rushing through the village. The people welcomed them in songs and dance, giving them a clear path towards Shizuka's residence.
Naruto led the way along with Yoshino and Haku.
As they drew closer to the place, Kunoichi stood in line, holding high a flag with both symbols of the Empire and Nadeshiko. There were trumpets played as they gave them a royal procession. Naruto could not help but admire the preparation.
A part of him had always loved a royal procession.
Uzushio had never given him one.
He was going to make it a spectacle once he arrives in the Sound. This was something deserving of the Emperor–of course, he would not try to get off it.
Such an addiction would certainly lead him to ruin.
At the end of the procession, Shizuka was standing there, wearing a white ceremonial kimono. Her hair was not tied, falling over her shoulders beautifully. Her green eyes shone with nervousness. But her beauty was without question.
She stood out like a flower within the two people flanking her sides.
"No staring, Yoshino." Naruto warned the man. "She is going to be my wife–I don't want to catch you thinking naughty things."
Yoshino smiled. "I was merely admiring her, Your Majesty."
"I have to admit–you have chosen well. Well, it was good that she was the one to lead this village, but even I can admire her." Haku commented.
"Had you arrived earlier, I could have had you marry her …"
"Tell the truth, your Majesty. You would have looked at her twice and thought, she is mine…" Yoshino said.
Naruto thought about it before laughing. "Perhaps…"
When they reached Shizuka, he smiled at her.
"Shizuka…"
The women beside her bowed lowly as she too bowed slightly before responding.
"Your Majesty." She said before standing up straight. She held out her right hand. "Shall we?"
Every human truly has his or her uses.
For as long as Zetsu had existed, these other people from this world have always been tools to use to achieve his great ambition–reviving his mother after the betrayal by her ungrateful sons. There had been no mountain he was unwilling to climb to revive his mother.
He had manipulated many and altered history records just to see it happen. Some time ago, it had looked like everything he had fought to build would be ruined, it would be laid to waste, and he would just wonder about, without any cause of action in mind.
It had never been in the plans for the Uzumaki to return to fold.
Zetsu had thought of every possible scenario and provided counter measures for such scenarios that could ruin things for him. But what he had not counted on was for Obito to be killed by the Uzumaki.
That simple move cost him both the Rinnegan and his substitute tool.
Had the Uzumaki been willing, they could have sealed away the Rinnegan.
It was a possibility and it would have taken him back at least 100 years.
The wheels were in motion once more; He had just finished controlling Nagato into reviving Madara. And he felt at peace seeing the Uchiha rise from the dead.
Of course, none of that joy was displayed on his face, not when there was a snake in the form of a human called Kabuto standing next to him.
The spy was almost drooling in anticipation.
Leading Kabuto on had benefited him in getting Nagato and the Rinnegan, but the nin was no longer of use to him.
He could now simply get rid of him but he was perhaps useful as a spy to the so called Emperor.
To feel the corrupted breath of the living world, to feel his blood rushing through his veins, and the chakra flowing smoothly within the chakra pathways, Madara was indeed back to the living world.
He had waited with bated breath for the day he would be returned–to finish what he started. It didn't concern him that he was blind–if he had returned like this, then everything was going according to plan.
Perhaps not.
But he had left the capable hands of Obito dealing with things.
Thinking of the Uchiha, he frowned when he couldn't see him. There was something wrong. He could feel Zetsu but he could not feel Obito.
There was still another person though–he was unfamiliar. There shouldn't be another person. And if Obito was not around, then something was wrong.
Not everything was going according to plan.
"What is happening, Zetsu? Where is Obito?"
Kabuto could not quite believe that he was standing before the legendary Uchiha Madara.
Although blind, Kabuto was certain that he could not even get close to the man. His power was astounding, Kabuto wanted to see it in action. He already knew a couple of things thanks to Zetsu. While the plant had its motives, he too had his own.
But to simply stand before Madara was something to behold.
He was a little glad that the people of Uzushio were not around at this place. Had they been following him, things would not have worked out so well.
No doubt, Zetsu would have taken notice and try to stab him in the back.
"Dead." Kabuto responded before Zetsu could. He had a large smile on his lips. "He met an unfortunate end some years ago…It has been more than 10 years now since he died."
Madara's expression displayed nothing.
Whether Obito was alive or dead didn't really matter. As long as the Rinnegan was not lost and the plan was still active, then he could not complain.
"I had not expected for him to be killed." Madara said, his closed eyelids staring at Kabuto's form. "What happened, Zetsu? And what of the plan?"
"The Uzumaki rose from the ashes and decided to take over this world. Obito was in the way of their plans, and his grip on Nagato was troubling. So, they got rid of him–after convincing Nagato to turn to their side. He was killed before he could do anything. None of the Bijuu have been gathered as yet."
"What was he doing all these years?"
"Preparations."
Madara didn't allow silence to grip him–this was not an impossible situation.
He could handle things without any problems. Besides, he could entertain himself by going on the hunt himself. It would be interesting to see how strong this generation was.
He doubted he could get any challenge from anyone, there was no one quite like Hashirama.
"Who are you?"
"He is no one." Zetsu was quick to respond. "But he did help me manage this situation."
He then turned to face Kabuto.
"Your job is complete, and you got what you wanted. I assume you studied the Mokuton cells because you want to try to give them to Naruto."
"Maybe." Kabuto responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "What will happen to Nagato's corpse?"
"You want it?"
"Yes, he is an Uzumaki. And he was able to hold wield the Rinnegan's power. His body could prove useful in experiments."
"I will deliver it to Amegakure once done with it."
Kabuto nodded and faced Zetsu for a moment before turning to Madara.
"It was a pleasure meeting you."
Madara was silent until he could no longer here Kabuto's footsteps.
Once there was silence, he spoke.
"Explain to me what happened. How was Obito even killed?"
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