章節 33: Chapter 30

Guren was a friend and Haku had nothing against her. Perhaps it was ironic that he got along just fine with her despite her methods. He could never work in the same way she did. Perhaps they had managed to get along because they had been outsiders in a system that was made for Uzumaki.

Despite being outsiders, they had certainly prevailed. There was some discrimination. But not every person was perfect. Not everyone thought along the same lines as the majority. Humans could never think alike at all times. But even in that situation, they had made it work. It was best for them because the people who mattered had no issues with them.

In Uzushio, if you were fine with Yoshino, you needn't worry about any other thing.

Even though Guren was a friend–Haku hadn't seen her since arriving at the capital. He had been busy at work. The way she ran things was not the way he did things. He had been forced to change things to work for him. There was also just too much work to be done, added to his work.

Haku was currently standing within the grounds of Naruto's compound. The place was massive and the main house had already been built. The clones were busy at work. They didn't seem to recognize him. For the third day now, he was coming here and none had come to him to say something.

They only listened to the builders. It had only been three days but Haku realized, he missed talking to Naruto. He had always been at Naruto's side. Even when he was not there, there was something. But he could see him now and yet they could not speak. It didn't matter if it was a clone.

It was a clone of Naruto.

"Missing home already?" Naori asked, as he walked towards Haku. He blinked and asked another question. "Are you okay?"

Haku nodded.

"Just haven't been getting much sleep."

"I thought Guren had everything under control." Naori said. There shouldn't be so much work that keeps Haku sleepless. Naruto was not going to be happy knowing that Haku was working like this. If an attack occurred now, the man would be in no condition to fight at full capacity.

"I thought so as well." Haku said with a frown.

He would not bad mouth her or say anything to get her in trouble, but Guren had not been doing so well.

"What is that supposed to mean? You know how important this to his Majesty. If there is something wrong, we have to let him know."

Haku faced Naori.

He wondered who was worse between him and Naoki. The two were similar but Naori had appeared to be much more reserved. Of course, they were similar, in, that they were quick to report things to the Emperor, especially when it was someone else who was at fault. When they did things, they liked pretending as if it never happened.

It was like they received a bonus for telling the Emperor things he didn't need to know. Haku didn't like it. He could of course see the irony as not long ago he was complaining about things he too didn't need to know but wanted to be told nevertheless.

Shaking his head, Haku responded.

"He doesn't need to know about this."

"Are you protecting Guren?"

"I'm doing my job. The report you came to collect is on my desk. Ask the assistant to give it to you and I would appreciate it if you don't contradict it." Haku said in a stern tone.

Naori waved his hands. "You are free to do as you please. I am only going to collect the report. The extra questions were simply for my curiosity."

"I believe his Majesty once warned you about it."

Naori smiled.

He had been mischievous then.

Perhaps working alongside Naoki did bring that out of him. "We were always up to some fun then. His Majesty was tolerant of it but now things are different. There is no more time for mischief."

"I'm sure Naoki will disagree with that."

"Possibly." Naori said. "How long before this is complete?"

"A week at least. The other buildings are already standing. Having thousands of clones working everyday surely helps speed up the process. Sometimes the builders cannot even keep up with them." Haku said. "But soon, we will be living here."

"You took your sweet time." Guren said, managing a small smile when Haku walked into her room. The smile hid her frustrations. She was literally chained to the bed to keep her from leaving and it was on his orders.

She didn't like this idea of being bound like this, but he had given the orders and everyone had bowed to them.

She had cursed them and called them names while threatening to punish them when she became free. They had looked at her with horror but it had still not stopped them from jailing her on her bed.

Haku shared the smile.

"There has been much more work than anticipated."

Those simple words brought a silence.

It lasted for more than a minute with Haku just staring at Guren.

"Listen, Haku. I-"

Haku interrupted before Guren could finish talking.

His tone was sharp.

"You could have told me. You know I have your back. Admitting certain things is not a sin. We all have our strengths and Naruto would not have shown displeasure. So, why did you not tell me?"

The thing was Guren was not a country leader. She was not a village leader. She could not lead civilians. There was no order. Things were mixed up and she had been smart enough to have some people handle some issues for her. But that was outsourcing her responsibilities.

But when it came to the recruitment of shinobi, the structure in place, and the strict methods for screening, Haku could not do any better. She was suitable for that, not being leader of this country. This role was murdering her and she kept doing it. Perhaps to impress the Emperor. She could have refused the role she had been given.

Still, this was not something that suited her. Haku had known, but he'd thought she would manage. She had managed so far, but there were errors along the way.

"I didn't know how to say it. How could I say that I made a mistake and sold land without realizing it? How could I say that I gave up some rights to rich bastards to cover up some lost ventures I had entertained? How do I say that wasted money ended up borrowing with strings attached and not realized it?"

It would have been difficult for her to say to Naruto but she could have come to him. He would have helped her. "If the attack hadn't happened, you would have been in trouble if he came to live here while things were not set in order."

"I was planning to correct it."

"By murdering everyone."

"It would have been effective."

Haku shook his head. "I have cancelled such plans and handled those people. At least some of them. Some won't listen and demand compensation, which we cannot afford. You will deal with those…But, it is likely that His Majesty already knows about this."

"How would he?"

"Noroi. But don't worry. If he didn't say anything, it meant he hoped you'd correct it." Haku offered a reassuring smile.

"Are you going to replace me?"

"Yes." Haku said. "But, I'll only handle the politics. All shinobi will still report to you. I will of course have to maintain a small force but everyone else and what they do, mission assignments, those will be your duties."

Guren stared at the ceiling for a minute before responding. "I can live with that. When am I free to leave here and hunt down the bastards who got the jump on me?"

"I came to free you now, you won't be doing any of that. We have work to do. His Majesty will soon be coming here. He must find things ready."

Uzushiogakure

Naruto fell backwards on reflex when his senses flared up. His eyes caught the sight of a kunai, coated with lightning flashing towards him. His knees bent, while his upper body fell back. The kunai reached him within seconds but he moved quickly.

It only missed by a whisker, with the electric currents kissing through his skin as the kunai blasted dangerously just above his face. Had it hit him, he would not have turned into a puff of smoke. No, it would have entered through his skin, piercing through even his bones.

Maybe it would have poked his left eye out. The clone was playing a dangerous game. It was perhaps trying to kill him. Did it not know that if he died it would also disappear? But then again, he had encouraged coming at him with the intention to kill.

He would not go against such orders if he had to follow them himself, would he?

Before he could breathe, another clone flashed through the ground, sliding. Its right foot swept through, picking up dust as it moved swiftly. Naruto saw it but his position did not permit him with any free movement, not before his hands touched the ground to support his body. His balance was his legs, even if the balance was only minor and could be disturbed by slight touch.

The clone kicked his ankles, sweeping both his feet off the ground.

He was completely off-balance by then.

It was a free fall.

He felt a distinct breeze and quickly brought both hands in front, folding them defensively. A clone appeared in a blur, facing down while its right hand swiftly moving down with the force of the wind. A powerful right fist collided with his defense.

Naruto winced slightly when the wind enhanced punch hit his hands. They shook slightly but did not fold. The collision propelled his body into the ground, grinding down his back, and hitting the ground head first.

Another clone grabbed him by his right foot and then pulled him from the ground.

It took two steps away before twisting around, while hurling him into the air.

Naruto twisted several times before crashing to the ground with both feet. He slid backwards, using his right hand to stop himself from moving. Once he stopped. He smiled.

The clones were doing as he had ordered. They were not letting up, surrounding him when possible. They were not giving him the chance to form an attack because the other would attack. They were throwing continuous attacks that made him feel surrounded.

But it was what he wanted. He wanted to be overwhelmed to see how he could work when overwhelmed. No doubt, Madara would overwhelm him in battle. He needed to handle that. He needed to be able to lay the plan to work while on the defensive.

"Is it working, yet?" Yoshino asked, he was sitting on a small boulder, observing the Emperor train. He was not supposed to see what the Emperor was doing, and had not seen anything.

Naruto shook his head. "No… I cannot find the chance to do anything. This is going to be impossible. I thought I could do it but no…"

Once more, he shook his head.

"I dislike failure in such ways."

Madara had both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. He was rather infamous for his use of the former Dojutsu and that made him dangerous. The man was always aware of what was happening in the battle. Given both dojutsu's ability to see chakra, it made his mission difficult.

But, with the added pressure of being under constant attack, it just became impossible. This didn't mean his battle with Madara would be an impossible one. This just meant he had to look for a different method. Having just one ace in the hole was dangerous. You needed plenty in case the first and second don't work.

Naruto never wanted to be in a position where he was out of options.

Such hopelessness would drive him mad.

"It doesn't help that the man's usage of his eyes is legendary and he has years of battle experience. He lived his life fighting and fighting. He also isn't stupid, someone like that will not be easy to deal with." Yoshino said, before smiling. "But, I am confident that his Majesty will win. If all else fails, we can step in to carry you to victory."

Naruto turned to face Yoshino with a raised eye brow.

"Are you offering me words of encouragement, Yoshino?" He asked with surprise.

Yoshino chucked lightly. "You need not give me such a look, Your Majesty. You have often said you are still human. In the event when people see failure, they require encouragement continue."

Weak minded people allow failure to stop them from progressing. There was much to learn from failure. People who could not learn from it did not improve that much. There had been many mistakes and pain when he was learning ninjutsu but it was that pain that pushed him towards perfection.

"Reserve that for people without the will to fight." Naruto said dismissively.

"What you should think about is just how powerful the Jubi would be? I know how strong the Kyubi is but from what it has said to me, the Jubi is not merely a combination of all the powers of the Nine Bijuu, but something different and much more powerful. Kurama calls it a force of nature with unlimited chakra. Its power cannot be measured…Or as the Kyubi says."

Jubi….It was an existence that they were lucky not to see. But, if they allowed Madara to gather all Bijuu, he would revive it.

And, it could be the end of the world as they knew it.

"I wonder." Yoshino paused, thinking. "It is something we should never dare to consider, your Majesty."

"Too dangerous? I guess I will agree with you. Besides, that is an existence that frightens me." Naruto admitted. "Sasori and Deidara are moving towards Gaara. At least I think so…Noroi is tailing them to see where they are going. But, if they are going after him, then I must work quickly on my part because at any moment now, we may be forced to confront Madara."

"Indeed." Yoshino agreed.

Still, it was rather cold of Naruto to allow Gaara to be attacked and possibly captured just to get the message through to the other Kage.

"Should we call upon Lady Chiyo and compel her to perform her duty if all fails?"

"I hear she has become a supporter of the Kazekage now. She probably will do it for free if we just ask. But with her age, I doubt she will have the chakra to perform the jutsu."

"That can be arranged. We don't want to use our abilities in public like that. We must make use of other available means. And, we cannot afford to have the Kazekage staying dead." Yoshino said in a firm tone.

"I am well aware of the situation and will deal with it. What do you think Sasuke will be doing now?"

"It is hard to tell. All he does these days is train. I wonder if he will even come out." Yoshino said. "But what does it matter? We know how he will act if nothing changes. If nothing happens, nothing happens. He has never been that much of a significant threat."

Naruto shook his head. Recent events have led him to believe that one should never underestimate anything–not even an arrogant Uchiha with the superiority complex of a god.

"Never underestimate anything or anyone, Yoshino. Even the smallest thing can bring you down. We have been confident because of precautions and overwhelming power, but even that can be toppled. I wish not to expose myself to death because I underestimated a minor thing." Naruto said in a hardened tone.

"The biggest threat remains to be Madara nevertheless. We cannot think about the Jubi because we will do our utmost best to ensure he cannot gather all Bijuu for its revival."

"The fact that we have three Bijuu in our possession, and there is one that no one cannot get it unless they control you, means we can be confident that it will not be revived." Yoshino said confidently.

Naruto nodded.

Yes, he could bank on that and think only about Madara. The man was still a huge mountain nevertheless but he had to climb it. He had to conquer this man. Even if he could not do so, he had to come out as the winner, even if he does lose the battle.

The plan that man wants to enact cannot come to fruition.

Not in his life time.

Not when the Emperor is still breathing.

"On the other side of things, I hear Karin is expecting…" Yoshino said with a small smile on his lips. "The elders are very excited. But, they are also pressing me to make headway in ensuring Miyuki becomes happy soon."

"Why is she not?"

"She is resisting." Yoshino said with slight frustration. "I cannot convince her otherwise. She will not even let me bed her."

Naruto stared for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "Hahahahahaha… I did not think you would fail like that Yoshino. How guarded is this woman?"

"She has a fuinjutsu barrier as panties." Yoshino said in a flat tone.

Once more, Naruto laughed.

"Can't deactivate the barrier? Bypass it or just force your way through it?"

"It has a lock on it. It was fun at first but I don't find it enjoyable anymore. It has become an annoyance. If not for her precarious situation, I would have discarded her. But she will only become a problem to someone else."

"I wouldn't mind partaking in her."

"Let me give it a try but if she cannot play things nicely, I will give her to you to do as you like. But we would still prefer she bears full-blooded Uzumaki. In that case, you can break her if all else fails and she can serve her duty as someone who has betrayed the clan."

"That is fine." Naruto said.

Tsunade had been holding back to question the Kazekage on his private talks with the Emperor. She knew all the Kages spoke privately with the Emperor. But, she was a lot more curious about how things went with Suna. Maybe a part of her had wanted to know before she even knew how things went when Shikamaru and Kakashi visited the man.

Gaara had assured her that he was not going anywhere but she had reasons to worry. Maybe she was being too worried. Either way, Suna was still a valuable ally that she did not want to lose to the Emperor.

She had held back on asking about it given how Gaara had reacted the last time she asked. And, now the Kazekage was ready to depart from the village.

She had yet to say anything.

"You have been acting like that since we left the Whirlpools." Gaara said in a quiet tone, eyes firmly on the Godaime Hokage.

Tsunade should have expected Gaara to notice. He was very observant and she wasn't known for keeping her emotions in check.

She released a long sigh and then responded in a measured tone.

"The Summit went better than expected. We have all gained something from it…Of course it was all just talk and we will see how things go when we have to act. Negotiations have been done before but when it came time to act, nations have always acted otherwise." Tsunade said with a slight shake of her head.

"Hopefully things don't happen that way."

What was he saying? This was the shinobi world. It might not happen tomorrow but some day it will occur. Someone will try to pull away.

"For now it might. The fear of the Emperor is still fresh within many shinobi. Let it subside and people will start acting boldly."

Gaara nodded. "But, that is still not what you had in mind. I'm guessing you are curious about how things went down between Suna and the Empire. This does seem to be a touchy subject for you. I'd thought I gave my assurances on the matter."

"You did but one can't help but be curious. Konoha was able to get the Emperor to agree to something but there have not been that much urgency in discussing in deals between the Empire and the Konoha." She thought of it with a frown.

It was annoying that he didn't seem to need anything from the Leaf.

"The train business is what will help open an opportunity for connections. The Empire will have to enter into separate agreements with all shinobi nations on how it hires shinobi to protect its trains and passengers." Gaara said. "From our side, I cannot say there is anything either. However, he has opened the door and I will soon send people to the Sound for further engagements."

Tsunade almost snorted at the thought.

Even though the man was marrying Gaara's sister, he still refused to ally himself with her village. It was ridiculous but he still knew the practical practice of not mixing business with pleasure.

"We will see how it goes." Tsunade ended up saying. "I do hope that things go well. In any case, we will soon make Kakashi's new role official. I will keep you updated about it. It would be nice if you could come here to show support. I will try to see if other Kages can come as well."

"That would present another opportunity for leaders to engage." Gaara said in thought. "I will keep an eye on it."

Kabuto stopped walking when he sensed something.

He was within a large forest looking for a particular individual. He looked up towards his left and saw the upper body of Zetsu and then smiled.

"How can I help you?" He asked calmly.

"You've been rather busy recently. You have not even kept contact with me. I have been thinking perhaps you have departed from me."

"I was never your ally." Kabuto said with indifference. "I only did what I did for my curiosity and not because I came to be a believer of your grand dream…"

He then smiled…

And, corrected himself.

"Madara's dream I mean…"

Zetsu narrowed his eyes.

He'd always known this snake could not be trusted.

But he really no longer needed him. He just needed to ask something. He was also not going to entertain what Kabuto was trying to insinuate with his correction.

"I have been trying to get the location of the Sanbi but I cannot. I know the Empire moved it from where it revived after the death of Yagura but I don't know where they have placed it. I thought it was perhaps in the surrounding areas of the Island or in the prisons they built but I have not been able to find it."

"That must be a serious problem for you." Kabuto said.

He was not going to say anything.

But he understood that they had to collect the Bijuu in order. And, without the Sanbi, they could not seal the others. Of course, they also needed to find the Nibi. With her in Uzushio, it was likely that she would be hidden away in some space that not even Zetsu could detect. The Empire had a sure way of hiding the Bijuu and the only for these people to get them would be to kill Naruto since he probably had all the keys.

"It is turning out to be." Zetsu said.

He wasn't worried about Madara's impatience, but the situation was also not favorable to him. "You wouldn't know where the Sanbi is, would you?"

Kabuto smiled. "No, I don't know. I can't deny that I did try to look for it but its not there and I can now no longer enter Uzushio."

Damn Uzumaki.

"That doesn't mean you can't ask around."

"I'm sure that is something you can do yourself. Now, if you will excuse me, I must find my former master's test subject." Kabuto said, waving his right hand while walking away from Zetsu.

Various buildings stood firm, many homes were fully visible. From the large gates that had been built, one could see they had arrived somewhere. The streets were eerily silent. It was almost like a ghost town. There was no one walking around them. It was just him. But soon, these streets, the apartments that had been built would be filled with people. He would have people coming here to live in his nation.

This was only temporary. The silence didn't bother him nevertheless. He did like it when he could not hear the sound of men.

There was peace there and he could dwell in his thoughts without disturbances.

The hospital building stood at 10 floors high. It was also wide and covered a lot of ground. It was easily recognizable. It was just one of the few buildings that stood out. There was the complex of the academy, separated between shinobi and civilian academy.

The train station, the largest that had been built laid between the civilian and shinobi district. The place was massive with rail tracks coming in from all sides of the city.

This was the heart of it all.

All trains would be connected from here.

Naruto was pleased with the progress. His compound was close to completion. He was even tempted to add more clones to make it complete before the day even ends. It would be disastrous if this all got destroyed. Naruto wondered if he would even have the desire to rebuild it.

Even if he did, it would certainly be done in a painful manner. He had brought some Uzumaki to set up barriers. It was never a bad idea to be on the side of caution.

"You're not complaining." Haku said as he walked towards the Emperor.

He stopped by Naruto's right hand side and then smiled as he looked at the work Guren had seen through. It would have been a pity to say anything that would ruin the reward she deserved.

Naruto eyed Haku for a moment before responding. "I'm not praising the work either."

"I'm fine with that," Haku said. "Should you be walking here by yourself?"

"Am I a child?"

Haku shook his head.

"You are the Emperor of this empire and no matter how strong you are, you are not immortal. You are not beyond harm. You can bleed just like anyone. That means we must be careful about your existence. If something happens to you, things will fall apart."

"Are you suggesting that you don't have the strength nor the will to carry on my work? I trust you to be my number two, you cannot be saying something like that. We must deal away with the dependency on me. The Empire must grow to the point where it can stand without me."

It would be amazing to get the point where the Empire becomes so powerful even people think twice about pissing it off. When they were at that point, he could even afford to step down from politics and allow other people to take the lead. Certainly, Haku could impose himself in that environment while he remains grounded in the throne room, handling other issues.

"For that to happen, we need to grow out of our current status. The trains need to start running, Nagato has to come back to life and play a vital role. It isn't like people have forgotten about him and the strength he displayed during the war."

That was the ideal situation but they needed to fight Madara first. Naruto still had his own issues with Nagato but nothing he couldn't overlook. It was the ideals that Nagato held that bothered him. But overall, the man was fine. He was a powerful Uzumaki who was skilled in battle. If the Rinnegan had been his own, he would have proved to be a vital partner in a battle against Madara.

"We avoided the question about him during the summit, but soon, people will start asking questions. Jiraiya will most likely be the first to become suspicious, if he isn't already." Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps it will be good to have him brought back to life."

"Without the Rinnegan?"

"Yes…We will just have to sacrifice someone to get it done. And, he can have their eyes. A life costs another life."

Haku frowned slightly. How many lives have they sacrificed to perform their forbidden jutsu? As far as Haku was concerned, there were different jutsu, but Naruto apparently didn't know either. The elders knew these jutsu, along with Yoshino. Unlike with Suna's forbidden Jutsu, the Uzumaki didn't sacrifice themselves, they used someone else to perform an exchange of soles.

This one jutsu of course would only give the person the same lifespan as the person they sacrificed. For Uzumaki, they didn't use this jutsu, they used a different one, but Naruto wanted to use this one? And it didn't require a sacrifice, just large amounts of chakra that a normal person could not burn without being exhausted.

Did he want Nagato to live a normal lifespan?

"I don't like this method but it won't be a bad idea to bring back Nagato now. Besides, if anything happens, we can always have him to do other things." Haku said

"That can come later…I'm satisfied as long as you don't have complaints." Naruto said.

"When are you going to have it done?"

Naruto thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I will think about it some more when I return to the Whirlpools. But by the time I move here, he should be back to life…That is if the situation permits it. We still don't know how the Akatsuki will move and when. There is also the issue of Shin to consider."

Shin was a different matter but Haku wasn't that worried as much as he worried about the existence of Uchiha Madara. At least Naruto was thinking of a way to tackle the situation. And, he expected the Emperor to succeed. He had his fears of failure for the man. He would not dare voice those thoughts nevertheless.

"It will be good to have Nagato around and he can work on political issues along with me to raise his influence both within and outside of the Empire. What about Guren?"

Naruto eyed Haku at the corner of his eyes and asked

"What of her?"

Haku tried understanding the meaning of that look before shaking his head when he could not. "I have already warned you that I am taking over as leader of this country. But what of her role? She remains in charge of all shinobi matters, but is that enough? You had given her a big role here."

"What she has is enough for her. She can succeed with the job you have given her. I cannot add anything to it. If she is not satisfied, she can come to me to complain. It doesn't even surprise me that things have come this far nevertheless. She is a woman who gets off by inflicting pain on others, sitting behind a desk was never going to satisfy her."

And yet he put her in that position. But then again, there really had been no one else to give the role. Someone of power and who was ruthless was needed there.

Guren played her role and Naruto was satisfied with it.

"But, if she assumes only that role, a marriage to her becomes less desirable."

"I never said I was going to marry her." Naruto said with a shrug his shoulders. "I don't mind partaking in her nevertheless. It becomes interesting when you sleep with a woman who is not your wife."

"That is wrong."

"Blame it on my urges. Then again, I think because I ignore other emotions, I tend to focus more on this one. My encounters with women are never dead, but full of passion and love."

"Lust you mean…"

"Whatever makes you comfortable." Naruto shrugged carelessly. "You should try it some time. Nothing excites the heart and mind as much as intoxicating yourself in pleasures of sex. We were made to do it, we should do it…As long as you are not forcing anyone or killing anyone, you can do it with whomever you want at any time of the day."

"There are such issues of moral values." Haku shook his head.

Who was he telling that to? Naruto didn't care about social morals and codes. He was only concerned about that made him happy.

Naruto did not respond to this. He changed the subject. "How goes the recruitment and the completion of rail ways?"

"Rail ways are not a problem as in most cases we will be using chakra to make them. We just need to create pathways and create the place for the chakra to flow…As for recruitment, Guren is handling it well. Civilians are slow though."

"Expected, but we can change that. We will have to market things well." Naruto said in thought. "Besides, once we become famous as the ones who saved the Shinobi world from the threat of Madara, people will stop fearing us and will come to us happily for safety and to enjoy the good life."

Kabuto really knew how to move in the underground. It was amazing how skilled he was. The former Konoha nin did not use any special ability unlike him, it was all just natural. Noroi could understand why the Emperor had decided against beheading him. He was useful and would be useful in the future.

Of course, that was all there was to it. He was only going to labor for the Empire until the Emperor decided that it was enough. Or maybe he would even perish in the service of the Empire. The kind of job Kabuto did was dangerous and once you got caught, it was over.

But Kabuto was skilled.

He could navigate unless he met someone who just wanted to kill him.

The good thing was that Kabuto was not just slippery, he was also a good shinobi. He was Jonin. Someone who could hold his own against even some powerful foes.

Noroi was sitting on a stool beside a dango shop. His true appearance was hidden behind a henge, he looked like a civilian.

Once he saw Kabuto passing by him, he waved his right hand.

Kabuto frowned seeing the hand. He could not guess who was calling him but whoever it was knew him. He smiled out of habit, and then walked towards the black haired man.

"It is safe to talk…" Noroi said as soon as Kabuto sat down on his left side.

Kabuto quickly recognized the voice.

How did this man even know where to find him?

He had done well to cover his tracks to avoid being followed.

"Noroi." He said.

Well, if this man could keep an eye on him without anything giving him away, he deserved being the Emperor's spy.

"You are a difficult man to track down. At first, it was hard for me to find you. Perhaps it was because I did not understand how you operate. But even now, I lost you a couple of times. The moment you blink, you are gone. It makes my job much harder than it should be." Noroi said.

"Shouldn't you welcome the challenge?"

"Not when duty calls." Noroi said. "Have you found Shin yet?"

Kabuto shook his head. It was becoming more difficult than he first thought since that former experiment of his old master did not move around as much as he did.

Getting his trail was difficult.

"I'm still looking." Kabuto said. "But, I recall that he has an obsession with the Uchiha. And will probably go after Sasuke. Maybe that is even his target. I don't know."

The Uchiha obsession came from Orochimaru.

His master's obsession with the Sharingan had been obvious for all to see.

He had admired Itachi for so long.

Kabuto had known his master desired to possess Itachi's body. He had failed. Orochimaru hadn't even been bothered too much when Shin left either.

He had after all, gotten what he wanted.

"The obsession with the power of those eyes." Noroi shook his head. "It is a little disappointing that you don't have answers about his location. But perhaps that is for the best. His Majesty needs to focus on dealing with Madara before getting side-tracked by a nuisance."

Kabuto chuckled lightly at this. "What is the movement of the Akatsuki?"

"They have been given their missions. Hidan and Kakuzu are going after Iwa Jinchuriki. His Majesty released them, so they can be accessed now. My guess is that while Zetsu is still searching for the Three tails, he wants to have the others gathered. Kisame is already on the lookout for the Nibi."

And yet, these people were most likely not going to do anything to stop them from reaching their targets. The Sanbi must be truly hidden somewhere they are confident no one can get to. But then again, if even Zetsu cannot track it down, it must be far away.

"That means that Sasori and Deidara are going after the Kazekage."

"Indeed."

Kabuto smiled.

His smile turned into a laugh.

Noroi just ate his dango without paying Kabuto any mind.

After a couple of moments, the spy spoke.

"The Emperor isn't going to do anything, at least not before someone is attacked or maybe after a Bijuu has been taken. It makes the threat look real. He will probably use this danger to gain good favor from other nations. But I do wonder, how will the Kazekage react when he finds out that Naruto knew all along that he was going to be attacked and yet did nothing to stop it but was deliberately late?"

"I think the Kazekage would be best suited to answer that question. But, I never said his Majesty is aware of the danger. I don't tell him every little detail. I haven't even told him that Zetsu appeared before you and tried to have you tell him about the location of the Sanbi and I most likely won't do it."

Kabuto stopped smiling.

He hated this.

"Don't worry. We don't know where you are always are. I only saw it because I was searching for you, looking for answers on Shin. I'd like to keep his Majesty appraised about the situation." Noroi said. "I hope you'll have answers the next time we meet."

Mei did not hide her smile when she opened the door to her house and found Naruto standing there with a bottle of sake.

She stood there, staring at him.

"This is a surprise. The Emperor of the Empire standing at my door at this time, with a bottle of alcohol…Is it my turn to drink from the poisonous cup?"

Naruto smiled.

"Unfortunately, the Emperor does not have such glasses reserved for such special people."

"How do you do it then? We all have people that plot against and we want to get rid of them." Mei said.

Though peace loving, she knew there were certain things one could not run from. People would always fight against someone. And she had her fair share of detractors who would stop at nothing to try to take her down.

"Let me in and I will let you know."

Mei folded her arms across her chest and stared. "Telling is your ticket. Otherwise, you can go drink that in a bar somewhere. There are plenty in the village and I'm sure you will get lucky without even talking to anyone."

That had always been the case. Naruto had at times made himself look vulnerable while at a bar. It was not just a man who went on a hunt, but also some women hunted. Such women sometimes didn't like being dominated by a man. They wanted dominance and fought for it.

For curiosity, Naruto had found himself allowing such to occur. It was always a good feeling to be pleasured than working hard to please someone.

Naturally, that only occurred until the woman tire, usually in the first round.

"I'd rather not drink and find myself being gang raped by perverted women." Naruto said casually. Then leaned in and motioned for Mei to do the same. He edged closer to her right ear and then whispered.

"I only kill people in battle. If someone is plotting something against me, my people make them suffer horribly until they beg for death. But, they are not killed. They are only killed after they have lost all hope and no life is in their eyes. Sometimes they are given hope, and when they start hoping, it is snatched away."

Mei felt a shiver down her spine.

It was not the words themselves but the coldness in his tone that made her feel uneasy. She pushed away, and when she got a look on her face, he was wearing an amused look.

"You have a rather dark sense of humor." She commented before stepping aside to allow him to enter the house.

Once inside, she closed the door and led him towards her sitting room. She showed him where to sit but he chose to sit next to her.

"How does the Mizukage do it then?"

"That is for the Mizukage to know." Mei said smiling.

"That is not fair." Naruto said with a blank look.

"You volunteered to share your story."

"You blackmailed me."

"Did I?"

Naruto shook his head. The last time he wanted to spend some quality time with her had been interrupted by Karin. He had also not been spending time with Temari. He did need to correct that.

Perhaps he now avoided her because those conversations with her were always draining and required an excessive use of emotions he preferred against using.

Liking someone was truly a chore and a hard job that took away one's focus.

"What is the occasion?" Mei asked, glancing at the bottle.

"Nothing in particular. I came here to form an agreement with you about our marriage and that we will do it once I move to the Sound Country. But, first I should let you know that we are facing a dangerous situation that I did not share with the Kages."

Mei took note of his serious tone and became serious as well. If Naruto said there was danger, then there was truly danger.

"What is happening?"

"I'm sure the question about the Akatsuki was also brought up during your meeting with other Kages. And, that we used them before the war. We indeed did use them. In any case, that has become irrelevant now. They have now turned their eyes on something else. They are hunting down Jinchuriki…Or at least, we think that is the case. We'd thought it was something we stopped when we killed their leader. But, it turned out the leader was not really the one pulling the strings."

Mei digested everything quietly. Naruto said a couple of things, all mixed up. There was a lot to take in but she was worried about his revelation that a group of S-rank criminals were after Jinchuriki. It could only mean that they wanted the Bijuu.

That was indeed dangerous. What would happen if someone gathered all of them? It would threaten the very foundations of the Elemental nations. It was especially worse since these were all S rank criminals doing this. What did they want to achieve? What did they want to do?

Why had Naruto not even said anything about it.

He was also a Jinchuriki.

That meant he too would be a target.

"We should warn the others."

"I don't know. I want to be sure first. Besides, I am familiar with the members, so if I track them down, I can handle them." Naruto said calmly.

"You said it was dangerous."

"It is." Naruto said with a nod of his head.

"Why didn't you warn the others?"

"I'm not really a trusted person. I have used them and at one point acted like their leader. I shouldn't have and should have disposed of them when I had the chance but I used them. Criminals wanted by other villages. I used them. It is a sensitive thing that I did not wish to bring to the table." Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "Let us not focus on this serious talk. I came here so we could finish what we could not the other day."

"After what you just said, I'm not sure I can."

"I know that. That is why I brought this. It is something from the land of the Toads. It will help loosen your mind a little bit."

"You want to take advantage of me while drunk?"

Naruto smiled. "It is just one bottle…Do you easily get that drunk?"

It all happened a bit too quickly but after three hours, Mei found herself being carried by Naruto, giving him directions to her bedroom. When they arrived, he threw her on the bed. She let out a sound, causing him to put on a look of amusement.

With how he looked at her, she expected him to rip apart her clothes, but he did not.

He just climbed the bed gently before getting on top of her.

His hands were on the sides of her head, he was staring down at her. She felt impatient at the staring contest and raised her head, trying to capture his lips but his right hand moved swiftly; his index finger stopped her, touching her lips.

"Don't be so impatient…"

He spoke in a smooth tone.

Mei thought she felt some emotion in it. Maybe she was mistaking it. He didn't look the same. His eyes were different and he did not feel cold. Atop of her was not the cold Emperor who cared for little. This was not a man who wanted to pleasure himself while abusing her.

This was a man who wanted to love her. In his own way. Perhaps it was right to say this was a man who wanted to love her body.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but thinking about it just brought all the frustrations she has felt over the years. She wanted his love. She wanted his touch. Her hands touched his chest and she pushed him away from her.

He didn't protest, not even a little.

He just sat there, watching her undress.

And suddenly, before she could even finish, he was pulling her closer. His warm hands were on her back. She could feel his fingers. It was like he was teasing her. She closed her eyes, feeling those finger trace down her spine. They stopped just above her butt. For a moment, she could not feel his touch.

"Kyaa…"

Mei let out a small cry when Naruto suddenly slapped her behind. Before she could caution him about it, he captured her lips. His tongue danced with her's for a moment as she melted down, slowly falling on her back with him following her.

Mei mentally asked herself why when he pulled away from the kiss. She felt his hands moving around her chest, slowly moving up. It was a bit tingly, causing her to shiver a bit. She moaned lowly when his wet tongue started snaking around her left breast.

When was the last time she experienced this?

This sensation.

This feeling of bliss.

She had…

Her legs jerked out of reflex when Naruto's finger found its away inside of her, between her legs.

The Following Day

Mei had a content look on her face as her head rested on Naruto's chest. She felt happy. She didn't want to think about the fact that this man was likely going to he his usual cold self the moment he stepped out of her bed. She was happy with now. She could feel the sound of his heart beat. She could count how many times it beat in a minute. She felt she was with a human called Naruto Uzumaki, not the Emperor.

When he started moving, she pressed him down.

"Thinking of leaving?"

"I must attend to certain issues at home and I have other problems that I must deal with." Naruto said.

Karin was likely to be glaring at him the moment he arrived home but he would handle it.

"What issues?"

"My leader within the Sound was attacked during the Summit. I have been trying to find the person who did it." Naruto managed to tell that much in a calm tone.

"You didn't say anything…" Mei said.

She was a little surprised that he was willing to admit this to her. He had already told her about the Akatsuki. She smiled. At least he was being open with her.

"There was no need. Those are private affairs for my Empire." Naruto said calmly. "You have been at this since you woke up, are you not going to let me leave?"

"After breakfast. I'll feel cheap if you just leave in the same manner you do with your nightstands."

"I'm not that heartless that I would leave a woman in her sheets without a goodbye kiss. It is always satisfying when I kiss her goodbye and watch her try to beg me to stay. I have at times woken up and found some women gone…" Naruto said. "I can manage to stay until breakfast."

"Good. I'm going to try to get a nap. Last night was tiring. If I don't get some sleep now, I will sleep in the office while on duty… Are you going to be fine?"

"I've pulled all nighters before." Naruto said with shrug.

"Kazekage; we have been waiting for you, hn…" Deidara started as the bird he was riding along with Sasori hovered just above the Kazekage and his brother.

Gaara frowned seeing the two members of the Akatsuki. It could not be anything good seeing them appear before him like this. They didn't want him to help him. They came here for something–he could sense their intent. Had he not made a stop to speak to the Feudal lord of this country, he would have most likely not met them.

But then again, Deidara had just said that they had been waiting for him–it meant they likely knew he was within this country and waited for him to leave the residence of the River Lord.

He looked up and his eyes stopped on Sasori. It was never a good thing facing a former good shinobi of his village. Of course, he'd never met the man but had only heard stories about him. From what he has heard, it would have been good to have had him within the village.

"For battle it seems." Gaara said, readying for battle.

The moment those words left Gaara's mouth, Kankuro couldn't help but smile at the thought of fighting Sasori. There was no one to beat when it came t puppet Ninjutsu. He could only look at Sasori and fighting the man would only help him grow.

"No, we just want the little pet inside of you, but I am game for battle, hn," Deidara responded with a bit of excitement.

He has been itching for a good battle for some time now, and this was the time.

He could even get to test his knew art.

"I thought I would take the lead on this one since they are from my former village." Sasori said to Deidara.

"Sasori-sama, you always want to take the lead when we fight strong opponents. We can't turn this one into a puppet because we want him alive."

"And you might accidentally kill him with your explosives."

"Art! The brother fights using the same style as you, you can fight him while I take the Kazekage. I am tempted to see how my art does against art similar to yours. But fighting the Kazekage outweighs that as I can duel with the original any day."

Gaara listened for a moment.

These people were confident in their abilities to take them.

For them to argue so carelessly in front of them meant they were confident. What worried him was that Deidara had said they wanted his Bijuu. And they wanted him alive. If they wanted him alive, they probably wanted to extract it. But for what reason?

This was a serious issue.

Konoha's concerns had merits. If this meant that other Jinchuriki could be targeted as well, it was an issue that would affect all other villages.

"Don't get too excited, Kankuro." Gaara cautioned his brother.

If it was just one, he would send Kankuro away to warn the others but there were two of them and they were both S-rank shinobi. Gaara was confident but he would not be as reckless as to try to fight two shinobi of such caliber by himself.

"These are S-rank shinobi. You are not their level."

Kankuro frowned at this.

Gaara didn't have to put it like that.

"I know."

"We must fight as one and we need to send for back-up while moving into the Wind country. The desert should give us the advantage."

"They can fly." Kankuro pointed out.

Trying to outrun someone who could fly would be close to impossible. How did you hide from someone with aerial view?

"It is not a problem since we can hide under the trees, but prepare the messages to both home and Konoha. They must know what is happening. Calling for back-up won't be such a bad idea in this situation."

He was saying that, but he knew unless they were really stalling, they could not hold on until back-up from either nation arrives. The battle was likely to be over by then. Even so, it would only work in his favour if they knew.

Uzushiogakure

"When we are children, we are carefree and don't know the difficulties of life. But you sometimes wish you were older, not knowing what truly awaits with adulthood." Karin said to the silent Naruto. "Of course, my dreams were crushed early when my parents were murdered and I found myself loathed yet coveted by a sick person. Still, when the Uzumaki rescued me, I thought I could finally live a happy life. The past years certainly led me to believe so. Yet, I had this fear that things could change at any moment–hence my insistence on staying away from you."

And indeed, things were only okay for a little while. Soon, Naruto became the Emperor even to her. The many people that came into their lives. She been warned this would happen. And she had thought she could handle it. But Karin had realized–she couldn't handle it.

It was too much for her.

She was envious.

She could not accept that the same love that Naruto showed to her, he was showing to another woman. She didn't have problem with nightstands–it was all just fleeting pleasures but another wife was something that would be there, and might even replace her.

Naruto was ruthless enough to do that–even to her.

"I really wanted to live a different life. I never wanted to be burdened with such emotions…" Karin said, smiling bitterly. "Maybe I started loving you–which is why this hurts. If I didn't care as you do, I wouldn't have problems."

Naruto looked up from what he was reading and stared at Karin for a moment before looking back at his work. With projects everywhere and their footprint increasing, work was becoming more and more hectic. He really needed to move from here to be at a place that could accommodate the heavy work he carried.

He would need about six Uzumaki to move in with him and carry out some tasks.

"Everyone dreams of something when they are still children. I was never permitted to dream of anything joyous as I was consistently reminded that I was a demon. It all changed when I came to know my origins. I still thank the Sandaime even though he did come to regret ever showing me my home." Naruto spoke in a low tone. "Certain things seem easy when looking from afar, but when you experience them, that is when you learn its difficulties."

"Even when you get to experience how difficult it is, it doesn't make it easier." Karin said. "I've been struggling with this and worse, I don't have anyone to talk to. I have no one. No one. It is lonely here and it's suffocating!"

Once more, Naruto looked up at Karin and then looked back at his work. "If you had been kind to others, you would not be lonely."

Karin frowned, speaking bitterly. "You are quick to say such things. But who am I to expect comfort from you?"

"You are becoming very emotional these days." Naruto said in a flat tone. "But that does not change the fact that I am right and had you gotten along with Koyuki, I would not have minded sending you to her. You could have been safe there since she is protected and the country is far away from our troubles."

Maybe, that could have been the issue. But she had not considered that. She had no friends. She had never needed them because she had always been busy with work. Even that Miyuki had been someone she disliked. Was this something she created for herself?

Naruto hadn't helped the issue either way.

"I am not like you." Karin said.

She then frowned when she sensed a presence.

Naori appeared out of thin air and leaned in on the Emperor's right side before whispered.

"It has happened, Your Majesty."

Naruto nodded and put all the papers down. It was finally happening. He could go hunt down some people and let loose for a little. Maybe he could even afford to be reckless just to test a couple of things out. It would certainly help with improving some minor things before he does battle with Madara.

"You are free to leave the compound and if you want a friend, I can speak with Shizuka or Koyuki. Shizuka would be much easier since she isn't that old from you. Koyuki wouldn't have a problem with it either…The choice is yours." Naruto said.

"Why not the Mizukage? She seems to be a person of character."

"She is busy with her work and won't have time for anything else."

"I just felt like you meant to say she is busy and won't have time for my nonsense." Karin said with a stare.

"I might have thought it that way." Naruto said. There was a small smile on his lips. "I will make arrangements when I return. There are battles that I must fight."

Jiraiya burst into the office of the Hokage, having been nearly dragged away from his joys by an ANBU.

When he arrived at the office, he found Sasuke already there along with Tsunade and Kakashi.

They all looked serious.

There was something that was happening out there.

It could not be with the Akatsuki, could it?

"We have received an emergency message from the Kazekage. He is currently under attack from two members of the Akatsuki and they want the Bijuu inside of him. I am sending both you and Sasuke out there to help him, if we won't be already too late. You must absolutely rescue the Kazekage if he needs it!"

This was a disaster.

They didn't need this kind of thing at the moment. For sure they knew Naruto didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't seem to care about Bijuu at all and had captured three of them during the war and ended up returning them.

The Akatsuki was after something sinister and they had to stop it.

"You once said that your former students in the Rain were connected to the Akatsuki and probably led the organization, are they up to it?" Sasuke asked Jiraiya.

He understood the implications of his question quite well. Amegakure was under the Empire and if those two were behind this attack, then it was the Emperor.

Sasuke would not waste time heading to the Whirlpools to deliver some judgement to the Emperor if that was the case.

"About that." Jiraiya started in a low and serious tone. "Nagato was not present when I went to Amegakure and Konan said he had gone to Uzu. But you were there, he was not. And with the Rain now open, it is easy to get information out. The thing is Nagato has seemingly disappeared."

Sasuke shook his head.

Naruto knew things and was hiding them.

"Talking here will only waste time. I will go ahead of you, Jiraiya. We don't know if the Kazekage is winning or losing or if it is over by now." The Uchiha said.

Tsunade had already given him the general location of the Kazekage. He could follow the trail and search for the Kazekage.

"You'll need someone skilled with tracking to help you." Kakashi said. "Kiba should be waiting for you by the gates. He has the scent of the Kazekage."

"If he slows me down, I will leave him behind." Sasuke was gone after that.

Jiraiya created a clone and then jumped off as well, with the clone staying behind. "The extra power seems to make him grow ever so overconfident. I didn't think it would be possible. The mystery about Nagato's whereabouts isn't the only thing strange happening within the Empire. There was a battle that occurred in the Sound. It is safe to say it was an attack. I don't know who was attacked by whom, because they locked up everything. But leaders were changed. It is now Haku who leads the Sound. That woman Guren has disappeared."

Tsunade frowned deeply. "It seems there is a lot that Naruto is keeping from us," she said in a hardened tone. "You have to ask him the hard questions. No doubt he will come to the rescue."

"I intend to do so." Jiraiya said firmly.

"He most likely knows what the Akatsuki is trying to achieve. He will be cooperative since he too is a Jinchuriki, which means that he will also be under attack. Of course, this could also be a ploy."

"We don't rule out anything then. We deal with this objectively."