Naruto carefully observed his wife's every movement, right from the sharpening of her eyes, to the clenching of her fist, to the grinding of her teeth till the anger arriving on her beautiful face. He had just about finished explaining the events that had transpired in the final negotiations, there was no doubt in his mind that it was a complete victory for the Reich but it came with a cost.
A rather personal one at that.
He had already ordered Kurenai to give him a few hours off, and not to bother him. Whatever decision he made would not only impact his own personal life, but the future of the Reich as well. They had to take the right decision, no matter what.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Haku flatly, looking him straight in the eye.
The Kaiser flinched on hearing her sharp, condescending tone. It was not unknown to him, about the rivalry existing between Kurenai and Haku. It had existed since the beginning, while a few years ago it would have amused him to see two of the most strongest women on earth fighting for him; but now it had turned into a major headache. It made him long for his bachelor days, when he didn't have to worry about romantic relationships.
"I haven't decided yet..." answered Naruto honestly, and was surprised when she scoffed.
"Don't lie, Naruto. You have already made that choice..." said Haku bitterly, and never wavered when he narrowed his dark eyes.
"What makes you say that?" asked Naruto patiently, yet his voice had started to strain.
"Oh, come on. Don't take me for a fool, you still love her till this day. I am not blind, but I lived with this fact because you loved me and had a place for me in your heart. But you toss me aside, our child aside the first chance you get...and FOR WHAT?" yelled Haku, surprising him as in their entire married life never once had either of them shouted at each other. Until now...
"Haku, you're getting the wrong picture-"
"Shut up. Pardoning Kurenai even when she was the Supreme Rebel Commander responsible for opposing your rule and death of hundreds of soldiers, granting her asylum, making her the Chief of Internal Affairs, and now the Goddamn queen?" asked Haku incredulously,
"I did all of that for the sake of peace. And I never accepted her as my wife..." clarified Naruto, maintaing his cool despite her blatant accusations.
She was pissed, and with an understandable reason. The line between leniency and favoritism was extremely thin for the Kaiser when it came to Kurenai Yuhi. The logical people and those who thought about the future, would agree with his choices. But unfortunately, they would be a minority. He doubted history would be kind to him when it came to his decisions with the women in his life...
"But you never denied it either, didn't you?" retorted Haku hotly,
"I think you're being unfair in your assessment..." replied Naruto patiently, trying to make her see reason.
When he tried to grasp her hand, she slapped his arm away. Naruto's teeth grinded against each other, but he kept quiet if only for the sake of his unborn son who was probably listening to their argument right now.
"You are the one who's being unfair. To me, to our child, we took vows to each other!"
She was shocked when an extremely ruthless gaze appeared in his dark eyes. He hadn't even lifted a finger towards her, yet she felt herself getting nervous by just looking into those eyes.
"And I also took a vow to defend this Reich. To protect those 30 million Reich citizens who have entrusted their lives to me, to make the right decisions for those 36,000 Reich soldiers who stay away from their homes, families ready to die for this nation and for me..." declared Naruto confidently, his voice as strong as steel and matched by equally fierce determination in his eyes.
"You'll...sacrifice...our...marriage? Our...child...too?" asked Haku in shock,
"I am the Kaiser of this Reich, make no mistake I will sacrifice each and every child of mine for this Reich. The Reich does not exist for the Uchiha dynasty, rather the dynasty exists for protecting this nation. Every leader of this nation will always put this nation, its people, its future above their own families, friends and interests. This I promise as the founder of this nation..." pledged Naruto,
Haku was completely stunned on hearing his promise, there were no words arriving on her lips to say to him. The only thing she could do was stare in those ruthless eyes that were hell bent on protecting the Reich, no matter the costs.
"I have never looked at another woman the moment I entered into a relationship with you. Have I ever betrayed your trust? Give me one incident where I was disloyal to you or to our marriage. I gave my best efforts in this relationship, yes Kurenai was my past but I never let her get in our way. And yet you sit here, and accuse me of disloyalty right in front of my face?" asked Naruto sadly,
"I-"
"Did I ever ask the doctors to confirm whether the child in your belly is mine or not?"
The Kaiserin felt the ground beneath her crumble, the blind rage disappeared from her eyes as for the first time she saw the impact of her own words. She could now see the hurt, disappointment and anger in Naruto's eyes. In her own insecurities, she had accused him of the biggest crime. Something he had never committed...
Never once had Naruto doubted her in any aspects of their life, be it personal or professional. And now...
Something had broken today between them.
Something fundamental.
"Take good care of your health and that of this child. Rest assured, nobody would usurp your right as the Kaiserin. Till then..." said Naruto stoically, and without a word he got up and started walking away.
"Naruto, I'm sorr-"
She flinched when he abruptly turned around and glared at her.
"Don't ever apologize for your thoughts. I'm glad that you said the truth as to how you feel about me. I can live with the tag of an unfaithful husband, but I will not allow thousands of families to die and jeopardize the future of this Reich. Even the Kaiser doesn't have that right, I will not run away from my responsibilities either towards this nation or towards you and this child..." promised Naruto, and turned around.
Ignoring her cries to come back, he swiftly exited out of the room effectively hiding his tears from her. Outside, Sasuke stood at the side watching his friend with a sympathetic gaze.
"Told you, women complicate things. Don't lose heart, she'll see reason in time. If not then it's her loss..." advised Sasuke,
Naruto didn't seem satisfied with the reassurance, but his tears had dried up. Frowning in the direction Haku's quarters was, his fists clenched. If she had not been pregnant, they would have had a war over that unjust accusation. But their child was innocent, and it would be cruel to make him suffer on their behalf.
"You're right. A Kaiser shouldn't bend to the whims of women. My first duty and loyalty lies only with the Reich, and by that code I shall act from this point..." said Naruto coldly,
"You're pissed..." commented Sasuke bemusedly,
"With good reason. How dare she..." said Naruto furiously, and would have growled louder if Sasuke had not clapped him on the back playfully.
The Reich Army commander placed his hand on his frustrated best friend's shoulder, and gave him a small wink.
"Maybe women go crazy before the D-day. I was worried she might punch your lights out, send you back into another coma..." teased Sasuke, making Naruto's eyebrows twitch.
"I'm stronger than her, you know..." retorted Naruto, as Sasuke scoffed.
"Don't ever underestimate the fury of a pregnant woman, brother. I heard even that sneaky Shino almost pissed his pants, when your wife went gorilla over him. Haku can be quite mean at times..." said Sasuke, and smiled when Naruto's shoulders slumped.
"Could have used that warning before this meeting, you know..." complained Naruto, receiving another wink in return.
"And miss out my share of daily soap? Nah..."
"Teme! Anko really corrupted you. Or maybe you were born crazy, Sasu-chan...''
"Tch"
Naruto massaged his forehead tiredly, looking back now he could finally understand the headaches Hiruzen Sarutobi must have suffered over the years as the Hokage. He had summoned his most trusted subordinates to assist him in analyzing all angles, and make the right choice for the Reich and him as well.
Instead of doing that, all of them had been divided and were continuously arguing among each other.
"What a mess..." thought Naruto tiredly,
"We absolutely cannot accept this marriage. The Kaiser is already married, and has an empress who is loved by the people. Think about the impact it will have on the Kaiser's reputation..." warned Tsunade fiercely,
"So, for the sake of reputation you will be willing to sacrifice millions of refugees? Intensify the war? How many of our own Reich citizens will die if that happens?" asked Kakashi flatly,
"The Reich will prevail through sheer courage and strength. As long as the Kaiser is with us, we cannot lose..." said Tsunade confidently, and was surprised on seeing the anger in Kakashi's eyes.
"Tell that to the hundreds of young boys who will die due to your decision. Tell those same words to their parents, siblings, friends and lovers. Look them in the eye, and try to claim that you made their sons and daughters die for the greater good. Don't preach patriotism when you are not the one who has to risk their life on the line at the battlefield..." scolded Kakashi,
"How dare you..." said Tsunade furiously,
The conflict would have extended further if not for the mass of sand that distanced the two senior advisers, who were this close to hitting each other. It was a well known fact that Tsunade considered Haku as her own daughter, while Kakashi being the rational man had advocated for all those people whose lives would be affected by their decision.
They were surprised when a relieved smile came on the Kaiser's face, as Gaara entered into the court. Quickly getting up from his throne, Naruto strode towards the young commander and enveloped him in a tight hug.
"I'm glad to see you in good health, Gaara..." said Naruto happily,
He was surprised when his foster little brother gently broke the hug and kneeled before him. There was shame and pain evident in Gaara's eyes as he bowed his head before the Kaiser.
"I have failed you, Mein Kaiser. I could not protect the Fortress, I want to take full responsibility for that failure. I am ready to serve any sentence you have for me, but please spare my subordinates. They fought valiantly for the Reich, this failure lies solely on my shoulders alone..." said Gaara sincerely, eliciting a soft smile from the blonde ruler.
"There are times when you have to fight, and times when you can't. The sole responsibility of a commander is safeguarding his nation and protecting the soldiers under his command. Get up, Gaara..." ordered Naruto,
The red head obeyed the command and hesitantly looked his leader in the eye.
"That famed Shino Aburame had my respect because he always fought battles where he could win. The enemy had you outnumbered and surrounded. You did the right thing by surrendering, I will not let thousands of soldiers die in the name of pride. And in the end, we did regain that fortress...so you're off the hook" explained Naruto, as a relieved smile came on Gaara's face.
"Thank you for your kindness..."
"Ah, enough of the formalities. I need your help right now..." said Naruto sheepishly, wrapping his arms around Gaara's shoulders.
Naruto used the next few minutes to quickly explain the entire situation to Gaara. The red head merely gave a blank look to both Tsunade and Kakashi who looked quite surprised on receiving the stare from the former Jinchuuriki.
"I see..." said Gaara calmly,
"Yeah. I expected answers from these two but they are rather interested in fighting each other. Sasuke has flatly refused to entangle himself in political matters, I don't know what to do..." confessed Naruto, getting a nod from the red head.
Gaara simply sat on the seat offered to him as Naruto returned to his throne. For the next few minutes, silence followed in the royal court as all eyes were rested on the thinking red head. Gaara didn't even mind the stares he was receiving, and was completely busy in his thoughts.
All the while, Naruto seemed extremely nervous. And after a few minutes his foster brother finally spoke...
"As it stands, there can only be one Kaiserin in the Reich. Haku's position must stay, there should not be any replacement or another who shares that title..." advised Gaara, making Tsunade smile triumphantly.
Kakashi frowned and was about to argue, when Gaara raised his hand making the smile disappear from the Senju's face.
"But at the same time, we cannot avoid this request of marriage. Shino definitely put us in quite a spot, even in the end he continues to give us more problems to deal with..." said Gaara irritatedly,
"What do you have in mind?" asked Naruto seriously,
"Induct Kurenai into the Uchiha clan and appoint her as the female head. Apart from the Kaiser, Sasuke, Haku and the unborn prince, there are practically no more Uchiha left. Sasuke has no heir, and this Reich is founded by the Uchiha dynasty. If anything were to happen to this already small family, the Reich would involve itself in different power struggles with various factions fighting each other. For the sake of unity of the Reich, it is imperative that the Uchiha's remain in command..." explained Gaara seriously,
''But wouldn't that be called favoritism?" asked Naruto, concern evident in his eyes.
"Either way, people are going to blame us no matter the choice we make. By making Kurenai the female representative of the Uchiha, we give her enough power since she is a part of the royal family. At the same time, Haku remains the Kaiserin retaining the highest authority. But it still does not change the fact, that you will have to marry Kurenai..." stated Gaara seriously,
"And why is there a need for such an action?" asked Tsunade sharply,
"Because only appointing Kurenai as a partner clan head would make her look like a puppet. The refugees and surrendering Resistance soldiers will clearly see through it, but I can present a valid reason that can make the Reich accept this marriage. And at the same time, protect Haku and the prince..." explained Gaara,
Nobody said it, but all of them were clearly more interested in hearing what this boy had to say. Despite being the youngest among them, Gaara was displaying extreme leadership abilities even off the battlefield. It was one of the reasons the Kaiser treasured the red head, and valued his advice on several occasions.
"What do you suggest, Gaara?' asked Kakashi diplomatically,
"Two Kings..."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise on hearing Gaara say that, no more words were necessary as the Kaiser easily understood what the red head was hinting at. It actually solved one of Naruto's biggest problems as a ruler.
"The Kaiser will marry Kurenai for expanding the Uchiha clan, and appoint her as the young prince's godmother. That way, it will resolve any doubts about Kurenai trying to harm the prince. A few years later, the Kaiser will have a child with Kurenai. That family will be the branch family, while Haku and her son will be the main family..." said Gaara
"Just like the Hyuga, but..." argued Kakashi, as Gaara again raised his hand.
"I know what you are going to say. But it is the law of the Reich that the next Kaiser is chosen solely on his own abilities, and not through birth. Even the ruling Kaiser cannot state who will succeed him, since that will be decided by a royal test on Political, Military and Social issues and Personal skills of the candidate with the citizens as judges. This Reich rules over the entire world, it may be extremely difficult for our children to maintain complete control. We will make it a law, that each Main and branch royal family will only have one heir, and appoint both the Kaiserin and the female head of the Uchiha as the godmother of each other's children. That way we reduce the power struggle and establish bonding among families, unlike the Hyuga...
In case if the heirs of either family get killed, assassinated, or are incompetent the other can take his place. That way we will fill the gap, and ensure that ruler-ship stays with the Uchiha. This solution is not without its own risks, but it is far better than entrusting the fate of this Reich to one man. It may happen that not all of the Kaiser's descendants are as capable as him. In that case, there must be other better options available.
At some point of time, we must stop being so paranoid about the future. We must have faith that our children will protect this Reich and make it flourish, we have already given them a solid foundation. Let them decide how they want their lives to be, and that's all I wanted to say." finished Gaara,
Silence prevailed in the room, as each member exchanged affirmative nods among each other. With consensus established among them, they turned towards the Kaiser for the final decision. Seeing this, Naruto got up on his feet and looked them straight in the eye.
Royal servants walked into the room and handed over a glass of champagne to everyone, as the Kaiser raised his own toast.
"Prosit!"
Kurenai seemed extremely nervous as she entered the personal quarters of the Kaiserin. It was actually quite a surprise for her that Haku wished to speak to her personally. If rumors were to be believed within the palace, only a few hours ago a big fight had occurred between the royal pair and the Kaiser seemed actually furious when he came out.
As she entered inside, she saw Haku seated in the bed drinking a glass of water. There were dark marks under her eyes alongwith her puffy cheeks which were clear indicators that this woman had recently cried, and her appearance was far from the beautiful Kaiserin who ruled over the Reich.
"Kaiserin..." said Kurenai hesitantly, making the other woman sigh.
"Come, have a seat..." replied Haku calmly,
Kurenai did as told, and took a seat on Haku's right side of the bed. It was not too close to invade the Kaiserin's personal space, but not too far away either. They held each other's gazes for a while, before...
"I never wanted this to happen. I want you to know that...'' said Kurenai honestly, making Haku smile.
"I know. We both are many things, but certainly not partner thieves. Rest assured, I don't hold all of this mess against you..." clarified Haku, and saw relief spreading through the tensed kunoichi's face.
"I see..." said Kurenai neutrally,
"Do you love him?"
"Yes"
Both of them were satisfied on getting to straight to the point, and getting honest answers in return. They doubted either of them had the patience or will to entertain any mind games. Honesty would be the best possible course if they wanted to survive the storm that was coming in their lives.
Kurenai hesitantly took out a sheet of paper given to her by Naruto himself. She could still remember his harsh words and the cold look in his eyes in that moment...
"Make sure the Kaiserin gets this. The decision's been made..."
Reading over the royal decree signed by the Kaiser a bittersweet smile came over Haku's face. She sighed tiredly, and placed the letter aside...
"I really pissed him off this time. No, that would be an understatement....'' said Haku sadly, truly ashamed for lashing out at him that way.
Looking back, she could see that he had actually came to her for finding a way out. And in her rage and insecurity, she had pushed him into a corner leaving him no choice. But this was far better than she expected, he had kept his promise even after the harsh accusations she laid on him.
Judging from Kurenai's curious look, Haku took a gamble and told her about that argument. Kurenai for her part, listened without interjecting and never tried to impose her own views about the situation.
"I can understand why you said that, but rest assured he never once did anything that was unfaithful towards your marriage..." said Kurenai clearly, surprising Haku.
"He didn't? Even when he-" said Haku hesitantly, not finishing the last words.
"Naruto loves the both of us equally. But he never did a single act that would betray either of our trusts, he even denied to have any sort of relationship with me because he loved you and wanted to be a good father to your child. He's not perfect, but he's one of the rare ones still out there..." advised Kurenai, and explained what had happened between her and Naruto before they went to the negotiations.
To say Haku was mortified would be an understatement.
"I will talk to him. Make him understand that you were simply distressed..." assured Kurenai, surprising the Kaiserin.
"And why would you do that? Won't this be less beneficial for you?'' questioned Haku, making Kurenai sigh.
"I don't care about political power. The only thing I ever wanted was a better future for my people and to be with him. By God's grace, I am getting that even when I don't deserve it. But I won't have this happiness, by making you and this child suffer. We may have our differences, but if we have one thing in common then it is our love for Naruto. Since this child is also a part of him, I'll try my best to be a good Godmother to him..." promised Kurenai,
Haku held her gaze, but Kurenai never wavered. The Kaiserin for the first time saw why her husband could actually love this woman, in a way neither Haku or Kurenai were too different from each other. Both of them fiercely wanted to defend their people, their families and their beliefs.
Maybe that was the reason why both of them had butted heads for so long. They were too similar to reach a conclusion.
"Maybe I misunderstood you, Kurenai..." said Haku honestly, let going of her prejudice which she had held for years.
"I can now see why Naruto fell in love with you. May I?" requested Kurenai, and Haku saw the woman's gaze fixed on her belly.
Deciding to trust her, the Kaiserin gave a nod as Kurenai put her hand gently on the swollen belly. To her surprise, she detected minimal to no activity from the person inside. Haku seemed to have guessed her confusion, which made the Kaiserin smile.
"He's a slacker, just like his father. He doesn't even kick much since it takes too much effort..." said Haku light heartedly, surprising Kurenai.
"Really? I've never seen Naruto neglecting his duties..." replied Kurenai,
"Give him a retirement home and a good pension package. And then this Reich will have to recruit a new Kaiser, Naruto only does work when he's forced to or he feels motivated enough to work..." confessed Haku, a fond smile arriving on her lips.
"Yeah, now that I think about it: during our days as Team 7 he often tried to spend much time reading that book..." said Kurenai distastefully, receiving an equally disgusting look from the Kaiserin.
"Don't remind me. It took me years to make him stop reading that trash..." hinted Haku, surprising Kurenai.
"How did you do it? Even when I tore several of his Icha Icha novels, he got new ones from Kami knows where..." complained Kurenai, making Haku smirk triumphantly.
"Oh, well. A few nights on the couch, no sex for a few weeks, and the threat of cutting off his balls alongwith a few more tricks. Men are actually easy to control if you know their weakness, even the Kaiser is no exception to that..." confessed Haku,
Kurenai blinked in surprise, but a moment later the same sly smile came on her face as Haku's because she had just discovered one of the Kaiser's little weaknesses.
"I'll remember that..." said Kurenai confidently,
Haku laughed boisterously on hearing that promise, she could only pity Naruto for getting himself involved with the two of them. He was certainly going to have his hands full...
"I think maybe we'll get along just fine..." said Haku with a smile,
Before Kurenai could return the gesture, the color drained from the Kaiserin's face as she looked below and then back at a surprised Kurenai who knew what had just happened.
"MEDIC!"
Shino could only stare in disbelief as the ground beneath his feet shook violently. It was not just that area, but the entire battlefield which was shaking. Beside him the 500 Resistance Defectors who had decided to follow their leader to the end could only stare in horror as they witnessed the scene in front of them.
"Commander, this is..." said his second in command in a terrified voice,
They had arrived here to buy time for the majority of surrendering Resistance soldiers and civilians to escape to Reich territories. Shino and the ones who followed him on this suicide mission knew very well that their deaths were imminent.
But never in their wildest dreams had they imagined this!
As far as their eyes could see they could only spot thousands of Resistance soldiers marching towards them. While this was not unexpected, but rather what was shocking was the sheer number of combat troops on the enemy side.
"Something's not right. The Resistance never had this size of an army, and these men don't look like civilian recruits who have just been given a weapon to fight..." thought Shino worriedly,
Looking into the eyes of his nervous men, he could easily see their fear. And Shino couldn't blame them...
Compared to the enemy force, their small group of volunteers were not even worthy of being called an ant.
"Sound a general order of retreat. Set up the decoys and traps. They'll buy us time to run..." said Shino quickly,
"But, Commander. This will only slow them down barely..." argued his subordinate,
''Can't help it. We'll simply be massacred without even harming the enemy. What we're going to do is link up with our retreating soldiers and civilians, make them reach to safety. And send out our fastest messenger bird to the Reich capital..." commanded Shino
"What should we tell the Kaiser?" asked a nervous officer,
The Anbu commander gulped nervously, he didn't know how this happened or who orchestrated this. Whatever the case maybe, for the first time in his life Shino Aburame was scared. His tactical mind was going blank on seeing the monstrous army in front of him, how the hell were they supposed to deal with this?
"Tell him an entire force of 150,000 Resistance fighters is marching towards him..."
Sitting atop one of the rooftops of the Reich Capital, a contended smile appeared on a man's lips. His dark red eyes keenly observing the shining moon in the sky. The atmosphere in the center of the Reich was extremely relaxing.
He sighed when another person emerged from beneath the rooftop and appeared beside him.
"Report..." said Tobi seriously,
"Our armies have joined the Resistance. As per your orders they shall attack and crush the outnumbered Reich army..." informed White Zetsu,
"We outnumber them 3: 1. Plus the element of surprise is on our side..." said Black Zetsu, a sick grin visible on his dark face.
"I'm more interested in our special force inside the capital. Are they in position? You know, I don't trust that man..." said Tobi bitterly, getting a nod from his partner.
''He's doing his job. The fact that he managed to sneak himself and several of his monsters in the disguise of refugees is an impressive feat. I have placed a few of my brothers to keep an eye on him, but Tobi do you really think he can keep the Kaiser busy and eliminate him in time?" asked White Zetsu worriedly,
"Yes"
Getting up on his feet, the Akatsuki leader observed the peaceful capital one last time as his Mangekyo Sharingan came to life. The communication device on his ear activated connecting him to his men inside the capital.
"All forces, CHARGE!"