Early in the morning, this side of the island was pleasantly quiet at this lovely hour.
I was still recovering from a late night sleep situation, but I was pulling myself out from my own tiredness through my latest shenanigan which saw me facing Yoshiko in a glorious sleep-killing spar. It had been a while since I actually sparred with the redhead, but not because I really didn't want to fight her. After all, I wanted her to train, become stronger, get a bigger backbone and curb her childishness some more. It was a bit necessary at that point considering how tense things were with Kiri. One could say that it was about time Ninjas were ninjas and started with their assassination attempts. Just as I woke up, I learned that someone had tried to get into the palace while I was out dealing with Kiara and her newest 'friend'.
They had been aware of Mito's arrival, and it was clear they were after Hashirama's children and heirs to weaken Konoha in the long term. An action that gained some upset from the Uzumaki's elders and clan head. A rightful irritation which couldn't be directed at Kiri since the two Shinobi and three Kunoichi caught were lacking of the forehead protectors that could connect them with a village. But it was clear it was Kiri, which meant I would have to 'return the favor' when it comes to allying with Saiken. I was planning to take that fateful boat trip after lunch, just so that I could be fully awake and able to handle that kind of matter without any issues tied to drowsiness and hunger. Now, back to Yoshiko, it took me a while to convince the girl since she wasn't exactly up to spar with me now that she was back home to enjoy the places she missed, but I gave her two minor concessions which easily bought her out: 1) She picked the location where the spar was meant to happen; 2) The loser would have to do what the winner asked.
Now, this last one could have easily been problematic if I didn't handle this carefully, but I didn't plan to hold back if the situation called for it. The girl was still pure to a fair degree, but she was getting to the age that, eventually, she would know how some aspects of beyond-romance worked. And I was going to be the subject of all of that, I just could tell from the way she still hung around with me and how clingy she was. After taking a while to get everything set, emergency items and all of that, we proceeded to go into a small clearing behind the Uzukage's manor and set our little spar there.
"Do you remember the rules?"
Yoshiko huffed, but still nodded. "Nothing deadly, never hit below the belt despite the fact that we are meant to fight dirty in most circumstances and..." She paused. "Respect the log?"
Aw, she is already making me proud by remembering that.
"Yep. Now, I hope you're ready, Shiko-chan."
Her cheeks reddened at the cute way I addressed her, but she managed to form a proper guard.
"I-It's not going to be like last time. I'm not letting you win through that."
Oh right, I might have 'beaten' her with some teasing tied to the way I called her. All to further mellow her into a putty adorable thing to tease and defeat with ease. But no, I really wanted to fight this time around and I wanted to put the girl through some intense tests to see how much she really improved. Before I could take the first decisive step and take immediate control of the fight, my posture tensed as I saw two golden chains emerging from the ground, with the little redhead having sneakily prepared two of those to spring on that very moment, while another one was cheekily planned to rush up from the ground the moment I jumped to dodge the pincer move. Knowing that most of my available directions to dodge were blocked by that first clever step, I just went underground and boldly rushed forward to dodge the hidden chain.
The golden metal rattled upward, trying to intercept me before I could get too close to its user, but it missed my feet by a solid centimeter, giving me the chance to rush up to Yoshiko and brawl her with how focused she was on the chains. Of course, the redhead wasn't surprised by this development, quickly dropping her chains and jumping away from the ground, soaring backward as I popped out of the floor and tried to distract her with a couple of shurikens. The projectiles were intercepted by a swiftly-made Water Release: Water Bullet Technique. A stream of cold water rushed onto the incoming danger, destroying the weapons' momentum and trying to hit me too in the process.
I jumped over the stream, my feet carefully arching to land on part of the current, chakra pumping on my soles as I propelled myself upward, well above Yoshiko's current height. An amazed look appeared on her face, but that vanished as soon as the little Uzumaki realized I wasn't planning to cut her any slack. Numerous pellets of fire exploded from my mouth, the barrage descending towards her at a greater speed than she was falling at. Gritting her teeth, the girl used a quick hand sign and vanished in a curtain of smoke. In her stead, a beautiful log appeared and took the brunt of that attack as the girl was once again back on the ground. I saw her go through a few more hand signs, but she didn't release any visible techniques… at first. Just as I stopped with the barrage, I noticed that something on the ground was actually glowing and…
Seal. She had to have prepared this beforehand.
That was why she took a little longer to be ready before the fight. Hundreds of Golden Chains emerged from the ground and rushed towards me in an effort to fully restrain me. No means to dodge any of those the normal way, and definitely too many to counter with anything available in my offensive arsenal. I should have expected something this clever and she definitely thought she had won this one out… except that her demise lied over the fact I had completed a 'tiny' long-term project that I had planned to test better in Konoha but… I felt a bit lucky. Yoshiko's smug and victorious smirk barely lasted a few seconds as I pulled my newest ace out for proper testing. The little shuriken looked pretty innocuous from a distant perspective, but had Yoshiko been given the chance to see it closely, she would have noticed that there were a few kanji letters engraved into it. Seals that were added with a specific intent and to become active only when a specific chakra pattern touched them. The engravings glowed a soft blue before I yanked it away, starting to count up to five as I waited for the lone projectile to reach the ground and, as soon as I reached the final number and the chains were ready to properly capture me in a bundle of tight metal, I felt the seal activate and my body shift away at an unnatural speed back on the ground… with a shuriken now piercing my palm.
"Dammit, should have thought of calibrating this some more," I mumbled aloud, more annoyed at the injury than feeling the pain. I pulled the projectile out of my hand, knowing that I had to be careful about this issue. I knew I had to also push the current advantage. Yoshiko looked drained and I could tell that this seal wasn't containing previously saved up chains. She had been filling it up during the battle, one step at the time. Very risky, and it would have had me beaten if I hadn't gambled with this prototype version of the Flying Thunder God Technique. I was quite far to get to Minato's level of control, and I had to also find a way to get to Minato's complicated mess of an array that he used to get it to the greater reach and efficiency as the one of the original Fourth Hokage.
But let's put the theoretical talking aside so I could get this win for good. I prepared another of the experimental shurikens ready just in case she had another surprise for me, but I was relieved when I realized that Yoshiko was running out of juice and was desperately trying to overwhelm me through a ferocious but only slightly unfocused assault while using two kunais. I didn't let that sudden switch of tactics catch me off-guard, and I eventually stood before a defeated Uzumaki. The girl had a tired pout on her face, her gaze aimed down as she sat down by the ground.
"I lost," She confirmed dryly, and I nodded.
"You did."
…
"So, what do you plan to do with our wage?"
Fair question, and I had a good answer to that. I could easily tell her off, but then that would be too cruel out of me. No, I wanted to make this situation smooth and pure, just to not see her growing annoyed by the gap.
"Well, I gave it a thought and I realized that there is something I believe can give you some energy."
She frowned, but then tensed up as I approached, leaned down and… planted a calm peck on her forehead. Like, I wasn't planning to be extremely picky with close interactions, but I also had to be a bit 'natural' about it. Plus, I knew that this deflated state of self was going to get her father furious and ready to skin my hide if he gets notice of his daughter losing like that. So, I guess normal things like normal hugging, kisses on the forehead and stuff this tame could do due to how long we had been close friends without getting her too motivated or desperate for more.
"There we go. You almost got me with that seal trick. Very crafty, but I was one step ahead. You're quite close to getting me in a cheeky move like that."
Her lips twitched in glee as a pretty blush appeared on her face while listening to my compliments. And just like that, I thought the entire situation was over. And, like it usually went, I was proven wrong when the girl suddenly gasped, stood up and took hold of my right arm.
"H-How did you get this hurt?"
Much to my brief surprise, Yoshiko hadn't noticed during our final brawl that my hand was damaged from that half-failed Flying Thunder God. Only now she saw the bleeding palm and was quick to tighten her grip over my limb so she could start healing it herself. I could do it myself, but from her strong hold over me, I could tell she wasn't planning to listen to any protest on the matter. But even as she went through the simple process of fixing that wound, she didn't let go of me and… started to pull me back to her home and gave me a solid order.
"Let's train again! But this time, you help me with it!"
"So… like the usual?"
"Yep! But at home."
…I wasn't sure what changed, but I had a strong feeling there was something more to it. And then I discovered that there was actually something different compared to the usual. The Uzukage was quickly out of his office as he heard we were training inside the house and he was soon staring at our exercises, his gaze between the proud when his daughter managed to get a flaw corrected and the murderous when I called out any of those flaws with a calm voice. My saving grace was that Mito was around to chide her brother to not try and do anything dangerous while I was trying my best to not create a diplomatic mess.
And the day was still far from over. I had yet to meet Saiken and try to smooth out the issues between Uzushio and the Giant Slug.
"Do you think we will actually get any fish today?"
It sure got a lot more quiet ever since I picked the 'get in a boat with just Kurama and slowly make my way into where Saiken was located' option, ignoring the warning from pretty much everyone sane in this world that wanted me to keep someone around to guide us to the established location. It was already tense as it was because I was slightly 'ignoring' my main mission of guarding Mito just to comply with her request of dealing with this hassle Uzushio was facing. I knew it was really important, but I didn't need any distraction, and I knew that the trip was meant to be an awkward trip if it was me, Kurama and a stranger to guide us. Plus, the furball could detect his sibling and I knew said sibling was going to pick up Kurama's energy.
So, why would I even need a guide to begin with if I got a powerful enough radar to give me better estimations than the 'last sighted' report of some fishermen? Still, since it was going to be a 'sluggish' process to reach Saiken's current hideout, I decided to bring a fishing rod for the occasion. It would be the first time I fished with… Kurama. I wasn't sure if I did this with Matatabi, but I was certain an instance of this kind happened when we threw paper bombs on the water to kill as many fishes as possible back in Kumo's beaches. Just to get food fast and without wasting time with this slow and boring procedure. But now? I wanted to enjoy the suave trip considering there wasn't much to do to speed things up without walking on the water, burning chakra that could help against a possibly aggressive Saiken and get a bit drenched in the process too. The sea here was far from calm, but the boat was created with special seals to make it resilient against the waves.
"If we're lucky, yes."
"But the sea-"
"Why are you even asking? I'm no greater expert in fishing than you are, brat."
I huffed. "Just trying to make conversation here. I know for a fact you're not lazy enough to nap the whole journey."
"Your doubt about my laziness is indeed sad and disappointing. Still, why not bring up that summon of yours out and pester each other with a crazy conversation?"
"Ah, she is busy with Calli. I think she will be free around dinnertime," I argued with a hint of sadness, knowing that Kiara deserved to have her time with other friends beyond just me. "So, it's just you and me."
"By the way, I have a few questions about yesterday," The small fox commented quietly. "Starting with the fact that you knew the Shinigami's appearance."
"It took the appearance of the one individual I knew from… an old book. Like it was a real silly tale about the Shinigami trying to live among humans so he could understand them more," I elaborated without hesitation, having got enough time to come up with a convincing answer to it.
The kitsune was far from convinced, but Kurama still nodded before pushing for the next questions.
"And the fact you know the Shinigami- shouldn't you have brought it up to others? Shouldn't you have told this to your Hokage?"
"There are truths that are meant to be kept quiet about because they can be easily misinterpreted," I argued calmly, knowing that, in a sense, he was right. I had a duty to be completely truthful with the Hokage if it came to matters tied to the village's safety. "I don't 'know' the Shinigami, he was 'kind' enough to solve this mess quickly so he could get back to work as usual. The next time I will meet him is surely when I die. If I told this to anyone, their first assumption would be that I somehow got more powerful by 'being buddies' with the Shinigami, or that he would intervene for me when it's clear that ain't the case. Even Kiara's situation isn't as simple as it sounds."
"What about the fire chicken? She has a friendship with one of the Shinigami's lesser subordinates."
I smiled at the little jab at the missing phoenix, but I had to straighten out this matter. "It's not a protective alliance. Calli might try to help, but she can't directly influence a battle or a confrontation which might end with someone's death if Kiara asked. The repercussions would be enough to really piss off the Shinigami."
"I see. So you kept quiet because you don't want people to overestimate yourself too much, especially when you're much 'weaker' than what they would think."
"Yeah. I mean, one thing is a one-time visit, another is a proper alliance that could easily tear the balance between life and death. It would be foolish for anyone to pick up this silly assumption because we met him. He is a fundamental force of nature that is divine in context, and it's clear he can't pull things to favor a small group of mortals because 'he feels like it'," I replied with a sigh, fixing the fishing rod as I saw it waver a tiny bit. "The Shinigami knows that already, and the only way he can really intervene is if there is a sacrifice of equal value to the request offered by the summoner. And I really don't plan to ever deal with the Shinigami himself until that last day of breathing in this world."
I died already, I really don't need to experience that 'Part 2' anytime soon.
Just as I concluded that explanation, my eyes widened when I saw the boat was now shaking fairly intensely. I spared a quick look at Kurama and the Nine-Tailed Fox sighed. "He's here."
The trembling eventually lessened as something massive emerged from the water right in front of us, raising a large quantity of water that was soon raining over our heads. I didn't mind the sudden shower despite how cold it felt, but Kurama sure got a whole lot more pissed at this whole development. I had to hold back a snort as I realized that he was completely drenched in water, a furious look now aimed at the large white slug now standing before us.
"Kurama-niisan! It's been ages since you and I were standing against one another and… you adopted quite the flimsy form."
He sure sounds a lot more boisterous than I had imagined.
"F-Flimsy?! First you rain your filthy water on us, and then you call me 'Flimsy?!"
"Kurama-"
"You better have a good enough offer to not jump this bastard and tear him apart for good, brat!" He interrupted fiercely, glaring right at me and putting some of that dreadful chakra into it. It was a bit difficult to breathe, but I could still speak well enough to make a case.
"Have you seen the back of the boat?"
A confused look crossed Kurama's face as it turned to see… a large number of dead fishes currently stored into the boat. Just enough to make a mighty meal for a mighty tailed beast.
"If you don't try to destroy everything here because of your straightforward sibling, I could easily make some delicious fish-made banquet for you. Plus classic treatment with head-scratching and belly-rubs."
…
"Deal."
I sighed, the pressure finally gone as I could finally turn back to the current element I had to negotiate with. The Slug's head was slightly tilted, curiosity exuding from the behemoth as he listened to the interaction between us.
"Saiken!"
"Little Mortal," The Slug replied flatly. "I suppose Kurama told me your name."
"This is the second time it happened- No, I'm not giving out our names like that, numskull."
"He is right, Saiken. I already know your name, like your other siblings," I replied truthfully. "And we came here to tell you that you have been tricked by someone to attack a village we're allied to."
"Oh?" The Slug slowly leaned forward, curiosity painting his tone. "How so, little mortal?"
"The warriors of a village we're slowly coming at odds with decided to attack you to the point of relocating your home into our allies' part of the fishing reach. It was done on the purpose of forcing your intervention against us with the belief that we were of the same group, the one behind the first attacks," I explained without hesitation, staring right at the slug's head. "Which is why we're here. To tell you that you had been tricked and… we don't wish to cause any conflict between you and our allies."
"Peace? But how can it be reached? After all, I don't exactly have the means to share my side of this sea, and I fail to see any interest to do so."
"How about an alliance between you and the village these fishermen hail from?"
…
"Beg your pardon?"
"The Uzumaki Clan is known to be a group of diplomatic people. They really don't see you as a threat, but as a venerable entity born from the wisdom of the Sage of the Six Paths. Something that Kiri doesn't share as they see you more as a mindless creature that can be used to their advantage."
"And how would you like to form such an 'alliance'?"
I gave him the same affair as Kurama and Matatabi, but instead of the belly-rubbing and other physically pleasant offers which wouldn't be of interest to him being a slug, I offered him something psychologically pleasant.
"What about the children?"
"Well, you're an amazing creature that has seen and faced many tales that would endear children and other listeners. Those stories you could only keep to yourself because no humans felt able to approach someone as amazing as you," I elaborated with a big smile. "Think of it, the chance of giving your story to others, to tell of your impressive adventures when those would have been normally yours to keep away from others."
"In a sense, I can see that as a win. But what if people want more from me?" The Tailed Beast argued. "What if the alliance for defense was to waver during a possible war?"
"We wouldn't be ordered to do anything we don't want. If we want to help? We can, but we're the ones calling the shot. No human has that right," Kurama confirmed calmly. "In fact, Matatabi was the only one that really did anything during a recent war. She was around the brat and she had her 'fun' killing off those that did the same that they did with you. Tricking you into annoying us."
"Oh, I see. So there are some foolish humans still around," The Rokubi conceded before sighing. "I suppose it's worth a shot. I hope this village can handle a tailed beast."
I smiled a bit wider. "They'll love you."
And I was correct. As soon as we made our way back to Uzushio, with the slug kind of replacing Kurama as a conversation partner in giving me hints on how to fish some good food to add to the big pile, the Uzukage was instantly intrigued by the boisterous entity I brought back to him. Not only that, but the overall ballsy nature of the Rokubi struck a strongly positive chord with the rest of the village. Kids flocked to the 'mighty Tailed Beast' that spoke of amazing tales with this confident tone that resonated with their heroic perception of tales.
In a rather amusing turn of events, Uzushiogakure ended up being the village 'receiving' a Tailed Beast as their protector. An awfully convenient response to Kiri which, by all means, should have denied them the chance to counter with a greater aggression. I overestimated Kiri's capacity to be reasonable. Especially when 'pirates' started to patrol within Uzushio's naval border and assault fishermen. At this point, a 'visit' was much needed as soon as possible, but the planning on who was going to come for this was a bit… clunky. The Uzukage wanted to be there to butt heads, but Mito couldn't… exactly come with us. Not with the twins still in her care. There was a high chance that any meeting could be used as a way to attack Uzushio and get to the kids while they still were there.
Truly intense, but in the end it was me, the Uzukage, three bodyguards. Kurama would remain behind to 'protect Konoha' as Mito was an extension of what Konoha was, and anything coming her way, or her children, was tantamount to attacking the village. I would have planned something better about this, but I knew we were venturing in a trap. The bodyguards were experienced and all, but facing an entire village in their home turf wasn't a fun experience I hoped to deal with. But there wasn't much of a choice in that regard. These hostilities had to cease.
One way or another.