Heya,

Had a bit of a break while I was handling some irl business. I got promoted! So that's good

Aside from that, I've been working on putting together an actual, proper outline for my other fic so hopefully gaps shouldn't be quite so long between chapter updates for that.

But now that all that funny business is over, we're back on this horse. This marks a pretty big turning point in my fic for me, and I'm sure you all will probably notice some developments in that vein as we progress from here. But I'll spare you the yapping and just let you figure it out for yourself.

Back on that horse!

Anko's mark had been easier than he'd expected. He chalked it up to preparation; all of the time he'd had to study hers and Tayuya's marks had left him distinctly familiar with the layout of the curses that branded their flesh. With the ritual in place to protect him from Orochimaru's influence, the operation really had posed no real threat to him.

His fingers closed over Tayuya's nape, his gloved palm biting into the snake's brand like a starving predator. Her gasp sparked sympathy for only a moment before frigid focus forced to the forefront.

"Suck it up, buttercup; we'll be done in a moment."

"Less talking, more tattoo-removal," Tayuya gritted back.

She was tough, and that was good, because this one was coiled even deeper than the last.

It wasn't much of a leap to take the skeleton of the brand that he'd peeled away from Anko and turn it toward his own purposes. But the key didn't quite fit the lock, one-to-one; it wasn't quite so simple as he'd hoped.

But it was still better than nothing.

"The trick is in outlining the differences," Naruto muttered aloud, his eye narrowed against his work. Tayuya knew that his words were not quite meant for her. "Yours and Anko's move off the same principles; the big difference is in maturity."

It was the natural outcome that came from continual refinement of a seal over any period of time. Tayuya's mark was more… Complete; it lacked certain entry-points that he'd been able to exploit in Anko's, a clear show of Orochimaru's refinement of the mark as his research grew. Clearly with the redhead, Orochimaru had grown wise to the obvious weak-point that was allowing for each mark the privilege of master control. Without it, they could not pick and choose what information to transmit, nor when to do so; instead, they simply took in all information in accordance to Orochimaru's specifications. However, they could not share that information with other marks unless directly ordered to do so by a wielder of that master control.

Namely Orochimaru. But more conveniently, Anko too.

He sighed. "But Orochimaru ain't an idiot."

"Good," Kushina piped up, her eagerness for the puzzle at hand coloring his own mood in post. "It's no fun if it's easy!"

True enough.

"So what's the plan then?" Tayuya prompted, a bit anxiously. Her concern polluted her chakra, such that Naruto did not immediately respond, measuring his response twice before he spoke next..

"Orochimaru anticipated that somebody might try to use Anko's mark to crack his later marks, so he installed a bunch of failsafes to lock it out, in post." Another long thought. "It looks like he set up a series of access points you gotta pass through- each encrypted with different chakra signals to be allowed in. At each access point, the protections he's got in place will bite your head off if you fuck up even a little."

"Er- figuratively, right?"

Naruto scoffed. "What do you think?"

These channels had not existed in Anko's mark. More or less, it had been a straight shot, using his counter seal to disable the worst of the defenses in his path to its core. Here though- "If I try to brute force it in the same way, any number of things could happen, really."

"You could be redirected," Kushina hedged. "Or the mark could lash out to infect you with a copy of itself. Hell, one wrong move and Tayuya might catch a triple-dose of the big dead."

He made especially sure to keep that last one to himself.

"And thus we stand, most indubitably fucked, it would appear." Tayuya huffed, shaking her head.

"Just whomst the hell doth thou believe me to be?" Naruto snipped back, haughtily. His grin was ever-present- wider than ever in the face of that challenge. "Just like fingerprints, every use of chakra leaves an imprint, however light. You get good enough with our sensory jutsu, and you can damn-near taste the way chakra moves and changes with the will of the user."

"Yeah? What does Snake-man taste like, then?"

Naruto's sneer said it all. "Like spit-swapping horse piss."

Orochimaru's chakra was putrid, like a rag soaked through in cold vomit. Just the feel of it alone made his stomach want to shrivel up and turn itself inside-out.

But that also served to his own benefit, because- "His chakra's damn hard to miss!"

With that, his plan wound itself in his head. "Right, quick sealing lesson: It's like- a thousand times easier to change an existing seal than it is to make a new one entirely from scratch; this is 'cuz the most important and time-consuming part of a seal is its base. Once you build a seal on top of that base, it's damn hard to change or replace that base without just fucking up everything you've built over it; t's genuinely the same as starting from scratch.

Tayuya hummed. "So without a stable base, the whole building comes crashing down… Yeah, that makes sense."

"Yepperino," He trilled. "But that means all of Orochimaru's marks use the same base. He might make certain changes to items attached to that base, but all of his curse-marks at their core are going to be running off the same core, unless he goes and rebuilds them entirely from scratch."

And however smart or patient or whatever else that Orochimaru was, not even he could resist the urge to cut corners from time to time.

"The reason this is important here is because once we know how to interact with a particular seal's base, we know in theory how to hijack any seal running off that same core, so long as we can reach it. Refining a seal is all about making the path to that base as hard as possible- or in our case, streamlining the path to that base so we don't get lost on our way."

"I've got a bead on him." Kushina announced, their combined sensory jutsu tracing the imprint of Orochimaru's chakra. "He left a bunch of false trails."

Unsurprising. Even here, the guy's caution showed.

But it wouldn't matter. Intent was everything in chakra; maybe if they were less prolific with their senses, that kind of misdirection could work. At the level they were at together though-

"Done," Naruto announced, pulling his hand away. Her skin chased his fleeing palm for a moment, the link straining until he popped away with a sound close to shattered glass. Tayuya lurched, a speck of dizziness assailing her for just a moment; her vision swam, and as Naruto's steadying grip wrapped over her front, she gripped his arm like a lifeline.

"Holy-" She breathed between gasps. "Holy shit!"

Like thousands of grubby fingers peeling away from her nerves and muscles; she had carried that snake's burdens for so long she'd forgotten the feel of breathing without them!

"Holy shit!" She breathed again. "I feel…" Light, unburdened… "Powerful." She blinked. "Why do I feel stronger?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You think Orochimaru wants you to be strong without him?" He rounded her, sitting down beside her and throwing his legs over her lap. "The mark offers a ton of boons, but it's also designed to keep you in check. Orochimaru giveth, Orochimaru taketh away." He leaned back fully, cradling his head between his two flesh and blood forearms. "The curse-mark definitely makes you stronger than you would be without it. But it also makes you weaker than you'd be without it. It hamstrings your chakra flow and dulls your senses, only returning what it's taken and then some when you fully surrender yourself to it. The highs are high, and the lows are damn low."

"God, what a jerk."

"WhAT a JErK," Kumoko's echo nearly made him jump.

Er- Very good, Kumoko…

But it raised a thought in his mind. One that Kushina immediately picked up on.

"The curse-mark as it is, is more of a detriment than a boon. For all of the benefits that it gives, leaving a person at the mercy of Orochimaru of all people is just never worth the sacrifice- especially not with all that it takes, by default."

But it didn't have to take- at least, not the way that it did. He supposed that a seal that took something wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Contract seals worked off give and take; there were plenty of ways that it could be adjusted for the further benefit of the recipient.

"We can improve it. Cut out the rot and change it for the better."

Sure… But Naruto didn't doubt that that was exactly what Orochimaru was hoping he'd do. "He's hoping that I'll advance it," Naruto guessed, a frown lingering with that thought. "Take them somewhere he himself hasn't thought to take them, and study what I make of them."

Tayuya seemed to follow where his thoughts were going. "What- like an arms race or something?"

"Nah… He doesn't see me as a threat." Not yet, at least. "More like comparing notes with a peer…"

He remembered well, Orochimaru's interest; his obsession with Naruto and their apparent similarities.

Kushina was undeterred. "Then let's show him something he couldn't copy in a thousand years, and let him fall apart trying in vain."

Now that, he could get behind.

Sakon and Ukon, then Kidomaru too. Their marks weren't too terribly different from Tayuya's. If Naruto had to date them, he would compare them to mere updates, made within the same generation of marks. The differences were certainly there: tighter security, more streamlined pathing for his remote-commands- all of the things one might expect.

"Your leashes are especially tight," He noted to the trio; he winced as he jerked his hand away from the twins' conjoined necks, shaking pins and needles from his fingers. Ukon glared at him, something close to a sneer curling at his lip.

"Can you remove it or not?" He near-barked.

"I'll remove your tongue if you talk to me like that again," Naruto's retort lashed over Ukon, cowing his attitude in an instant. "I'm doing you a favor, and I haven't forgotten that you tried to kill Kurenai-sensei."

"That's not really their fault, dear." Kushina's attempt at peace was half-hearted, though.

Logic aside, both of them were still pretty damn bitter about that. Kurenai had seemed surprisingly chipper though, last they had seen her.

"Can you remove it?" Kidomaru asked him in Ukon's stead, his tone notably more careful. "Is it possible?"

Naruto scoffed. "It's definitely possible- one-hundred percent." He stared into his palm, contemplating what he'd learned. "Problem isn't possibility, but consequence."

Kidomaru frowned, the boy also craning his neck to follow the blonde's line of sight, as if that would answer his questions. "I don't… Understand…"

"Nah, you wouldn't… I'm doing a shit job of explaining- my bad."

But where to start?

"Orochimaru is one paranoid bastard- let's start with that."

Kidomaru scoffed. "I could've told you that."

"Whatever you're currently thinking, double it, then double it again." Naruto let out a huff. "Your marks ain't too different from Tayuya's; the core difference is in just how unreasonably far he went to tighten your leashes." Clearly, Orochimaru had his favorites. That, or one could merely look at the history of his curse-mark to trace the downward spiral of the guy's mental state.

"Probably both, honestly."

Probably both, yeah.

But how to explain this all in a way that the guy could understand? Kidomaru liked games, didn't he? "Think of it like a dungeon in a video game."

Now the guy was nodding. "Sure."

Each of you guys have some variation of the same- uh… End boss, at the end of your dungeons. But it's in the details of the layout that things are different. Anko's was set on easy mode: All of her mark's defenses were straightforward- an easy shot towards the boss once I knew what they looked like." Then he sighed. "Tayuya's was more of the same. Maybe more winding paths and false-trails; some mini-bosses to slow me down, but once I got past them, the big boss dies and the seal comes apart."

"But ours are different."

Now, Naruto sneered. "Yeah. Imagine for a second that the boss and dungeon are both about the same- or at least reasonably close. Same winding paths, same false-trails and mini-bosses or whatever… Now imagine that the dungeon will frequently just start running checks to see if anybody's scuttling around in it. If not, it carries on as normal; but if it finds anything that triggers alarm, the whole dungeon starts to scramble itself- or worse, self-destruct."

Kidomaru paled. Only moments later, Sakon and Ukon followed. "He put a fucking bomb in our necks!?" Their leader hissed.

"In a sense, yeah. In practice it's probably less 'explosions' and more your organs liquifying and bleeding out of every orifice in a spectacular spray of-"

"Quit tormenting them, X'omaa."

"... Candy?" Naruto fumbled, awkwardly.

"Nice save."

Thanks!

"Please take this seriously," Kidomaru pled, pinching his brow with a whine. "Our lives are literally in your hands, man."

"Right, right…" Naruto breathed, then his own features smoothened. "My options are one of two: I can either blitzkrieg the shit out of that mark- race to the end and boom the boss before it even knows I'm there-"

Risky. He was sure he had the speed for it, but the timing would be tight; if he let anything slow him down-

"Not ideal," Kushina decided for them both.

"Or I can do a sneaky. I'll use my shape-change to mimic Orochimaru's chakra signature so it'll overlook me, and walk my ass right into the core."

"You can do that?" Kidomaru gave him a wary look. Something like that- there was a reason that the transformation jutsu was rarely used against high-level ninja. Even those who lacked any overt chakra sensitivity could unconsciously intuit the differences between their brethren and a faker; it was far harder to mimic the chakra signature of a person, compared to their mere physical characteristics. "What's the risk, there?"

"Well if I ain't convincing enough, it'll flag me as an intruder and- you know…" A gesture, like scissors snipping at his neck. "Bweh…" Then a thought. "But honestly, I kind've like my odds here."

Mimicking chakra signatures wasn't easy. This was surely the more difficult route; much more so than simply moving quickly.

But that was exactly what made it so appealing, really; it was an opportunity, as much as it was an avenue- a means to improve his technique even further under a stress which could not be fabricated.

Moreover, he had a few advantages in this case.

"What if you're wrong?" Sakon spoke up, his and his brother's distrust laid plain for him. "If you slip up, we'll pay the price for it."

"Yep!" Naruto chirped back, all smiles.

Ukon sneered. "What if we don't want to risk it then?"

"Then you can sneer your way to the morgue, jackass," Naruto snapped, suddenly serious. Ukon flinched at his sudden change in demeanor. "We don't have the luxury of second-guessing; I'm trying to save your damn lives!"

"Enough," Kidomaru cut in. His face was stone. "I'm party leader, which means I'm first on the chopping block…"

Naruto sighed, silently agreeing with the boy. He cut a glance toward the twins, a silent offer in case either of them wished to interject. But both remained stubbornly silent.

He didn't think he liked them very much.

Another sigh. "Alright, bud. Sit down-" He gestured before him, and Kidomaru silently obeyed. "And try not to move or scream."

At that, Kidomaru paled a bit. "Scream?"

"MAXIMUM EFFORT."

Kidomaru's mark thrashed immediately under his touch, writhing with such intent that he could feel its spasms threatening to leap away from the boy's tanned flesh. He let out a sound, akin to choking, and keeled forward; Naruto gripped his shoulder in a vice to hold him still.

"Don't move," He warned him again, closing his eyes in concentration.

In most cases, he would not dare do something so bold as to try to perfectly mirror a chakra signature- at least, not with somebody else's life on the line. But he had two major advantages here:

One: His chakra sensitivity afforded by the Mind's Eye of Kagura. Its scope, spanning not just outward, but inward, like Tsunade had taught him. With his and his mother's combined efforts, it was child's play to compare his own chakra to something else, down to the finest details. He only needed something to compare it to.

Which led to advantage number two: The mark he'd peeled from Anko's neck; the thing reeked of Orochimaru's sickly chakra signature. With such a bold and persistent example to draw from, it took only moments for him to make the adjustments, twisting and molding his chakra to mirror the mark he'd dissected and caged to his gloved hand.

"One of the most important elements of seal-breaking is sabotage; isolating the defenses of your enemy and finding the most effective way to tear them down," Naruto intoned, mostly to himself.

And there really was no way more effective than simply walking through the front door.

The mark's 'self' noticed him far too late, its coiling core spasming within his grip. It hissed and screeched, twisting this way and that to snap at him; its threat became a yelp as his grip tightened further to a strangling point. Its wild, eyeless gaze stared back at him through all of the many layers he'd pierced through to capture it.

"Too late," Kushina cackled, her own wild grin goading its own. "It's afraid!"

As it damn well should be. Together, the pair drank in the putrid little thing's terror, like a caged animal processed for slaughter. Then one final squeeze, his counter seal clicking into place with finesse as his grip vivisected the core of the mark.

"Done," Naruto breathed, peeling his hand away. A last, screaming gasp chased the silk of his gloved hand as Kidomaru's blemish cracked and flaked away.

"That's it?" Kidomaru blinked twice, his fingers moving up to graze the tender, unblemished flesh of his neck. "You won?"

"Of course I won." Naruto rolled his eyes, almost offended by the question. His gaze found purchase in the wide-eyed twins. "Now it's your turn. Or do you wanna keep on doubting me?"

The sun had just begun to dip over the edge of the Hokage monument when he made it home. His body was sore, aching with the fires of stress as he fumbled uselessly with his key.

"For the love of-!" He hissed, snatching the clattering thing back from the floor and jamming its head into the lock. "In!" A heavy wrench, and the door slid aside, allowing him to take his first stumbling step into his lonely old building.

A heavy, relieving sigh. "Home…" It was melancholic- bitter, even.

Some home to come back to. It wasn't like there was anyone there to welcome him back…

Except… something was off, and just as quickly as that bitter relief had swelled, the hammer of anxiety began to beat in his chest.

He couldn't put a name to it, exactly. Maybe the floor was a little too clean; maybe some smell or sound that he couldn't quite name. Every sense told him he was imagining it, and yet his gut screamed that someone had been there.

Was still there.

Streaks of scarlet swiveled back and forth, his transformed gaze spinning with increasing haste as he scanned the hall, piercing every corner. His fist closed slowly around the knife at his thigh, grip tightening until his flesh flushed and quivered.

Slowly, his back found a closed door- it led to the kitchen; past that, his bedroom.

Now, he could almost begin to make out some sound on the other side; its presence confirmed his anxiety, but somehow that was better than not knowing at all…

Was it… Humming?

His shoulder collided with the door, blowing it open with a spray of shrapnel. He followed, twin sharingan whirling with intent- death grip on his kunai moving to let the thing loose at the first sign of movement-

"What the fuck did that door do to you?" Naruto's voice startled him out of instinct, his lazy intonation siphoning adrenaline as swiftly as it had subsumed.

"Uh…" Sasuke was still for a long, awkward moment, eyes flicking about to take stock of the room, further.

At the table, Sakura sat, her jade eyes still-staring wide with alarm at his explosive entrance. She sat stock-still, palms pressed to the table as if ready to push away and leap to her feet, and yet utterly unsure all the same.

"Er- hi?" She uttered, meekly.

A blink. Then another- slower. "... Hey." Sasuke let his attention drift away, instead finding purchase on his other teammate.

He was bent over Sasuke's oven, long hair pinned up into a homely bun and wearing an off-white apron that was decorated with thin, purple, flowery iconography; he seemed utterly unbothered by all of the commotion, far more focused on his unprotected hands that were full with Mikoto's old crockpot as he came back up. A painfully gentle nudge of his foot shut the oven, and Naruto hauled the scalding item up to the countertop.

"Go wash up," He ordered the Uchiha, gesturing to the boy as if waving off some mere critter. "I made food."

Sasuke ignored his order, still standing awkwardly. "I didn't know you cooked?"

"I'm a damn good cook, I'll have you know. And you're not eating any until you're cleaned up," Naruto snipped. "Shoo."

What the hell was going on? Sasuke didn't have an answer to that, even after a quick shower and change of clothes, nor after finding a seat across from Sakura; not even after Naruto had rounded his side of the table, serving him a bowl of rice and a plate of what looked like pork cutlet.

"I was going to make tacos, but if I make them without Katsuyu-san she might actually drag my ass to Summoner's therapy," Naruto told him, almost mournfully.

He could almost hear her cry of "cheater!" in his mind's eye.

"What's a-" Actually, Sasuke really didn't want to know. He didn't actually know who Katsuyu was either, actually. But he could extrapolate. "Next time," He decided, instead. There was a brief interlude, then- "Did you really break into my house to make me dinner?"

He searched Sakura's way, because really this smelled like something she would suggest. But she only shook her head.

"It's been a while since we all hung out together," Was all Naruto said; he seated himself next, serving himself with a smile. Then he stuck both hands out, one for each of his teammates; Sasuke eyed his immaculately manicured hand with a mix of interest and suspicion. "And now we say grace. Let us thank the good lord Super Kami for a bountiful meal."

"No." Sasuke and Sakura both gave him a flat look.

"Heretics, the lot of you!" Then Naruto dug in without waiting for either of them.

Sakura and Sasuke both watched him for a moment, the former seeming just as confused as the latter.

"You didn't know?" Sasuke asked her, once it became clear that their stares would not be evoking any responses from the blonde.

"Er-?" Sakura only shrugged.

"Technically, she invited herself," Naruto filled him in. He gave Sakura a look, but didn't seem too broken up over that detail. "I told her I was going to get all dolled up and cook you dinner and she just couldn't help herself."

Sakura blushed, now looking a bit frustrated. "I didn't want to be left out, okay!?"

"So why do you look like a modest housewife then?" Sasuke almost dreaded to hear the answer to that.

Now, Naruto scoffed. "I had to go and change twice, 'cuz Sakura's ego is plywood."

"It's not fair!" She whined, ducking her head.

"See?"

"W-what would Hinata think, seeing you dancing around someone else's house dressed like some s-sk-skank!?"

Naruto blinked, slowly, then eyed Sakura incredulously. "You think Hinata feels threatened by either of you?" He snorted. "Please."

Sasuke didn't know why he felt offended by that. He stared dumbly at his pink-haired teammate for a moment, finding a bit of union in that shared feeling. Then to Naruto- "Okay... But why?"

"Because I missed you, dumbass." Naruto bit out, finally glaring his way. "Why else?"

Missed him? That was-

Sasuke blinked, twice. Then his face fell, some mix of embarrassment and guilt warring behind his eyes. "A-ah… Sorry."

"As you should be." Naruto sniffed, a bit petulantly. "Eat your damn food- both of you. I didn't spend the last hour and a half slaving in the kitchen like an overworked mother of two so my silly baby ducklings could just gawk over it."

And there was some finality in his tone that neither 'baby duckling' was prepared to disagree with.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura finally found it in herself to ask, after the next bout of silence had become too much.

"I didn't invite him," Naruto told her with ease, his smile ever-present.

"Er- aren't we supposed to be working through our problems?" Sakura tried, seeming anxious- as if expecting a blow-up, of sorts. Naruto raised a brow, tilting his head just a bit and looking back at her.

"Not like that." He finally shook his head after a moment. "It ain't targeted like that, if that's what you're asking."

"Okay… Then why-"

"Because we ain't just here for leisure; I want to have a conversation that I don't think he'd approve of," Naruto told her, something a bit more serious slipping across his features. His head lolled, lazily finding Sasuke in his crosshairs; his lone, multi-pupiled eye took hold of Sasuke's twin mangekyou, staring back with such finality that Sasuke began to fidget. "Itachi needs to die- straight to the 'bweh' dimension; we agree on that, right?"

Sasuke blinked twice, almost reeling at the sudden demand. "I need to kill him," He decided, nodding his head slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"We need to kill him," Naruto asserted, pausing at length to take another bite. "He and his Shark-buddy put us through the ringer… They put you in a coma, and they nearly killed Hinata... I want their heads."

He wasn't exactly proud of himself, speaking so plainly about taking another person's life. But he supposed he wasn't ashamed, either. Not for those two. "Half their heads, I guess. We can get oiled up and play ninja beach-volleyball with them or something."

Sasuke's frown had only grown deeper, the longer he spoke. "I get you, I guess." He didn't really like it- exposing his best friend to that man. The nightmares were hard enough to compartmentalize without Naruto insisting on running headfirst into the human blender that was Itachi Uchiha. Still, Naruto was strong- damn strong…

Stronger than him, he was somewhat loath to admit.

His eyes flicked to Sakura. "But I'm not letting Sakura within one-hundred kilometers of that guy."

"Sasuke?" Sakura's own frown met his own. It was probably the first time he'd seen her look irritated with him.

"That ain't your choice to make," Naruto cut into their moment, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Not his-? "Excuse me?" Sasuke's frown became a scowl. "The hell it isn't! Itachi is my problem!"

"Our problem," Naruto snapped back without pause. "Yours, sure. Mine and Sakura's, most definitely. We're not just your teammates, dipshit. You're family."

That sucked the breath out of Sasuke's lungs.

Family?

"That's what Kakashi told us, remember? Something-something 'those who abandon their comrades have baby dicks and get no bitches.' Does that ring a bell?"

"I recall Kakashi-sensei saying exactly that," Sakura agreed, staring pointedly at Sasuke. "Whatever it is, we're in this together."

"Mhm…" Naruto cut a glance to Sakura, something challenging in his gaze. "If Sakura doesn't have it in her, that's for her to decide. But in the same way you don't want us getting hurt or killed by that guy, we don't want that to happen to you, and that's not up for debate. We kill him together or not at all."

"Then why not just ask me to give up on him?" Sasuke demanded. That was what he would have expected from them at least. He didn't know if he wanted to do that- no, he definitely couldn't do that. Itachi was far too dangerous- too evil to be allowed to live…

But he had at least expected Naruto of all people to disagree with his path. For all of his friend's roughness, he really was soft-hearted like no other.

"Because-" Naruto paused for a moment, now seeming uncomfortable for the first time since the conversation had started. "Because that ain't fair to you, ya know."

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"Revenge is a messy, slippery slope." He took a sip of water, stealing precious moments to organize his thoughts. "Believe it when I tell ya: You're gonna fuck yourself up chasing after Itachi- sacrifice anything and everything you have to take him down. That's bad; anyone with sense will tell you that." A sigh. "But it doesn't matter if we tell you that, 'cuz you ain't gonna listen." A thought. "Nor is it fair to expect you to listen." A heavy silence filled the space between them for a moment as Naruto gathered his thoughts further. "See, my people believe in freedom above all else- above even right or wrong… Whether you're right or not ain't for me to decide. What I choose to do with myself is the only thing I get to choose." Another, long and suffering sigh. "And if I know you're gonna do it no matter what I say, then I choose for myself to have your back no matter what. That's how I feel," He finished with a simple shrug.

Oh…

Sasuke licked his lips, his glance cutting downward to the meal his friend had prepared for him, into his hand where his white-fisted grip had snapped the chopsticks in his hands.

He didn't know if he was happy, pissed, or afraid. Maybe some mix-drink of everything at once. Slowly, the tiniest of smiles wormed its way to his lips.

"Um!" Sakura spoke up now, seeming galvanized by Naruto's own speech. "I- I don't… I'm not strong like you guys are." That was an objective truth. She hated to admit it, but no matter how hard she thought, she simply could not see any reality where she caught up to them…

But that wasn't going to stop her from trying; if nothing else, to support them in a way that only she could.

"But I love you- both of you," She said, firmly, glancing at her teammates with intentionality. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer on Naruto, her gaze assuring him that she had not misspoken. Her fingers drifted up, playing idly with crown the blonde had braided into her hair. "I'd rather march to hell alongside you guys than watch you go without me."

Because no matter their problems, the two of them had always protected her. Even at her worst and most insufferable. She'd known she would follow them from the moment Orochimaru had come for Sasuke- sent his goons after them and hunted them to exhaustion. She'd decided then and there that she would fight for them with all that she had… She only regretted that it had taken her so long to put her money where her mouth was.

"Mhm… But see, I've got a condition," Naruto jumped in again, his smile back in full swing. Sakura worried her lip, eyes drifting his way with some anxiety as the room's temperature seemed to shift a bit. His warm and pleasant demeanor ran cold, a spark of hatred pooling just barely behind that eye of his.

"A condition?" Sasuke's frown was back in full swing. "What do you need?"

"I'll move heaven and earth with you to turn Itachi into an Itachi-isn't." His smile was frigid as he met eyes with Sasuke. "In exchange, I want Orochimaru." His skin rippled, faintly, painted lips peeling back to reveal rows of jagged teeth that made both of his teammates twitch. "You're going to help me skin that motherfucker alive."

Because Orochimaru had marked his girlfriend and best friend; Orochimaru had used his cousin like a puppet; he had desecrated the corpses of his aunt's loved ones and declared war on his home. Orochimaru had genocided hundreds; he had betrayed and thrown away his own people.

And to top it all off, he had dared to try telling Naruto that they were the same.

"There's no way we can let that slide," Kushina agreed, her face carved from stone.

Yepperino! "I'm gonna turn him into a fancy, schmancy new hat."

Sasuke's frown lasted only a moment longer before it changed again, a real smile taking front and center to match his friend's own grisly grin. "Then we've got a deal."

"Neat!" All at once, Naruto was once again as warm and bubbly as ever. "Then first thing's first, we're getting that hickey off your neck."

After what this thing had tried to do to him, Sasuke had no arguments there. "When?"

"Now." A blink. "Er- after y'all eat, actually."

And while he was at it, there was something he wanted to try doing.

"Report."

Tsunade's order was succinct, carrying above the mountain of paperwork that nearly shrouded all of herself behind its mass. A splinter of worry ached in his eyes for a moment, and were she able to see him over the pile, Naruto was sure that she would chastise him for it.

"Quit pitying me!" She barked.

Oh, right… She could do the thing…

"I ain't pitying you," Naruto huffed. "It's just-" His frown deepened, a half-shrug interrupting himself. "D-do you need some help?"

"It ain't as bad as it looks." Tsunade's twin-tails flopped with the shake of her head, barely visible behind the mass. An audible sigh from the woman, then- "You can help me by giving me some good news- how 'bout that?"

"Well I've got some news," Naruto offered. Making for the couch- his favorite one, he flopped down into the thing, casting his sleeve over his face. "It's just Hinata left."

The scratch of Tsunade's pen paused. "What's keeping you with her, then?"

He groaned. "Orochimaru is a dick, that's what." Tsunade let him continue, and he rewarded her patience. "I was hesitant to just dive right into it; I figured he'd have left some surprises for me that'd bite me in the ass if I wasn't careful."

And really, he could thank his mother for issuing that foresight.

"You're very welcome!" Kushina sang, her cheeks rosy with his praise.

"YoU'RE vEry WElCome!,"

Very good, Kumoko… Where was he?

Ah- "All of his marks leading into the second generation with Kidomaru and company come with contracts, bearing friendly little self-terminating protocols."

"Classic Orochimaru," Tsunade grunted.

"Sasuke's flirts with this idea, issuing a killswitch in his freaking frontal lobe. I suspect that if Sasuke ever proved impossible to control, Orochimaru was planning to just lobotomize him and take his body, anyhow."

Now, Tsunade sneered. "Wouldn't that ruin the body though?"

"We established that the mark can be used to- I guess you'd call it 'uploading' information that he implants to it. He probably figured he could just keep Sasuke in storage and restore his body later once he did the transfer." Naruto let out a crude laugh. "Imagine how horrified Sasuke was, after hearing that."

"But you got it out." Tsunade wasn't asking.

He damn well better have.

"Uh… Sorta." Naruto winced, some empty placating gesture in his hands that made Tsunade roll her eyes.

She wasn't going to bite his head off.

"So to compensate for that threat, Orochimaru fixed Sasuke's mark to prioritize that restoration- quality." He fumbled a bit with his hands. "His regeneration is crazy- better than Tayuya's, and she was regrowing flesh and popping bones back in place like ninja legos. But see- it's specific; the contract puts nearly everything else on a fairly low priority list, in favor of spending all of its focus on the eyes. That restoration of the eyes is active even when the mark isn't strictly activated- y'know, with the tattoos covering the skin. It maintains them pretty much above all else.

Tsunade chewed on that thought for a moment. "It's more likely that Orochimaru was anticipating those eyes of his down the line." At Naruto's questioning stare, Tsunade sighed, shoving her paperwork aside finally to look at him directly. "The mangekyou sharingan; my grandfather's rival, Madara Uchiha, awakened those eyes sometime during the Warring era. Madara was pretty cagey on the details, even while the two of them were still friends. One thing that he mentioned though- those eyes tend to deteriorate without certain means of… Upkeep, I suppose."

Naruto didn't like the way she said that. "Upkeep, how?"

Tsunade's disgust was painted plain on her face. "Historically? transplants. Allegedly, Madara went through a great many of his own fallen comrades' eyes to sustain his vision. Each time, his light left him faster than the last… Until he finally found a proper match in his brother."

A pit surged in Naruto's stomach at the way that she said it. "He killed his brother? And stole his eyes?"

Mito's memories claimed no recollection of such a thing. But she was hardly a flawless source of information. Despite their marriage, Mito and Hashirama had not been close. She and Madara, less so; the two had hated each other.

Too self-righteous, Mito's thoughts slipped to his forefront.

"Tobirama killed his brother, but Madara's eyes after that day carried a near-identical pattern to the mangekyou of his brother, Izuna." Tsunade shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know all of the details; I don't know how the eyes awaken-"

Though she had a few… Grisly guesses.

"I don't know what the correlation is behind why the transplants get worse, or whatever else." She shook her head. "But I don't think it matters for this discussion. Sasuke Uchiha's eyes have suffered minimal deterioration- close to zero." She had checked him out personally, so she was sure. "And I've been wondering why."

Naruto could sense where she was going with it. "'The curse-mark is logging his current form, and continually refreshing his eyes to a less damaged state'- that's what you're thinking, right?"

A nod. "Orochimaru always planned to take your friend's body. If I could learn this much about the Uchihas' eyes, he surely would know far more than that. It's likely that Orochimaru developed his mark with the express purpose of keeping his eyes fresh for him, and simply seized the moment to keep him docile if he needed it."

"Right, which brings me to why I had to change the plan a bit, with his curse-mark." Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke can't afford to go blind." He did not elaborate on that point, but Tsunade knew enough by now to make an educated guess. "I cut all the excess out of his mark. He's promised to come to me regularly for extra maintenance- so I can make sure it stays secure. But I couldn't- didn't remove it in full."

"And you're sure it's fine."

Now, Naruto seemed confident. "I killed the core, stripped the fat as best I could, and recalibrated the base to support the restorative matrix and nothing else. I left him nothing to take hold of."

"Tell me you're sure," She demanded.

He thought it over twice more, for her own sake more than his own. If needed, he could build onto it later, with the new foundation that he had built. But for the time being, he was satisfied with his work. "I'm sure." He nodded, firmly.

Then there was nothing else to say. "What about Hinata?"

Now, Naruto darkened, fury storming on his face. "He doubled down on the idea. Fucked around big-time with her eyes especially. I don't know what exactly he was hoping to accomplish, but he went and used her like a whole lab experiment!"

Tsunade nodded, leaving him a moment to calm, but waiting for his continuation.

A breath. "I found a bunch of different biological data strains anchored by that mark he put on her. Separately, they don't do anything. But with the mark at the center of it all, it's forcibly mashing them all together with her own DNA.

Tsunade's breath hitched. "Gene splicing… He used her to-?"

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment, only nodding stiffly. Recollecting himself- "I think he was just throwing shit at the wall with her- testing what worked and what didn't. Her byakugan's tangled the hell up with a bunch of DNA samples that I've never seen before."

"And if you remove the mark?"

"In the same way that the mark is splicing her DNA, it's also holding it stable." He let out another shaky breath, pinching his brow. "If I take off the mark, it could lead to a ton of complications. She could fall ill; she could go blind. Fuck, her organs could fail… He knew I'd wind up figuring out his mark sooner rather than later, so he instead made it so I can't remove it without hurting her." Or at the very least, first figuring out how to untangle the mess of genetic data that Orochimaru had imposed upon her. "I'd need to learn how to reverse-engineer whatever bullshit he did to splice her in the first place, then either undo or complete it. Even after, it's guaranteed to leave a mark."

There was quiet for a long moment, Naruto hiccupping silently into his hand; Tsunade's expression softened, the woman standing and rounding the table to sit beside him. Her fingers combed into his hair, offering what comfort she could in that moment.

"Does she know?"

"I- uh…" Naruto shook his head. "I didn't want to lie to her; I told her it was bad, but I needed to talk with you first."

Tsunade raised a brow. "And she was fine with that?"

He shrugged. "Hinata trusts me. I won't betray that trust by misleading her… I just don't know how to tell her. She's going to blame herself."

A nod. "You're trying to protect her…"

"It's- Hinata doesn't need me to protect her like that." Naruto groaned. "It ain't about protecting her from the truth or whatever. She's strong as shit! I just- I want to have a plan or something before I go ahead and shatter her fucking world even worse than it already is!"

A plan, huh? Tsunade agreed. "What can you do? Let's look at that?"

Naruto nodded, sniffing. "I can- uh… I can strip the contract seal binding it to her- maybe renegotiate its terms so the burden ain't as heavy. I'll kill the core, but I've gotta replace it with one of my own to keep it stable; there's just too many functions that need to stay afloat to just let it lie." He considered it for another moment. "I used a basic processing core I cooked up on the spot for Sasuke's, but Hinata's is gonna need to be more complex- at least a grade-three. Then I can re-seal it- maybe mask it for her, so at least she won't have to look at the fucking thing whenever she looks in a mirror." A shrug. "I ain't giving up, but that's all I can do in the time we've got."

"Then it'll have to be enough," Tsunade answered back, a shrug in her shoulders. She brushed his hair back and kissed his brow. "You did wonderful. I'm proud of you."

"Y-yeah…"

A comfortable lull settled for just a few minutes, and she allowed him that peace.

But it couldn't last.

"...Alright, upsy-daisy; breaktime is over," She told him, standing up, herself. "I've scheduled a meeting with the shinobi council this evening just like you asked. Get everything done as best you can, and be there for six o'clock, sharp. Make sure to look stunning."

He snorted. "I always look stunning."

"Well look stunning-er. You'll need to make a statement."

… A statement, huh?

"She's right." His mother's input startled him out of his own thoughts. "It's about time you started asking yourself an important question: How do you want the rest of the world to see you?"

"I want you to attend the conference this evening with the Shinobi Council," Naruto's request floated over Hinata, caressing her ears as he poured over the seal on her neck.

"I-" Hinata licked her lips, anxiety wrenching her features. Though her boyfriend could not see her face, she knew from his touch alone that he was familiar with her thoughts. "Is it really okay for you to be seen with me?"

Hinata wasn't blind. She knew well enough what kind of reputation her actions had spawned for her. "I don't want to make things worse for you-"

"Hush, darling," Naruto soothed, and though she could not see his face, she could just envision the smile on his face. "This is as much for me as it is for you."

She blinked, slowly, a slight wince bleeding into that motion with the twinge of her neck. "I- I don't understand…"

"I need to show the council that the people who were marked are still people," He told her, matter-of-factly. "I know that you're not a danger to other people. By having you with me, you'll show that to them as well."

… But was that really true? Could she say with certainty that she wasn't a danger? Her father's full hospital bed seemed to suggest otherwise.

"You made a mistake," Naruto soothed her thoughts again, as if hearing them aloud. "That mistake carries consequences, but those consequences oughta be accurate." His tone was final, such that she did not at all doubt his surety. "Whatever they decide, I ain't letting them treat you like an animal or a criminal."

But there was something else.

"I'm afraid," Naruto admitted, this forced plainness to his tone that she saw right through. "I'm going to be walking into the lion's den of the most powerful, influential people in this village and making a whole lot of demands… Auntie won't be able to cover my ass, ya know. I need you… I want you by my side. Will you support me?"

"Always." Whatever he needed- whenever he needed it. She'd rip the moon from orbit and hand it to him if he'd only ask her. "I'll be there."

The mark on her neck- she would not pretend to understand every detail of the damage that Orochimaru's machinations had left her with; nor would she fool herself into believing that she understood all that Naruto had to do to save her.

"I'm going to be straight with you: I can't remove the mark the way I want to," Naruto told her. "It's tied to your biology in a real invasive sort of way. If I remove it from you-" He sighed. "You'll probably die."

That was… Well, it wasn't what she had expected, but she supposed the possibility had crossed her mind.

"That's okay…"

"No it isn't," Naruto bit back, and she could nearly taste his fury.

"S-sorry…"

Then his lips brushed the side of her brow. "I'm not angry with you; it's not your fault."

… She disagreed, but she knew he wouldn't want to hear that.

"I need to be transparent with you about this, Hinata." Naruto sighed, something uncomfortable filling his tone. "I can at least- er, declaw the mark for you; I'll cut out the more harmful functions and kill whatever influence Orochimaru could use it to have over you."

Hinata blinked rapidly. That was far better than she could have hoped for.

So what was the problem, then? She opened her mouth to ask just that, but he already seemed to anticipate her question.

"The problem is the core… Orochimaru used an adaptation of the evil containment method to seal a piece of himself into you via the core. Think of it like a central processing system that manages all of the functions of the seal." Naruto shrugged from behind her. "It's a lot to talk about; I'd like to sit you down and explain it all in full, one of these days…"

She'd like that.

"But for the moment, we gotta understand that that core needs to exist in some capacity, else the seal is going to fall apart."

… And if the seal fell apart, she would die. "... I understand."

Now, a deep breath from Naruto. "I can kill the core," He repeated. "But I'll need to replace it with one of my own- something built to handle the load of managing a seal this complex."

Hinata froze, contemplating that admission. She didn't consider herself the smartest person around, but she caught on quickly to what he was trying to wind his way around to. "If you control the core, you control me."

Now, Naruto seemed uncomfortable. "Er- preferably, I'd rather you controlled it… I could teach you everything you need to know- at least so you can manage it, yourself."

She knew that he would... But Hinata didn't know the first thing about sealing; she didn't know how to run diagnostics for seals, or how to interpret complications or perform maintenance. She didn't know how to update seals, or any of the other stuff that Naruto had often talked her ear off about. She'd tried; god, she had tried! But sealing may as well have been an entirely different language- worse than that, even! Even in a best case, it would take time. Months- possibly years for her to reach a point where she could manage it, herself.

Considering everything that Orochimaru's curse-mark could be used to do to her- "It wouldn't be much different from having the caged bird seal on my head," Hinata mused, and now Naruto's discomfort made all the sense in the world.

"I- uh…" Naruto's breath hitched. "Hinata, my people- we value freedom above all else. Something like this- to my partner, of all people…" His touch trembled, and Hinata understood. "I don't-"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata breathed, cupping the back of his hand with all the affection she could muster. "Do you-" She paused, collecting herself. "Do you love me?"

"More than six," Naruto responded immediately, and she giggled. Even when he wasn't trying to, he found a way to raise her spirits.

"Six is a lot. More than five," Hinata agreed, warmly. She twisted to look at him, finally, taking his face in both hands.

Once, just the thought of touching him would have paralyzed her in her place. Now, holding him so close to her had become a comfort she could not dream of being without. "If you do this, you hold my life in your hands." His disgust for the idea made her laugh, this one loud and rough, and above all else, honest in a way that she knew he preferred. "There is no person in the world I'd trust more."

Not even herself.

"Are you sure I look okay?" Naruto's fretting was so unlike him. Hinata had half a mind to roll her eyes as her partner paced back and forth, anxiously worrying at his person:

He was wearing those special earrings that the young lord had gifted him, with touches of darkened eye-shadow and colorless lip gloss.

Her gaze followed his fingers as they combed through his hair, done loose with their ends curling and bouncing with his touch. The shades of pink-to-burgundy in his locks seemed to cast themselves a bit longer than she remembered; only the topmost roots of his hair remained entirely blonde, these days. His fringe lay the same, covering entirely over his right eye. At his neck, she could make out his choker- attached to which, his collapsed, pink-lensed goggles.

Her sights chased downward, looking over him appreciatively. He had discarded his usual kimono top for something a bit more bold: a faintly lavender-colored, turtle-necked jacket with an open midriff, where his secondary metal limbs clasped over to cover nearly in full; its length continued on, splitting into a pair of lengthy coattails that showed off a vibrant red inner layer with an almost tuft-like texture. Its sleeves were long- so much so that they ought to cast well over his hands and finished with rounded, closed sleeves topped apiece with two rose-gold, sickle-like protrusions. The sleeves seemed slit at the inner arm's midpoint, rolling back and pinning with magnets of some kind to reveal his bare forearms and red-gloved hands.

His pants- they seemed almost delicate; black cotton or something adjacent- they tapered off into a simple drawstring, tied to the skin at the mid-shin. From the sides, she could make out bolder, red-orange rope-like adornments, crisscrossing their way up each thigh,

He was wearing shoes- not shinobi grade open-toed sandals or boots, but simple, comfortable-looking off-white slip-ons that seemed more at home with upper-class civilians or their lab staff than traditional working class folk or especially ninja.

She wondered what kind of statement he was trying to make with that. Honestly, she wondered what kind of statement he was trying to make with his entire look.

Naruto didn't look much like a ninja, she decided. He carried no noticeable weapons, aside from the hooked spikes at his sleeves' ends. His footwear wasn't fit for lengthy travel or combat; his pants looked like they'd rip at the slightest scrape or impact. Even his coat, bold as it was, seemed deliberately fitted to forgo the image of protection or uniformity of any kind. No, his look was bold- almost daringly fashionable and showy and goading in a way that she knew had to be intentional.

Still- "You look perfect," She decided, because whatever his goals were, she trusted them. And he looked damn good, if he was asking her.

"I need you to look tough. Can you do that for me?"

Hinata had never really considered herself tough, per se; though, if Naruto was asking, she was sure she could manage. She'd aimed to match him, because Naruto had asked her to join him, and she had no plans of doing anything less than rewarding the trust he'd given her. She wore a black, sleeveless top with a mesh layer on top and a lavender, one-sleeved kimono top over that, which matched the shade of his jacket exactly. Its hem was tucked into a burgundy, high-waisted skirt; a duo of black belts crossed each other over its waistband, each supporting a matching set of utility pouches on either hip. Black mesh tights, matching her top covered her from the knees onward, their length running all the way to tuck into burgundy, open-toed ninja-grade boots.

A red choker, matching her boyfriend's exactly, clasped around her neck, obscuring the dissected curse-mark on her neck. The long-sleeved gloves that Naruto had made for her, repaired and running up to her elbows; they disguised the bits of multi-colored scales that had dotted the length of her forearms, since her fight with her father. A very modest application of makeup hid the faint scarring over her cheeks.

Naruto's bracelet- the very one he'd given her the day he'd asked her out, was worn proudly on her wrist, exactly where it belonged.

Most striking though- the twin set of thorny blades that she had recovered from Kiba, that morning.

"Damn, I was kind've hoping you'd have forgotten about them!" He had jested, handing the pair over for her with an awkward grin. "Eh-" A shrug. "They'll look better on you, anyhow."

The pair sat together, bound loosely against her right hip. A message of her own, however much she hated what that message was.

She didn't know if she looked 'tough', like Naruto had asked, but she would do her very best.

Near the door, Tsunade scoffed. "You look fine; stop fretting." She gave Naruto a long look, her expression warming as she took him in. "So this is what you've chosen then, huh? You look just like one of Uzu's scholars."

And just like that, Hinata understood exactly the message her partner was trying to convey.

Naruto was an expert in his field- his expertise was not to be questioned or disrespected.

And Hinata was as much his guard as she was, his partner.

But anyone with sense knew that Naruto Uzumaki needed no protection.

Tsunade shared a slight grin with her kin, and then she was serious. "Listen close- both of you: Once we're in there, I can't hold your hand. If I'm seen giving you any unearned support, it'll not only reflect poorly on me, it'll hurt you as well." She pushed off from the wall, pacing forward until the two of them stood eye-to-eye.

When had Naruto gotten so tall?

"Do not under any circumstances allow yourself to look weak. This ain't some cutesy meeting between soft-bodied diplomats." She nodded, firmly. "These are ninja; not just any ninja either- they are among the best and most influential people our village has to offer. Our politics run differently from the norm." Holding his shoulders, she added- "Don't let anybody disrespect you, and don't you dare look to me for help. Are we clear?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, a deep breath filling his lungs until his chest seemed to swell with that motion.

Exhale.

"I ain't gonna need your help. I've got it handled."

"We've got it handled," Kushina amended. "She can't help you. I have no such weakness."

"No suCh WeAKneSS," Kumoko mirrored his mother, her sibilant croak cooling the last sparks of doubt in his chest.

Very good, Kumoko.

"VeRY gooD, KuMOkO."

Tsunade had advised him against bringing Katsuyu, Any overt direct affiliation with Tsunade would do more harm than good- only serve to cast her shadow over him, rather than show his strength.

"I'm ready," Naruto spoke, his tone entirely even. "Let's do it- to it."

There was no further exchange; Tsunade turned on her heel and crossed the distance to the door, her slight push sending the thing flying open and banging against the wall on the other side. As the commotion of her presence erupted, the buzz of speech within the room fizzled to its death, every eye observing her as she marched her way into the room and took her seat without introduction or fanfare. Her gaze cut toward the door- beyond it, at them.

"There's our cue."

Right.

Naruto came next, followed closely by Hinata. A slight gesture for the girl, and she closed the door behind them.

"Heya," Naruto greeted, an easy smile settling across his features. Every eye in the room settled onto him, their gazes some mix of interest, scorn, and even… encouragement?

Not every clan within Konoha had a seat on the shinobi council. Only the most influential and decorated clans had the luxury of having such a voice within the village.

His chakra took hold of the room, tasting the emotions of his audience as he came to a stop at the end of their table. He made sure to memorize each face, along with an impression of them.

Shikaku Nara, the village's lead strategist and head of the Nara clan. He was stoic, but his chakra spoke of slight interest. Naruto hadn't forgotten the soft "congratulations" that the man offered him as he draped Naruto's Chunin vest over himself. His friendship with Shikamaru would land him a foot in the door, but that door would quickly slam in his face if he misstepped.

Inoichi Yamanaka. He was cautious, but not unkind. He would not support Naruto unless Naruto pulled the support of the majority. That was a given.

Chouza Akimichi. His smile was warm, but his chakra spelled disdain, or maybe even fear . He would not support Naruto unless he left him no reasonable alternative.

Shibi Aburame. His chakra tasted of discomfort; Naruto could practically hear the man's insect colony demanding him to stay away from him.

"Well if we need a light snack during the meeting, I'm sure he can spare some protein."

"SpARE sOMe ProTEIN."

He almost laughed, but mastered himself.

But if the Aburames' leader was anything like his son Shino, the man only dealt in logic and objectivity. He would side with Naruto if and only if it seemed truly sensible.

"Good." Kushina hummed. "We can work with that."

Tsume Inuzuka. Her disdain for him was plain on her face. Naruto doubted she had ever forgiven him for what he had done to her clan and their ninja hounds. She might vote against him purely out of spite. Her animal companion, Kuromaru, raised his large head from a faux nap to glare at him, some silent threat in his gaze. Naruto resisted the urge to scoff.

Hiashi- Naruto blinked, twice.

The Hyuga clan's patriarch was clearly still in rough shape. Much of his body was still wrapped tightly in bandages, one of his eyes swelled nearly shut under a wad of gauze that was taped to his face. His arm was in a cast, and a faint sheen of sweat bridged his nose. Despite his condition, his stare remained as powerful as ever; his gaze was hard, but as he found purchase with a fidgeting Hinata, Naruto could almost see him soften for just a moment.

He let his gaze drift onward, forcing himself to hold Danzo's gaze perhaps a bit longer than he necessarily would have liked.

The old warhawk would ironically be an easy ally here, so long as Naruto did not lose his confidence. Danzo wanted Tsunade's cooperation, and would not risk directly alienating Naruto without valid reason.

"He can't easily put a collar on your neck if you know he ain't shit," Kushina scoffed.

His associates on the other hand-

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. An easy scan of both of their aged chakras told him all that he needed to know. They expected something from him. He was not sure yet what that something was, but he knew that they would not support him unless he gave it to them.

Then Naruto looked past them and his heart flipped and stuck within his throat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi. He looked older than Naruto remembered, his thin, liver-spotted flesh running pale. He seemed uninjured, though he was skinny and fragile in a way that made Naruto's heart ache; the faint 'beep' of a monitor of some kind sounded against the old man's chest. His eyes were tired, like he'd been awakened only recently. Though, when those tired eyes of his found Naruto's, the blonde found a warmth in them that almost made him forget all the baggage he'd carried, the last few months.

He had not expected to see the man; he had not even known he was awake- let alone out of bed! A thousand words wanted to spill out over his tongue, but Naruto let not one of them pass. A single, stiff nod for their retired Hokage, and Naruto continued his assessment.

His observations had taken only a few short seconds from his initial greeting. The silence that had met him tried to pull him under, but Naruto disregarded it in the next moment, throwing his attention Tsunade's way.

"Can we get started?"

"We've already started, boy," Tsume's unimpressed growl came quickly, threatening to unravel him within the very first few seconds.

"Check her," Kushina ordered.

"We start when she says we start," Naruto snapped, gesturing Tsunade's way with his head and tossing a lazy glare Tsume's way. "Don't presume to speak for her."

Tsume snorted and shook her head, a slight frown building across her features. She opened her mouth for just a moment, something scalding surely on her tongue, but a sharp nudge of her companion's nose silenced her long enough to cool her head. To Tsunade then- "Well?"

Tsunade pointedly ignored the woman. "We can start." She balanced an elbow atop the table, leaning into her palm and challenging Naruto with her gaze. "Three days ago, a terrorist attack was launched against our hospital. During the initial chaos of that occurrence, the fallout that ensued resulted in multiple civilian injuries and one casualty; Kurenai Yuhi, one of the present Jonin, was also wounded in the commotion… At the same time, multiple adjacent attacks were felt around the village."

She sighed, carrying on. "Special Jonin: Anko Mitarashi caused superficial injuries to Jonin: Kakashi Hatake, as well as significant property damage to the block that they fought on; Sound-village refugees: Sakon, Ukon, and Kidomaru, slaughtered eight of our own on their path to the hospital, where they then went on to attack and grievously wound Jonin: Kurenai Yuhi before she managed to subdue them. Sound-village refugee: Tayuya, caused a significant quote in property damage within the hospital, along with a direct assault against Chunin: Naruto Uzumaki. Genin: Hinata Hyuga attempted to assassinate Hyuga-clan Head: Hiashi Hyuga."

Hinata flinched under that accusation, but held her tongue.

"Chunin: Naruto Uzumaki, you're here to speak on behalf of the people who were marked by Orochimaru. A heavy atmosphere settled onto the room, then, with that reminder of just what had nearly been lost.

"What say you?" Tsunade's challenge continued.

He remembered what she had told him. It wasn't going to matter whether the attack had been conducted deliberately or otherwise. In the eyes of the people, the marked persons were all flight risks.

"Well let's start from the bottom then," Naruto agreed with a shrug. "First and foremost, we agree that Sasuke Uchiha, despite being among the marked, was not complicit in the attack, yeah?"

It was Danzo who spoke first, surprisingly. "Sasuke Uchiha was seen acting against Mitarashi; his participation was further noted by Kakashi Hatake." Then he frowned. "However, that does not guarantee that he is not a threat, himself. Merely that he was not a threat this time."

"I don't need you to agree that he's not a threat," Naruto offered an easy compromise. "At least- not at this moment. What I want is for us to unanimously agree that Sasuke Uchiha was not under any circumstance complicit in the attack."

One by one, heads began to nod. Some questioning, but not one soul could deny that singular truth.

"Good. The first step to working a crowd is to find a point of common ground. Get them to agree on one thing and you'll have an easier time getting them to agree on more."

Yeah. "So let's work off that basis: I, as well as the investigators who questioned him can verify that Sasuke Uchiha did receive an order to attack, just like the rest." Naruto gave a pointed glance to Inoichi, who nodded in agreement.

"This is true."

"And what relevance does this hold?" Shikaku Nara wondered aloud, his tone challenging but indulgent.

"To set a precedent." Naruto shrugged, now leaning forward to palm the table. He was half-tempted to make himself a seat, but refrained for the moment. "A precedent that, under the right circumstances, the mark's influence can be resisted."

Shikaku's expression remained stoic, but he bowed his head in allowance. "Sure." Shibi Aburame also nodded subtly in appreciation for that fact.

"And Sasuke's actions with Anko Mitarashi proved that the curse-mark's influence can be suppressed by outside influences."

Again, Shikaku nodded. "I can accept that." Now he frowned. "Though we still have not determined how that occurred."

"Well let me fill you in then," Naruto offered, his smile ever-present. Subtly, many of the crowd leaned in, their interests present. "Sasuke Uchiha's ability to disrupt the call of the curse-mark can be chalked up to an ability manifested within his sharingan. While the full scope of this ability is not yet charted, its ability to influence and suppress the signals produced by the curse-mark seem to be consistent and easily replicated. Tsunade-sama can verify my report, which I dropped off for her this afternoon."

Nearly at once, the people shifted.

"Pardon me," Shibi spoke up, his posture placid. "I do not mean to insinuate that you are being untruthful; however, I was not aware that such an ability existed within the Uchiha clan's dojutsu.

"I wouldn't expect you, nor anyone here to," Naruto assured him, gently. "The Uchihas' sharingan has a recorded ability to mutate under the right conditions, developing abilities unique to the user." Looking to Danzo, he smiled. "I'm sure that Shimura-san here can validate my claim. After all, he has directly worked with several Uchiha prior to the massacre. He, more than most, would have insight into this ability of theirs.

Danzo frowned, seeming a bit put off by the sudden focus. However, he responded smoothly. "He speaks the truth. I personally have witnessed the manifestation of some of these abilities. Shisui Uchiha, prior to his assassination at the hands of Itachi Uchiha, manifested a unique pattern in his sharingan. Itachi Uchiha manifested a similar evolution; the abilities that his sharingan exhibited, however, were very different… I did not get much opportunity to study those abilities before he went rogue, however."

There was a lie somewhere in there. Naruto had only barely caught it. Though, he could not make out where it had occurred.

"Later," Kushina soothed him.

Right. "This, at the very least sets another precedent that such a thing is possible. Lady Tsunade herself can attest to the manifestation of such a pattern in the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha, as well as a separate, unknown jutsu, which was triggered on their awakening."

"I can attest," Tsunade agreed, easily. "I have been monitoring his eyes and noting their development. The existence of these eyes is undoubtedly true."

"Sure," Shikaku spoke up again. "But once again, I'd like to know where you're going with this.

"Yeah, get to the damn point!" Tsume snapped.

"Don't interrupt me," Naruto snapped, and the room's temperature spiked for only a split second- just long enough that not one soul within the place could claim to have imagined it. "My point is that we have a precedent of the mark's power being able to be resisted, and we have a precedent that a power which supports that resistance not only exists, but is consistent; that it can be not only utilized for oneself, but applied to others!"

And with all of that laid out, Tsume bowed her head, her frown now bleeding into a complete scowl. On the contrary, Shikaku had begun to grin. Similarly, Inoichi now seemed interested, himself.

"Now let me lay down a third precedent for you all." Naruto raised his glove, and several eyebrows raised, observing the familiar pattern on his palm. Turning his hand up, he allowed its pattern to rise, projected in such a way that every eye could see; several of the present ninja tensed, but he paid them no mind. "The mark's influence can not only be suppressed; the mark, itself, can be changed and removed. I personally reported this morning the removal of Anko Mitarashi's curse-mark; I have also gone even further and fully removed the second generation marks, consisting of Tayuya, Sakon, Ukon, and Kidomaru."

"Bullshit!" Tsume snapped, this time jumping to her feet. Kuromaru slowly rose as well, a threatening growl ripping in his throat. "I remember when Mitarashi was first marked. Both Sandaime-sama and Jiraiya-sama both reported failure in extracting the mark from her! We are not about to pretend like some fresh-out-the-academy pup just magicked a fix out of their ass that our very best couldn't!" A loud silence bubbled between them at that outburst; Naruto only raised a brow at her, letting the tension swell all by itself until even she began to seem a bit unsure.

"It's a valid rebuttal," Chouza offered, raising his hand almost shyly. "Surely it's unreasonable to expect a mere child-"

"Alright none of that shit," Naruto snapped, cutting right into the large man's false-kindness. "If you're going to patronize me, grow some hair on your balls and do it right." Chouza's fake smile twisted, the makings of a frown spreading quickly. Naruto found Tsume's wild glare again, an obvious roll of his eyes meant for the woman. "As for you- I don't really care if you believe me. Unless you mean to call our Hokage a liar as well?"

Every eye turned to the Hokage in question, and Tsunade could not fight the makings of a grin that filled her painted lips. "I can personally attest to his authenticity."

And as every eye turned back his way, Naruto could see the shift of opinions. Even Tsume's disparaging sneer had become a bit more cautious. Naruto held her gaze for a long, intense moment, daring the woman to open her mouth again. Then, when it was clear that she would not, he shifted his attention once more; to the entire crowd. "I am a superior seals-master to both Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sama" Then, sternly, he added- "This is not up for debate."

He let that order weigh on them for one agonizing moment, before carrying on. "So our precedents thus far are that the marks can be resisted, the means to do so are accessible and can be applied as necessary, and the marks can be changed and removed."

Shibi nodded, the makings of a smile appearing beneath his coat. "I can appreciate these precedents."

"I have a question." Hiashi's baritone compelled the room's attention in spite of his condition. His pale gaze fixed Naruto, his eyes not quite challenging, but fully demanding. "I notice that when you mentioned the marks that you have removed, you did not mention the names of Sasuke Uchiha or my daughter." His frown deepened, a shadow of concern flicking the latter's way before he fully schooled himself. "Should I take it to mean that the two of them are still infected?"

Shibi Aburame spoke again. "I concur. While these precedents of yours are impressive, I still cannot claim comfort, knowing that the- Hiashi-san's rather apt phrasing- infection remains in circulation.

"Infection, huh?" Naruto's laugh was rough, and the room tensed a bit more at the sound. "You're more right than you think, Aburame-san. The curse-mark is an infection in every sense of the word."

Agreeing with him like that was risky, but Naruto really didn't want to risk arguing with someone so adroit, least of all at such an integral moment.

"However, I disagree that it is in 'circulation', as you put it." Naruto gestured for Hinata to step forth, and she obeyed, sensing his intent. Her hands were shaking, so he palmed her shoulders in a show of comfort, then undid her choker for her. Wordlessly, Hinata stepped forward, craning her neck for the room to see. Hiashi's muted gasp nearly made him wince; every eye in the room was drawn toward the twisted iconography that clung to her neck.

The macabre petals of a spider lily, wrenched in a sharp-limbed approximation of a spiral.

"In the case of both Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga, the seals that were branded to their flesh proved too important to their bodies' functions to risk a full removal; Orochimaru made sure that such an attempt might result in them being permanently crippled, if not outright killed, ya know. But this does not mean that I haven't cut the snake's head."

Again, Naruto palmed his girlfriend's shoulders from behind, rubbing comfort into her tense posture. "In the case of both marks, I have- not merely neutralized- but completely destroyed any hold that Orochimaru's influence could have had. In order to sustain their core functions for the marked persons' own safety, I took hold of the marks' cores and made them my own."

The room shifted, uncomfortably. Then, as the implications of that admission came together, the people began to pale. It was Hiashi who responded first; his frown twisted, an angry scowl marring his face. "You. Marked. My. Daughter!?" The man seemed about ready to climb over the table and wring his neck, injuries be damned.

"Hiashi-san, your condition is still pretty terrible. Please don't cause yourself any further harm." Naruto's politely worded not-request came with a pressure that froze the wounded man in his spot. Quickly though, Hiashi began to find support amongst the others.

"No." Chouza stood, his frown now shifting to that of a full scowl. "No! I've seen enough! You walk into our council and claim with a smile that you have the means to control our youth!?" To Tsunade, he gestured with his hands some sort of half-plea, as if begging for her intervention. "Surely you can see that this is not right, Tsunade-sama!?"

"It is not all that uncommon, actually," Danzo cut into Chouza's rant, his stoic features touched with something almost appreciative. "Plenty of other ninja villages utilize similar means to keep their ninja in check. We, ourselves, have used such means in the past." He made a show of thinking. "While it may be a bit unprecedented for a Chunin to possess such means, I believe it is fair enough by now to agree that Uzumaki-san is no mere Chunin."

"His skills are besides the point; it's barbaric!" Chouza snapped, refusing to be talked down.

"Is it?" A two-word question, spoken almost innocently. Chouza's gaze snapped back to Naruto, who tilted his head and smiled; the gesture belied no malice, and yet it was discomforting in a way no person could describe. "The alternative was allowing the worst criminal our village has ever produced free and unrestricted access to his daughter's body. With that access, he could freely pilfer the secrets of her clan; he'd need only make the order, and everything that she is would be his to abuse as he saw fit. Tell me what you would prefer."

"And now she is yours, instead!" Chouza snapped, banging his fist onto the table with such force that its surface dented. "No person should have the means to do such a thing!"

"I agree!" Naruto's almost cheery return startled them all. "I'll just remove the core that maintains their seals, and you can explain to Hiashi-san that his daughter had to suffer and die so that you could feel good about yourself!" Then he scoffed. "You're quick to judge, Akimichi-san; but I notice that not once have you actually asked who made the call for this!"

"It was me," Hinata's voice was feather light, but carried strong. Chouza's mouth snapped shut, ceasing his planned rebuttal to instead look between the girl and her father with something close to horror and embarrassment both.

The Hyuga patriarch's eye twitched, his fingers grinding against the table. His gaze found Hinata for only a moment, and she could at least force herself to meet him there, nodding with a strength that she had to dig deep to find. "I asked for this," She told him- the first words she had spoken since the meeting had begun. "I… I would have no one else do this for me."

"A moment spanned between the two, father searching his daughter for deceit that he would not find… And for all that he hated it- that, Hiashi had no argument to give. To Naruto, he merely inclined his head, his scowl remaining, but lacking its earlier threat. "I apologize for my outburst."

Naruto only nodded, understanding because if he were entirely honest, he hated it too.

But right now, he had a role to play.

"Let's get back on topic," Tsunade ordered, almost lazily. To Naruto, she waved her hand. "Get on with it."

Right. "So let's recap once more. Since we've started, I have established, with confirmation among your peers and superiors, and easy proof to provide: The mark can be resisted; we have the means to resist it; the marks can be altered and removed; all existing marks within the village have been either fully removed or dealt with in such a way to ensure the agency and safety of said parties."

"Then we have established that the threat of Orochimaru's curse-mark has been handled to a-" Koharu considered her words. "A satisfactory degree." Now, the slightest smile settled on her thin lips, and she nodded Naruto's way. "Well done."

The sentiment seemed to be reciprocated in splatters; even Tsume, unhappy as she seemed, could bring herself to offer a stiff nod of her own.

"However-" Koharu continued. "That still leaves the fate of the attackers."

Naruto frowned, but gestured for her to continue.

"Regardless of the circumstances, we have hundreds of eye-witnesses observing the attack, and need to be seen taking action. In the absence of such, Konoha's leadership will look impotent." Her words now seemed meant almost entirely for Tsunade. "And given the circumstances at play, Konoha's leadership absolutely cannot afford to look impotent."

And that, Naruto could not argue against.

"I agree," Naruto agreed again, and now every eye snapped his way in alarm. "Objectively speaking, something needs to be done. The involved need to be punished- or at the very least put in check, so that the people can feel safe again."

Chouza's frown twisted further, unsurety holding dominance now. "I thought you were here to plea mercy for the involved?"

"Of course," Naruto allowed. "But I am not an idiot, nor am I naive. There is no world where the people involved get off scot free. My goal is not to magic their freedom out of my ass, but to ensure that the punishments they receive are as reasonable as they can be, given the circumstances."

Now came the hard part. The really hard part.

"Godspeed, soldier." Kushina cheered him on, fingers crossing. Her words were mirrored in Kumoko's familiar croak, her massive claws wiggling in tandem.

"Shimura-san," Naruto called to Danzo, fighting to speak over the lump in his throat. Danzo's lone eye did not help his anxiety, but Naruto's smile did not waver. "Tsunade-sama informed me that you were interested in creating a task force to wage war against Orochimaru."

Danzo's eye widened for only a split moment, before the makings of a smile laced his aged face. "Correct."

Naruto tried not to give his eyes to Tsunade. The two of them had discussed it, and he knew her blessing.

But he knew she hated the idea as much as he did.

"What better way to seek justice? Allow the hurt civilians to feel safe, knowing that the aggressors are being used to destroy a greater threat, and offer those who were used by that man to seek justice for themselves, while making themselves useful to Konoha." With that first bomb dropped, Naruto threw the next one into the mix. "I will assume responsibility over the involved and adjacent parties: Anko Mitarashi, Sakon, Ukon, and Kidomaru, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and Tayuya Uzumaki. Under mine and Danzo Shimura's leadership, we will execute Orochimaru for his crimes against our people."

A sharp outbreak occurred at that, multiple points of interest exploding into play.

"A Chunin, demanding such a thing?"

"Control over the Uchiha and Hyuga heirs-"

"Tayuya Uzumaki!?"

It was Tsume's voice which carried over the rest. "You've lost your bloody mind, boy!"

Naruto's smile was unfettered. "Watch your tongue, please."

"Absolutely not! You want to wage war against Orochimaru!? You're a child! No older than my own son!" To Tsunade, she barked- "And when were you going to tell this council that we had another Uzumaki in our village!? To have kept such a detail from the rest of us- are you insane!? And why- why on Earth have you not put this fool child in his damn place, yet!?"

Tsunade did not so much as acknowledge the fuming Tsume. Her eyes were only for Naruto. Blatantly, she gestured with her head in the Inuzuka-matriarch's direction. "Well?"

"Now's the big moment. You need to make a statement," Kushina's coaching floated in his mind's eye. "Harden your heart and put them in their places."

Yeah. Thankfully, he had a volunteer.

"Well for starters-" Naruto reached out and snapped his fingers. A rattle of chain, then Tsume's rant choked off into a pained wretch as she was ripped from her seat, her body dragging across the table to hurl itself his way. Her legs kicked for purchase that would not come as he bid her closer. "I believe I warned you to watch your tongue with me, Inuzuka-san. But I especially warned you not to speak for our Hokage." He rounded the startled Hinata to step closer to the dragging Tsume; her clawed fingers ground against the surface of the wooden table as she was hauled his way via the invisible grip around her purpling throat. As Naruto stepped forth, the secondary arms at his waist peeled away from one another, stretching and flexing before coming together again in the 'bird' hand-sign; the edge of the table severed apart, slicing down the middle and peeling itself apart to make way for him, where he met the wheezing Inuzuka matriarch halfway. In the same moment, Kuromaru leapt into action, leaping directly up with a snarl in his throat; the ninja-hound hit the ceiling for only a moment before he was barreling down at Naruto, his body tearing the air with their clan's signature whorl.

"Passing Fang!" The large hound's approach was met only with a snort from his target. Naruto glanced up at the incoming drill, his gaze finding contact through the whirl of fur and chakra. Their eyes met for only a moment-

'Yin Release: Empty Bead'

At once, Kuromaru's descent lost its form, his rapid spin spiraling out.

"Hinata?"

Kuromaru's massive body flew right into Hinata's easy grasp, the girl's hand catching the dog by the scruff of its neck to drag with her as she followed after him; Naruto continued his advance toward Tsume, unabated.

"Kuro-!?" Tsume could barely choke after her animal companion's paralyzed form. His eyes had rolled all the way to the back of his head.

"He's a little sleepy; don't mind him," Naruto assured her almost gently. Leaning to meet her, his fingers traced the trauma on her squeezing neck, flecks of rose-gold dust abandoning their collective grip on her flesh; they leapt away from her to embrace their creator, shifting color and blending seamlessly into the fabric of his glove. "Now see, I've treated you gently thus far in the spirit of our camaraderie as Konoha ninja. Don't you dream of mistaking my mercy for weakness."

Nearly at once, several more of the present folk had leapt to their feet.

"Sit down, all of you." Tsunade's order froze them in place, and Naruto paid them no further mind; they would not interfere without their Kage's direction.

Tsunade's stare was hard, but approving.

To Tsume- "Let's get something straight with you." A thought, then Naruto cast his sights wider. "All of you. No one in this room is more worthy of this responsibility. Of the involved parties, including vaunted Jonin like Kakashi Hatake, I am the only person who managed to subdue my opponent without any wounds or casualties to the local people." No one would dare try to argue the details with him at that tense moment.

Now, his smile bore teeth. "It was I who led the charge against Orochimaru's monster in Tanzaku; it was me who subdued the One Tails during the invasion. It was me who removed Orochimaru's seal- a problem which plagued the village for over a decade, which even our most esteemed seal-masters couldn't manage. Me!" He leaned forward until his nose was just short of a choking, blue-faced Tsume, his pretty face rippling and splitting to expose rows upon rows of angry teeth that seemed to pale the final bits of color from her face. "One of me is ten of you, and my presence in this village is felt in the thousands. It was my clones, which carried the reconstruction effort; the hundreds of D and C-ranks that you people thought yourself too good to do- I sustained them nearly on my own. Of the funds I should have been owed, the majority was turnt back to the village to sustain our coffers so we could afford to pay out the ass to fix all of our shit!" He glared upward, daring anybody to contradict him. "Yeah, in just these precious months following the damage, I alone put this bloody village on my back and dragged it forward by years! My existence alone renders your whole fucking clan obsolete, so don't you dare forget for even a second who the fuck I am! What's my name!?" The pressure eased up, and Tsume began to hack and spit, clutching her wounded neck; her whole body shook, fighting to choke down an agonized breath.

His heart clenched in his chest for a moment, but Naruto fought it, standing tall to eye the rest of the room. "Well?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," Inoichi spoke up, seeming wary, but impressed. "Message received."

Naruto nodded, his close-mouthed smile once again in place. "Thank you for your time."

Every face seemed to eye him differently as they considered their stances. Naruto stole a glance Hiruzen's way, and could make out the aged man's discomfort with his show of force. "I believe I have seen all that I need to see," Hiruzen wheezed, wobbling to his feet and palming the table with one hand. "Naruto Uzumaki is correct that he has proven his dedication to Konoha and its health. I don't see why he should not be trusted with this responsibility."

"I concur," Danzo spoke next. He stood as well, a sharp look flicking to Hiruzen then back to Naruto. "What's more, he has demonstrated the temperament and force to fight for our esteemed village; that, and to keep the involved parties in check. It would be a privilege to work with him- with our Hokage's consent, that is."

"Of course Danzo would get a chub, watching you throttle somebody."

Heh.

Shikaku stood next. "I don't care to see my peers get dragged across our meeting table- you're fixing that, by the way," he demanded, sulking. "But I agree that you got your point across. Naruto Uzumaki is undoubtedly suited for this responsibility."

For a long moment, no one else stood, though Naruto knew intrinsically that he had already won; the public opinion seemed unanimous, even among the most grudging. Even Tsume Inuzuka, who had by now mostly recovered herself, seemed to eye him somewhat appreciatively as she rubbed her discolored neck.

Tsunade stood. "Then that settles it." She set him in her sights, palming the table and issuing him a hard glare. "Moving forward, consider yourself Special Jonin: Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked. "Pardon?"

But surprisingly, aside from an equally gaping Hinata, no one else in the room seemed surprised.

"The title of Special Jonin exists for those who have certain skills or proficiencies befitting of a Jonin, but lack certain experiences or confidence in other areas," Tsunade explained with a shrug. "If you're going to go around calling yourself our village's frontmost seals master and demanding to front a war, then you need a title befitting those responsibilities. I will issue you the necessary paperwork once this meeting is finished."

His heart was hammering in his chest, but Naruto stifled it for the moment. "S-sounds good," He half-wheezed.

She nodded. "Then the decision is made. You will assume responsibility over the named parties. That includes their needs, as well as their punishments." Tsunade looked over the rest of her council. "Any questions?"

No one dared to speak.

"Then this meeting is over. Leave."

One by one, her ninja stood, each filtering their way out of the conference room. Some nods passed Naruto on the way out; one warmly worded "Well done" sounded from Shikaku Nara. Hiruzen limped out on a cane, flanked closely by his once advisors; as he made to pass the still stunned-still Naruto, he stopped for only a moment. A kindly smile crossed his face, tired but indulgent in a way that Naruto could almost distantly remember missing.

"Come see me soon? He half-pled, rubbing the boy's shoulder with a thin, quivering hand. Then, not awaiting a response, he left as well until it was only Naruto, Tsunade, and Hinata in the room.

Them, and a lingering Tsume Inuzuka.

"I said beat it," Tsunade huffed at the woman. But Tsume waved her off.

"I am, I am… I've just got something to say." Her painful rasp made its culprit swallow. An apology nearly breached his lips on reflex, but Kushina helped him master himself.

Tsume sighed, seeming almost annoyed with herself. Then she nodded firmly and smiled. "You did damn good, kid. Congratulations." Her next words seemed a struggle for her to manage, and he couldn't be sure if it was the pain he'd put her through or her own simple disdain. She hauled her still-dazed Kuromaru in her arms and nodded again. "You deserve it."

Naruto blinked.

Wait, really?

Without another word, Tsume left as well. Naruto and Hinata watched her go, dumbfounded.

"Well that went well," Tsunade noted, now wearing a wide smile on her face. "I think they liked you."

And that was the final straw for Naruto. He collapsed to his knees, palming the floor and wheezing. "Hooooooly shit! I thought I was gonna piss myself!" He whined, ducking his head low. "That was awful!"

Tsunade let out a loud bark of a laugh, and Hinata couldn't help but chuckle, herself, as she dipped down to nuzzle the crown of his head.

"You were really intense," Hinata murmured into his hair. "I- um… I didn't expect you to handle Tsume-sama like that."

"It was the right thing to do," Tsunade jumped in. "She strikes me as a tough woman; tough to a fault. She ain't gonna be happy about being humiliated like that, but she'd never support or trust somebody who just rolled over to keep the peace. She may not be happy with you, but you sure as shit earned her admiration."

Naruto shrugged, weakly. "I figured as much. She's a lot like Kiba; they both talk a whole lot of shit."

"But she's fair," Tsunade told him, bending low to grip his bicep; she lifted him to his feet and kissed his brow. "She's the only person you could have gotten away with treating like that; she's the only person who wouldn't take it personally."

"I figured as much." Naruto nodded. "I needed to make an example out of somebody, and she was the loudest of the bunch."

"You did me a favor too." Both Naruto and Hinata seemed confused, so she clarified. "I told you: My position here is still fresh. All of the council knows me, but that doesn't mean they trust or respect me- especially not after I've spent so long ducking this place… Why else do you think she kept needling me like that? Tsume would have never taken that tone with Hiruzen."

Ah. "So having me check her like that for you-?"

"It shows that I already have support in my leadership. Damn strong support at that, if you can just bitch one of their elites on my behalf."

That made sense. The rest of the shinobi council would not have supported her decision to support him if Naruto allowed himself to appear impotent.

"So how'd you grab her?"

Raising his gloved hand, the tiny motes of dust that formed them started to shift. "Everything I wear is made of my chains," Naruto began, seeming proud. "Like this, it's basically all just a bunch of solid pieces; I can break them up into smaller bits as needed though." Then he shrugged. "The moment she started talking crazy, I started breaking off tiny pieces of chain and remotely stuck them to her. After that, I just increased the pressure- used yang-release and vibrated them rapidly to generate energy, and wrapped it around her neck."

It was inspired. She didn't know what else she could say about it other than that. "Good. Keep practicing."

Maybe that. For now though- "I hope you're prepared to deal with what's in the box you just opened, kid. Danzo's more slippery than prison soap."

"Hey, Pervy Sage has used that phrase before too!"

"Where do you think I got it from?" Tsunade grinned, but then she was serious. "I mean it. I can't protect you from every little thing he tries to do; the best I can do is try to keep his hands above the table…" She sighed. "I'm trusting you to keep them all safe. Can you do that for me?"

"I still don't like the thought of you being so close to Danzo." Kushina whined, and Naruto agreed.

For the life of him, he still couldn't get a read on the guy… They'd need to practice even further to refine their chakra sensitivity.

"If he tries anything-" Naruto trailed off, meaningfully.

He'd let Kumoko eat him.

"KuMOkO eAT hIm."

Very good, Kumoko.

That's the chapter, and it's good to be back! I just don't feel at ease if I'm not getting to work on this fic consistently. It really has become one of my favorite hobbies.

As you can see, things are finally starting to speed up. We're not just talking about war- it's time to skin us a snake!

There's a lot I want to talk about regarding this chapter and the things that come next. But honestly, I think it's better if I just hunker down and show you. So look forward to seeing where we go in the next few chapters.

Leave me your thoughts- good and bad, so I know how we're feeling with these developments!

No omake this time around, sadly. I'm in a bit of a rush and don't want to half-ass it; I'll write two for next chapter to make up for it, for those who care.

Okay, bubaii!