Naruto had only been to Mizu no Kuni a few times before, and never in a friendly way. It was similarly difficult putting together a retinue familiar with their eastern cousins. A Byakugan user was a must, Konoha had learned not to fight Kiri in their own mists without some kind of long-range detector. Naruto was a decent sensor, but he was no natural; having Byakuya Hyuuga along allowed him to focus on other matters.
Such as what he was going to say to the Mizukage.
He remembered their last conversation at the Taki Chuunin exams and the way she so naturally seemed to fit in that chair. She was confident, cunning, and wasn't above a bit of light manipulation. But, back then he wasn't a Kage; they should be on equal footing now in that regard. Although whether or not she would see it that way remained to be seen.
He was the younger Kage, in both age and tenure, but the latter was only by a few months. She may have lived through and won a civil war, but Naruto wasn't bereft of experience either, and he had one of the wisest advisors you could ask for in Hiruzen, even if the older man wasn't with him now.
Already the power games were in full effect as Naruto and his party were forced to wait at the very outskirts of the village, to be escorted in. He knew the Kiri-nin were aware of his presence, Byakuya had confirmed they were being watched towards the edge of his Doujutsu's range. They stayed there, in the damp of the water-logged forest, for about twenty minutes before a small entourage of Kiri Jounin arrived to escort them forward. Enough to try their patience, but not enough to convey offence.
Nearly textbook, Hiruzen would have likely thought of several ways to turn this on its head by now.
But Naruto wasn't Hiruzen, he was more than willing to wait out these little games. He was the visitor here, so already he was in the weaker negotiating position. Whatever Mei had to do to reinforce her confidence was fine with him. His main advantage was that she had no idea why he was here, and the fact that she had been perhaps a little too hasty in accepting his offer of talks.
That eagerness was telling.
Kirigakure was a beautiful village; what it lacked in Konoha's bustling rustic charm, it made up for in elegant, twisting architecture done in a white, almost metallic stone that shone with the condensation clinging to the walls. It also seemed more planned than Konoha's sometimes random street designs, more like an extended military base instead of the almost organic growth his own village had underwent.
Although on that point he figured that Hiruzen might have been a bit too secure in the idea that other villages couldn't cotton on to Konoha's success. The signs of the recent civil war were still evident around him, in the hastily patched-up buildings and the more recent additions that didn't quite match the traditional aesthetic. The village was beginning to show some of that patchwork beauty that would have been so intensely familiar to any leaf-nin. Likewise, he could see the bustle of activity, from both shinobi and civilians alike intermingling.
Mei Terumi wasn't the proud type then, above learning from her rivals. That was useful to know.
The Mizukage building was impressive in its own right, as scorched as it was by – if the bingo books were accurate about Terumi's abilities – lava. It might have passed for some kind of arena from the outside, if not for the many aquaducts sprouting off its circular form and spreading out through the village like a system of stony veins. The waterways were also apparently used as some kind of converted highway system as he and his retinue were lead right up one, using paths built on either side of the water flow, and straight into the heart of the building.
Based on the aesthetic of the village he might have expected a very spartan, bare-stone sort of effect inside. Instead, everything was rather lavishly decorated with pastel colours, warm tapestries and rich imported woods that banished any thoughts of the dreary weather outside. Even if the Yondaime Mizukage was a genocidal madman who threw his entire country into the bloodiest period in shinobi history since the clan wars… he had wonderful taste in decoration.
This time, the Mizukage eschewed any more mind games and had him come right in, minus his entourage. That was fine though, they had their own orders and it wasn't as though even with his retinue around they stood a much better chance of surviving aggressive action. The large window that dominated one side of the office was done in such a way that it cast the light streaming through the mist outside into entrancing rainbow patterns that danced across the walls distractingly.
Sitting there in her plush, high-backed chair with all the elegance of a true leader, Mei Terumi managed to look even more beautiful than he remembered. Although that may have been the few extra inches of skin on display; this was a woman who played for keeps.
"Why Hokage-Dono..." she started, somehow making those first few words drip with a primal magnetism "…I must admit that it was an unexpected pleasure to hear you would come calling." Naruto pulled together all of his training to keep a comfortable but non-deferential smile on his face as he settled into the decidedly less comfortable chair opposite her desk. "The two of us partaking in such a private sojourn together; my, the other Kage must be scandalised."
"Should they be Mizukage-Dono?" Naruto shot back easily, silently reminding himself over and over that he was the Hokage. "After all, these are just friendly talks, are they not?"
Mei somehow turned the slight quirk of a lip into a sultry expression Anko would have killed to mimic. "Oh, of course." She leaned forward slightly, accentuating the depth of her neckline. "But you see, it's all about appearances with them, they likely balk at the idea of…" She drew herself in slightly, as if remiss to even speak it out loud "…what we might do together."
Naruto leaned forward as well, humouring her. "Such as?"
At that the auburn-haired woman leaned back with practised nonchalance. "Oh, you know; trade monopolies, armament pacts, truces…" She dropped her eyelids a fraction of an inch "…alliances."
Again, Naruto humoured the idea, waving his hand as if weighing some invisible scale. "Well, such a bloc would be fearsome, they would have every right to be worried." He let that thought hover for a moment, before adding, "even if the idea is farfetched."
The Mizukage's smile didn't waver. "Of course."
They continued in this manner for a good few minutes, lightly trading veiled barbs and tacit agreements. All of the actual negotiating was in the realm of the implied, nothing said outright, as was only proper for the leaders of Ninja. But those agreements were no less iron-clad and enforceable as the most legalese-infused concords between Daimyo. It was all fairly simple stuff to begin with, the usual trade agreements and non-operation pacts that were always ignored with the implicit understanding that the other side would ignore them too.
The dialogue only took a turn when Naruto lightly slipped in the subject of former Mizukage and his prior… status.
"Even you must admit that Kirigakure, despite their many accomplishments and well-deserved fame, are not well known for their Fuinjutsu." Save, of course, what they plundered from Uzushiogakure alongside Kumo and Iwa. But that was a different generation and Naruto held no grudge for the woman in front of him.
"Or perhaps, Hokage-Dono, you raise the bar too high on yourself. Your family's predilection for the art is well known. Kiri has managed just fine in the past with our Jinchuuriki." On that, they both knew, she was lying through her teeth. Although they were very dignified, pearly teeth, and the lies slithered through as opposed to being forced. The Jinchuuriki of the Rokubi had been AWOL for years now, even before the civil war, and Naruto had a stack of damage reports on his desk back home attesting to the freedom of the Sanbi.
Mei seemed to catch on to this when Naruto made no move to push the subject. "The Biju have always been a… delicate subject around here, especially given the status of our former leader." The 'May he rot in hell' went unsaid in this case. "I can assure you that stringent efforts are being made to keep the situation… domestic."
Naruto just smiled. "I thought, in that regard, Konoha might be able to lend some aid."
"For hefty concession, I must imagine," Mei returned without missing a beat.
The redhead just waved a hand airily. "The Bijuu are every nation's concerns, the damage they can wreak, even accidentally, is monstrous." There was something powerful in what went unspoken, the thought that Konoha might be willing to do an actual favour for another nation. Not the typical 'You owe me' favour either.
"We would certainly consider such aid," Mei said after a lengthy pause, the biggest concession she had made to letting something genuine slip through her tightly-controlled façade. "As for now, I would be thrilled if you accepted Kirigakure's hospitality for the evening. I would personally recommend the sushi bar on the main street, perhaps we might even share a bite together some time?"
Naruto knew it was still part of the game, that it wasn't really him and Mei speaking, but the Hokage and the Mizukage. "How could I refuse?"
The subtleties only ended when they both stood, somehow leaving their personas in their chairs as they shared their first genuine appraisal of one another in those terse few moments. Finally, Mei cracked a smile, more genuine and ten times more radiant that anything the Mizukage could manage.
"I must say, you have played havoc with my expectations of you…"
The redhead nodded at the implied request. "I feel we've said enough to call me Naruto."
"…Naruto." She seemed to taste the word for the first time, apparently enjoying it by the smirk on her lips. "Then I would be remiss if I didn't offer the same courtesy." The offer seemed a whole lot less layered than it did during the Chuunin exams and Naruto felt a lot more comfortable accepting.
"Then I can say the same for you, Mei." It was as though a hundred unsaid things were passed between them in that moment, a mutual understanding, not so much between themselves as it was between leaders.
"We're both young leaders," her eyes flickered to the corner of the room where Naruto knew Ao had been hidden for the entirety of the negotiations, "and we face mounting pressure on all sides. It is pleasant to know that there is a direction we might… lean."
Naruto didn't say anything, just extending his hand for a shake. The negotiations were far from over, but he felt the better part of the groundwork had been laid for something more solid. When she accepted his hand, a rare gesture in the world of Shinobi when there was the implicit understanding that they could probably kill one another with less contact, he allowed a few teeth to show in his smile.
"The sushi, was it?"
Naruto found himself rather fond of the accommodation he and his party had been put up in. He could barely see the thick white stone the building was made of through the various plush furnishings that gave the hotel room a soft, comfortable atmosphere. He didn't dwell on it long though before doing the mandatory check for surveillance seals and any listeners-in. He found a few, but that was to be expected as a foreign dignitary.
They became redundant all the same when he placed down a pre-prepared seal that mimicked the one permanently set in the Hokage's office. A clever construction of the Nidaime, it didn't so much block sounds leaving the room, as it did distort them. Likewise, it made any images inside the confines of the room… fuzzy, for lack of a better word. It was excellent for disguising hand-signals for anybody who might be watching in.
When he was sure he was secure for the moment he tossed a Hiraishin kunai into the centre of the room. A moment later, and with a yellow flash that was almost nostalgic, four people appeared in the room. Three of them vanished almost as soon as they appeared, taking Byakuya with them and leaving a perfect doppleganger in his place. Komachi had been chosen to be dropped off by the Yondaime's old bodyguard because of her rather excellent henge; one of the best in ANBU.
"Rather nice place, isn't it?" Naruto asked, just in case Kiri had some other method of listening in. The real conversation was happening in subtle hand signals. 'Status report.'
"Doesn't quite compare to home, they can only hope to emulate the quiet dignity of the Hyuuga compound." 'Target moving up the coast, eta seven minutes.'
"Yes, well, I imagine that familiarity would have the residents here say otherwise." 'Good, rendezvous with surveillance team and await further instruction.'
Komachi sniffed haughtily, and if Naruto didn't know any better, he would have said she was enjoying the ruse. "They can believe what they like I suppose, just because they've finally wrapped up that barbaric civil war, doesn't mean they can start pretending otherwise." 'Orders understood, additional note: possible code sunrise.'
Naruto had to quickly supress a frown, Akatsuki could be trouble. By all their intelligence it was too early for them to be making a move, had something changed? "We're the guests here, and I have to admit, the place has its own charm." 'Continue as normal, do not engage, dismissed.' Komachi sniffed again, imitating the typical Hyuuga pride with practised ease. Before she could even lower her nose she was gone and replaced again by the real Byakuya.
"You should see to your own room Byakuya, I intend to sample Kiri's hospitality for at least the night."
The real Hyuuga nodded imperceptibly, acknowledging the true order to scout the area as much as possible. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
Alone again, Naruto walked over to a nearby window, hiding his thoughts behind a veneer of curiosity at the mist-swept panorama that sprawled out beneath him. It was a wonderful view, but the young Hokage had little time to appreciate it as he considered the new information. The fact that the Akatsuki might interfere was concerning. Naruto wasn't afraid of them, especially since dealing with Kisame, but in that instance he could count on Itachi staying out of the fight. Two S-class missing-nin would be a tougher pill to swallow, especially if it was the pair who had tried to kidnap Fuu.
Still, if things went according to plan…
He was only made to wait ten minutes before there was a knock at the door. He wasn't surprised, he had thought they would send somebody to check up on him after whatever surveillance system they had failed. What was surprising, was finding the Mizukage herself outside his door, looking a great deal less official without her wide-brimmed hat.
"How are you finding the accommodation?"
It wasn't hard to switch out the surprise on his face with bemusement, the small breach in protocol was promising. "Pleasant, if missing the comforts of home."
Mei somehow made her amusement as sultry as if she had simply walked into the room already shedding her clothes. "Oh, I can imagine, from what I've heard you're quite the family man."
Technically news of Anko's pregnancy wasn't supposed to leave the village, but it would be naïve to expect the other Kage not to know something like that. The fact that Mei chose to bring it up though, it was acknowledging that aspect of their game was shelved. "I was particularly interested in the seals on the windows, I assume to keep them water repellent?" He wasn't, he knew they were likely spoils from the fall of Uzushiogakure, but he was keen to switch topics.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you? One of the youngest seal-masters in history is certainly one of your more impressive titles."
The redhead's lips quirked. Seals? Seals were comfortable. Seals he could talk about for hours. "The funny thing about Fuinjutsu, is that no matter how much you think you know, there's always more."
"Not unlike any field of study then." Mei added, pouring herself a drink from the decanter that had been left in the room. Naruto had yet to touch it, probably wouldn't have if she wasn't demonstrating its safety; another calculated show of trust. The woman was clearly working towards something. "Unfortunately, Fuinjutsu has always been a… limited aspect of Kiri's past, in favour of more martial pursuits. And the difficulty of the last few years has only worsened the situation."
So that was how she was choosing to phrase the civil war; a difficulty. In other words, tacitly stating their weakness without suggesting the village had lost its bite.
"I'm sure what we may call seal masters would barely register as dabblers in the art to somebody like you."
He could tell she was skirting around the subject and decided to push it a little. "A metaphorical deficit in supply then?"
That seemed to stall the older woman for a moment but she caught herself brilliantly, giving a noncommittal wave. "Perhaps more of an over-demand, for the moment."
"Well then, I would be a poor leader if I didn't point out that Konoha might be in a… position to weigh in on the matter."
"Oh, they would then? How very… forward." Mei pushed her chest out slightly, but it was mostly empty play, she had clearly given up on trying to use that approach in her negotiations. "And what would be your counter offer in this metaphorical matter?"
"Well, on something as nebulous as Fuinjutsu that could vary a great deal, but that's what negotiations are for. Unless the matter was time-sensitive." He could almost see the woman's eyes harden slightly, some of the pretence slipping away as he made his position as clear as could be in the silky-trappings of shinobi-talk. 'If you choose to go this way, a high price will be exacted.'
Mei moved back, gliding across the room to lean against a nearby armrest; she made a show of examining the room as she considered it. Naruto chose that moment to drop in the caveat. "Of course, Konoha has always been kind to her allies, the leaf is eager to forge closer ties with those she calls friend." His meaning was once again crystal clear. 'There might be a steep price, but you need friends, and Konoha is the best you could make.'
He could see the gears grinding away behind those pale green eyes. He couldn't predict the outcome as he still hadn't made a proper read on the wily Mizukage. He could however, bank on what he did know. Kirigakure was recovering, and by the looks of it undergoing extensive re-moddling in the wake of their recent 'difficulty'. It also looked as though Mei had chosen Konoha as the image to rebuild her village in. If the ideology ran stronger than a simple strategic move, there was something to work with there.
Eventually he could see she had come to a decision. "Would you care to take a walk with me Naruto?" Naruto recognised that look all too well, and for the first time realised that he wasn't the only leader who agonised over their decisions, even after they were made.
"It depends if we're walking towards a certain Bijuu."
If Mei was surprised by the bluntness of his question she didn't let it slip, apparently resigning herself to her choice as she set her shoulders and gave a coy smile.
"Must you ruin the surprise?"
The efficiency with which the small coastal village had been evacuated was commendable, clearly it wasn't just the shinobi of Mizu no Kuni that had gotten good at dealing with sudden attacks during the civil war. It was a good thing too, even from the steep rise a few hundred meters from the village wall Naruto could see the damage was extensive. Most of the buildings and structures near the water were little better than kindling, the rest had been compromised by the flood waters reducing the soil to a soupy muck.
What dominated the vista though, was the enormous creature thrashing wildly just off the shore. Currently it was being harried by a group of Kiri-nin, if harried was even the right word. Mildly irritated might have done the scene better justice as water jutsu that would have easily drilled through solid rock splashed harmlessly against the Sanbi's enormous shell. Simply turning in place caused great swells of water that threatened to level the rest of the increasingly sorry-looking village.
"Quite a sight," Naruto muttered, already repressing images of a different night fifteen years ago. The Sanbi couldn't compare to the sheer malice or suffocating power of the Kyuubi, but it was still a Bijuu.
"One I'd hoped never to witness again if I'm allowed a rare moment of honesty," Mei admitted, reminding Naruto that she had been the one to take down Yagura and had likely faced this beast before. His respect of her abilities as a kunoichi rose a few notches.
"Any advice before we start?"
Mei just motioned to the ongoing fight that was happening below, pointing out a Kiri ANBU that had been slapped aside by one of the beasts great scaled tails and send skidding across the water like some over-large skipping stone.
"Mind the tails."
Naruto allowed him one last grin at the flippancy she could manage in the face of such overwhelming power before setting his face into what Ami had taken to calling 'Hokage-mode'. He threw a Hiraishin Kunai into the dirt at his feet and in three quick flashes a small team of ANBU had been dropped off in front of them. His father had been on to something when he granted a select few people the ability to perform the hiraishin as a group. He would have to think on refining the process later, for now…
"Taka, north. Buta, East. Saru, west. Inu, south." He handed them each a large scroll twice the size of the normal sealing variety. "Set up and begin connecting, don't attempt to complete the seal until I've set the foci." When he received four professional nods he waved them off, quickly pulsing his chakra to signal another drop-off. Instantly, Tenzo was in front of him and Naruto could practically feel the grimace beneath the man's mask. "You know what to do, herd, don't restrain."
Asking the fledgling mokuton user to restrain the three-tails would have been a bit much, but the man could certainly keep it in place long enough for the others to get in position. He seemed to shore himself up a bit before nodding and flickering off to join the others. Naruto glanced across at Mei only to find the woman staring at him with a calculating gaze.
"It's almost as though you had planned for this Hokage-dono."
The redhead shrugged, his mind was already half-taken up by the various on-the-fly calculations he was making. "It pays to be prepared in our profession, and as I said, the Bijuu are every nation's concern."
Mei simply hummed, glancing back down to where the Konoha ANBU were beginning to take up their positions amongst their Mist counterparts. "I will inform my shinobi not to interfere and protect your men if possible. You understand if I won't have them throw away their lives though."
"I wouldn't ask the same," Naruto acknowledged, running through a few lightning-quick hand seals. A moment later an enormous scroll, perhaps a little smaller than a summoning contract, appeared in his hands. He slung it over his back, it was the keystone of this entire operation, and carefully measured his shot before throwing a single kunai as hard as he could towards the beast.
Dropping his mask for a single instant, long enough to wink at the Mizukage, he said, "See you on the other side," before vanishing in a flash of red.
"What a curious man," Mei mused before dashing off at her own pace. Her ANBU would need all the help they could get keeping the Sanbi in one position. She knew from experience.
Komachi cursed her luck as she faced down the fury-filled glare of the Sanbi. The enormous beast seemed to have taken a rather personal interest in crushing her flat as it once again flailed its tails. It didn't help that every turn of its body caused the water to roil and bubble as waves bigger than she was attempted to fling her back onto land. All of this might have been manageable if it didn't also feel like her lungs had been filled with boiling lead and her arms weighed down by anchors.
The Bijuu's presence was just oppressive, no easier way to say it. Its hatred was like a physical waves that radiated out and rolled over her in thick, hot pulses that threatened to have her legs turn and run with no input from her brain. All of this, and she had to focus on the complicated seal floating on the water in front of her, because if she didn't all of this would have been for nothing. Her only solace was that the other three ANBU across the cardinal directions were also feeling this and they hadn't wavered either.
She caught a red flash appearing way up on the Sanbi's shell and felt a little of that smothering malice lift as the Bijuu refocused on the new nuisance riding it like the world's largest rodeo. Komachi could almost smile behind her mask as she saw her Hokage give her a cheeky wave from atop the beast before hastily rolling to the side to avoid one of its great chitinous tails. She knew he would be busy for the next few moment placing the anchor seals that would ensure all of this worked.
How he could stand to be that close to the beast was beyond her, the fact it looked as though he was having a great time ducking and weaving across its shell was mind-boggling. Kage were crazy, the lot of them. And as if to prove her right the Mizukage suddenly slammed into the side of the beast like a meteor, shrouded in a pale mist that caused the Bijuu to give a deafening shriek of pain and anger. The ANBU, Kiri and Konoha alike, could only watch in in wonder as the mist visibly ate into the shell that their most powerful jutsu could barely scratch.
Not to be outdone and ever the competitive spirit, Naruto chose the moment when the Sanbi focused all of its attention on Mei and made it regret it. He suddenly appeared before the creature's face holding a Rasengan bigger than its eye before flashing away, there for less time than it took to blink. The moment the jutsu was bereft of its creator, it expanded rapidly, engulfing the beasts head in a shrieking, grinding sphere of chaotic energy that saw its bulky tails fall limp behind it, stunned.
Naruto chose that moment to appear beside her, nearly causing her to lose focus. She should have gotten used to such displays back in ANBU, but it was easier said than done.
"The anchors are set, get ready to begin the sealing," he said, face stony but with the spark of adrenaline alight behind his eyes. "I think the Mizukage will help me keep it distracted, but I'm not counting on it. I'm going to relay the others to start closing the trap, so things are about to get rough, bu-"
She never got to hear what he would say next as he suddenly threw himself in front of her, taking the brunt of an explosion that appeared out of nowhere. When the tinny whine in her ears finally subsided, the ANBU masks helped in that regard, it was replaced by the beating of enormous wings.
"-don't get what all the fuss is about, he wasn't that tough. You sure that was the same guy who took out Kisame?"
She peered up through the clearing smoke at the two silhouettes bickering atop an enormous white bird, one tall and lanky, the other squat and hunched-over… both wearing the recognisable red clouds of the Akatsuki.
"Don't be so complacent, he may have been young but he is a Hokage nonetheless. Your worthless 'art' won't have taken him out of the fight so easily and we still have a job to do here."
Komachi tried not to panic. The ANBU had been briefed about the Akatsuki and their known or suspected members.
"Yeah, yeah, time is money and all that, it's a good thing my art works just as well in a flash."
Then again, she never thought she might be facing any of them, especially ones that could catch Naruto off-guard.
"That's Kakuzu you fool, I simply don't wish to keep Leader-sama waiting. So hurry up and deal with the trash while I see to the beast."
The ANBU took a calming breath, resigning herself to what would likely be a last stand making sure the sealing went uninterrupted. She let it out as a sigh of relief when somebody else stepped up in front of her.
"I'm afraid you have more pressing concerns Akasuna no Sasori," Mei stated calmly, her voice carrying above the violent waves and the pained roars of the Sanbi, "and…" The woman turned slowly to the lanky blond "…whoever you are."
Komachi wondered if it was a trait all Kage shared to make their subordinates feel just as safe and secure as if they were back home in a training field. She almost wanted to grin at the irritated expression the other S-class Nuke-nin wore as he stomped his foot angrily atop the strange, lumpy bird.
"It's Deidara, yeah? Learn it, you sorry excuse for a Mizukage! I want to introduce this one to my art, Sasori-danna."
The hunched over missing-nin grunted irritably, saying, "You have your orders, go. I'll deal with the woman." Before hopping down off the bird to stand across from the Mizukage on the turbulent waters. Deidara clearly looked pained for a moment before scowling and directing the bird to fly off in the direction of the other ANBU.
Komachi wondered what she was supposed to do, she was right next to a potential fight between S-ranks, her teammates were in trouble from another and they were all still in the middle of a Bijuu sealing.
And where the hell was Naruto?