Chapter 71

[Four Months Later]

"Quickly but discreetly start moving the civilians and genin to the shelters," Darui ordered.

"Hai," answered Mabui as she departed in a shunshin. The Raikage tower was a flood in action, finely trained and well-honed ninja almost slipping into chaos. Plans were hastily being drawn and discarded. His Spec. Ops. Commander busily trying to find the right protection detail for Darui's journey and back in the office. And through the storm of activity, Darui had to project a calm he was not feeling.

In his Raikage robes, he strode through the village. One reason, to give his people confidence that nothing was wrong. Second reason, to give his ninja time. Time to collective themselves, time to prepare for the trial ahead. A third reason, to buttress his resolve. As countless people greeted him, Darui remembered why he'd done this. For so long, he'd felt out of step with his comrades and former leader. Whereas they thought Ay had the right idea but the wrong execution, he firmly believed both were mistaken. But Ay, for all his faults, knew how to inflame the passions of his people.

He played to their pride. He crafted a narrative. He promised them more. They were proud warriors long denied victory, conquerors long denied conquest. A Kage ruled absolutely but he still needed the consent of his people and as much as Darui wanted to cease the path they were on he knew it would have eroded his support. Without Kirabi and Yugito, they needed to be a united front. Steadfast. Resolute.

It meant he had to go against himself. He had to embrace the losses that were coming. He had to trust Onoki, something he was loathed to do. Most of all, he had to spin Konoha as the bane of their existence. The reason they hadn't reached their long promised glory. Darui wondered what Kumo's hostility toward Konoha must look like from the Hidden Leaf's perspective.

The Sandaime Hokage really wanted to build bonds and work together, something Ei hadn't seen the value in until late in life and something Ay would have never considered. Tsunade was less ambitious but more realistic, her aims could be summarized as, "Just leave us the fuck alone, sheesh," but the antipathy was bone deep. One ninja had come face to face with the A-B tag team and allowed them to leave in one piece. One man had stood above Ei, a killer of twenty thousand ninja over a three day period.

Konoha's existence mocked Kumo. Their victories, their prodigies, their lush surroundings. Most every Kumo ninja found the Hidden Leaf offensive. They shared stories of a village too solicitous of their civilians. Too soft, barely functioning like a military installation. They weren't ninja in the right way and yet they were always saved by their prodigies. It was no secret that every Hidden Village thought Konoha was top heavy but on a ninja to ninja basis, Iwa and Kumo produced superior results.

Darui hadn't shared that opinion, or felt it moot but culture wouldn't be changed in a day. "Raikage-sama!" he heard a young voice call out and he waved at the young resident while he sensed his protection team coalesce around him. The crispness of the air and the brilliance of the sun briefly entered his mind. Kumo was hard but it was beautiful and it was his to protect.

He made his final approach to the front gate, dozens of Jounin and Black Ops. ninja hiding, tense but disciplined as the gate guards stood confused. Darui walked past them and welcomed their visitor. "You honor us with your presence, Uzumaki Naruto-san."

"Yo, 9-0 brought back the Mighty 8 and Miss 2; fool ya fool" Kirabi said from the Konoha Jinchuuriki's back. Darui wondered why Kirabi hadn't taken the initiative to stab the boy in the back and save them all some trouble. He looked at the Uzumaki's attire, white pants and shirt with a red obi around his waist. A long sleeved, white haori but no weapons visible and seemingly no armor. It was a bold, foolish choice.

"So, I see," Darui responded. "And what has motivated such a show of goodwill?"

"Godaime-sama called me to her office and said, "Naruto you, being of unparalleled temperament and discernment, go close our negotiations with Kumo and get a treaty signed." And being the loyal and obedient ninja I am, have come to do just that. I think you'll be amazed at what two people in a room can accomplish."

"Well, Kumo welcomes you. If you would follow me to my office." The Uzumaki followed along. Darui knew Kumo's best fuinjutsu artists would check over Kirabi and Yugito to make sure there were no seals on them, he would need them to be combat ready. There was no way he could allow the red-haired shinobi to leave Kumo alive.

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Shi was attempting to stay calm when all that surrounded him was a cascade of tension but he was failing. Failing at stilling his nerves. He wasn't the anxious sort, no one who was around Ay as much as he was could be. No, his fluctuating emotional state would be credited to Kirabi. The man was supposed to get himself checked for any seals, and for Shi to get a clear picture of how loyal Kumo's most powerful ninja was to the village, but he ran off as soon as Darui departed with the Uzumaki. There wasn't a ninja powerful enough to corral him so Shi had to get a second-hand report from Yugito.

"She's clean, as best we can tell," one of the village's fuinjutsu experts said. Shi broke from his thoughts and looked at the container as she pulled redressed, not allowing her any modesty.

"Yugito, what can you tell me?"

"Both Matatabi and Gyuki think attacking the Uzumaki is a grave mistake."

"If he wields the Mokuton with proficiency I could see why but what do you and Kirabi think?" Shi pressed.

"I… in Suna, he pinned me down with just his intent. I hadn't felt so weak ever before. He's powerful, more so than me. And worst still, Kirabi likes him."

"So, Kirabi may be compromised?" Shi asked. Yugito's initial response was a hard glare that bordered on murderous.

"Killing Ay-sama did that," she said in a clipped tone. Shit met her glare with a neutral look but said nothing about Ay's removal. He'd accepted his part and its necessity so he wouldn't debate it with her. Accepting he wouldn't respond, Yugito continued, "I don't know what Kirabi will do."

"We aren't in an "I don't know what Kirabi will do" situation, Yugito," Shi responded while the surrounding ninja became increasingly uncomfortable. "He owes-"

"He owes? What does he owe?" Yugito hissed as her fists clenched at her side. If Shi wanted to talk debts she'd happily engage.

"Loyalty?" she asked, rhetorically. "You overthrew his brother, you ingrate! The only reason any of you see us as more than unstable weapons of war was that Bee and Ay-sama willed it."

"We'll just have to trust Kirabi will do the right thing," Shi said, shutting the line of discussion down. He had no counter-arguments nor the time to create them. "How did you get here without alerting border security?"

"He flew us here in metal pods."

"Flew? How?" Flying was not something he was prepared to deal with.

"I don't know, I was in a metal pod. Then about a mile from the security gates, we landed and traveled on foot." Shi didn't respond, his mind desperate grasping for solutions it didn't have.