37

Chapter 37: thirty-six: angelic demonSummary:

How thin is the line between good and evil when a child calls a murderer an angel?

Notes:

These past few months have been absolutely insane. Don't worry, I definitely plan on finishing this story, but I was so busy and exhausted that I didn't have enough energy to think about writing, let alone actually doing it. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I'm definitely not qualified enough to talk about the economy, and I may or may not have invented a new tree species. I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own Chiyuki, any original characters, and this story's plot.

TW (?): periods, mention of STDs.

Chapter Text

Becoming Hokage 101

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Section Seven

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Chapter Thirty Six

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The trip to Ame is, thankfully, mostly uneventful.

For whatever reason, Takuto has resolved to keep quiet most of the time and quietly observe her, which suits Chiyuki just fine. Because he's the heavy-hitter of their team, he takes point in their formation, and so the time they spend interacting with one another is limited to when they set up camp and when they leave again.

In the two and a half days they spend traveling, the trio spends a good portion of the time in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts and speculations. Again, this is perfectly fine with her. It all points to a wonderfully uneventful trip, but on the morning of the remaining half a day of travel, the girl wakes up with a knowing pain in her lower abdomen - one she hasn't felt in a long time, but also one that she knows intimately well.

'Ah, fuck. Couldn't it have waited one more day?' She thinks sourly, cursing her female anatomy. Don't get her wrong; being a cis woman in a ninja world is not nearly as bad as it sounds. Sure, it's still a cis-male dominated field, but even civilian children are taught to fear the deadly and silent grace of a kunoichi, more so than the often explicit aggressiveness of a shinobi.

Still, as one born in a female body, the butterfly summoner is also prone to undergoing the usual processes of its physiology, especially as a thirteen year old girl.

'The slug summoner did say you would be having your first period soon.' Chou croons in sympathy, wincing in tune with their summoner when a sharp pain hits her abdomen.

"Chiyuki-hime?" Ensui asks, suddenly wide awake despite moving sluggishly only seconds before. He hastily puts the rest of his things inside his bag and walks towards her slouched figure with big, sure steps. Even the Uchiha ninja looks over from the other side of the camp, a furrow to his brow.

"I think I'm on my period." She answers, fetching her first-aid kit from her bag and taking the pain pills Tsunade had given her. Takuto immediately leaves the camp, walking straight into the dense forest, but they both ignore him. The man kneeling next to her nods thoughtfully before producing a couple of cereal bars from his bag, giving it to her.

"Almonds and flax seeds are good for menstrual cramps." He explains, and she gives a hum of appreciation. Then, the shinobi rummages through his own first-aid kit briefly before he takes a couple of pills and hands it to her. "Take these too. I know Tsunade-sama must've given you something for the pain, but these are Nara-made. Modesty aside, they work pretty well."

"Thank you, Ensui." The Sarutobi Princess smiles gratefully at the dark-haired man, who merely nods in lieu of an answer.

Takuto comes back that second, with a perfectly cleaned and cooked rabbit on a stick. Wordlessly, he crosses the small area of their camp and hands it to his mission leader, who doesn't bother to hide the pleasant surprise from her expression.

"Thank you, Takuto."

The young man nods and waits until she's taken a bite out of the tender meat before opening his mouth to explain. "My mom's period pains can get pretty intense, so I'm used to it. If there's anything I can do to help make your life easier, let me know."

She can't help but let out a hum of gratitude and contentment, both for the meat and for the straightforward kindness.

'He really is his father's son, huh.' A bittersweet taste accompanies that thought, and the scar on her heart throbs slightly, but she needs to move on.

She must.

"I will, thank you again."

The next six hours are spent traveling in the same fashion as before, but with frequent breaks to drink water and change her pads. The Uchiha shinobi is surprisingly thoughtful and considerate without being overbearing, which is an extremely pleasant surprise.

'I wonder if Takuto is the exception, or if all Uchiha men are taught about periods?'

'Would you like to know?' Chou inquiries, head tilted to the side.

'No, I'm not that curious. Besides, ever since Tsunade came back to the village, they're teaching actual sex ed at the academy, so I'm not too worried about that. Did you know that the number of patients with STDs has gone down by over 25% in the last couple of years?'

'Yes, we did know. We were the ones to tell you that.' The peacock butterfly answers, amusedly, and her summoner snorts inside her head.

'Oh, just let me brag in peace.' She grumbles good-naturedly, and she gets the feeling that if the butterfly could roll their compound eyes, they would.

"ETA is in 5." Ensui's voice brings her back to earth, and she nods.

True to his word, like Nagato had said, Ame welcomes the Konoha team with a huge festival. It can't be compared to Konoha's, since the smaller village is only about ⅓ of the size of her birthplace, but it's still a beautiful sight.

Even though the sky's cloudy, there's not a single hint of rain - not the smell, not the tell-tale sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. The main entrance is decorated with colorful ribbons, and what seems to be the entire able population of Ame is there to welcome the Konoha shinobi with cheers and whistles.

The happiness and gratitude on people's faces makes an honest smile bloom in her own face, and it serves to remind her once again just how much this alliance means to the smaller village. It makes the altruist in her weep in joy, of course, but most importantly-

If she plays her cards right, she might just have a guaranteed, extremely powerful ally in the near future - and no matter how nice she may pretend to play, that is her ultimate goal.

(The young girl's blood splashes on her clothes again. For a split second, she sees Sasuke's face in hers. She sees Shikamaru's dead body falling to the ground, his blood still warm-)

"Welcome to Ame, Chiyuki-hime, Ensui-san, Takuto-san. It is our honor and our pleasure to welcome you to our village." Nagato's pleasant, deep baritone snaps her out of her thoughts, and the scenery changes from the dense green of the forest to the light gray of a cloudy day once again. From her place on his right, Konan gives her a kind, soft smile, and from his left, Yahiko nods respectfully.

Chiyuki herself bows slightly to the three shinobi, which prompts the two men with her to bow lower than her. "Nagato-sama, Konan-sama, Yahiko-sama, thank you for such a warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be here." She smiles her best Political Smile, and the crowd cheers louder.

There's an actual celebration after that, with food stalls and art performances and people coming to greet her nonstop for three hours, but after a quick talk with Konan, the three Konoha shinobi are dismissed from the festivities while Yahiko and Nagato stay and appease the crowd.

"I'm sorry for this. If I had let you know beforehand-" The blue-haired woman shushes her while guiding the newcomers to their rooms in the administration tower. As a means to both watch and protect her, the blonde girl and her two companions are staying on the same floor where the Ame leaders live, all the rooms in close proximity to one another.

"Do not dare and apologize for something you have no control over." The two kunoichi share one brief, knowing glance, before they stop in front of one of the doors. "This is your room. Ensui-san's room is the door to the right, and Takuto-san's is to the left. If you need anything, let me know. I'll send someone with some food later."

The thirteen year old nods gratefully, a warm, honest smile on her face. "Thank you, Konan-senpai. Really."

The older woman's orange eyes soften, and she mirrors the girl's expression. "Of course. This is the least I could do. Please rest, we shall talk tomorrow."

The two men wait until the woman's figure fades completely from sight before they move as a unit. The Uchiha shinobi is the first to open the door to her room, sharingan eyes quickly scanning the place for anything out of place. It's a simple but comfortable room, with a single bed, a small dresser and a desk and chair set. There's even a small coffee table with three chairs around it, clearly meant to be used during the Konoha shinobi's meetings.

She doesn't need to enter the men's rooms to know it's not nearly as spacious or furnished as hers.

'Well, that's to be expected. I'm the leader of this mission-'

'-and extremely valuable to not only Konoha, but Ame as well. The Uzumaki child had to make a lot of concessions to bring you here for one whole year.'

A bitter taste fills her mouth at Chou's commentary, but she swallows that discomfort down and watches with half-lidded eyes as the two men under her command finish checking the room. She has to come to terms with the fact that she's important, and she'll be treated as such more often than not.

'Nagato is anything but stupid, everyone and their mother knows that. But he could make less decisions based on emotion alone, y'know.'

A slight shudder runs down her spine as she remembers just what became of the red-haired man after Yahiko's death, easily manipulated thanks to his deep sorrow and pain.

'Is that the pot calling the kettle black?' Chou's knowing, deeply amused hum nearly dusts her cheeks pink, and the girl mentally scowls.

'Oh, hush.'

Seemingly done with the room's inspection, Ensui waits until the woman's chakra leaves the building before he turns slightly narrowed eyes to his mission leader. Hidden in his dark eyes, so inherently similar to Shikaku's yet not, is not quite an accusation - but something too deep to be called simple curiosity. Wordlessly, Takuto slaps a sound-proof seal to the wall, knowing just what the Nara shinobi is doing but choosing not to interfere.

"It's a relief to see you being well-treated by your senpai, Chiyuki-hime." The blonde child meets his half-accusation head on, a shit-eating grin on her face - something dangerous and full of teeth that only makes her brown eyes glint ominously in the low light.

(A mask, for all effects and purposes, but a sturdy one, nonetheless.)

'Thirteen year old or not, I'm your commanding officer in this mission. I can't have you suspecting me, now can I?'

"She did take me to bathe with her, so I imagine that would bring us closer, yes." The taller man chokes on his next breath, a strangled cough coming out of his chest. Ensui manages to keep his composure, but something wavers in his gaze, if only for the briefest of moments.

The grin slips from her face and a carefully constructed blank expression takes its place. She locks her gaze at the two shinobi standing in front of her, one at a time, before finally opening her mouth.

"You two have your mission, and I have mine. I promised Konoha great results, and I will deliver them."

Soundlessly, both males bow formally, at a full 45 degrees in respect of her position as field leader in this mission.

(They don't need to know just what she's willing to do in order to achieve it.)

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The one to bring her dinner is none other than Nagato himself.

"Steak? You don't have to treat me this well, you know." Chiyuki mumbles, her conscience weighing on her as she eyes the delicious-looking food brought to her. The red meat alone can be considered a luxurious meal, as difficult as it is to raise cattle in a rainy place such as Ame, but everything else looks fresh and smells great - and was brought in hefty amounts, too.

"We know you need to eat more than normal thirteen year olds." The rinnegan user shrugs unabashedly. "Think of this as a bribe."

"I don't need bribes. And you need to stop feeling guilty."

The man shoots her an annoyed glance - as expected, she knows what's going on his mind scaringly well, and he resents her the tiniest bit for it.

The girl sighs softly, shooting an apologetic look his way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." It's been a long day, and hormones are wreaking havoc inside her body, but that's no excuse.

She really should have better control of her emotions.

"...no, you are right. But that is something we'll have to agree to disagree, I'm afraid."

He proceeds to ignore whatever the Sarutobi Princess mumbles next, taking different brands of pads out of his bag instead. "Also; Konan asked which one you normally use."

"Now that's just plain favoritism. There's no need for that, I can go buy them myself."

Nagato then gives her a long-suffering look, and she has the feeling it's not the first time he's had this talk. "You are her favorite. Please just pick one and let her do this for you."

"I thought you were her favorite." She answers instead of picking one, not bothering to fight off the pleased expression on her face as she sees his pale face blush a pretty pink.

"There aren't many kunoichi in Ame. Besides, she admires how involved in politics you are." The Uzumaki coughs awkwardly and avoids the topic successfully, sombering the mood and bringing a pensive look to her face.

"I suppose I never had much choice in the matter." Being the Sandaime's daughter aside, Chiyuki simply knows too much - and has too much power to change things - to just sit in the sidelines and watch things unfold.

She could have chosen to avoid politics altogether, like Asuma, or be interested in it just enough, like Tooru, but in the end, she'd rather live with the consequences of her actions weighing on her than do nothing and keep wondering about the what-ifs.

As the room drowns in contemplative silence, she feels Ensui's hum of iron shift in the room next to hers, and she knows very well both he and Takuto have been listening to their conversation since the beginning. She's not naive enough to think she'll get away with slapping sound-proof seals on her wall whenever Nagato comes - now that's just asking for them to suspect her.

Just as her mission in Ame is to assist the village in economical and political matters, the two Konoha shinobi sent with her are there not only to guard her, but also to snoop around as much as possible. There's a reason why only one of them has to be with her; so the other is allowed to 'help' Ame with odd tasks around the village in order to show 'good-will'.

The three leaders of the rainy village must at least suspect that, of course, but since their village technically still owes much to Konoha, there's nothing much they can say when words like 'improve' and 'alliance' are thrown around.

"Thank you for the food. It was delicious." The girl says honestly, breaking the silence with a soft sigh.

"If you're grateful, choose a pad."

"Ugh."

A muffled cough comes from Ensui's room, and it sounds suspiciously like a laugh.

"I prefer the ones with wings." She finally concedes with a pout, choosing one that seems to be the middle ground - not too cheap, but not too expensive either.

Nagato nods, an undeniably satisfied air around him. "Konan used to use these, too."

A thud sounds from Takuto's room, and the two of them share unamused looks while wordlessly choosing to ignore their obvious eavesdroppers.

"I am glad we resolved this. I know you're tired, but I was hoping we could play some shogi. I have been practicing." The red-head bulldozes through the topics, not a hint of subtlety in his gaze, even though he dead-ass pulls a shogi board from his bag.

Chiyuki snorts, knowing very well that he's telling the truth, and that they'll actually play shogi as they discuss their plans through Chou and his rinnegan.

"Sure. I'll have you know I often practice with the best, you know."

"Yes, I know. Do not go easy on me." A challenging glint shines in his rinnegan, and that inevitably brings a grin to her face.

"I wouldn't dare."

She sends chakra to the seal on her neck and the peacock butterfly puffs into existence in front of them, the eyes on its wings looking eerily similar to the ringed eyes of the rinnegan. The insect lands gracefully on her summoner's head, spreading her wings open with a flutter, locking its four 'eyes' with Nagato's.

A jolt of chakra runs through her momentarily as she immediately feels the red-head tuck in his own chakra more firmly against himself, as if to prevent the overwhelming amount of energy he has from pouring straight into her through their connection with Chou.

Similarly to Kushina, it feels as if he holds an entire ocean of chakra inside of him, sometimes as calm as a windless day, sometimes as furious waves that crash repeatedly against one another. It washes over her like a cold, invigorating waterfall, and they both nod at each other.

'At your command, our child.'

'I'll be counting on you today again, Chou.'

The next several minutes are spent in silence, only the sound of the pieces clicking on the board echoing throughout the room every once in a while. To Ensui - Takuto had gone to sleep moments before, may the gods bless him - it truly sounds as if the two of them are merely playing shogi.

Unbeknownst to him, the inside of their minds is a completely different story.

'I'm sorry, you want to do what?' She very nearly shouts in her head, knowing Chou is able to only convey words, but not the tone of voice or the emotions that accompany it.

'I want to lure Madara to Ame and kill him here.' The peacock butterfly replays Nagato's words inside her head and she looks with horror at the determined set of his jaw.

'Nagato-senpai, I'm sorry, but you know better than anyone the state that Ame's in. If a fight of that scale were to break out-'

'We'd bring him to the outskirts. We don't have to fight inside the village.'

'What about Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu army?'

'Konan and Yahiko are strong enough to help us.'

She pauses, both during the shogi game and their mental discussion.

'Did you-?'

The rinnegan user quickly shakes his head. 'No. They only know that Madara is alive and is a threat.'

Right. There's no way Nagato would've been able to keep something this big from them. If she were in his shoes, she'd have done the same.

'Besides, that's where another part of the deal comes in.' The man barrels on, unbothered. She furrows her eyebrows and barely remembers it's her turn. 'Jiraya-sensei sent a few scrolls regarding Uzushio through his toads a few days ago.'

'I'm surprised Konoha agreed to let go of those.'

'Uzumaki Kushina-san was very insistent, apparently.'

'Ah.'

The fact that Nagato is actually an Uzumaki is a fact known only to Tsunade, Shikaku, Fugaku, Minato, and Kushina - and, well, Chiyuki herself. It's something that was revealed when Jiraya was forced to spill the beans about what he's been truly doing during the past few years, and something that is kept on a very tight leash.

In the end, nothing much would change in reality, since Nagato has no intention of leaving Ame to force himself to accept a stranger as family just because they share the same blood-

Kushina, however, is a completely different story, and even though she herself is busy with Naruto and post-war missions, the woman has resolved to show the rinnegan user she'll welcome him with open arms, should he choose to accept that.

And so, she had no qualms about sending highly confidential scrolls detailing secret jutsu from Uzushio to him. Not an entirely bad move in her opinion, though perhaps a reckless one. As long as the scrolls remained in Nagato's possession alone, they wouldn't have any problems, but-

'I agreed that, in exchange for the scrolls, I would train you myself.'

Her brown eyes nearly jump out of their sockets, and she almost drops a shogi piece.

'I- really?'

He nods, lips pursued and a serious expression on his pale face.

'I had planned on doing that anyway, but the scrolls helped me to pretend it was a fair deal.'

Chiyuki uses all her might to stop the snort from leaving her, watching as Nagato's face morphs from dead-serious to amused for a moment.

'I would love to train under you. But why would you think of that in the first place?'

For the first time in her life, the blonde sees something wicked and full of glee in his gray eyes - something vicious and full of sharp claws and teeth, ready to tear into soft flesh. They almost spin, the way Chou's do, pulling her in, spiraling, falling-

'You'll learn that something as soft and pliable as wood could never hope to beat the sturdiness and steadiness of iron.'

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"-and as you can see, most of the furniture is made of Stonecrop, which, as the name suggests, is extremely sturdy and durable."

Chiyuki hums in acknowledgement at Yahiko's words, looking curiously at the tables and chairs made of a beautiful, dark brown wood. Ensui remains a silent but constant presence at her side, and accompanying the orange-head is a middle-aged jounin named Hiro, a cautious and guarded man who is part of Ame's Council.

"However, it takes time and skill to work with it, and not many artisans are willing to spend so much time and effort learning the craft, so it's always in high demand despite how much it costs."

"What's the most time-consuming part of it?"

"The actual cutting of the tree. It becomes a bit easier to work with once it doesn't have its roots anymore, but since the trunk is so thick and sturdy, it takes two people working all afternoon to cut three of them."

"It has a gorgeous color, though. Have you tried making anything else from it?"

The man guiding them shakes his head. "Every once in a while one artisan or another will make chopsticks or spoons with the leftovers, but those are always extremely expensive."

'And no one in Ame is rich enough to buy it often enough to justify making it' goes unsaid.

"Speaking of cutlery; the dishes we've eaten are always delicious and served in intricate bowls. Your rice is especially tasty." The Sarutobi Princess lightly diverts the topic before it can become an issue, choosing to talk about something safer before the mood sours.

Yahiko takes the compliment with a grateful nod. "Thank you. We do take pride in our rice."

"The bowls you mentioned are also made with the utmost care, Chiyuki-hime." The middle-aged man almost preens under her curious gaze, immediately initiating a speech about the special characteristics of the clay used in their village, apparently throwing his previous caution to the wind.

The young Ame shinobi sends an apologetic grimace her way, but she shakes her head. She's seen her father deal with the Council multiple times; Hiro seems like an innocent little kitten compared to them.

"Uhm, Chiyuki-hime?" A little girl timidly calls out to her, interrupting the older man's passionate commentary about the perfect ratio between clay and water.

"Now, don't you bother the Princess-" He is quick to scold the girl, clearly a civilian, and a glance around tells her there are two other watching from the other side of the street - and they're not the only ones.

The four-person entourage already makes people glance every so often, but now that they've stopped, it seems as if the whole street market is watching with bated breath to see what she'll do.

The thirteen year old raises a hand, effectively shushing the middle-aged man, and kneels before the small girl with a small but honest smile in her lips. The girl looks to be around five years old, but looking at her thin figure underneath a dress that's clearly too big for her, she might actually be around seven or eight years old.

"Yes?" The young girl grips her dress with tiny, pale fingers, and one of the girls that'd been watching the scene rushes over, gripping a flower crown in equally tiny, pale fingers. It's clearly the work of clumsy, young fingers, but the flowers' colors are vivid and bright, complementing the dark green of the leaves well.

"I- we, uhm, made a gift for you. If-if you'd accept it, uhm, which you don't have to, of course, because you're the Princess, but, uhm-"

"We made this for you as a thank you." The third girl interrupts the second one's fumbling, turning shining, determined eyes to the Konoha kunoichi.

Three pairs of innocent, sparkling eyes looking at her as if she's some sort of savior-

A haunted pair of lifeless eyes staring into hers as the girl's dead body falls down-

"Thank you for the lovely gift. Can you put it on for me?" Chiyuki lowers her face to hide the expression on her face, and asks for them to put the crown on her head because her hands won't stop shaking. For one single moment, she's there in that dark, dreary forest, killing a girl a couple of years older than them-

A soft weight falls on her head just as she hears a breathy giggle. She blinks, and she's not in the forest again. She blinks again and sees the sun in three smiling, pleased faces. It's impossible for her not to smile breathlessly as well.

"How do I look?"

"Like an angel!" The first girl pipes up, and the butterfly summoner short-circuits for the briefest of seconds. To her mortification, she hears murmurs of agreement from the people on the street, and her ears feel too hot all of a sudden.

"I'm no angel, but thank you for the present. I'll treasure it." She brushes calloused hands over the three girls' hairs and watches as they run back to where they came from, giggling giddily amongst each other.

The four shinobi stand there in silence until the girls disappear from sight, and slowly the people around them turn back to their duties as well, shooting appreciative glances her way every once in a while. The flower crown feels oddly heavy in her head, but it's not a bad feeling.

Unexpected, yes, but never bad.

Hiro chooses that moment to clear his throat awkwardly, back to his guarded self now that his momentum was broken.

"Ehem, shall we move on? It is almost time for the meeting with Nagato-sama and Konan-sama."

Yahiko brushes his shoulder against hers, soft gratitude plain in his gaze, and she gives him a head shake and small smile in return.

'Don't thank me for doing the bare minimum, silly.'

No one needs to mention the state of the children. Although the war ended a few months ago, it's not easy for a village coming out of both a civil and a ninja war to go back the way it was before.

With Hanzo dead, perhaps that's a good thing.

"The orphanage is not nearly big enough to house all of them." The orange-haired man whispers so quietly he barely moves his lips, and she nearly misses it. "The oldest children are being sent to live in groups of three, and a caretaker checks on them everyday, but it's not enough."

The blonde catches his hands turning into fists underneath his long sleeves and purses her lips.

"You don't wanna hear this, but I'll say it anyway." She murmurs just as softly as he did, keeping this conversation between the two of them alone. "Things aren't great now, but they won't always be like this. You are doing the best you can, and your people see that."

He nods stiffly, pointedly looking straight ahead, but she's been around him long enough to know that's how he avoids letting people know what he's feeling. Something in his hum of iron uncurls from his chest, and he lets out a deep breath.

The four of them remain in silence until they reach the administration tower, a tall, dark gray building that overlooks the entire village. Konan and Nagato are there waiting for them inside one of the meeting rooms. Apparently, another member of the Council was supposed to join them as well, but unfortunately 'could not make it'.

Judging from Hiro's muttered curses, who seemed to have drawn the short straw, the Council might have wanted to keep the three young Ame leaders - and herself, by association - in check, although the point is moot now that the middle-aged jounin is by himself.

It does make her wonder just what happened, though.

'Let's just say the Uzumaki child can be quite intimidating.' Chou says breezily, tiny form hidden behind Chiyuki's neck, and she immediately turns accusing eyes to the red head, who merely blinks innocently and guides her to sit next to him, with Yahiko sitting to his right, and Konan taking the next seat. Ensui wordlessly stands behind her, and Hiro assumes the seat directly across from Nagato's.

'You planned this entire thing.' Her brown eyes accuse the man sitting next to her, who appears to be the definition of integrity and virtue even as his ringed gray eyes sparkle mischievously.

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Konan takes a soft breath in, and the two stop their mental bickering - but not before she manages to send another glare his way.

"If everyone present is settled in, we may begin the first official meeting between Konoha's ambassadors and Ame."

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