Eroninja - Chapter 94: Revenge Arc: Operation: Kill Konan Aftermath Part II

A kneeling Jade Chan tried to pay attention as the Head Priestess of the Descendants of the Moon as she stood before an altar that resided upon the raised platform from which she often addressed her gathered followers. Mixed among those followers, currently were some of the leaders from other groups dedicated to the Moon Goddess’s revival. However, it was proving difficult for the young soon to be Acolyte to keep her mind on the present, while she knelt before the Priestess on a step near the top of the platform as her pussy was begging to be touched. Which due to the chastity belt that she had worn for months having finally been removed, meant it was only her will keeping her from plunging her fingers inside her.. Keeping her arms crossed before her chest, she also fought the temptation to tease her nipples as they were hard enough to cut glass due to the loose-fitting white robe rubbing against them every time she moved. Fighting back a moan as she shifted her weight from one knee to the other causing her robe to graze against her nubs once more, she distracted herself by reflecting on the ritual that she had witnessed that morning.

Both she and Naori had arrived at the Descendants of the Moon’s Main Temple shortly after the sun had risen. Having spent the past few weeks at its River Rock compound while the cult had gone over the Holy Mother’s twisted form searching for and removing any locating or teleportation seals those who had taken the holy vessel may have left behind. The unseen enemy that had taken the Holy Mother’s petrified form had left behind one of each which they had then removed. They had then spent the remaining time purifying the vessel of the chakra from the Rinnegan user who had linked with it previously so that it couldn’t be summoned away again.

With the task nearing completion, Naori and she had left to return to the Main Temple which upon arriving at, they had found Hanami waiting for them near the entrance. She had then informed them that they had been summoned. Jade had been rather surprised to find that the summons had been for both of them, but had obediently followed after the Uchiha and Hyuuga as they headed into the temple. They had soon arrived in the main hall where Naori gave her sermons to the devoted members of the cult. Yet, to Jade’s surprise rather than someone waiting for them, the room had been empty. But the women that she had been following didn’t appear surprised as they simply climbed the steps of the platform, which upon reaching the top of, had proceeded pass the altar that resided towards the front. The two women proceeded to make their way towards the back where the now empty base for the golden statue, which had been meant to represent the Moon Goddess had resided. Jade had wanted to ask where it had gone, but seeing that Naori didn’t seem surprised by its disappearance, decided to remain silent.

With the statue removed, the door which lead to the Acolytes and Priestess’s quarters was visible. But rather than proceeding towards it, Naori pressed her hand upon the missing statue’s base and a moment later a seal flared to life. The sound of stones sliding against one another caused Jade to look at the altar as a circular staircase formed as the floor of the platform began lowering. Naori smiled towards her, as Jade imagined that her surprise at the new entrance’s appearance was rather easy to see. She then proceeded down the stone staircase with Jade quickly following her after being motioned to do so by Hanami, who then brought up the rear after stopping long enough to activate a seal which closed the entrance.

After descending the stairs for what felt like forever, they arrived in a dimly lit room. As their procession proceeded to the room’s only exit, Jade’s attention was pulled to the walls of the passage, due to the large pictographs that lined them. Which although hard to make out due to the shadows cast from the few torches spaced between them, she could get a basic idea of at least some of the story they were trying to tell. Focusing on the first, it showed a dark but somewhat undefined figure standing before a large tree with smaller ones representing people and animals that were fleeing from it. Those closest to the ominous figure began to shrink up into balls, which seemed to be pulled towards the tree. Her attention then shifted to the next picture which showed, the same tree, but which was now bearing a large piece of fruit. The Ominous and almost demonic like figure from the first was there as well, but appeared to be facing off against a group containing men, women, and even a large dog or wolf of some sort. Due to these figures being more detailed although smaller than the demonic one, with one or two unique traits each, Jade suspected that they represented champions which had risen up to face the evil represented by demonic figure. Taking stock of details which distinguished the champions, she couldn’t say they were supposed to be human as some of the traits they possessed made them seem almost mythical. Jade didn’t know if the scene represented one battle in particular, or was representative of multiple times they may have clashed. But, as the Demonic Figure battled the Champions, a lone purely human looking figure appeared to be approaching the tree from the opposite side while reaching for the fruit.

Having noted the most important details of the second scene, not to mention having moved passed it in order to keep pace with Naori, Jade’s focus moved to the third. The Demonic Figure was still there, but the tree appeared to be withering. Several of the Champions from the previous scene were missing likely representing their having fallen, but she noted there were also a few new champions as well. The most prominent one being a horned- three-eyed woman who was floating above the other champions, and was almost as large as the demonic figure. Although, she couldn’t be sure due to how quickly she was taking in the details, Jade suspected the woman had been the one who had been reaching for the fruit in the previous scene. What was clear from the next scene though was that the Three-eyed woman had been enough to tip the balance in the Champions favor as she featured prominently in it, with no sign of the demonic one. Although the Champions weren’t present, there were many basic figures representing the masses who were holding up baskets of tribute or bowing as if in worship. However, the final scene caused Jade some concern as it seemed to mirror the second one as the Champions had returned. Although this time they were facing off against the Three-eyed woman, who had replaced the demonic figure, and in place of the tree was an orb in the sky with multiple smaller rings moving towards the center, and on each ring at a random location was a tomoe like those found in the Sharingan.

Jade frowned as although the wall still had free space to record the rest of the events, there was nothing written, and although it would be difficult to tell as the room gave the air that it was ancient, and so any erosion could be attributed to time. Due to the others being in such good condition, with no clear sign of what would have caused the last few to be worn away, Jade suspected that their removal was a deliberate act. Which made her believe that the remaining pictures may have perhaps been detailing the rise of the Moon Goddess, with the missing ones telling the story of her defeat and sealing as Jade was aware that the Cult was in the habit of vandalizing artifacts which may cast her in an unflattering light due to the lies spread by her usurper sons. This also led her to believe that at the very least, the underground portion of the Main Temple may have once belonged to some other deity or being which had opposed the Moon Goddess. Recognizing that she might be in a place which had been built towards the dawn of civilization filled her with immense curiosity and a desire to raid its secrets.

Naori seemed to be inside her mind as she stopped at the doorway leading from the room as she said as if sensing her desire, “All in good time Jade. Once you become a true Acolyte to the Moon Goddess, you’ll be allowed to explore the Inner Temple to your hearts content. But first you must be initiated fully into our flock, as well as rewarded for services already rendered on our behalf.”

Jade’s pussy began to throb as any concerns the missing pictographs had raised were banished at the thought of the knowledge that she would gain, not to mention the pleasure that she would experience upon joining Naori’s flock. Bowing her head, she replied, “You honor me Priestess.”

“Indeed, I do,” Naori responded, before reaching out to cup the young woman’s face as she added, “But that is because you deserve it.”

Hanami watched the two women for a moment, before stating, “We should continue. We do not want to keep the Favored Son waiting.”

Jade’s eyes went wide as she realized that she would be coming face to face with the Moon Goddess’s offspring, who she had heard mentioned, but never seen. Naori, nodded to the Hyuuga, as she spun to walk into the narrow stone passage which was only wide enough for one person to enter at a time. Another long trek followed, this time in almost complete darkness except for a light at of the tunnel, which as they neared the end Jade could see a brightly lit room awaited them. Feeling as if she was literally stepping into the heaven, Jade eyes nearly exploded out of her head as she entered a large room which was coated completely in the whitest marble that she had ever seen, and which was accentuated by gold trimmings at every opportunity. The room’s design was almost a mirror image of the room where Naori gave her sermons to the members of the Descendants of the Moon. Except on the raise dais where the Altar would stand resided a throne upon which sat a man that seemed to be comprised entirely of shadow. His yellow eyes stood out from his featureless face, which as they focused on them prompted the being to say, “Ah, at last our guest of honor has arrived. Please approach Naori Uchiha.”

Jade felt awed by the being, but followed in Naori’s wake as the high priestess approached. The being’s word caused her to take note for the first time of the other people standing at the base of the raised dais, and who had been talking among themselves until the Favored Son had spoken. As they approached the being that seemed to be composed of darkness, Jade began to feel nervous as she wasn’t sure what she should do, but calmed as Hanami stepped up beside her and whispered, “Remain a few steps behind Naori. She’ll stop a few feet from the Favored Son. When she does, kneel.” Nodding in reply, Jade discreetly focused on the being that was descendant from a Goddess. As she did, she felt a longing not so much for the being, but for the knowledge which it contained. A being which had been around long enough to watch whole civilizations be born, prosper, and die. The very knowledge which drove her to explore ancient ruins in the hopes that she’d be able to piece together what had happened in the past, was all locked away within the Forbidden Son’s head as he would be able to recount the events as fact, not conjecture. The very thought of which again caused Jade to experience a spike of pleasure.

Naori began to make her way up the dais, and stopped a few steps down from the top where she dropped to her knees. Jade quickly followed suit as Hanami did beside her. Keeping her head down, she realized that the Priestess had stopped in the same spot and manner as Jade had been instructed to for her own promotion to Acolyte, which was to happen later. The Favored Son spared a moment to study the three women kneeling in front of it, before then addressing all those gathered. “My fellow children of our Holy Mother, I thank you for answering my summons. Today, we are gathered here to acknowledge the efforts of High Priestess Naori and her newest Acolyte. Thanks to their hard work, that which was stolen from us has been returned.”

A small murmur arose from many of those gathered at the base of the dais, which didn’t seem to be particularly congratulatory. Despite it appearing that the sentiments of its guests were running contrary to its stated reason for the gathering, the Favored Son didn’t sound perturbed, but rather amused as it said, “Now, now, are you not all Children of the same Holy Mother? Like all children, you may squabble from time to time. You may all lead sects which differ on what it is that our Mother truly desires from her followers. But are we not all working to the same end, her return to this world so that it may once more bath in the Light of her Wisdom and Benevolence. To undo the betrayal that sealed her away from all of us.” The murmuring died down, so the Favored Son focused on Naori as it continued, “So, join me in congratulating one of our fellow children whose actions have brought us that much closer to that goal.”

The gathered leaders of other cults and even a few legitimately recognized religions began clapping. It was a far cry from being heartfelt, but was robust enough as to be considered respectful. Jade wasn’t too surprised by the response, since in her training to be an Acolyte, she had learned that while the Descendants of the Moon may have been the oldest and first of the cults raised in service to the Moon Goddess, as with most religions, over time differences over how the cult should conduct itself had risen. These new sects had splintered off to gather followers of their own, with some even becoming recognized religions within the Lands that they had taken root. Of Course, with some of the truths twisted so that only those fully inducted into the religion were made aware of the true goddess to which their faith was pledged.

One thing Jade did find strange about such divisions arising in how the Moon Goddess should be worshipped or in what she desired from her faithful, was that unlike other religions that needed to rely on translations of sacred and ancient scriptures, The Descendants of the Moon could commune with a being that claimed to have been Birthed during its mother’s final moments before she had been sealed. She had asked Hanami about it once, who had explained that as the Descendants believed people should follow their heart’s desires, it would not be right or proper for them to admonish those whose hearts told them they needed to worship the Moon Goddess in a different manner. Which while explaining why such divisions would be tolerated from the Cult’s perspective, it didn’t really answer for her why the Favored Son would allow it. Since, as a Divine Being, it would surely know how best to worship the Goddess that had birthed it. Furthermore, while she had guessed at there being tension between the various sects as she had heard Naori and Hanami speak of some sects or their leaders in less than flattering terms, particularly a man named Goenitz. The gathered leaders’ response to the Favored Son praising Naori showed that a similar tension and dislike existed between all the sects. Something which it could put an end to by simply proclaiming which Sect was worshipping closest to what its mother would desire.

Jade suddenly came to an understanding as to why the Favored Son would prefer the discord among its mother’s followers when it approached Naori stating, “Now my dear, as you have returned our Mother’s vessel, rise up and receive the key needed to control it.” The High Priestess followed the Favored Son’s command, who then removed the mask that she wore. It then reached towards her blind left eye, where it pressed the palm of its right hand against the socket. Jade wasn’t sure what was happening, but could tell it was unpleasant as Naori’s body tensed while her hands tightened into fists. However, she soon relaxed and as the Favored Son withdrew its hand, it looked as if the palm was reforming as a mass was absorbed within it.

The Favored son handed Naori her mask back, who returned it to her face before bowing deeply as she stated, “With this gift, I swear to do all in my power to return our Mother to this world.”

“I have no doubt that you will succeed,” the Favored Son replied sounding pleased. “And if not you, then perhaps one of her other children will prove worthy of it or its twin. Now, I know you must prepare for tonight so you and your Acolytes may take your leave. I have left instructions for the sacrifice that is to be performed today in your chambers.”

“As you will it,” Naori said before turning to proceed down the steps. Jade’s eyes grew wide as in Naori’s left socket where a white orb had resided which had indicated her blindness, had been replaced with the Legendary Rinnegan. Jade could see that a few drops of blood had spilled onto Naori’s flowing white robes indicating receiving it had not been an entirely pleasant experience, but as the Priestess passed between her and Hanami, and they had stood to follow after her. She could see envy written on the faces of the other sects’ leaders, at least on those without masks or were concealing their identities. Jade wondered if Goenitz was among them, which reminded her of the epiphany that she had experienced as to why the Favored Son allowed groups to worship his mother differently, which was that the worship in and of itself was irrelevant. It was the means that was to be achieved through that worship which mattered, and in that regard the Favored Son truly saw them all as children, all scrambling to win their mother’s favor. Yet, in that scramble to be recognized as a favored child of the Moon Goddess, the Favored Son believed the innovation and ambition which would bring about its mother’s return would be found. Jade wasn’t sure how to feel about people’s devotion being used in such a manner, but her unease didn’t last long as she vowed it would be the sect to which she was soon to be pledged that would come out on top. After all, even though they would all be rewarded equally with their Heart’s desires when the Moon Goddess returned, as Naori’s new eye showed, there were definitely benefits to being recognized as being a major player in the Favored Son’s game.

*********

Jade’s recollection of that morning’s events faded from memory as she instead focused on the present since Naori appeared to be finishing her sermon. “…now my fellow Descendants of the Moon Goddess, we welcome our mother’s vessel home.” Turning to the empty altar, Naori held her hands out to the side with her palms upraised as suddenly a large distortion formed in the space where the Golden statue had once resided, a moment later the twisted form of the Gedo Mazo appeared. There were gasps from many of the Cult members gathered before the base of dais from which the priestess was delivering her sermon. Naori turned from the statue as she moved before the altar while stating to the gathered cultist, “For many of you, this is the first time you’ve gazed upon our Holy Mother, so I can imagine the shock. How could such a monstrous form contain the benevolent soul that we have prayed to, and wished with all our hearts to see returned to this world? Our mother suffers much as we do, trapped in a corrupted world which twists and distorts everything it touches. A world which was created by the betrayal of her sons, the so-called Sage of the Six Paths and his brother the Sage of the All-Seeing Eyes. Despite sharing blood with our mother, those two were tempted to darkness by a filthy mongrel of a demon, and our world has suffered ever since. Look well on the suffering our Mother has endured for trying to bring harmony and balance to our world, and understand your suffering pales before hers, because unlike us, she has the power to change it for the better.”

Naori let the silence linger as she walked once more around the altar, and moved to the base upon which the Gedo Mazo rested. Placing her hand upon it reverently, she began softly at first but increased in intensity as she said, “But with our mother’s vessel returned to us, and the key bestowed upon me by the Favored Son, WE ARE POWERLESS NO LONGER! For we now have the means of returning her to us. Yet, we must be cautious still. Our unseen enemy who stole her vessel from us have removed the Bijuu, and as they have yet to reappear, we must assume that our enemies’ goal is to prevent our mother’s return no matter the cost.” Turning back towards the crowd, she quickly stepped before the altar as she said, “Yet the Favored Son has foreseen this as a possibility and planned for it as he has all things. So, hear now the commands that he has for you among us who will be returning to your communities and cells. You are to be our eyes and ears to the outside world, and search out beings in possession of powerful chakra, beings such as the Black Kyuubi that has appeared or older ones that have befouled mankind with their presence since our mother’s imprisonment. They will be our sacrifices to bring about our mother’s return. Now observe.”

As Naori drifted off into silence, a masked Hanami appeared first from the chamber located behind the Gedo Mazo. She stopped before the statue with her back facing it, then from either side of the base more masked women appeared, with the first two taking up positions to the sides of her, with the next two taking up a position to the sides of those Acolytes, and so forth until a circle of thirteen had formed. The two women beside Hanami dropped to their knees, and placed their hands upon the floor, the women beside them remained standing, but then the next set of women dropped to their knees as well. The pattern repeated until an even number of women remained on their feet. Hanami and the other five who remained standing then stepped back as they shifted positions to so that they formed a six-pointed star, before dropping into a cross-legged pose similar to that of the statue. A large white seal began to form in the shape of a star beneath the sitting women, as a red domed barrier appeared due to the efforts of the kneeling acolytes towards the center of the formation. Once the seal and barrier were completed a bright flash of light appeared within the barrier which as it faded revealed the form of a scarred Zero Tails. A kanji for six resided on its masked visage, which had been achieved as the surviving Zero Tails from the battle of Ame had consumed each other until only one remained.

The creature smashed against the barrier as it tried to escape, likely desiring to consume the pools of chakra it could detect just outside of it. The beast pulled away though as the barrier responded by electrocuting it. It roared in pain as Naori flashed through several handsigns, which the Gedo Mazo responded to by opening its mouth, the scroll contained within fell from its lips as dozens of serpents like dragons of blue chakra appeared. They descended down towards the Zero tails, and passed through the barrier before sinking their teeth into the false Bijuu. The creature tried to fight them as more and more of the chakra dragons bit into it, but the Zero-Tails actions were for naught as the dragons began merging into a single mass of chakra which lifted the creature up into the air as the Acolytes dropped their barrier.

Jade took it all in as the Zero-Tails began to lose its form as it also turned into a mass of chakra, the purple chakra that it began melting into easily stood out against the blue surrounding it. Although, not positive she also though she could make out a mass of red hidden within the purple chakra cloud that had once been the Zero-Tails. Yet, before she could make certain, like a noodle being slurped up the entire mass of chakra was pulled back into the Gedo Mazo, which then closed its mouth upon the scroll as it floated back into position. A moment later, a blue pupil appeared in one of the nine eyes of the statue.

The Acolytes all the stood again and formed into two single parallel lines with Hanami taking a position at the end of one which gave it an odd number of people, but was soon matched in number when Naori then stepped next to the Hyuuga in the other one. The lines then proceed to the front of the platform passing on either side of the altar and down the stairs to pass Jade in a similar fashion as they joined the other worshippers at the base of the dais. Naori stopped at the edge of the platform though, while Hanami continued down to step into the center of the single line that the other Acolytes had formed between the base of the platform and their fellow cult members. Naori smiled contently towards the members of her flock as she said, “We are now a step closer to the realization of our dream.” She focused on Jade as she continued, “Dear Jade, this is all in thanks to your tireless efforts. What is it that your heart truly desires?”

“To see the betrayal of our mother undone,” Jade responded as she had been taught to, “and to end her suffering so that her light is restored to the world.”

“Do you pledge all that you are to seeing this task done?”

“I pledge to give all that I am, be it my heart, mind, body, or soul,” Jade responded as fragrant incense began to fill the chamber.

Naori smiled as she replied, “Only our Holy Mother can know what truly resides in three of those, dearest Jade. If, the commitment that you just professed to having is as great as you state.” The High Priestess began to step back towards the altar as she continued, “But, step forward and pledge your body to me now, so that you can taste but the smallest fraction of the contentment our mother’s return holds for us all.”

Jade eagerly stood and moved up the final few steps as Naori pushed the robe from her shoulders allowing it to pool at her feet to reveal the crystal strap-on that she wore. The nude, although masked Priestess, then sat upon the altar and licked her lips as Jade came to a stop before her. The young dark-haired woman pushed her robe off her shoulders so that it joined Naori’s on the ground, and then lunged forward to seal her lips to the Uchiha’s. Jade’s tongue quickly entered the Priestess’s mouth as she coaxed the other woman’s into action. Able to feel all the eyes watching her, she found that it only made her that much hotter, much as the incense currently billowing into the room was meant to do for those watching at the base. As such, when Naori’s hand reached between her thighs to begin rubbing her dripping cunt, Jade spread her feet apart further so those watching below could see it as the High Priestess slipped a finger inside of her. Jade moaned as Naori worked her digit within her, and but needing more pleaded, “Merciful Goddess, please fuck me already.”

“All in good time,” Naori responded, but moaned as Jade’s hand grabbed the crystal phallus and began sliding her hand over it like it was a real cock causing it to rub her just right.

Jade surprised her as she suddenly pushed her shoulders causing her to lay back on the altar. She then quickly straddled Naori’s hips as she said, “I’ve been patient enough.” Raising up and reaching between her legs, she grasped the smooth crystal as she guided it to her waiting snatch and exploded into a climax almost as soon as it slipped past her pussy’s lips.

Naori smirked up as the woman froze like as statue due to the climax she was experiencing. Gripping the younger woman’s hips, she said, “What was that Jade? I thought you were in a hurry. Let me help you.” She plunged the crystal into the woman atop of her, causing Jade’s head to rock back as she howled in pleasure.

Jade’s mind was overloaded with said pleasure as everything around her went white like someone had flashed a camera’s bulb inches from her face. While the whiteness enveloped her, there was also an almost complete lack of sensory inputs, as if the pleasure that she was sure her body must be feeling was too much for her to truly comprehend. Although the many months of pleasure denial had been difficult to endure, including most of the teasing that she had been through that day as after witnessing Naori’s receiving of the Rinnegan and her disappearance into her chambers to read the Favored Son’s instructions, Hanami had attended to Jade by teasing her just to the point of release. Which as Jade had been exposed not only to the incense the Cult favored to induce its members to give into their desires. But as Hanami had also massaged an oil into her skin as well as into her most sensitive spots, which was made from the same ingredients, while the Hyuuga had bathed her in preparation for the ceremony of her ascension, in an effort that seemed designed to simply to drive her mad with lust. Yet, all the frustrations that had accumulated within her as a result of those trials, paled in comparison to this moment of pure bliss since she found that she just couldn’t comprehend it. Yet, also wished it could last forever.

As such, as the white landscape gave way to her surroundings, she wasn’t surprised to find herself clinging to Naori as the woman pounded her with the crystal toy strapped between her legs. Although the pleasure coursing through her was incredible, especially as Naori sat them up so she could latch her mouth around one of her nipples. She found herself already longing for a return to the land of white where she had just been, and so began moving her hips so that every time she was coming down, it would meet Naori’s as they were moving up.

The two found a steady rhythm, but Naori soon found it was working against her own release so came to a rest. Jade quickly tried to double her own efforts, but was forced to stop as well due to the firm grip the other woman exerted on her hips. She then guided her to spin around as she stated, “Show them what a devoted servant you’ve become.”

Jade nodded her head, and spun around to face her fellow cultists. Raising up to her feet, and leaning back to rest her hands on Naori’s shoulders, she began fucking herself on the crystal cock as she proclaimed, “Look at me everyone, look as Priestess Naori claims my body in our mother’s name, and know that I gladly give all that I am to her as well.” Feeling the eyes of everyone on her, Jade continued to fuck herself on the phallus buried within her.

“Well said,” Naori stated as she began moving her hips again causing the woman to moan loudly. Reaching her hands around, she cupped one of Jade’s tits, while the other hand began rubbing her clit. Jade stiffened as she approached the world of white again, while trying to delay her entry for as long as possible. But, was propelled headlong when Naori firmly pinched the nipple of the tit she was fondling.

Jade’s reentry was evident to all as her love juices gushed out of her, soaking much of Naori’s lower half as well as coating several of the steps leading up to the altar. Jade collapsed atop of her Priestess as she recovered while Naori held her in a comforting embrace. When Jade returned to her senses, she said, “Mmmm, I’m ready for more.”

Naori smiled before stating, “Then why don’t you go introduce yourself to everyone. I’m sure that many among them will gladly give you what you desire.”

Jade sat up and moaned as she slipped off of Naori and the crystal cock that she was attached to. Ignoring her soaked robes, she descended down the steps with a sultry sway to her hips. Passing through the line the other Acolytes had formed, her gaze zeroed in on a handsome grey-haired man similar in age to her. His exposed skin displayed several scars, most notably a horizontal one that ran across his throat, with another vertical one appearing on his left cheek. Pressing her body against him, she noticed that he also had a blue colored dragon tattooed onto his right shoulder, but then her focused shifted to his lips which she seized with her own.

The man allowed her to use them as she saw fit, and groaned as she slid her hand into the front of his pants. Finding a hard cock waiting for her, she gripped it and let out a moan as the warmth of it made her conclude the pleasure it gave would put the crystal one she had just cum on to shame. Jade felt another pair of hands grip her waist, causing her to look back to see a balding middle-aged man gripping them and urging her to step away from hunk she had selected. She smiled and gave into his request as she noticed her fellow acolytes had all disrobed and entered the crowd, with Hanami squatting over one man whose cock was buried inside her while she jerked off another two, and sucked off a third. Jade’s attention was pulled back to the grey-haired man as he placed his hands on her shoulders, urging her to bend over at the waist, where she came face to face with his freed cock. Jade licked her lips and cooed softly as the man behind her buried his face in her ass to begin licking her rosebud. With a new waves of pleasure coursing through her, she swallowed the cock before her, as she began to fulfil her duties as the newest Acolyte of the Descendants of the Moon

****

From a hidden chamber overlooking the gathering, Zetsu watched as the men and women of the Descendants of the Moon began pairing up, or moved to join those already surrounding the Acolytes in hopes of a turn. It watched in amusement as the men and women of the religion that it had started many thousands of years earlier abandoned propriety in favor of immediate gratification in the vain hopes it would please their goddess, while hoping the feelings they experienced would pale in comparison to the rewards that they would receive should they succeed in returning her. It knew that they would, but wondered how many would be willing to pay the price. Watching the writhing and moaning humans, it suspected many would do so gladly considering how readily many had paid steep prices just to gratuitously experience the thrills and pleasures the world already offered, except without the restraint that polite society requested most do so. At least for those that were legal.

Truthfully though Zetsu found the orgy taking place below rather uninteresting, at least in terms of the action taking place. It supposed as it was the only being of its kind, and was effectively immortal, it just didn’t have the same drive to experience the pleasures of the flesh. Although, it supposed that didn’t truly explain it, since few of those rutting below were being driven by a need to procreate, but to bask in earthly pleasure. Which if Zetsu was honest with itself, was a desire that it had as well. Although what truly sent thrills passing through its being wasn’t anything to do with the joys of sex, but witnessing the moment when due to the machinations that it had set in place, a being would act against its better nature. In that regard, the Cult it had started was almost an unlimited source of the pleasure it sought. Focusing on its newest Acoylte as she pulled away from the dick that she was sucking so that it could coat her face in cum, it smiled as the woman eagerly began cleaning it with her mouth as the older man behind her stood to plow into her from behind. Thinking back to the woman that she had been only a handful of months earlier, who would have fought the Cult tooth and nail to protect the artifacts that had been left behind to offer a few scattered warnings of what it sought to bring about. Would now gladly aid it in destroying said artifacts, all in order to pursue a new truth of the Cult’s making because those artifacts while trying to offer warnings against pursing the knowledge of the Moon Goddess, also made it clear there was a history that wasn’t being told. Zetsu began to feel the familiar buzzing within which it equated to its version of pleasure as it enjoyed the results of the corruption it could see taking hold in the woman. Its gaze then shifted to Hanami Hyuuga who was now pleasuring six men at once as she sucked one man, while another fucked her tits, and she jerked off another two, all the while as her ass and pussy were rammed by cultists. It delighted in the idea that the woman who had surrendered herself to prevent one daughter from being stolen to serve the Cult, would now gladly order the death of both if it moved her closer to the possibility that she would be able to reclaim the time lost with them in the world that Kaguya’s return would create. Its gaze shifted to the top of the dais, and to its surprise saw that Naori Uchiha was walking down the steps to take place in the orgy. It smiled widely as it figured that with the Holy Vessel returned, not to mention due to the incense floating about, even the Priestess that normally shunned contact with men was willing to indulge in the carnal carnival taking place. In truth, it felt the greatest sensation of pleasure as several men quickly broke away from their partners or waiting for their turn with someone, to take advantage of the rear opportunity to enjoy their Priestess’s body. It supposed it was due to the look of uncertainty that it could see reflected in Naori’s eyes as they approached, as she no doubt flashbacked to the treatment that she had experienced when she had first awakened to find herself in the temple that she now oversaw. Zetsu felt an unbelievable sense of satisfaction at the fact that the trials it had subjected her to, through the cruelty of the previous High Priestess had shaped her from a woman who had willing sacrificed the sight in one of her eyes to save the souls of her fellow clansmen, would now gladly accept that sight back in order to bring about a world of delights that would ultimately corrupt and twist all those it engulfed.

Still, Naori wasn’t without her compassions as she ensured that none of her Acolytes suffered as she had, and while it imagined many would assume that the genjutsu which she cast, twisted the people it affected to their very cores leaving the person they had been trapped inside. Especially, if the loved ones of those touched by her genjutsu could see them in action currently. In truth, that was the furthest thing from the case. Zetsu smirked as it found that of all the jutsu which had come about over the many millennia since Kaguya walked the Earth, genjutsu was perhaps the least developed or truly understood. After all, most practitioners used it to cast illusions, or to force a person to act against their will, or even just to fool a person’s senses. Yet, as used by Naori, she could make just a small tweak of a person’s memories or desires, and through that tweak as time progressed a person would lose more and more of who they were. Her most recent example of such being an archeologist who once simply desired to uncover the histories of past civilizations and enjoy a few grand adventures, into one that would gladly trample over those same civilization’s histories in pursuit of the truth that she felt was being hidden from her. Granted, it wasn’t a skill just anyone could do or one that could be performed on the fly when someone’s guard was up, which was why she often performed it when a person was at the height of ecstasy. Yet, if performed correctly, Naori could twist even the noblest of people, by having them prioritizing certain memories over others, she could cause one to abandon a love that they had professed to having for years in favor of another, turn another devoted to family and friends into one that favored status and power, or a person that was forthright and honest into a liar and scumbag. What made it even more insidious was that it wasn’t through inserting false memories that she managed to do it, but by just changing the lessons that one may have originally taken away from them when they originally happened or by just playing up the importance of one memory over another. As such, her ability didn’t really alter a person through direct manipulation, but instead just let them indulge in activities or actions that they otherwise may have refrained from. Naturally though, as more time passed, and they felt rewarded for their new behavior, like a stone being tossed into a still lake, the waves of the initial small change would spread more and more into how a person touched by her ability conducted themselves.

Zetsu turned away as one of the two guests, he had invited to witness the ceremony asked while closing a book that he had been reading, “I trust you didn’t invite Mard Geer here to watch these insects rutting with each other.”

“Not entirely,” Zetsu replied to the being that had spoken of himself in the third person and whom many would consider a demon, although one that had been created through artificial means.

The being whose creator had dubbed his creations as The Etherious appeared to be a lean young man, with long wavy purple hair that reached his shoulders even though the majority of it was tied up in a large pony tail. His messy bangs nearly obscured the glare his dark slanted eyes shifted to as Zetsu turned away to focus on his other guest.

Zetsu smirked as the voluptuous woman, garbed in a rather risqué version of clothes people imagined spell castors from foreign lands not of the continent wore, tried to appear indifferent to the action taking place below. Yet, Zetsu could tell from the way her purple eyes would focus on the various women’s faces and bodies as they enjoyed the pleasure they were feeling, that the scene was causing old memories and perhaps phantom pangs of pleasure to stir within her, which she undoubtedly would have preferred to remain buried. Sensing that she was being observed, the scarlet haired woman turned her gaze towards Zetsu as she asked, “Then why have you requested our presence? I don’t wish to share the same space with either of you longer than is necessary.”

“Perhaps your haste has less to do with us, then it does with being so close to people enjoying themselves in a manner you no longer can due to that cursed body of yours,” Zetsu said mockingly.

The woman’s calm demeanor snapped in an instant as a cruel glint appeared in her eyes as she menacingly replied through clenched teeth, “State what it is you want you glorified puddle of ooze less I bring this temple down around you and your depraved followers’ heads.”

A chuckle from Mard Geer caused the two glaring at each other to shift their attention to him. Standing, he tucked his book under his arm as he said, “While it would amuse me to know end to watch you two kill each other, do try to remember Irene that our shared master has agreed to aid Zetsu’s plans.”

The woman whose full name was Irene Belserion, shifted her ire to Mard Geer as she replied, “You and your self-named Tartaros group are beneath The Black Wizard’s notice. You’re a collection of failed experiments that were unable to complete the task for which you were created.”

“We will succeed in bringing his greatest desire to fruition,” Mard Geer Tartaros replied as he began to gather chakra to attack the woman, whose staff began to glow as she did the same.

“We all shall,” Zetsu said calmly as he tried to prevent the two from vaporizing each other and likely most of his temple. “Now let’s all try to put our differences behind us, shall we? After all, your Black Wizard and I have, which considering he once opposed my mother should speak volumes to how much value he places in our cooperation.”

The antler like headpiece of Irene’s staff stopped glowing as she said, “Then stop wasting our time so that we can bring about your Goddess’s return. What do you require from us?”

Zetsu nodded its head in reply as it stated towards Mard Geer, “I require more of the Black Blood. Recently we have lost a few of the previous receivers of it in order to prevent an artifact detailing a pact that I had made from coming to light. They succeeded in their task, but at the cost of their lives. I’m going to need more such enhanced individuals for the battles to come.”

Mard Geer frowned at the request as he replied, “I do not like elevating these insects closer to perfection. But it is his will that I aid you and so you shall receive as much as you require. If you have no further need of me, then I will take my leave”

“Excellent,” Zetsu stated pleased before nodding that he didn’t require anything else at the moment, “I know there will be no shortage of volunteers from my end.”

“And what part do you see me playing in your schemes,” Irene asked as Mard Geer closed the door behind him, still sounding displeased to be in Zetsu’s presence.

“I suppose he feels that you’ll be useful to me in breaking the barrier between us and a certain realm,” Zetsu moved back to the two-way obsidian mirror as he focused on the vessel of Kaguya. “As my Priestess stated, we’re going to need to secure new and powerful sources of chakra. I have a few ideas in mind, and for one of them, I will require your services.”

Irene stood beside the supposed Favored Son of Kaguya, for a moment she got lost in the sight of bodies writhing about in pleasure. Quickly catching herself, she said, “It should be possible, as there is already a place where the barrier is weak. But, why the rush, your priestess made it sound like you would be laying low for a while to gather intel on new sources of chakra. Besides, if your planning to assault the demon realm, it will do you little good. You’re not going to be able to just feed them to that thing. The nature of demons is different than they are for the Bijuu.”

“I am quite aware of that,” Zetsu said sounding insulted at the lack of respect his mother’s vessel was being showed, as well as by the fact that something so basic was being explained to it. “Furthermore, most demons would barely be worth the chakra my followers would expend in capturing them. But there are one or two that are most definitely worth the effort. And as to their nature, well the previous priestess of Demon Country showed us that there are ways to separate the wheat from the shaft when it comes to powerful demons.”

Irene’s gaze drifted back towards the creature, and allowed a hint of respect to enter her voice as she said, “I suppose she did. Still, if your targeting that demon in particular why not just wait? He’ll break through again I’m sure. Why not just create more of those leech creatures and turn them loose on a few villages?”

Zetsu turned away from the window as it replied, “The reason I’d rather have you break the barrier is that last time he did it, he did so with an army that steamrolled through several countries before he was stopped. I imagine he’ll be far easier to deal with should he come through because we broke it for him. As to your second question, the Zero Tails proved to be rather disappointing. Perhaps it is because unlike the one that was released the last time Sky Country stirred up trouble, the ones that attacked Ame hadn’t spent years absorbing chakra. But, of the four dozen we used in the attack, only a handful made it back, and only one consumed as much chakra to be considered on par with one of the Bijuu. I suppose I could try to recreate the conditions necessary to have one absorb Dark Chakra, but truthfully doing so would require years and there is no guarantee it would result in a bountiful harvest considering the bonding and betrayals involved.”

“Very well,” Irene said as she began to turn away from the glass in order to make her exit, “Contact me when you are ready to make a move.”

Zetsu nodded, but as she reached for the doorknob stopped her by asking, “I’m actually glad you were sent.”

“Oh,” Irene said as she turned to face the shadowy being, “And why is that.”

“I’ve recently heard of two individuals who’ve appeared recently in the Land of Rice Paddies that are using a certain Dragon Slayer style that you have such history with,” Zetsu said and held back an amused smile as the woman’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “It doesn’t seem that they’ve paid quite the heavy burden as you have, so it makes one wonder. Why has a technique created to slay dragons returned to a world seemingly bereft of them? Present company excluded of course. And why does it appear that these new dragon slayers aren’t experiencing the same drawbacks as you did.”

“What does it matter?” Irene said angrily wondering if Zetsu was discreetly mocking her.

Zetsu shrugged its shoulders, as it said in a tone which teetered between mocking and thoughtful, “Oh, I’m just curious as to what it may signify is all. Perhaps, these so called Light and Shadow Dragons might have had similar teachers as you, and if so, well considering I haven’t heard of any real dragon sightings these past four or five hundred years, it might be that they are hiding in plain sight. Which if one considers how Jinchuriki became immune to the poisonous nature of their Bijuu’s chakra. One could come to believe something similar was going on here.”

Irene’s eyes grew hard causing an anger to begin burning within them as she said, “If the dragons have shed their corporeal forms to aid these new slayers, then I’ll gladly extract their chakra and souls myself and handfeed them to your creator.”

“I figured you might say that,” Zetsu said its mouthless face twisting so that it almost appeared to be smiling, “But, for now let us practice some restraint. Where there are two, there may be more, and their sudden appearance may be a sign of a threat that we all would prefer remain slumbering is stirring. It may be prudent to have a few Dragon Slayers around to deal with him should he return.”

*******

Hanabi sighed contently as the warm water which she was sitting in seemed to pass through her and soothe the tender muscles left over from that morning’s training, which as she suspected had become even more rigorous after her failure to effectively take down the one member of the Salamander Resistance that she had faced. Letting her past failure go and taking in her surroundings, which consisted of the large Spring that was thickly enclosed by trees and made to appear as natural as possible, as if stumbled upon in some mountains, she had to admit that the Women’s Bathing Association’s various hot-springs, pools, and baths, put even the bathhouse located within the Hyuuga compound to shame. Which made it somewhat surprising to her that outside of her sister, she was the only member of the Clan to have joined. She wasn’t too surprised that members of the Branch Family hadn’t, since it was considered taboo for them to expose their Caged Bird Seals to the public. One her Cousin Neji had broken during his Chunin Exams, which had infuriated the Hyuuga Elders, but he had been shielded from their anger for his transgression by her father. With Neji’s connection to the current ruler of the Clan being the only thing that had protected him from the Elder’s reprisal over his displaying of the seal. Hanabi, doubted members of the Branch Family would want to chance angering them over the potential of it being seen by people outside the clan again, despite the quite boldly announced rule that anything which was seen or heard within the boundaries of the properties run by the Women’s Bathing Association, was to remain confidential. As for the members of the Main Family, she guessed it wasn’t much of a secret that her clan’s Main Family never much cared to associate with people outside of it, except when they felt those people could be of use to them. Thus, considering that most of the members of the Main Family lived comfortably thanks in part to the efforts of the Branch Family’s service to Konoha. With the few exceptions being Main Family members like Hinata, who had been considered expendable, in a sense, but whose placement in The Leaf’s Shinobi System was to show the Main Family was also contributing to the village, or members of the Main Family, who recognized that the position to which they were born was limiting in how far they could rise and so sought to elevate it through military service. With those being the few exceptions, Hanabi guessed that she shouldn’t be too surprised that the women of the Hyuuga Main Family wouldn’t find too much use for the services of the Women’s Bathing Association when measured against how they would need to interact with women from outside the clan.

Still, she thought that perhaps there would be a few takers considering how some suspected Hinata’s association with the W.B.A. had contributed to her successes of late. Of course, since their father had been instrumental in getting the W.B.A to open its doors to new members, so she could join. Hanabi suspected that a few of the more ambitious women in the Hyuuga Main Family may be biding their time so as to not appear too eager to join, less Hiashi come to suspect that they were also looking to undermine his chosen successor to the clan by building a support base outside of it, much as Hinata was believed to have done.

Hanabi sighed again, although this time in disappointment, since rather than relaxing as she currently was, she knew her father was expecting her to be making contacts that she could use in the future to support her bid to become Clan Leader. Beginning to take in the various women that she was sharing the spring with, she could see that most of the women had already formed small groups. She could see that for the most part, the women in the groups all had been branded with similar seals, leading Hanabi to believe that they may had joined together or been friends before becoming members.

Thinking to her own initiation into the Women’s Bathing Association, she and a group of twenty-four other women had been let into the foyer of Kiyomi’s mansion, where they had met a woman named Fuka Uzumaki, who ran the Uzumaki Nautical Company, which had been formed from the assets that the Great Tree Company had acquired when they purchased the Gato Corporation’s holdings which included the Port of Wave. Fuka had explained that she was handling their induction due to Women’s Bathing Association biggest financial backer, Kiyomi, was currently ill and in Suna, while Karin Uzumaki, who ran the Great Tree Shipping Company was tied up in Ame still. That bit of information had intrigued Hanabi, since while she knew the President of Kiyomi’s company had been instrumental in Ame’s defense. She was curious as to why she was still in Ame, since the former Sound-nin was only a reserve shinobi in Konoha’s own forces.

Fuka hadn’t allowed her to linger on the matter long, as she then launched into an explanation of how the rules of the Women’s Bathing Association worked, which to Hanabi had essentially boiled down to whatever happened within the confines of their properties, were to remain there. To ensure this, each of the women were to be marked with a seal, which should they divulge any of the secrets that they learned, or activities they had witnessed, would punish them in some fashion. Naturally, most of the women had balked at that, at least until Fuka had turned away from them to show the Fox Mark that resided on the back of her neck. Upon facing them once more, she had then explained that the marks for the most part would be used to indicate a woman’s progress towards unlocking many of amenities that the Women’s Bathing Association offered. She pulled a book out from a pouch that to Hanabi’s surprise was favored by shinobi, and opened it to a random page before displaying it to the gathered women. Contained on its pages were what at first glance appeared to be several designs for a butterfly, with some appearing rather basic at the top of the page but the wings and body became more detailed the further down the page one looked. Hanabi quickly realized that they weren’t meant to be different designs. Which Fuka confirmed as she explained that anyone who chose the butterfly design would receive the most basic one, but as they progressed in their membership it would change to indicate that they could make use of new services. And as such, most punishments would take the form of losing those gained privileges as their marks regressed to a previous version.

Quite a few of the women began to pepper the red-head with questions as to how one advanced or lost privileges, to which the female Uzumaki stated there were no set ways. But explained that the marks worked along similar lines as those that had been used by Root, and other groups which guarded their secrets religiously, in that most people understood when they were doing things that they shouldn’t be, just as most knew when they were doing right. As such, they would be in essence their own worst enemies or greatest allies in their journey to uncovering all of the privileges which came with membership. Fuka did caution them though in that while they wanted to create an atmosphere where W.B.A.’s members would be free to behave as they desired, without worrying about the world outside learning about it, and thus could be free to express them around each other. And as such, despite the fact that they were putting such a premium of privacy, they would allow members who were further along on their journeys to be able to open access to features not yet achieved by those who hadn’t advance their marks to the required degree. But, should those people prove unworthy, then those that let them explore further would find that they shared in the punishments that would be divvied out by the marks.

Hanabi felt it was a rather clever system as if there was debauchery going on in the W.B.A. that they didn’t wish for the world to know of, then it would prevent women who would divulge such details from progressing far enough to learn of it, while also protecting the fact that the original members had likely been engaging in these acts for years. She also felt the rule that more advanced members could divulge secrets to lower ranked ones by including them in said activities, and thus provide an opportunity for lower ranked member to advance themselves, was on the surface a way to create trust and companionship between the newest members of W.B.A. However, with the second half of the rule being that the punishment which was handed out over breeches in secrecy by lower ranked members that were exposed to activities they hadn’t reached themselves, she believed it was also meant to prevent too many powerful factions from forming, and by extension leaving the one formed by the original members as the most powerful, since trust for the newest members would likely be hard to come by for a while. Yet if the original members had proven nothing else, it was that they could keep a secret.

Hanabi pondered what kind of activities offered by the Women’s Bathing Association warranted such elaborate methods to ensure that word of them didn’t reach the outside world. She found herself titillated by the possibilities. Yet, again she sighed as her father while doubting some of the more extreme rumors that were floating about were true, had warned her that should the more scandalous rumors prove to be actually happening, she was to comport herself as a proper Lady of the Hyuuga should. Hanabi did smirk slightly as it dawned on her that even if she didn’t, provided the W.B.A.’s methods for ensuring their secrets proved equal to the task, then her father would have no way of knowing if she was or not.

The thought filled her with an incredible sense of freedom as the burden of being Hiashi’s heir suddenly slipped off her shoulders making the warm waters all the more enjoyable. Hanabi began to wonder if the sensation she was currently feeling was one Hinata did and was why she so often made time to bath there as opposed to the Hyuuga Compound. Thinking of her sister caused Hanabi to touch her right hip where the tailless fox mark she had chosen resided.

Fuka after explaining the rules of the Women Bathing Association, had then given the group a quick tour of the areas that would be open to the women after they had selected their marks. Before she had then lead them back to the foyer of the mansion where she called them one by one to a study to select which mark they wanted from the book she had carried. When it had been Hanabi’s turn, she had selected the design and location since she had seen Hinata’s on the occasions when her sister had made use of the Hyuuga facilities. She wasn’t exactly sure why she had, particularly since almost as far back as she could remember her father had trained her with the mindset that she should consider Hinata to be a rival. Yet, due to her current feelings that the burdens which she carried in the outside world as a Hyuuga didn’t necessarily need apply to her while she was making use of the W.B.A’s facilities, Hanabi found that she was glad she had chosen the fox as she hoped that as she advanced the mark by it gaining tails, it might also signify a growth in the bond that she had with her sister as something other than rivals.

Hanabi sensed a cold gaze settle on her, and focusing on the woman it belonged to, found herself wondering if she had perhaps made a mistake in selecting the mark that she had. Particularly as the woman staring so coldly at her was an original member of the W.B.A and a member of the Clan Council. Ino Yamanaka didn’t avert her gaze, causing Hanabi to be the first to turn away. Hanabi began to feel some of the world’s outside burdens returning as she began to wonder if she had accidentally sabotaged her father’s efforts in making her a member to build alliances, before she had even truly begun.

Hanabi discreetly looked over to the nude Yamanaka, who almost seemed to give off her own glow, especially when compared to the newer members surrounding her. It was clear that the blonde woman was not happy by the new membership policy. She couldn’t say it was because the Yamanaka felt she was better than the people around her. As she had seen the kunoichi interact with people from all different walks of life with grace and civility when Hanabi would observe her father as he attend to his councilor duties. Admittedly, Ino may have just been putting forth a façade of a caring and understanding person. But, Hanabi didn’t feel that was the case. Instead, she believed the Yamanaka was sulking like a child who had discovered a magical place due to the isolation or serenity it offered, had left for a while, and now found it overrun by tourists. Who were there for the spectacle, but were unaware of what had made the place special to begin with.

Yet, Hanabi didn’t believe that was the reason the Yamanaka was singling her out for the genuine ire she was directing her way. Particularly, as thus far, of all the new members Hanabi had seen since joining the W.B.A., she appeared to be the only one that had chosen the fox mark. She wasn’t sure why that was the case, but believed it could be that many of the new women who were already friendly with each other and had chosen their marks of the same design, had done so to signify their existing bond, which may deepen as they progressed through system to unlock more and more of the W.B.A. secrets. She realized that by taking the fox mark as her own, she may have cheapened its meaning or would look like a usurper to women that had originally been members and had claimed the mark as their unifying brand.

Hanabi stood from the water as she pulled her towel to her chest to cover her front while she considered having her mark changed, which was when Ino’s gaze shifted off of her slightly, and a small look of guilt appeared on her face. Looking towards what had attracted the blonde’s attention, Hanabi was shocked to see her sister strolling nude towards the spring. Surprised by her sister’s lack of modesty, especially when surrounded by so many strangers, she noticed that much like Ino, Hinata seemed to give off an internal radiance which is where her sister’s confidence seemed to be coming from. Especially, as she noticed her sister was the receiver of quite a few envious looks from the newer members.

Her sister didn’t seem to notice or care as her own gaze was locked on Ino’s causing the guilt the blonde had displayed to grow more pronounced. Hinata’s gaze then drifted to her, whom she favored with a brief smile, which melted into surprise and happiness as she noticed the mark on her hip. Her eyes then returned to Ino, whom she favored with an understanding look, before it switched into one that seemed to be pleading something. The Yamanaka frowned for a second before her shoulders tensed and then quickly relaxed giving all the indications of a sighed reply of fine, without the sigh actually taking place. A grateful smile appeared on her sister’s face, which to Hanabi’s surprise filled her with an incredible amount of jealousy at witnessing what appeared to be a full conversation that consisted of nothing but a few looks and gestures. Hanabi was surprised by how strong her negative reaction had been, but attributed it to the fact that some woman from outside the Hyuuga knew her sister so much better than her that they had just conversed without uttering a word, while Hanabi just had some vague notion as to what it even pertained to.

Hinata, to her further surprise, rather than approaching the woman that she appeared to have such a deep connection with, instead approached her and sat at the edge of the springs before asking, “I hope I didn’t catch you just as you were leaving.”

“Um…no,” Hanabi said placing her towel back on the stone edge and sank back into the water while feeling lame at her response considering what she had just witnessed.

Hinata slipped into the water beside her causing another wave of jealousy to appear, although this time directed towards her sister as her breasts acted as flotation devices, while there was painfully little keeping Hanabi afloat. To her surprise, her sister seemed to pick up on it as she said, “You shouldn’t fret about such things. Believe it or not, there was a time when I would have desired a body far closer to yours.”

“What changed?” Hanabi asked her sister genuinely curious.

“I came to understand that the reason I felt that way, was because I was envious of the attention that the person closer in build to you was receiving, and believed that if I was built in a similar fashion, I would receive it as well.”

“But what changed,” Hanabi pressed, before regretting it as she worried if she was being too pushy.

Her sister just favored her with a smile as she answered, “I realized that even if I could change my body, and I suddenly found myself receiving that attention, it would only be for the shallowest of reasons. It wouldn’t be me they were showering the attention on, but themselves and the desires they held.”

Hanabi shifted her gaze away from her sister, as she suddenly felt more comfortable with her own nudeness. Her sister as was proving to be the norm, surprised her again as she said, “I’m glad you chose that mark.”

Focusing back on her sister, she asked, “You are?” Receiving a nod, she then stated while sending a pointed sidelong glance towards the blonde that had been coldly staring before, “You seem to be in the minority on that.”

“Ino and the others will come around,” Hinata replied, “Although truthfully, it may have been wrong of me to ask Fuka to make that mark available to you. You’ve likely noticed that you are the only new member to have chosen it.” Receiving a nod, Hinata explained, “This mark holds a lot of meaning to us, which is why it wasn’t available for just anyone to select. But I asked that an exception be made in your case.”

“Why?”

Hinata smiled at her softly, as she responded, “Well… I was sure that you would have noticed mine from whenever we happened to be using the bathhouse on the compound together. It was my hope that if you saw it as an option and selected it, then that might mean you were open to bettering our relationship.”

Hanabi knew that if her father was present, he would tell her not to lose track of why he had her join the Women’s Bathing Association in the first place. However, hearing her sister mirrored her desire to deepen their bond, couldn’t help saying, “I would like that.” The younger Hyuuga couldn’t deny the smile that she received from her sister was genuine, so wasn’t too surprised the guilt that she expected from ignoring her father’s motives for pressuring the W.B.A. to open its membership to her was so muted. But, the part of her that was feeling guilty about disobeying her father, reasoned that if she was going to make inroads with the original members of the Women’s Bathing Association, then she would have to leave outside politics at the door as it were. Similarly, to how most monks believed that the way to Nirvana was attained through leaving all worldly desires behind. At least, that was how she planned to explain it to her father, should he ever try to ascertain if she was making any valuable connections to justify the time that she spent there.

Hinata pulled her from her thoughts as she asked, “Would you like to try the training grounds located here?”

“I don’t think I can access them with my mark at its current level,” Hanabi replied.

Her eyes grew wide as her sister without missing a beat said, “Well, lets find out if you can or can’t. If not, then I can give you access.”

Recognizing the show of trust, Hanabi gave a please smile as she said, “I would like that. Let me go get dressed and…”

“Actually, why bother getting dressed?” Hinata asked causing Hanabi to try to point out a reason for why they should. Yet stopped as her sister continued, and found she was strangely titillated as Hinata explained, “I find training in the nude to be a rather freeing and enjoyable experience. In fact, you may be surprised that it is something the Anbu do together sometimes as an exercise in defeating their embarrassment so they can focus on what truly matters in such moments.”

Hanabi nodded, but began to feel self-conscious at the idea as she felt it was easy for a woman with Hinata’s build to lack embarrassment in her body. Although, she guessed that was kind of the point of the training in the first place, and hoping to one day mirror the confidence she had seen in her sister said, “I don’t know if I’m ready to actually spar with you in such a state of dress, but maybe we can try walking there… naked.”

Hinata giggled, as she said in a tone of understanding, “Of course, whatever you are comfortable with Hanabi.”

Hanabi nodded, and stood along with her sister who after pulling herself out of the water offered her a hand so she could do the same. As Hanabi walked beside her sister, she began to wonder what Hinata’s end goal was, since eventually the outside world would intrude between them as they would need to face each other for the right to control the Hyuuga. She began to grow concerned as she wondered if her sister was running some sort of con on her to make her doubt her resolve. But, pushed such thoughts out of her mind, since she didn’t want to believe it as she truly did desire a deeper connection with her sister. Her eyes drifted to the fully developed Fox mark that her sister had, and guessed that for the moment, it truly didn’t matter what Hinata’s intentions, were since she was just starting her own journey as a member of the W.B.A. and in time should her mark also sport the nine-tails, she’d have a better understanding of who her sister was, and whether or not she was genuine in building a deeper relationship with her.

*******

The polearm Blue Dragon spun around over Tenten’s head as she twirled away from her opponent, occasionally bringing the covered blade of her weapon down to ensure that he allowed her to create some distance between them. When she came to a stop, she was again facing her opponent in ready stance as she held her polearm to the side of her with the blade facing down, and the edge facing her foe so she could quickly raise it up and slash her opponent if he charged.

The similarly aged Suna-nin that she faced didn’t pursue her as he instead flashed through several hand-signs causing the sand that coated the rubber coated field before him to begin swirling about, until several man size vortexes appeared. Which, quickly began spinning their way towards her. Tenten, leapt back as she reached into her pouch with her freehand and produced a knife with a long slender, yet blunted blade which had a seal printed on the handle. She watched as the closing twisters weaved about crossing each other’s paths making charging through or going around difficult, which was why her opponent was using them to cover his approach.

Tenten leapt back to create more room between the twisters and her, and upon landing saw the window she had been looking for open, and so tossed the blade just after two of the twisters crossed in front of the man. The blade passed through the point where the winds of the two separating vortexes seemed to almost cancel each other out allowing her blade to fly true. It obviously caught her opponent by surprise as he quickly came to a stop to cross the silver armguards that he wore in front of his chest so as to block the blade. Which Tenten used as her opportunity to disappear in a white flash.

For Tenten, from the moment she disappeared the world almost came to a complete stand still. Yet, due to her training past training to calculate the best trajectories for her thrown weapons, she was also taking in all the information there was to be had, and began to plot how she could also attack the two women facing her teammates, after she deal with her own that was. Deciding that she’d finish hers off by first catching the knife she had thrown, and then hit her opponent in the forehead protector that affixed to a bandana he wore around his head with a thrust from her polearm’s shaft, in order to then throw said knife at the kunoichi, whose name was Yome, and who was in the middle of avoiding a punch thrown by Moegi, even as she connected with one of her own. It was then that Tenten’s attention shifted to her other teammate Yakumo Kurama, who was in the midst of being blown off her feet by a powerful water jutsu shooting from the mouth of another of Naruto’s Suna lovers, Quistis Trepe, which was a technique that she had copied recently and had taken to calling Aqua Lung.

Tenten took in all the variables, and formed a plan for how to win based on the rules that had been agreed on before the match had begun, and so was already counting the steps the kunoichi Yome would cover in the time that it would take her to catch her knife with the Flying Thunder God seal applied to it, and hit her opponent to take him out of the match. Therefore, Tenten allowed the pull that she felt from the knife to pull her towards her opponent and into the world of motion, in order to follow through with her plan. However, as was often the case when using the Flying Thunder God technique, she found herself well out of the position from who she had envisioned herself when she reappeared.

She mentally cursed, since she was not directly in front of her opponent with the knife that she had teleported to between them, as she had desired. Instead, having appeared off to the side and was facing towards Moegi and Yome in a similar manner as she had planned after disabling the man she faced. Her opponent’s eyes grew wide as he registered her sudden appearance before him, and although she was not facing him directly, he was still unable to take advantage due to the knife flying towards him. Which forced him to keep his arms crossed before him so that it hit him in the metallic armguards he wore, allowing Tenten a chance to recover from her blunder. She did so by dropping into a sweep in order to kick his feet out from under him. Upon succeeding in her attack, she came out of her crouched position, and caught her deflected knife out of the air. Yet as she stood and prepared to throw it towards Yome, a whip caught her by the wrist, and she was pulled off her feet by Quistis.

As she hit the ground, Tenten tried to roll towards the Suna Instructor to get her feet beneath her, while hoping to create some slack in the whip in order to slice it. However, just as she was getting back up, she had the wind knocked out of her as Quistis’s male teammate, a genin named Ittetsu, having already recovered from her attack tackled her from the side and knocked her back to the ground, and pinned a knife against her throat.

Tenten shifted her head towards Quistis, as from behind the blonde woman, Yakumo pressed a kunai against her throat as she said, “You’re dead.”

“Perhaps,” the Suna instructor conceded calmly while removing her glasses as she produced a cloth from her pouch to clean them while adding, “Yet, it would appear that two thirds of your team would be in a similar predicament.”

Tenten aware of her own status among the fictional dead, looked over to see that Yome had managed to capitalize on her previous connection with Moegi’s jaw, as the Konoha genin had blindly spun to lash out with a kick, which Tenten had expected would be the case, as she had wanted to quickly teleport behind the Suna-nin, in order to take out Yome when she used her speed and flexibility to turn to catch the attack, and push Moegi to the ground. Which due to her failure to use the Flying Thunder God jutsu correctly, had happened without her interference, allowing Yome to press a kunai against the inside of Moegi’s thigh and the major artery which laid within.

“Looks like Team Suna wins,” Naruto called out from atop a balcony located just off of the room Kiyomi was using. Kiyomi was sitting beside him under a large umbrella, and although the Fox Bijuu had kept her focus seemingly on a report while they had trained, using the private field that she had constructed beside the Hidden Oasis Inn, Tenten didn’t doubt the red head had been far more interested in the match.

Tenten feeling like a failure, accepted the hand up from Ittesu as he got back to his feet. She noticed that the blushes that normally appeared on Yome’s cheeks were darker than normal, and so considered that due to how she had taken Moegi down that it would have allowed the diminutive kunoichi an unobstructed view up the orange haired girl’s skirt. Who having recently joined the Family’s ranks made her suspect that her fellow lover of Naruto probably hadn’t bothered wearing panties. A feeling that was almost all but confirmed as Moegi accepted a hand-up and when she turned away from the smaller kunoichi a playful smirk graced her lips.

Tenten felt a small measure of amusement as well, at least until Ittesu reminded her of her failure by asking, “Was that the Hiraishin jutsu you used? I thought you had me dead to rights when you just appeared in front of me, it’s a good thing Quistis kept her head in the game.”

“You’re too kind,” Quistis said as she finished wrapping up her whip while she approached, “It looked like Yome had things well in hand. With her dojutsu activated, and her natural evasive skills, very few people can lay a finger on her when she gets in close. So, when it appeared Tenten hadn’t properly executed her jutsu, I figured that I could sacrifice myself and trust you and Yome would do the rest.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Moegi said as she and Yome joined the group, “Would you really do that during the actual chunin exams?”

“No,” Quistis admitted with a shrug, “But, can you say that you might not come across a team that would?” When Moegi replied with a shake of her head, the instructor continued, “Besides, it was still only by the thinnest of margins that we won. Had Tenten succeeded, she probably would have dealt what would have been considered a killing blow to Ittesu, and then appeared behind Yome to deliver another. At best, if I capitalized on the Aqua Lung that I connected with, we get one to your two. But as I had to commit to moving against Tenten as soon as she appeared, truthfully it could have gone three-zero as well.”

The Suna instructor’s pointing out how close the match had been didn’t really help alleviate to Tenten’s feeling that she had let everyone down, so said to Moegi and a soaking wet Yakumo, “Sorry I blew it you guys. I told you I’d be a poor fit for replacing Naruto while he recovers.”

“Nonsense,” Naruto said as he and Kiyomi joined the two teams on the training field, “It was only because Quistis properly read the situation that things went the way they did.”

Quistis felt some color enter her cheeks from the praise as she said, “You’re too kind.” Her focus shifted to her teammates as she said sounding every bit the instructor that she was, “However, we can’t rest on today’s success.” Focusing on her male teammate, she said, “Ittesu, if not for the slight misfiring of the Hiraishin, you would have been eliminated there. You’re still putting too much faith in your vortexes to screen projectiles.”

The man frowned, but then finished an energy drink that he had brought to the training grounds before responding, “Her knife making it through was a one in a million shot. I can’t tell you how many opponents that rely on projectiles that I’ve dispatched using that jutsu.”

Quistis was about to respond, but was beaten to the punch by Naruto as he said, “When it comes to throwing projectiles, trust me when I say no one has hit more one in a million shots as consistently as Tenten.”

Tenten smiled as she felt her own cheeks begin to color from her lover’s praise, but frowned as Ittesu shrugged dismissively, before tossing his can at a nearby trash can located near the street that ran alongside the training field and passed in front of the Hidden Oasis Inn. She noticed Kiyomi’s nose wrinkled in distaste as the man missed, yet made no move to pick up his trash. Quistis sensing her teammate’s attitude was roughening a few feathers, switched her focus to her female teammate to say, “Yome, you still tend to hyper-focus too much on what is in front of you. I believe that you weren’t even aware of the threat that Tenten was about to pose to you.”

Yome proved more receptable to the criticism as she replied, “It unfortunately is a habit that I can’t seem to break. When I was partnered with Sen and Shira, they would cover me when I began to use my Reflection Sight.”

“By doing so,” Quistis said with a hint of disproval, “They only reinforced the habit, and your dependence on others to properly use it.”

Yome’s shoulders sagged, at least until Naruto said, “You know, it might help if she learned something along the lines of the Silent Killing Technique. It would probably increase her awareness of her surroundings, and might provide a nice surprise for anyone trying to exploit her jutsu’s other major weakness.”

“What other weakness, Boss?” Moegi asked since having faced the kunoichi and lost, would like an edge the next time they squared off.

Naruto though made her pout as he said, “I’ll leave that for you to figure out.”

Moegi let a let some sultriness enter her tone as she said, “Oh yeah, I have ways of making you talk.”

Naruto chuckled in response, before responding, “Well, we’ll have to see how effective they prove to be sometime.”

Ittesu gave the orange haired kunoichi a playful smile as he said, “If this guy isn’t interested, you can make me talk anytime you want.”

Moegi gave him a disinterested glance as she asked, “But why would I want too?”

This caused everyone to laugh, as even Ittesu chuckled good naturedly. Quistis clapped her hands together as the laughter died down, to say, “Alright, enough wasting time. Ittesu and Yome, let’s get cleaned up and meet later to discuss where we excelled and where we were lacking.”

Yakumo began heading towards the Hidden Oasis Inn as the members of Team Quistis also went their separate ways and called back to her own teammates, “I think we should probably do the same. I need to get out of these wet clothes. Are you guys going to join me?”

Moegi nodded, but Tenten said, “I’ll catch up later. I want to discuss a few things with sensei first.”

Receiving a pair of nods, she waited until only Naruto and Kiyomi remained on the training field, at which point she activated the privacy field. She sighed as she let all the frustrations that she was feeling out as she said, “I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. It’s almost painfully easy to begin the teleportation process, but I keep screwing up where I appear at. Do you have any insights for me, Naruto?”

Naruto frowned as he shook his head, and seeing Tenten’s dejected look said, “But, that is why I asked Kiyomi to observe today. She did teach me how to use the Hiraishin.”

“Fortunately,” Kiyomi said as she shot a chakra claw at the can that Quistis’s teammate had tossed and left behind, “I have an idea of what your issues may be.” Retracting the claw, she caught the can in her hand, before moving away from the two along the edge of the field towards a bench with a control panel built in front of it. Upon reaching the panel, she leaned over it, and after making a few adjustments activated it, which caused the area to be filled with the hum of gears turning as one of the many circles which appeared on the rubber coated training field, began to rise up near Naruto and Tenten, to reveal it was a concrete post. Kiyomi began walking back towards them, but her path took her behind the post, which when she stepped from behind it, raised her hands to show she was no longer holding the can. Returning to the pair, she said, “From where you two are standing, try hitting the can with a kunai.”

Naruto frowned as he was about to say it was impossible from their current angle, but Tenten simply tossed a kunai into the air and when it came down on the other side of the pillar, they heard the unmistakable screeching of metal cutting into metal. Which was confirmed visibly as the can with a kunai imbedded in the top came rolling from behind the raised pillar. “Show off,” Naruto muttered causing Tenten to give him a wide smile.

Kiyomi also had a pleased smile as she said, “Tell us Naruto, weren’t you about to say that it was impossible.” Her lover nodded, but it was clear to the Bijuu that both he and Tenten were unclear as to what point she was trying to make, so explained, “Naruto, for all the improvements you have made, I would still tend to describe your thought process as rather simple.” She held up a hand to forestall any complaints as she instead asked, “If Shinobi A is running at a clip of ten kilometers an hour, and you’re standing fifteen meters from him, how far should you lead him when tossing a kunai at ninety kph.”

She smiled as she could see Naruto trying to apply the skills that he had picked up from teaching Iruka’s class, but saw that Tenten had already arrived at the answer. Her lover could see that as well, and beginning to see where his former Bijuu was going with her question, abandoned the math problem to state, “You’re basically saying that Tenten is processing too much information and it is throwing off where she is appearing.”

“I believe so,” Kiyomi said with a nod. Focusing on Tenten as well, she continued, “As you both know, when you first begin to teleport, time almost comes to a complete stop, at which point you can use the pull of the seal to appear anywhere around it. For a person like you Naruto, it is just a matter of where you feel you can deliver the most damage. For a more detailed oriented person like you, Tenten, that moment is a buffet of information, and your mind instantly goes to try and process it all.” Pointing to a building that was similar in design to the Hidden Oasis Inn, but had a flag with the Suna symbol printed on it, and was hanging from a pole as it lazily flapped in the breeze, Kiyomi continued, “In the moment that time freezes, you’d probably be able tell me how hard the wind was blowing in that moment based on what angle the flag was from the pole it is hanging from.”

Tenten nodded, before asking, “So you’re saying that I need to train myself to… what exactly… stop being so perceptive? No offence, but this jutsu was used by the Fourth and the Second Hokage. I don’t believe they have reputations for being relatively…”

“Simple minded,” Naruto supplied suspecting Tenten trailed off as she was struggling how to phrase her description so that he wouldn’t be insulted.

“Straight forward,” Kiyomi countered to which Tenten nodded. Focusing on her lover, Kiyomi said, “I’m not saying you are a fool any longer.”

To which Kiyomi earned a muttered, “Gee thanks,” from her lover as he crossed his arms as if to pout.

She did smile softly as she put a comforting hand on his forearms, as she explained, “I’m just saying that when you look at that flag, you can tell me what direction the wind is coming, while the amount of information Tenten receives is many times greater. This overload of information causes her to lose focus on where she is to appear.”

“So how do I change?”

“Why would you want to?” Kiyomi replied earning her a confused look from the two. Smirking as a result of their reactions, she stated, “My point is only that you see the world differently from Naruto, and that is making it difficult for you to use this jutsu in the same manner as him. Keep in mind that although it appears the Second Hokage created it. It wasn’t until the Fourth Hokage that it became a household name, and something feared by enemies the world over. Perhaps you should try focusing on doing likewise.” She could see Tenten was thinking on how to do just that but wasn’t having much luck in such a brief period of time, so said, “If I may make a suggestion.” Receiving a nod, she focused on Naruto as she stated, “In my opinion, the method Naruto uses does have a slight flaw, but one that can be easily exploited in the right circumstances.”

“It’s dependence on the seal,” Tenten said, earning a nod of respect from the Bijuu.

“Correct,” Kiyomi replied, “If an opponent keeps his wits about him when you teleport, they essentially will know that you are going to appear somewhere near any seals in play. That was how Sasuke was able to hit Naruto during their last fight.”

“Because, I was only using the one kunai,” Naruto stated having gone over the match hundreds of times in his head.

“And, you couldn’t just teleport to one of your lovers since you feared losing track of him,” Kiyomi added. “So, it was essentially a gamble on his part. But, much like the match that we witnessed just now, it was a gamble, that paid off big.” Naruto nodded in agreement, so Kiyomi focused her gaze back towards Tenten as she explained, “It might take a bit more preparation on the front end, and a few tweaks to the seal to improve how far away you can appear from them. But I imagine if you coated an area with kunai at precise locations you could in essence use the kunai to triangulate where you reappear, in essence you would be able to create a space where you could effectively appear and disappear at will. Thereby making use of the unique way with which you view the world, and shaping the jutsu to better fit you, as opposed to the other way around.”

Tenten looked excited as she began to head back towards the Hidden Oasis while saying, “I’ll go get started modifying the seals on my weapons right away.” She paused as she looked back towards Kiyomi sounding a little unsure as she asked, “Um… if I need some help…”

“Then my door will be open,” Kiyomi said with a smile as Tenten nodded gratefully before snatching up her equipment bag and began running back to the inn, stopping just long enough to open a hole in the privacy barrier which closed up behind her.

Kiyomi felt a sense of satisfaction which doubled as Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissing her cheek said, “Thank you.”

Kiyomi spun to face him as she stated, “You don’t need to thank me for helping a member of our Family.”

“I know,” Naruto replied, before kissing her deeply, which she returned with an equal amount of fervor. After several moments, he pulled back to ask, “I don’t suppose you have any nuggets of wisdom for me?”

Kiyomi frowned softly as she asked, “In regards to?”

Naruto sighed as he answered, “To getting stronger. To be honest, I’m finding myself kind of standing on a mountain peak, and I’m not entirely sure where I can go from here.”

Kiyomi smiled, as she said, “Oh is that all.” Her lover’s frown deepened as if asking her to explain which prompted her to say, “Well to mirror what you told Moegi, I’ll leave that to you to figure out.”

Naruto chuckled as his hands moved down to grip the cheeks of her ass through the kimono that she wore, and pulled her groin up against his where she could feel his semi-hardened member pressing back as he stated, “Well to copy her reply, I have ways of making you talk.”

Kiyomi wrapped her arms around his neck as she replied, “Oh, I bet you do.” Kissing him, she felt the bulge between them growing firmer, which caused her own desire to grow as well so she pulled her lips away to say, “Well perhaps I’ll give you a small hint if you promise to use your so called Bijuu tamer on me.” Receiving a nodded, she said, “Very well. in regards to your finding yourself standing at the top of some mountain and seeing nowhere else to go… have you ever tried walking around one?”

Naruto stood back as a blank look appeared on his face making Kiyomi wonder if he was disappointed by her advice. However, a moment later a large smile graced his face as he looked as if he was about to run away similarly to how Tenten had as he said, “I’m going to get started right away.”

However, as began to move Kiyomi leapt onto his back as he tried to pass her and said, “Not so fast. You have a job to do now mister.”

Naruto’s laughter filled her heart with joy as he worked her around to his front and sealed his lips to hers while once more cupping her ass as she locked her legs around his waist. After enjoying the taste of each other’s lips for several heartbeats, Naruto pulled back as he ground his dick against her groin pulling a moan from her, “Then away us to your chambers, milady.”

Kiyomi smiled before resealing her lips to his as they disappeared in a burst of flame.

*****

The two lovers reappeared in Kiyomi’s room, where Naruto laid her on the bed while their tongues continued to dance. With his hands free though, he began to undo the sash which held her red and gold kimono closed. Once it was undone, Naruto pulled away from the Bijuu that he once hosted, and pulled open the robe she wore so that he could admire the naked flesh beneath. Kiyomi stared up at him hungrily as she sat up while pulling her arms free of the kimono, leaving her naked except for the black leggings she was wearing, bringing her hand between her thighs she rubbed her glistening nether lips as she said, “Don’t keep me waiting. Can’t you see how badly I want you?”

Naruto gave her a pleased smile as he pulled the white T-shirt that he had been wearing over his head, exposing his upper body to her hungry eyes as he replied, “A blind man could see that.” Yet, rather than continue to remove his clothes, he knelt before her as he said, “But, let’s see if we can’t stoke that simple want into a desperate need.”

Kiyomi wanted to say that she was already there, but instead let out a moan as Naruto removed her hand to replace it with his mouth and tongue. She laid back as she decided to play his game, partially because of the pleasure, but also because her lover was playing her body like an instrument and she doubted she’d be able to stop her hips from grinding against his face, even if she had wanted too. She moaned and clutched at the expensive fabric of the kimono that she was still laying on as his tongue began teasing her clit, while he slid his index and middle finger inside her to pet the sweet spot within her. Kiyomi stiffened in pleasure, as she sat up and let out a plaintive, “Naruto…”

Her lover paused for a moment, and seeing the desire burning in her emerald eyes, stood up to begin removing the rest of his clothes. She watched on ravenously, until his fully erect cock appeared once he pushed down his pants and boxers. At which point she sat up and leaned forward in order to wrap her lips around it. “Mmmm, that’s the need I was talking about,” Naruto stated with a pleasured filled tenor, as he rested one of his hands on the back of her head just above where her nine-braids started as he encouraged her to take him deeper.

Kiyomi moaned in reply as she tried to grant his silent request, but even after years of servicing him in such a manner, couldn’t compete with the likes of Tsunade or Sakura, who could take him all the way to the base. Not that she wanted to at present, as currently there was another part of her which needed to swallow the entirety of his length. Pulling free of his light grip, and letting his dick slip pass her lips, she continued to stroke him as she stared up at him while letting her eyes do all the talking. But added, “Tell me that you need me.”

Naruto’s own eyes were communicating with her, but he gave voice to it as well as he said, “I do.” The simple words filled Kiyomi with elation as she slid back towards the center of the bed, so that her lover could join her on it.

Naruto hovered over her as he brought his cock up to the entrance of her pussy, and caused a small frustrated moan to escape her as he slid the head up and down her slit several times. But, a cry of ecstasy was next as he lined himself up with her entrance and then plunged inside her all the way to the base. Kiyomi didn’t have long to bask in the small climax, as Naruto began drilling his rod within her, which would smash into the entrance of her womb like a battering ram every time he bottomed out inside her.

Kiyomi could soon feel another more powerful climax building within her, but tried to put it off so as to remain connected to her lover that much longer. Yet, Naruto had other ideas as he leaned back enough to catch one of her bouncing breasts, which he squeezed so he could latch onto the hardened nub. “Yes!!!” Kiyomi hissed as he switched between lapping, and sucking the red nipple which resided at the top of her captured mammary. Just as she was about to beg him to switch to the other, he did exactly that although he treated it slight rougher than the other as he nipped it with his teeth. Kiyomi exploded into another climax as she locked her ankles behind his bouncing ass, and pulled him deeper inside her. Although, trapped in a world of sensory delight, she could tell it wasn’t all that it could be as she didn’t feel a warmth filling her womb.

As her sense of the world around her began to return, and she relinquished the death like grip she had on her lover, Kiyomi found herself suddenly devoid of the still hard rod that had been nestled against her womb. Before she could complain though, she was flipped over onto her stomach, where Naruto lifted her ass up enough that he could slide right back into her. Kiyomi moaned softly as she was still feeling weak from her previous climax. But as his cock continued rubbing the still tingling nerves within her, she soon found her strength returning as she worked herself up to her hands and knees to begin throwing her ass back against him.

Naruto reached forward with his right arm and gripping several of her braids, wrapped them around his hand several times. Kiyomi’s head was pulled back as he used her hair as a leash to pull her back towards him. She didn’t mind though as she found that it forced him just that much further within her.

“Oh…fuck!!!” she moaned as she found another tidal wave of pleasure was about to crush her beneath it. “Naruto, I’m so close…please…fuck me…cum with me.”

“As you wish,” Naurto replied, but added, “But first… tell me what you need.”

“You,” Kiyomi shouted aloud as she climaxed yet again, as Naruto yanked her fully onto his rod. She could feel the spurts as he exploded within her. The white seed filling her womb acted as an accelerant causing the pleasure burning her from the inside out to grow even hotter. Once it burnt itself out though, she fell forward weakl and felt a chill settle over her, but it was quickly banished as Naruto collapsed atop her, and shared more of his warmth with her, which for Kiyomi was truly all that she currently desired.

******

Ino entered the Den through the hidden doorway located within the Hidden Eddy Inn’s basement. Heading towards the Master Bedroom, she felt a fresh surge of annoyance at needing to do so, since the passage that had been in the grotto of the Women’s bathing Association had been closed off from it, so that a new passage to another set of tunnels could be made. But she quickly got the feeling under control, since before leaving to return home, she had looked in on Hinata and Hanabi, and while the younger Hyuuga had appeared rather uncomfortable as they had been sparring in the nude, it did appear as if she was open to bettering her relationship with her sister. Which, if nothing else happened other than the two sisters growing closer to one another, Ino would at least then consider the Family losing its exclusive access to the W.B.A. to be somewhat acceptable.

She sighed as she reached the Master Bedroom’s door, and although she knew it would be the case, still frowned as she entered to find it empty. Moving to the massive bed, she stripped out of her clothes leaving a trail behind her until she was completely nude. Climbing onto it, she laid atop of the blankets as she let the pleasant memories she had experienced in the room, banish the annoyance that she felt at having to share the hotsprings of the W.B.A. with a bunch of outsiders. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was so bothered by it, since although she had been a voice of dissent against their opening up the membership to women that weren’t bound to Naruto, in the end she had agreed, and truthfully hadn’t really thought about it too much further. At least, until it had actually happened, which was when her negative feelings on the matter had returned with a vengeance. Which, truthfully Ino was somewhat grateful for, as many of the new members were keeping their distance from her, no doubt sensing that it wouldn’t be wise to bother her. This suited Ino just fine, as while many of the new women were grouping up with their friends to see what the W.B.A. had to offer, she could spot a few schemers among them, who were hoping to leverage the connections they made to their own advantages. Ino despite her negative view of those particular women and their intentions, was forced to admit that for the most part that was exactly why the W.B.A. had been created for. Or more accurately, Naruto’s harem, which the W.B.A. was but an offshoot of.

However, despite that truth. Ino figured her bitterness over the expanded membership was due to it feeling like The Family had put in all the work to make the Women’s Bathing Association into what it was, only for people ignorant of what it had taken to show up and demand to be given all the benefits that came with membership. A small smile of amusement graced her lips, as she amended her opinion to reflect that since most of the women would never know the satisfaction of having Naruto as a lover, they’d be mission out on the best perk. Still, thinking of her lover made Ino wonder if perhaps his being injured again, mostly through his own actions, was why she was feeling so negative about the W.B.A.’s expanded membership.

Sitting up and moving back so she could rest her back against the wall, Ino pulled her legs up against her chest as she thought, “I understand why Naruto was willing to go to such lengths for that Hotaru woman. It isn’t all that different from what he was willing to do for Kin after all. But what if I’m feeling so bitter about this because it’s a reflection of how I would feel should we succeed in our goals, only to lose him.”

Ino felt she had hit the nail that was her issue with the expansion directly on the head, and realized that it in a sense reflected a world at peace, but one where she had lost something important, with everyone else, but her Family, carrying on blissfully unaware of what had been lost by those who had put in the most effort. She imagined in such a scenario where they had succeeded, but it had required Naruto’s sacrifice, she would eventually grow rather bitter at the world, much as she was currently pretty bitter towards the new W.B.A. members. Recognizing her issue, she decided to try and be more welcoming to the new members, since it wasn’t their fault that they didn’t recognize how their presence had intruded on the paradise the W.B.A had been, and thus couldn’t really do anything about it. Much, as she couldn’t do anything about the fact that she was in love with an idiot that would gamble everything for someone he had never truly met, and was even an enemy at the time. Still, Ino wouldn’t change anything about him, and so accepted that she needed to grow stronger, both physically and emotionally.

Feeling better, she was about to slip beneath the blankets of the bed, but stopped as the door opened to reveal Mabui. Ino was somewhat confused by the Kumo-nin’s presence, since she figured the woman would know Naruto was in Suna, but then quickly recognized that likely meant she was there to talk with her. Mabui appeared amused as she began to approach the bed, and taking in Ino’s state of dress asked, “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No sadly,” Ino replied as she slid towards the edge of the bed, “I was just working through some negative feelings that I have about this whole expanded membership deal, and figured the pleasant memories I have experienced here would help balance me out a little.”

Mabui nodded, before replying, “Well at least you still can make use of the facilities.”

Ino inclined her head, but stated, “True, but it isn’t really the facilities that I’m going to miss. More so, who I shared them with. Yet, I’ve already reached an understanding of my feelings on the matter and besides, I doubt you came here to talk about my issues with losing a place where we are free to be ourselves, when your own access has been far more curtailed.”

“Sadly no, as I almost wish that was the extent of our problems” Mabui said while giving Ino a worried look. “But, almost as soon as the Raikage got back on his feet, he has been approving programs meant to facilitate Kumo’s withdrawal from the Alliance.”

Ino wasn’t sure why Mabui appeared so worried, since in truth they had already suspected that would be the case, but asked, “What sort of programs?”

“Mainly propaganda spreading at the moment,” the grey-haired woman replied. “With Kumogakure’s economy being stronger than ever because of the Alliance, he’s begun telling the various talking heads on the news to begin focusing on stories which paint a less than rosy picture.”

Ino nodded, as she replied, “Basically, don’t believe what you’re seeing, believe what we’re saying.”

“Yes,” Mabui replied before adding, “Not to mention, painting Yugito’s defection as an Alliance ploy to weaken Kumo. Or the Alliance as a whole was just to get double agents into the village.”

“Well, there is a bit of truth in that,” Ino stated, while giving her fellow Family member a rather amused smile. She let it slip a moment later as she asked, “Still, with us believing that the Raikage only fought to remain in the Alliance so as to have an opportunity to grab Naruto at the Chunin Exams. It would make sense for him to start trying to sow seeds of dissent with it now, to give them time to take root.”

Mabui showed that she agreed with a sharp nod of her head, and stated, “True, but it just highlights that I may need to choose a side sooner or later.”

“Because of the work you do with Great Tree Shipping Company’s Kumo Branch.”

“I am the Kumo Branch,” Mabui said proudly, “But essentially yes. My side activities have been tolerated, and perhaps even encouraged since no one has brought it up yet. Perhaps, because the Raikage believed he’d be able to use me to inform on the company or he believed that I would arrange favorable deals for Kumo.”

“But, with how things currently stand,” Ino interjected, “He can’t go around claiming that the Alliance is bad for Kumo, and yet have his assistant working for a company that was instrumental in helping create it, and is also based in the Leaf to boot.”

“Hence, why I believe that I’ll eventually be forced to choose a side,” Mabui stated feeling torn.

“Have you decided on which side of the decision you want to fall?”

Mabui frowned, since she was unsure of the answer herself, but replied, “No. But it is clear that for the sake of our goals, it would probably be more beneficial for me to remain as the Raikage’s assistant. But… my heart is pulling me in a different direction.”

“You want to stay on as the director of the Kumo Branch,” Ino said sounding a little surprised.

Mabui nodded, before explaining, “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was essentially the Branch. For the most part I just arranged the shipments, and would farm them out after or before my shift at the Hiring Hall. It was slow going at first, since no one wanted to work for or help a company from the Leaf. But, as more and more shinobi begin seeing the benefits, I’m now finding myself running out of jobs to hand out. It might sound silly, but I think these jobs are helping my fellow Kumo-nin to understand that we aren’t so different from the other villages after all.”

“I see,” Ino said with a tone of understanding, “You’ve been considering quitting for some time now, haven’t you?”

“No,” Mabui said rather quickly with more emotion then she had intended. She frowned from her reaction, before admitting, “I don’t know. Maybe… It’s just I use to feel fulfilled by my job as the Raikage’s assistant. But now… I think that feeling has been waning the more I learn about Kumo’s leadership and their actions. But I think I know where I can find that satisfaction again. Plus, by making the Kumo Branch even stronger, I may be able to carve out more of a space where we can be free with our shared lover within my village.”

Ino smiled, as she stated in full understanding, “Well, I can certainly appreciate why you would want to do that.” Mabui giggled in amusement as she sat beside the naked Yamanaka on the bed. Ino gave the dark-skinned woman a moment to process her recently revealed feelings on the matter before adding, “Not to mention, as you so pridefully boasted, you turned the Kumo Branch into what it currently is. You wouldn’t want to see that work squandered.”

“Yes,” Mabui replied as she continued to look lost in thought. But after a few moments of silence, focused on Ino as she explained her reason for visiting, “However, regardless of what I chose to do in the future. I believe it is wise to begin preparing for a time where I may not be able to act as the Family’s spy any longer.”

“You don’t think he’s…” Ino began to ask worryingly.

But trailed off, as Mabui shook her head in the negative, before replying, “No, I don’t think he’s aware of where my allegiance truly lay. But, with what I’ve learned about him, I should be prepared for what may happen if he does decide that I’m a liability. Moreover, it is clear to me now, that my position as his assistant hasn’t been all that useful towards uncovering what secrets he has been hiding. I believe it is time that changes, and if I do decide to leave, it would give me all the more cover to act against him.”

“Then I guess you’re here because you figure that I may come in handy towards achieving that,” Ino stated earning a smile from the Kumo kunoichi.

“I have an idea or two that would benefit from your abilities,” Mabui replied. “Which is why I wanted to know if it is possible for you to take over a body, but without assuming control.”

Ino frowned, before responding, “Sure, a few techniques don’t have me assume direct control of my targets. But they generally just implant impulses which they have to follow.” Noting the frown that Mabui which had appeared, she asked, “Not what you were hoping for?”

Mabui shook her head, before explaining, “I was hoping something that would let you sort of hitch a ride, to report what a person saw or did. But without you being the one controlling them.”

“Ah, you want them to behave as they would normally. Would you want me to target the Raikage with such a jutsu?”

“No,” Mabui replied, “Even as someone that is in charge of the Raikage’s schedule. I have no idea when he would have a clandestine meeting, and its abundantly clear, he’s able to do so without my being aware of them. But recently I’ve noticed that the Land of Iron has stepped up efforts to gain access to the village.”

“That’s strange,” Ino stated, “They aren’t exactly known for trying to cause trouble like that.”

“True, although they do tend to see themselves as the peacekeepers of the Shinobi World, and since their efforts to infiltrate Kumo increased right after the Battle of Ame, they might be trying to get insights into all of the major players of it.”

“I can ask if our intelligence has noticed any similar activity,” Ino supplied, when suddenly her eyes widened as she realized, “You want to co-opt a spy from the Land of Iron.”

“Yes, particularly if they aren’t showing interest in any of the other villages, and are in fact singling out Kumo,” Mabui explained. “Currently, all final approval of applications looking to gain access to the village run through me. Generally, a lot of would be spies are weeded out before they reach my desk, but a few still make it through. I think the reason I’ve seen so many of Land of Iron attempts is because they usually don’t make such blatant moves.”

“But, how do you know they’re spies from Iron?” Ino asked. “I can’t imagine their visas say, ‘Land of Iron spy.”

Mabui smiled as she replied, “You would be surprised, all governments are bureaucracies and as such behave in set patterns. For example, in the past you could almost always trust that an application that stated the Land of Fire as a previous residence did not belong to a spy.”

“Because it would send up red flags,” Ino stated, earning a nod from Mabui.

“Precisely,” Mabui replied, “More often then not though, when Konoha was looking to get a spy into Kumo it would use The Land of Tea, or even the Land of Wind when the Leaf’s intelligence was feeling particularly creative. Mainly because since Konoha had friendly relations with these places, it could more easily get its hands on the proper paperwork or even run it through those countries’ systems entirely to give legitimacy to their spy’s applications. Iron does much the same thing, and not even all that well. However, it happened so rarely in the past that I can understand why so many have slipped through.”

“But, since you have oversight, and have identified these applications… wouldn’t you be worried that should you let a spy get through, it would reflect poorly on you?”

Mabui shrugged her shoulders, before a small smile appeared as she responded, “Which is why this plan is one that I’ll probably only go through with should the Raikage dismiss me… or I decide to leave.”

Ino giggled, as she stated, “A nice subtle way to make him regret it immediately, and also so happens to call into question any doubts that he may have about your loyalty. After all, if a spy gets through after he forces you out, well then he’s the one that would have replaced an indispensable cog in his own bureaucratic machine.”

“Precisely,” Mabui said, “Although, since your jutsu doesn’t work like I hoped, there may not be much of a reason to since we wouldn’t know what Iron is looking for.”

“Now hold on,” Ino said suddenly as she had a flash of inspiration, “It may not currently work in a manner which would make this plan of yours work…but I think that I may have an idea or two of how to go about making it. First things first though, I need to see Tsunade about letting me see a certain scroll, and then learn a jutsu that helped our shared lover graduate the Academy.”

Mabui smiled as she stood up to take her leave while saying, “Excellent, then in the meantime, I think I’ll pay a visit to Mito. I can sense that she is down here as well.”

Ino nodded, as she used her own foxmark to confirm that was the case as she said, “Yeah, no doubt her and Momo are working late in trying to decipher the ins and outs of the Caged Bird Seal. But, why are you looking for her?”

“One of the things that got me the position as the Raikage’s assistant was my mastery of a jutsu that allows the almost instantaneous transportation of items from one place to another.” Mabui could see Ino was rather surprised by that, so she explained, “Unlike the seals Kiyomi designed, my jutsu can only transport items not people… or more accurately most people as only the Raikage has ever survived it being used in such a manner by my predecessor. But, having heard about what Kiyomi and Mito came up with for Ame, my guess is that the reason it has such a drawback is we may have stolen the jutsu from somewhere, so didn’t have the knowledge required to perfect it. I’m guessing that is also why we experience such difficulties with finding those able to use it. My hope is that Kiyomi and Mito can help me improve it, and perhaps even develop it further in order to let me use it on myself.”

“In case you have to make a hasty exit from Kumo?” Ino inquired worriedly.

“I hope not,” Mabui replied, “But, improving my own teleportation jutsu may help me to uncover a few more of the Raikage’s secrets. Since, even if he isn’t inclined to let me in on them. With all the paperwork that he handles, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to get a seal or two into places that he would rather prying eyes not be privy too.”

Receiving a nod from Ino as the blonde then stood to ask, “Mind if I tag along?”

Mabui arched an eyebrow as she responded, “Dressed like that? Don’t you think Momo would be more comfortable if you were wearing something.”

“Fine,” Ino said with a pout as she began following Mabui to the door, while picking up her clothes to put them back on, “But, there are quite a few ladies around here that need to wake up and fuck our Uzumaki, because the last thing that I’m willing to tolerate is needing to restrain myself down here of all places.” Mabui let out a short laugh, and understood exactly where the Yamanaka was coming from in spirit, since she feared that if something wasn’t done soon, the women of Kumo would lose access to the light the Uzumaki that they shared represented as the Raikage took their village further and further into darkness in order to return it to the state of mistrust and stagnation it had been before, where he held ultimate power.

******

Pakura tried to calm her extreme bout of nerves as she waited for her date to arrive. She was somewhat surprised by it, considering how for the past few years she had been in a hidden relationship with Naruto. But, was forced to admit there hadn’t exactly been a long courting period, and it seemed rather silly to get nervous over dates after already having been fucked in her ass and pussy at the same time. She smiled as she thought of her lover, but her thoughts soon turned to what she planned to tell Ameno. In truth, despite Naruto telling her that he wouldn’t mind her exploring a relationship with Suna doctor, particularly as both Yoruichi and Anko had similar such companions. Pakura had originally planned to turn her fellow councilor down. Primarily, since Anko’s relationship with Haruna was clearly one of master and submissive, with it being apparent the Konoha Jounin fully expected the Daimyo to eventually give herself to Naruto, and truthfully the one Yorucichi had with Soifon although not to a similar degree, didn’t really strike Pakura as one between equals. Suspecting that wouldn’t be the case with Ameno, Pakura was of the opinion it would be better to let her down, rather than stringing her along.

However, the day before her date with Ameno, Temari had approached her to ask her what she was planning to do. When she had stated her intentions of turning the brown-haired doctor down, Temari had then asked her to reconsider. Pakura had at first been rather surprised, at least until Temari had explained that she felt Gaara had nominated Ameno to the council because he had already known of her preference for women. Pakura had dismissed it at first, since Ameno had been nominated before the current difficulties between Naruto and Gaara. She had been of the opinion that Temari was just letting her anger at Gaara casting the vote which had kept Kumo in the Alliance. She felt the younger woman was letting her emotions get the better of her, since that had been the result they had wanted in a sense. But, Temari had persisted, stating that she believed Gaara may have already been experiencing doubts in regards to his support of Naruto even before he had aided in Yugito’s defection. Although, Pakura had her doubts that had been the case, she admitted that Temari had made a persuasive case since Gaara had admitted that he viewed no sacrifice as being too great to maintain the current peace, and might have recognized, on a subconscious level, that as Naruto’s influence grew in Suna, his own may wane. Still. Pakura felt that as she had been friends with Ameno for months without being aware of her desires, felt it was a bit of a stretch to imagine that Gaara had known of it, in order to nominate her as a replacement for Karura on the council to blunt Naruto from gaining more influence. Especially as Temari had admitted that he might have been acting against them subconsciously, as opposed to overtly. However, Temari was undeterred, as she had explained that she had pulled Ameno’s file, only to find a large portion of her early career had been redacted, and when she had tried to pull the uncensored version had learned that it was marked as, “For Kazekage eyes only.”

Still, although Pakura felt Temari might be letting her feelings over Gaara’s vote get the better of her emotions, especially since Ameno’s file likely had been marked as such by the previous Kazekage. She had at least promised Temari that she would consider the matter further. Yet, while she had awoken that morning feeling as if she would still turn Ameno down. Due to the council meeting Pakura had attended just an hour previously, she was beginning to feel that perhaps Temari wasn’t as compromised by her emotions as she had first suspected, and what was much worse was that Gaara might no longer be working against them on a subconscious level.

The council meeting had started off relatively normal with each councilor bringing up matters they felt were most pressing, naturally a majority of them focused on the threat Sasuke posed and Suna’s state of readiness. Temari had for the most part quietly seethed while occasionally sending daggers her brother’s way after having passed when it was her turn to talk, and had instead busied herself with studying a packet Sari had handed out to them the night before, having arrived at the Hidden Oasis Inn shortly after Temari had approached her about how to handle Ameno’s confession. The packet had detailed defensive measures Suna would be taking in light of Sasuke attack on Ame. However, just as the meeting was about to wrap up, Temari suddenly stood as she threw her packet on the table and demanded, “Just what kind of game are you playing here?”

To Pakura, it looked as if Gaara knew exactly what his sister was talking about, but calmly replied, “Perhaps, you would elaborate on what you are referring to?”

Temari glared at her brother, and looked like she wanted to fire back with something scathing, but calmed herself as she said, “That you’ve buried the lead in your little packet of defensive measures you want to take, and are trying to resurrect Joseki’s Hollow Army Project.” Normally Pakura might have found it funny that almost all of the councilors’ herself included showed they hadn’t read the packet by suddenly looking through the pages, with some having not even bothered to bring it, but in light of the concerns Temari had raised, she couldn’t find the hilarity at the moment. Temari pressed on as she asked, “How would you even go about it? I thought you ordered all those Gelel machines that we took after’s Haido’s rampage destroyed.”

“I did,” Gaara replied in his usual monotone, “However, perhaps you would not be surprised to learn that Joseki went behind my back and hid a few.”

Temari frowned as a few of the councilors laughed at Gaara’s stoic response, but Pakura was a little unnerved by it, since she suspected Gaara was playing politics with his sister. Temari ignored it in favor of asking, “Then why did you not have them destroyed yourself upon finding them? Why would you even go looking for them?”

“Because Ame happened,” Gaara replied quickly. Shifting his focus to many of the councilors, Pakura noted he made steadier eye contact with the male members of the council, and more explicitly the ones that would be considered Hardliners. “Ame has shown me that I alone would not be enough to defend the village. Having lost my Bijuu, I do not know if I could still hold my own against the likes of Sasuke, as even Naruto Uzumaki was not able to best him. Therefore, in order to best defend the village, we may have to turn to avenues that we previously disregarded, even ones that I personally found worrisome enough to shut down.”

“I for one agree with the Kazekage,” the Hardliner Gouza stated quickly, seizing on the apparent shift in Gaara’s position on the matter.

“You would,” Temari replied snidely.

“Lady Temari, I know that you have placed a considerable amount of faith in the Alliance, and who can blame you considering your role as Ambassador to the Leaf,” Gouza replied diplomatically. “But the Uzumaki’s failure against Sasuke Uchiha should at the very least demonstrate that we cannot just remain idle hoping in the Alliance and need to continue to rely on ourselves.”

“By turning to a project that may grant increased power and durability, but kills the users should the Hollow Armor be destroyed,” Temari replied angrily. “Joseki would certainly be proud with the direction we are going.”

Ever the politician Gouza countered, “Joseki may have let his desire for vengeance get the better of him. But that doesn’t mean his wish to see us take advantage of every opportunity we can to insure Suna’s continued existence was wrong as well. Besides which, it was a key goal of the original project to overcome the flaw which costs users their lives. After all, this can just be considered another puppet jutsu of sorts.”

“Just like many considered the jutsu of the Shirogane Clan’s Puppet Walkers to be just another puppet technique,” Temari replied almost immediately, “At least until we learned the true cost of what was required to create them.”

“We will not let that happen,” Gaara replied dismissively towards his sister’s concerns. “But we will take whatever steps are necessary to insure our home survives the chaos that Sasuke Uchiha seems destined to bring.”

*********

Pakura’s focus returned to the present as she noticed Ameno making her way towards her, but would admit that she still was haunted by the Kazekage’s words. Primarily since while Gaara had made his reasoning revolve around Sasuke, she couldn’t help but suspect that when he had spoken of combating chaos, he was picturing Naruto as the true culprit.

She let the matter drop for the time being to smile as Ameno closed the distance between them. Ameno having sought her out after the council session, to see if Pakura had developed cold feet about meeting with her afterwards as they had initially agreed, had been obviously relieved to see she was still planning to go out with her, and had suggested a more formal setting rather than the bar that they had normally met at. Pakura had gone home to get ready, and decided to wear a form fitting forest green dress, which fastened at a collar around her neck leaving all of her back exposed. The hem of her dress reached to about her mid-thigh, leaving her freshly shave legs to almost shine as she was wearing a pair of matching heels.

Ameno had also dressed for the venue of the fancy restaurant that she had suggested, as she was wearing a white dress which although didn’t hug her figure was tantalizing nonetheless as it flowed freely around her. The dress exposed much of her shoulders and back as the straps that held it up were tied around her neck. It also exposed a fair bit of cleavage as it was only modestly hidden by a crisscrossing lace. A pattern that was repeated around Ameno’s legs as she wore high-heel sandals which had straps which wrapped around them but stopped a few inches short of disappearing beneath her dresses hem.

After sitting across from her and ordering a drink from the waiter that appeared, Ameno gave her an optimistic, but cautious smile as she said, “I’m glad you agreed to come here tonight. This is probably my favorite restaurant in the village, and I normally end up dining alone.”

Pakura returned the smile, although she imagined hers reflected the nervousness she felt, as she replied, “Well… considering what we intended to talk about. I imagine our usual spot lacks the proper atmosphere.”

“I don’t know,” Ameno said as she placed her hand on top of Pakura’s, “Depending on how tonight turns out, I might have preferred that we had gone to a place where we could drink continuously to shed our inhibitions.”

Pakura chuckled as she asked, “Oh, do you imagine I would need to tie one on before dropping my guard around you?”

Ameno smiled as she shook her head before responding, “No, but I might need to. I was pretty far gone before I worked up the courage to kiss you. Although, I sobered up rather quickly due to how you reacted.”

“I didn’t think my reaction was too out of line,” Pakura replied confused.

“No, it wasn’t,” Ameno admitted, “But, while you seemed to enjoy it at first, you quickly tensed up before finding a reason to leave.”

“To be fair,” Pakura countered, “I remember you offering several apologizes, before finding your own reason to make yourself scarce.”

Ameno inclined her head to acknowledge Pakura’s recollection of what happened was also accurate. Sighing, the Medical-nin said, “Let me once again apologize. It’s just…”

“Hmm,” Pakura hummed in interest, hoping it would prompt her fellow kunoichi to open up to her.

Ameno remained silently as the waiter returned with her drink, which she nearly downed in a single gulp before explaining, “It’s just sometimes I get mixed signals from you. So, fueled up on liquid courage I took a gamble, and might have ruined things with the best friend that I have.”

Pakura was rather surprised that Ameno felt so close to her, since while they would meet up whenever their schedules allowed it. Neither of them had really opened up about their lives all that much, as most of the conversations they shared revolved around work, general news, and rumors circulating through the village. Still, Pakura realized that although she had initially first set out to get close to Ameno in order to help aid Naruto in seducing the doctor, in the process she had likely made her first real friend since becoming the pariah of Suna. It also made her realize that whatever was being hidden in Ameno’s file, might have made her similarly unwilling to open up to people as her past had made her. At least before a certain blond man had entered her life.

Ameno noting her confusion stated sadly, “It looks like kissing you wasn’t the only mistake that I made.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Pakura said quickly, “I just kind of realized that you’re probably the closest friend that I have as well.”

“That’s not true,” Ameno replied with an air of disbelief, “I’ve seen you around Temari and Maki. You’re rather close to them, aren’t you?”

“True,” Pakura admitted, “But, that’s mainly from spending so much time unclothed with them due to being members of the Women’s Bathing Association. You’d be surprised how spending time naked with someone helps break down barriers between people. Truthfully, you’re the first friend that I’ve made outside of it.”

Pakura reached for her own drink and took a sip, which is why she nearly spit up as Ameno playfully suggested, “Then perhaps I should schedule a little naked time with you.” She laughed musically as Pakura snorted in order to prevent herself from projecting the fluid across the table. However, after a moment she asked, “What about Naruto?”

“What about him?” Pakura asked while masking the unease she felt at the question.

“It’s just, it was rather clear to me that you care for him and since you said I’m the first friend that you made…”

Ameno trailed off, so Pakura reached out to take her hand as she said, “I guess I should have specified. You’re correct in saying that Naruto is important to me. But I guess you could say he kind of forced himself on me.”

“What?!” Ameno replied taking what she said completely the wrong way as an almost murderous look appeared in her eyes.

Pakura was a little taken aback by the response but said, “Sorry, poor choice of words. What I mean is that back when I was part of the Training Force, I was still bitter about… well life in general.”

“Because of what happened between you and the noble, and Suna’s supporting you only because of your Kekkei Genkai?” Ameno asked as the anger she had displayed faded.

Nodding, Pakura replied, “Yes.” A soft smile appeared as she explained, “It seemed that everyone in Suna either distrusted or despised me, and while at first the Training Force seemed like a breath of fresh air as I was interacting with people that didn’t know about my past. Eventually, it began to catch up and those interaction began to change as well. Well all of them except for those I had with him. As I began to grow bitter again, and reacted by pushing everyone away. He kept trying to reach out to me. He was the only one that really believed that I didn’t go rogue when Hiruko’s minions kidnapped me. He even stopped me from sacrificing myself to put an end to Hiruko’s scheme. He showed me that so long as I let my past dictate my present, and future, I would never move beyond it. Everything good in my life currently stems from encountering him” Pakura again placed her hand on her fellow Suna-nin’s hand as she stated, “I include meeting you in that.”

Ameno smiled tenderly as she said, “Thank you.”

It disappeared almost immediately though, as Pakura added, “The reason that I reacted to your kiss the way I did is because…I did enjoy it, but was worried how my lover would respond.”

“What!?” Ameno said loud enough to attract the attention of the closest tables. Upon recognizing that, she quickly pulled her hand free of Pakura’s as she said in a hushed whisper, “You’re already seeing someone? Why have you never mentioned it?”

Pakura grew a little uneasy, as she knew that she was about to walk a thin line as she didn’t want to lie, but also didn’t want to give out the whole truth. Giving a guarded smile she said, “Well as I just stated, everything good in my life currently started appearing after my time with the Training Force. Thanks to Naruto, I began to open up more, and soon took a lover. The reason I’ve never spoke about it, is because…we’re kind of in an open relationship. Neither of us want that detail circulating around the village. I mean considering my history, I really don’t want to return to the days of sidelong glances and muttered comments. While he is a rather influential person so finding out he has taken multiple lovers might tarnish his reputation, especially if it had been learned that I was one of them. At least before I had outgrown my past in the eyes of everyone.”

Pakura noticed that Ameno’s nose upturned a little in disgust when she had mentioned her lover was a he. After a moment the brown-haired woman said, “I guess that is why I sometimes would get mixed signals from you. You’ve been intimate with some of his other partners, I’m guessing they are women.” When she nodded her head, Ameno asked, “You say you’re in an open relationship…but is it really one? I mean since I’ve never seen you trying to pick up anyone when we’ve gone out, I’m guessing you have never taken advantage of it.”

“True,” Pakura admitted, “Although you have to admit that I was able to keep my relationships hidden, so it’s not like I’m not skilled at keeping my interests a secret when I need to.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Ameno said after letting out a mirthless laugh. “So why tell me now?”

“Because,” Pakura said recognizing that she was approaching a fork in the road where she needed to make a decision, “You are important to me, and I felt you deserved the truth. Or as much of it as I’m comfortable sharing at the moment. The reason it took so long for me to respond, was because so much happened. The attack on Ame, Naruto getting injured, and just sorting out my feelings on the matter. Plus, I didn’t really have an opportunity to discuss it with him until recently as his schedule can be rather hectic as well.”

Ameno frowned, but otherwise was proving to be difficult to read as she asked, “And what did he say about it?”

“He says that he would support me no matter what decision I make,” Pakura answered, noting a small glint of hope appeared in Ameno’s eyes.

But it disappeared quickly as she asked, “And what decision are you leaning towards?”

“I am open to developing a deeper relationship with you Ameno,” Pakura said carefully, “Provided you can accept that there is someone else who is important to me.”

Ameno looked torn as she said, “I don’t know if I can.” Pakura was prepared to leave it at that, but then the kunoichi asked, “Would he be as accepting of you seeing me if I was a man?”

“Does that matter?”

“I don’t know…” the head of Suna’s medical program replied, “maybe…”

“Probably not,” Pakura admitted.

“So, he doesn’t see a woman as a threat, huh?” Ameno stated beginning to sound bitter.

Pakura frowned as she asked, “Are you saying you want to be seen as one?”

“I don’t know…maybe,” Ameno replied softly, “But, I don’t like the idea that any relationship we could develop being viewed as inferior just because I’m not equipped the same.”

Pakura smiled as she thought of the man she was with, as she said, “I don’t believe he would be okay with it because he views the bond we would share as being inferior to the one I have with him. I believe it might stem from how he can be rather possessive of his other lovers, and since they have agreed to share him, likely believes another man would be possessive in a similar manner as he is. That would inevitably lead to friction and could destroy what he has built with us.”

Ameno didn’t particularly enjoy hearing the tone with which Pakura was describing her lover, so silenced her by leaning across the table to kiss her. To her surprise, Pakura responded to it and even depended it as their tongues began to dance. After the need to breath became overpowering, she sat back in her seat, and stated, “I’m going to win you over to my side.”

Pakura gave her an understanding smile, but cautioned, “If that is how you want to proceed with exploring a relationship with me, then I’ll play along. Just be sure that if you’re going to try to make a competition of it where I need to choose between you two at some point… you’ll be able to live with the consequences.”

Although Ameno recognized the wisdom of Pakura’s words, she finished the rest of her drink and giving a playful smile said, “You better make sure you’re able to live with them yourself. Because, while it sounds like your partner is being pulled in several different directions, I’m going to give you my undivided attention.”

Pakura returned the smile, and hoped that she wasn’t making a mistake. But, if nothing else was achieved but heartbreak in the end, she figured it may be worth the pursuit as it would undoubtedly make Gaara rather nervous as to whether or not Naruto was going to gain another voice on the council, which if he was going to set himself up as an opponent to The Family, may prompt him into making a mistake that they could exploit. Of course, whether Naruto would take such an advantage to deliberately hurt a friend for his benefit before said friend acted decisively against him was another matter entirely. Which Pakura was concerned was something that may give Gaara an advantage in any potential conflict the two had as she currently believed that the Kazekage would.

****

The sound of cracking glass, followed by the sound of a fluid seeping through the cracks and dribbling onto the floor pierced the dreamless void Hiyori found herself in. With her consciousness returning, it was also accompanied by a sense of weightlessness. She tried to process what had happened to her since the last thing she remembered had been being cutdown suddenly while confronting Aizen and Tosen. Becoming more aware of her surroundings, she recognized the feeling of weightlessness she was experiencing was due to her being submerged in a liquid of some sort, which despite not having an oxygen mask on, found her need to breathe wasn’t being hampered. She did feel as if something had been glued to her face though, but found her vision through the eye covered wasn’t being impaired by it. She tried to focus on the glass of the tank to see what it was via her reflection, which was when she realized that what had awakened her had been the sound of the Raikage flanked by Darui was currently smashing someone against the cylindrical tank that she was being held in.

Floating above the Raikage, and whoever he had pushed into the glass, she tried to bang against it, but found her body was still under the effects of whatever drugs had been used to keep her unconscious. She could easily see the anger etched onto the Raikage’s face, and was being directed towards the man whose throat his forearm was pressed against as he pinned him to the tank. Despite an enraged Raikage being one of the few things that everyone in Kumo knew to avoid, the man he had pinned didn’t sound impressed as his calm voice revealed the man to be Sosuke Aizen. “Honestly Lord Raikage, that was several weeks ago already. Are you still upset about that?”

“Still upset,” the Raikage raged pushing harder against Aizen’s throat, who strangely seemed almost immune to the pressure being applied, “Because of your betrayal, I lost the two-tails. I was also forced to make a devil’s bargain with that worm Zosui to prevent our removal from the Alliance to preserve a chance at getting our hands on the Nine-tails. But worst of all, I come down here and see the Team that we believed to have been lost at Ame because they were looking for you and Tosen are alive, and you are experimenting on them. I haven’t even begun to show you how upset I am. Now after all that, why shouldn’t I put my fist through your skull?”

Sosuke remained as calm as ever as he replied, “Because if you did that, then all those hardships you experienced these last few weeks would be for naught. If you’ll give me a chance to explain.”

To Hiyori’s surprise the Raikage stepped back as he demanded, “Be quick about it.”

Aizen almost sounded amused as he replied, “As you command.” Moving towards another much larger tank, Hiyori saw what appeared to be a monstrously large leech or worm with a Noh mask glued to its face. Indicating it, Aizen said, “As you know almost twenty years ago Iwa and Kiri teamed up to raid my lab when it was located outside the village. What they stole was a scroll which detailed how to create what Konoha has dubbed the Zero Tails when they encountered one during that Sky Country fiasco several years ago. That mess was started by a former Sky-nin named Shinno…”

“Enough with the history lesson,” the Raikage shouted, “Get to the point!”

For the first time, Sosuke displayed an emotion which was a flash of annoyance, but it quickly disappeared as he stated, “The point is that I long believed that Shinno, although not directly responsible for taking the scroll, was primarily in charge of the project that created the Zero Tails which were used in Ame. But it appears that at some point he struck out on his own, and used them towards achieving his own goals.”

“Yes, yes,” Ay said impatiently, “The aforementioned resurgence of Sky Country.”

“Actually,” Aizen corrected smugly, “The first hint I received of his doing so was a few years earlier when the Kurama Heir of Konoha lost control of her powers due to her Id. Believing replicating that experiment might allow me to create a Zero Tails is what lead to the creation of the Personas. Unfortunately, that project ended in failure, as the Personas were not unique entities but merely reflections of their holders’ personalities. More specifically, those aspects that they tried to keep in check, but yearned to let free. It was also a failure since of the hundreds of people that I laced during medical check-ups only a handful of the personas fully developed.” Aizen shrugged off his past failure, before continuing, “The reason that I couldn’t aid you in your battle with Yugito, was because I couldn’t let the opportunity to get my hands on a Zero-Tails slip through my fingers. The scroll that contained the secrets of how to create them was destroyed according to what I learned back when we were sharing information with the Leaf.”

“You betrayed me for a creature that was slaughtered by the dozens during the battle,” Ay said tensing as if preparing to attack his head of medicine.

“That was because whoever was controlling them released them as empty vessels to collect chakra,” Aizen replied unimpressed by the threat the Raikage posed. “The one Naruto and Sasuke faced during the Sky Country Resurgence was far stronger, because it had absorbed almost a decade’s worth of negative energy from Shinno’s apprentice. But even that was not using these creatures as effectively as one could.”

“What do you mean?” Darui asked speaking up in curiosity for the first time.

“The creatures that attacked Ame, were just vessels to collect chakra. Likely as a means to replace the Bijuu since most of their whereabouts remain unknown,” Sosuke explained. “Shinno tried to get clever likely hoping to create a new Bijuu when he tampered with Yakumo Kurama’s Id. An experiment he repeated with more success with his apprentice. Yet, he still didn’t understand just how potent the Zero Tails could be towards attaining power.” Moving towards a white board, Sosuke asked, “Have either of you heard of the Three Pillars Theory?”

Receiving confused expressions in return, he said, “It is a rather obscure theory which tries to explain all the states of being in the world.” He drew a triangle on the board, and labeled the top point Soul, and the two bottom ones Body and Chakra. In the center he wrote mankind, while outside of it along the line that connect soul and chakra, he wrote the word Bijuu. Along the bottom line that connected Body and Chakra he wrote demon. While along the line which connected soul and body, he wrote Saint. Inside the triangle, he wrote the word spirt beneath the point that had been labeled Soul, and zombie beside the point that had been labeled Body, and dragon beside the point marked Chakra. Returning the marker to the rail beneath the board, he said, “Now the theory basically states that if you consider the three lines of the triangle to be barriers then you can see that humanity is limited in its potential.”

Darui frowned in confusion, before asking, “What about the other three states trapped inside with mankind?”

“You’re jumping ahead a bit,” Sosuke said, but regardless, sounded pleased that it appeared the person most expected would assume the title of Raikage after Ay had more brains then brawn. “The states that exist outside the triangle are considered the higher states of being. They have broken through the barriers by shedding one of the three points containing humanity. For example, the Bijuu lack a true physical body, thus why we could seal them inside jinchuriki. But, because they lack a physical form, their souls can absorb limitless quantities of natural energy giving them what appears to be a physical form and making them immortal as even if destroyed they eventually reform as natural energy is absorbed by their souls. Demons on the other hand, shed their souls meaning they cannot absorb natural energy given off by all living things. But their bodies become all but indestructible, and thus their chakra production is unprecedented, in fact that chakra could be said to be their true form. But, if you separate it from the body, they effectively fade away. It isn’t a permanent death, as the malicious chakra entity that remains will reform in the demon realm in a weakened state, but they are effectively neutered. At least until they can trick another foolish mortal into giving up their soul to claim their body. Saints are like demons except in reverse, where as they keep their souls and absorb untold amounts of natural energy, and their bodies grow sturdy enough to handle it without needing to keep a balance as Sage’s need to.”

Aizen gave the two men a chance to absorb his explanation thus far, before continuing, “Those listed inside the triangle would be the lesser state of being. The reason mankind is listed in the middle is because it is the most balanced by the three pillars. The states listed closest to the pillars are examples of beings that tried to pass through the barriers, but shed too much often costing them their humanity, but didn’t quite allow them to break through. Spirits are self-explanatory enough I believe, and Zombies would have been considered to have shed their souls and chakra, with their mindless bodies trying to carry on by consuming flesh to sustain their existence. Dragons on the other hand, would have pushed too far in trying to harness their chakra to break through the barriers. Their bodies are changed by the experience from what I understand, which unhinges their souls making them malevolent creatures. Although, there are tales of those that were beneficial to humanity, but I believe it was because at some point they were able to bring one of the other two pillars back into balance.”

“I believe I’m beginning to understand,” Darui said after a few moments of silence lapsed.

“At least someone is taking something away from his nonsense,” the Raikage said dismissively.

“With all due respect sir,” Darui replied quickly, “If Aizen’s explanation is leading to what I think it is, he is about to claim he can erase one of the barriers allowing us to create hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers on par with a Bijuu.”

“Not erase,” Aizen corrected, noting the covetous gave which appeared in the Raikage’s eyes “It would be accurate to say thin one of the connecting barriers or perhaps to say. hollow out one of the pillars.”

“Is that what you’ve done to them?” Ay shouted while holding his hand towards several of the standing tanks that contained his missing shinobi.

Hiyori directed her gaze to one of the other tanks, and tried to cry out as she saw her friends were coated in some sort of calcification that was spreading, while monstrous looking mask formed on their faces. However, nothing escaped due to the heavily oxygenated fluid that was filling her lungs. But finding the drugs that had sedated her were fading, she began pounding against the glass of her tank attracting the rooms occupants’ attention. To her dismay, although the Raikage gaze towards her with some sympathy, he made no move to aid her before guiltily looking towards Aizen. Darui also seemed to have been made uncomfortable by her revealing that she was conscious, but she suspected that it was because he felt there was no other recourse other than to kill her now that she was aware of his and the Raikage’s possessing knowledge of what Aizen was up to.

Aizen unsurprisingly was hardly perturbed as he moved to her tank, which began to splinter from her repeated strikes against the thick glass as he answered the Raikage, “That’s exactly what I’ve done to them. I’ve used the Zero’s Tails as a catalyst to effectively hollow their souls. The shells that you see are beginning to coat them is how their bodies are changing to accommodate the influx of natural energy they are absorbing, and their chakra production is increasing exponentially. I’ll probably allow the process to continue until completion to see what the end result are, but in subsequent subjects will probably stop it by essentially plugging the hole I made.”

“What will happen to them after that?” Darui asked, earning a shrug from Aizen.

“Who can say? It would be a shame to destroy them, if that is what you are suggesting,” the head of Kumo’s medical program replied, “If you’re afraid they might escape to reveal what’s happening down here, I doubt they’ll maintain much humanity at the end. The ones further along in the process seem to be little more than mindless beasts that are hellbent on destroying anything in their path.”

Aizen reached a control panel near her tank, and pressed a button causing a dark liquid to be injected into the fluid that she was suspended in. She tried to avoid it as it descended towards her, but already began to feel drowsy. She tried to fight it off as she resumed attacking the glass as she heard the Raikage ask, “When will you be proceeding to the next round of subjects?”

Sosuke turned away from her sounding pleased as he said, “I’ve already selected over a dozen individuals from the groups that you plan to have target the Nine-Tail’s host. All I’m waiting on is your authorization to begin.”

Hiyori gave a one last feeble punch to the glass as she slipped back into the dreamless void, but retained enough awareness to recognize the Raikage’s voice as he said, “Consider it given.”

Hiyori tried prevent the darkness from completely stealing away her consciousness again, as she feared that she would never awaken leaving behind only a mindless monster destined to destroy those that Aizen likely planned to push into her path. However, eventually the darkness closing in on her won, and she was consumed by a void of nothingness again. Although, this time she wasn’t alone in the void, as she spotted a flicker of something moving within, she spun around feeling panicked as it seemed to circle her, but stopped as something asked from behind her, “What are you looking for?”

Spinning towards the voice, she found an unnaturally pale white version of herself starting back with void filled eyes which contained yellow pupils. Unnerved by what she saw, Hiyori asked, “What are you?”

“The real you,” her copy replied before stabbing her through the chest with its hand as it added, “Now be a good girl and go to sleep. I’ll make sure that we get the payback owed to us by those that wronged us.”

Although, she was surprised at not being in pain due to her being stabbed, Hiyori tried to prevent her eyes from closing, yet failed. However, this time instead of an empty void, she found herself in a temple of some sort. She also found her fellow Anbu there, as well as, Shinji, and Hachigen. They were standing around a large fire set at the center of the temple as if warming themselves, and seemed to be ignoring her presence. Hiyori wanted to call out to them, but found herself moving to join them by the fire as well. Reaching out to it, she was filled with an immense warmth, which as the void that she had experienced previously was almost devoid of any sensations, made her all the more appreciative to the fire, and thus it became the only thing which mattered to her current state of existence.

Next Chapter: Revenge Arc: Operation: Kill Konan Aftermath- Part III

****

Author’s notes: Hello again everyone. Thank you for your patience as I dealt with life’s hardships. Also, allow me to thank those of you, who reached out with kindness while I was away. And as always, those of you who take the time to read and review my stories. Well, I hope this one proves to have been worth the wait. Especially as I had intended wanted to release it months ago. But, well life tends to not care about the plans we make.

Despite the poll that I listed on my deviantart page effectively being tied, and the Take a few more weeks option having led for most of its run. I ultimately decided to split the chapter and release it now, as there was just so much more to write meaning if I waited, it would possible be double the length that it currently is. Considering some of the reveals here, I didn’t want them to be overshadowed as a super long chapter might have become a bit of a slog to get through.

I’m kind of considering these Aftermath Chapters as its own little arc. Kind of like a season ending episode on Television, to set up things for when the show returns. Which truthfully is appropriate as I will be shifting focus to the pride and promise for a while after I finish this arc. I can imagine a few people might be annoyed that it seems that I’ve added even more obstacles to Naruto’s path, but as I think the recent Game of Thrones ending showed, it is about taking the time to get everything in place, and despite being 95 chapters into this story, plus all the side material…well I’m still just setting up the gameboard with all the pieces.

So, again I hope the chapter proves to have been worth the wait, and until next time, take care. Sincerely, The Lemon Sage.