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electrasev5nwrites · 8 months

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Ninja Daily: AIC 19

Aiko heard running in the hallway seconds before any of her students did.

Stupidly, her first thought was that someone in Konoha had heard the news that Kirigakure had announced there had been a change in leadership and that all burnt personnel were invited to return. But she'd only told Mei to take care of that yesterday… The information had probably been released in the afternoon or late morning. Konoha wouldn't know less than 4 hours after the fact.

Maybe they'd know tomorrow.

"Hikari-san! Hika-gah!"

'Oh. I should have predicted this.'

A scuffle ensued what seemed to be less than a meter from her hotel door. Someone yelped.

Keisuke and Yuusaku looked at each other, but Ryuusei just sighed and leaned back on his cushion.

There was a sound suspiciously like someone whispering furiously right outside the room.

Aiko closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. This was an obvious set up. But Naruto wasn't aware of that. If she expressed her displeasure, she'd hurt his feelings. Fucking Konoha. "Yes, Naruto-kun?" she called.

The door to their hotel room slammed open triumphantly. Iruka still had Naruto by the collar, but that didn't appear to be dampening his enthusiasm. "I didn't know you were in Konoha!" He pointed at her accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me, ne? Ne?"'

"I thought that Hatake-san would tell you," Aiko passed the buck innocently. Kakashi didn't get enough shit from his team. He could use some more. "Hello, there. You're energetic today. I saw your match- congratulations on making it to the finals. Is this the jounin who is helping you train for the tournament?" She nodded towards Iruka.

The chuunin reddened. That was bizarre for a moment until she remembered that she was suddenly in his age group now. Being guessed a rank high by a foreign jounin could inspire mixed feelings, she supposed. Was he flattered or embarrassed about being outranked?

Naruto didn't seem to notice any of that. "Nah, this is Iruka-nii!" He dragged the young man into the room for show and tell.

The suffix hit her like a needle, sinking through her skin and scratching at the hard edges of her heart. That wasn't…

She kept her smile fastened on. "It's very good to meet you, Iruka-san. I'm flattered that you wanted to come visit."

"It's nice to meet you," Iruka said, a little stiff in his bow.

"She's my relative," Naruto told Iruka in a way that Aiko was absolutely certain meant that he'd already told Iruka that several times.

'This is not subtle at all. What are the odds that Naruto just happened to find out I'm in town on accident? Zero?'

The Hokage wouldn't risk her alone with Naruto. But if he'd let Naruto figure out she was in Konoha when he was with Iruka-san, then, well, there was no chance that Naruto would be alone with Aiko. The ANBU nearby were probably paying careful attention. If Iruka was too distressed, they'd be able o step in quickly.

She indicated that the guests should sit, because what the hell else could she do?

"Hey, who are these guys?" Naruto plopped down next to Yuusaku, as if he'd only just now noticed them as more than scenery.

"Her genin team," Yuusaku responded. His expression wasn't entirely friendly. "And you are?"

"My distant relative, Naruto-kun," Aiko said. She let just a bit of steel slip into her tone. "We're not sure of the relation. We met in Wave."

"You were a civilian then." Naruto frowned at her uniform. "I thought you didn't wear ninja stuff. How come you're in that now?"

Well. He wasn't entirely wrong, but the poorly hidden amusement on Keisuke's face could be a problem. "I prefer other clothing, but I'm currently representing Kirigakure," Aiko explained. "It's most appropriate to wear a variation on the uniform."

Naruto scrunched his nose, but he didn't contradict her.

"I've heard a little about how you met." Iruka had finished checking out the room and was seated just a little too close to Naruto, keeping himself between Aiko and the genin. His smile was slightly lopsided and wow, how had she never noticed that he was actually really cute? "Were you vacationing in Wave, then?"

There… there really was no good answer to that. She smiled back just as pleasantly. "I do love the country." Lie, a damned lie. The countryside could kiss her ass. She liked some nature, but nature that was more along the lines of gardens and parks. Not sunburn and bugs and the way a shirt stuck to your skin in muggy heat. Fake nature, basically. "How about you? What is your job, if you're not Naruto's teacher?"

"I was his teacher, actually." Iruka was still tense. "At the Acade-"

"Kakashi-sensei says that you're fast!" Naruto bounced on his zabuton. That was something of a feat since his legs were crossed and he was leaned over to clutch at his ankles. "How come you didn't help right in Wave? Sasuke-te-" here he glanced at Iruka "-Sasuke-san said that he thought you weren't strong enough. Are you strong? Do you like to fight? Can we spar sometime? Hey, there's this jutsu I could show you, I'm really-"

Iruka bopped Naruto on the head, expression long-suffering. "Naruto-kun, Hikari-san can only answer so many questions at once."

Aiko glanced at her genin team, who were spectacularly unamused. There was really no need for them to sit through this conversation, was there? Not least because Iruka was watching their reactions and they were not as subtle as they thought they were.

"It's Aiko, actually," she corrected. "Keisuke, Yuusaku, Ryuusei. Why don't you go entertain yourselves? You've had a long day."

Yuusaku and Keisuke stood up quickly, but Ryuusei took a moment to give the Konoha shinobi an unfriendly look.

She met his eye and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like coffee?"

He directed his question to Iruka, the clever little bastard, so she couldn't tell him no.

The chuunin blinked, flustered. "Oh. That would be lovely, thank you." He glanced at Naruto. "But…"

"Apple juice for the short one," Ryuusei agreed. "I'll be back shortly, Konoha-san, genin-san, Sensei."

Aiko watched him go with grudging respect, because he was probably going to weasel his way into the conversation by bringing himself a drink too. That had been fairly well done, without any explicit disrespect or disobedience.

"Why is it Aiko?" Naruto's brow was furrowed.

She blinked. "Because that's what my parents named me?" Aiko said dumbly, before she realized what he meant. "Oh, Hikari is a childhood nickname," she lied. "Sorry, I mis-understoood what you were asking. Tsunami-chan prefers it. I use Aiko professionally, however."

Naruto nodded. "Hikari-san," he said firmly.

Which was sweet and well-intentioned. Damn. She wasn't going to be able to get him to use her real name without making him feel that she was telling him they weren't close enough for him to use 'Hikari'.

'I should take a vow of silence. How do I do talk myself into these corners again and again?'

"I didn't know that Naruto-kun had relatives," Iruka brought the conversation back on track, because he was a dog with a bone like that. "How is the rest of your family? Do they live in Kirigakure?"

There was a heartbeat where she realized that it was fairly logical to assume that she had come from another branch of the family tree and there was no particular reason to assume they were all dead.

She glanced at Naruto. The blunt, honest answer was, 'Everyone I've ever known is gone, with the exception of a distant relation (with whom my relationship is complicated and possibly antagonistic and involves more eyeballs than two people usually have),' but that was rather dark territory to get into. Plus it would require far too much exposition.

Naruto looked very interested in the answer.

She tried not to wince. "Ah…"

The genin seemed disappointed, but not surprised. Well. He hadn't expected to find one relative, so he was probably still counting his luck as good.

"I'm sorry, that was rude, wasn't it." Iruka rubbed at the back of his neck, looking sheepish. He wasn't, he'd gotten what he'd been digging for.

'Wait. It's Iruka, not Kakashi. He's looking to protect Naruto's well-being, but he's not out to fuck with me just to see where I'm sore. He probably does regret having to ask. He's only doing it because he cares.'

"Ne, Hikari-san, maybe you could train me too." Naruto's eyes were bright. "Iruka-nii is busy and Kakashi-sensei only cares about stupid Sasuke and the guy he found to train me is a real jerk. He's a loser and-"

Chakra roared on the table. Aiko grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him backwards with her.

'Shit, shit, what is-'

"So you ditched your training to chase after a woman, huh? Maybe you've got some potential after all."

Naruto groaned before the smoke had parted enough to reveal Jiraiya posed dramatically on Aiko's low table.

Slowly, her eyes ran down, past his smug expression, wild hair, crossed arms, boldly spread legs, and landed on his sandals.

His sandals, which were on the table where she ate. His outdoor shoes. The shoes with which he walked. Outdoors.

"You!" Naruto pointed rudely. "No one wants you here. Leave!"

Unthinkingly, Aiko reached out and pushed Naruto's arm down.

Naruto might have glanced at her a moment for the correction of manners, but he was more invested in picking a fight with the Sannin.

"Show some respect, brat!"

Her stomach lurched. She was still looking at the shoes on her table. There was a dead bug on the side of his left shoe, dangerously close to touching Jiraiya's second to last toe.

'That's disgusting.'

"To a guy like you? No way!"

She let go of Naruto, and belatedly noticed that Jiraiya had already dismissed the summoned toad he'd used to reverse-summon into the room, like the drama king that he was.

"What could that mean? You don't know enough about how lucky you are to know me to even be grateful!"

She wanted, dearly, to reach out and pull his ankle so that he came toppling down in an undignified heap.

But she was a foreigner, and he was a very highly placed and decorated Konoha veteran. His godchild could scuffle with Jiraiya with impunity. But she had to be more careful.

"Ha!" Naruto scoffed. "For what, wasting my time and-"

Aiko looked up to try to catch Jiraiya's eyes. He just looked jovial, barely seeming to notice her while he bickered with Naruto.

"Shinobi-san," she said, and he focused on her too quickly to hide that he'd been paying attention already. "Would you mind taking off your sandals when you enter my hotel room?"

She sounded a lot calmer than she felt. Because she felt like breaking those shoes over his head.

Jiraiya blinked at her, nonplussed. "Eh?" He lifted a foot to look at it, as if he'd had no idea that he'd been so terribly rude. "Well, would you look at that?" He gave his shoe a vaguely betrayed expression. Then he seemed to shake it off, ignoring her request. "Hey, hey!" Jiraiya pointed at her and …hopped? "Don't you recognize the great Toad Sannin when you see him?"

He was just fucking with her.

In that moment, she knew what she had to do.

Aiko let her face convey only polite confusion. "I'm sorry. Who?"

His face fell, but only for a moment. "I see it's time for an introduction!" He clapped his hands and, oh god, how had she forgotten that he'd choreographed a dance while he introduced his accomplishments? "er of fine literature, master of fuinjutsu, lover of beautiful women, the fabulous, the unmatched, the only Jiraiya!" He finished, hovering in the air expectantly, leaned to the side.

She very deliberately fixed her face into mild confusion. "I've never heard of you," Aiko said apologetically. "That all sounds very nice, though. I hope that one day you'll be famous."

Jiraiya blinked. "What." He looked stricken.

"Good luck," Aiko said in her sincerest tone.

He was very quickly turning red.

"Naruto." The genin looked thrilled by the turn of events when she looked back at him. He was grinning toothily, rubbing at the fabric of his left sleeve with his right hand. "Is this the person who is training you?"

"The person who is training you," Jiraiya repeated numbly. "The person… who…. a genin…."

Naruto nodded, sparing Jiraiya only a glance. "Yeah!" He quit fiddling with his sleeve so that he could cross his arms. "I told you that he was terrible! And he's a huge per-" Naruto's squawk was cut off by Jiraiya lunging to put a hand over the genin's mouth.

"He's delirious," Jiraiya said apologetically. "Doesn't know what he's saying."

Naruto struggled, but she could hear that his rebuttal was high-pitched and furious.

"Is he," Aiko said doubtfully. "What are you teaching him, then?" She gave the older man a once-over that was brief, dismissive, barely interested. "You're… a taijutsu specialist?" She let her voice convey nothing but polite inquiry, which in itself was verging on an insult by virtue of how pointedly polite it was. He certainly did look like a taijutsu specialist…

Well. He looked like a bear, actually. He was so big and hairy.

He made a sound like a teakettle. "I'm a sage," Jiraiya stressed. "And a seal master. The best in the world!"

Her expression didn't waver, still fixed into not much of anything with a tiny hint of a smile. "Ah." She let her brow furrow slightly. "You're teaching him fuinjutsu, then?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Well, no," he said. When he moved to scratch at the back of his neck, Naruto escaped and loudly gasped in sweet, sweet air. "He's a bit young to teach anything that dangerous."

"Oh." And she finally smiled, sweetly and stupidly. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know. Seals seem kind of difficult, you know?" She brought a hand up to her mouth and made a deprecating shrug. "I don't think I could do it."

He bought it, puffing up with pride. "Well, you know…." Jiraiya smirked. "It takes a quick mind and years of study. It's incredibly difficult! But anyone could do it really, anyone could do it." He waved off the compliment vigorously, but he was basking in it.

'Holy shi- I can't believe he bought that. He really wants to believe that women will fawn over him, doesn't he?'

Option one: he would underestimate her long-term, giving her leverage in which to act without Konoha's knowledge of her abilities.

Option two: he would remember this conversation a month or so down the line and feel like the world's biggest, dumbest ass.

Both would bring her amusement in the coming months, so she hardly cared which.

She blinked, doe-eyed and sweet, pulling on the Hikari persona. "Can I see something?"

Naruto made a choking sound.

Jiraiya tossed his head back and laughed. "Well, now, I don't know about that!" He leered, and it was supposed to be sexy maybe but she felt like cackling. "You could be a quite an inspiration, but I'm afraid I don't know you quite well enough for that, sharing fuinjutsu is so personal. Maybe we could spend a little time together…"

"Okay, time for us to go." Iruka scooped up Naruto from behind like an errant puppy, flashing an exceptionally false smile. Naruto squawked as his feet came off the ground. When Iruka bowed, he brought Naruto with him like a surprised, life-sized doll.

It should have been adorable, but it actually made her skin crawl because, ew, she was thinking about puppets now and she didn't need that kind of negativity in her life.

"Well, how about what you're teaching Naruto-kun?" She tilted her head. "I'm very interested. I think he has a lot of potential."

Of course she hadn't said that just to see Naruto perk up. That would be ridiculous. She wasn't so sentimental.

Jiraiya's face fell a bit, but he seemed to think that wasn't enough to put him off. "You really like the kid, huh?" He leaned over and snatched Naruto by the collar and pulled him out of Iruka's grip before the chuunin could back away to safety. "Me too, we're very close, me and this kid. You know, we have a lot in common, you and I- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Naruto, don't you know you're supposed to make introductions if you know a pretty girl?"

Naruto hissed. "I wouldn't introduce you to-"

When Jiraiya's hand clapped over his mouth again, this time, Naruto bit. Aiko could only tell because of the vaguely grossed-out look on the Sannin's face. His hand didn't so much as twitch.

'This is tiring. I know the idiot act works for him, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to put up with it.'

"Uzumaki Aiko," she said. She bobbed into a bow. "It's good to meet you. I'm looking forward to seeing what you teach Naruto-kun." She made an apologetic face. "Unfortunately, I need to go find my students, so…"

Iruka, who knew perfectly well that she was lying, met her eyes and seemed relieved.

'God, did he think I was going to flirt with Jiraiya? He was worried about having to sit through that?'

Well.

'Maybe I did, but in a joking way. Let's face it, it's pretty funny to have Jiraiya fawn over me. He'll never know why that's fucked up and weird.'

"Of course!" Jiraiya gave a gallant bow, backing towards the – the window? He pushed it open with the hand that wasn't restraining Naruto. "Do you know the onsen on the west side of this district, it's very close, I was thinking that the boy could use some water-walking practice. Let's meet there at 9, don't forget to bring a swimsuit." He bowed again, grinning. "I'm sure that a lovely Kiri nin like yourself could have all sorts of useful pointers about the fine art of fighting on water that even this one can understand."

'Good god, that's condescending. Does he think before he talks?'

She resisted the urge to rub at her temples. A slow understanding of Tsunade's methods was beginning to wash over her. "Have a good night," Aiko said, instead of anything she wanted to say.

He crowed something back and leapt out the window. It was probably meant to be dramatic, but Naruto wailed protest when the Sannin dragged him with and that really killed any cool that might have been established.

Finally, Aiko let her posture slump and put her face in her hands. "That man," she began, and then didn't have anywhere to go with it.

The wind pulled on the curtains, a gentle rustling the only sound. After a moment, a socked foot made a whisper against the tatami.

"Yes," Iruka agreed, sounding tired. "That man."

They stood in silent empathy for a moment.

Iruka sighed. He fidgeted.

Aiko opened her eyes to see that he was still looking at the table ruefully.

The look that Iruka gave her was heavy with meaning.

"Yes," Aiko agreed. She shook her head. "I hope he doesn't teach Naruto those awful manners."

"Naruto's manners aren't great in the first place," Iruka said mournfully. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"He might improve, just to contrast with Jiraiya-sama," Aiko disagreed.

Iruka gave her a quizzical look. "I thought that you didn't-"

"Of course I do," Aiko said factually. "I have all his books. I've been to the last three film previews. I just choose not to encourage bad behavior."

He seemed to struggle with this information, mouth working over the words, 'bad behavior' disbelievingly. He gave her an incredulous look, as if he was about to point out some hypocrisy.

"I'm a grown woman," Aiko warned. "I hope that you're not about to imply-"

"No, of course not." Iruka held up his hands, because his parents hadn't raised a fool. "I would never." His face flushed pink.

She subsided. "Good."

There was a knock and the fusuma slid open. Ryuusei blinked at Naruto's absence, but he let himself in. "I brought the drinks," he said, holding coffee up as if to stave off Aiko's temper with it.

She stepped over and took two of the four drinks before he could set them on the table. "Thank you, you're such a thoughtful student."

Ryuusei paled at the smile she flashed him, which was a little weird. She was being nice. Watch her, being nice. She wasn't hitting anyone at all. That was an accomplishment.

"Anyway, here you are, Iruka-san." She put the coffee in his hands and ignored the 'erk' sound he made in surprise. "Oh, and you brought sugar too, how thoughtful." With her newly free hand, Aiko took the container from Ryuusei. She smiled brightly up at her too-tall-genin. "Thank you, but as you can see, Naruto-kun left. It'd be a shame to waste his drink- why don''t you go find your teammates and see if one of them wants it?"

He hesitated a moment, clearly on the verge of protesting. But Ryuusei took the order for what it was. "Yuusaku loves apple juice," he said. He gave Iruka a resentful stare. The expression made his narrow face look pointier than usual. "It was very nice to meet you."

Iruka made a sound of agreement that actually seemed incredibly dubious about the pleasure. His eyes darted between Aiko and the genin. He managed a weak smile.

"Goodbye," Ryuusei said, somehow imbuing the word with malice. "I hope you have a lovely evening."

Aiko stood a moment after he'd left, wondering.

"Ah." Iruka cleared his throat. "Your student is a little…. protective, then?"

"I'm not actually sure," she said thoughtfully. Aiko shook it off, because it didn't really matter right now. "Let's just-" She remembered that the table was defiled in time to head off that suggestion. She frowned, because she wasn't willing to risk the tatami and there weren't many places in the room where a spill wouldn't have expensive consequences. "We can sit on the futon and have our coffee."

He made a high, embarrassed sound.

"Just don't spill," Aiko ordered. She took the head of the mattress and gave him an imperious look while she sat the sugar container between her legs and opened the top carefully.

Gingerly, Iruka sat down as far from her as possible while still sitting on the bed. He was holding his coffee like it was a shield.

She eyed him, a little amused at how weird he was being. She put four spoonfuls in her coffee and then offered him the sugar.

Iruka declined with a headshake.

Her eyebrows shot up, but she didn't comment. She dumped in another spoonful of sugar and then sat the dish aside. They drank in silence for a moment. She glanced at the chuunin under her eyelashes… he was steeling his jaw, as if he was about to face terrible odds on a mission or go to a parent-teacher conference or something.

Aiko was starting to feel guilty about how powerfully uncomfortable he seemed to be. And a little insulted, but mostly guilty.

It was so bizarre- he'd never been intimidated by her before, and he'd known a lot more about how dangerous she was.

'Then again, he'd known me as a student. Even though my rank became higher than his, we still had that history. That makes a difference, I'm sure.'

"You can relax, you know," she offered after a moment. "I'm not about to leap over and ravage you just because we're alone in a room." Well. She considered that. "Unless you want to be ravaged? Because, actually, I was thinking earlier that you're good-looking. Do the kids keep you in that kind of shape, or do you also run missions?"

He gave her a trapped look and attempted to drown himself in his coffee.

"Alright." She held up her hands, one still holding her coffee. "I can take a hint. No ravaging."

Iruka finished in record time and practically leapt to his feet to awkwardly hover over her. "It was very nice to meet you." He bowed, holding the empty cup to his chest. "I've heard so much about you from Naruto-kun. I'm sure you understand why I wanted to come along."

She decided not to stand up as well. He might find it a bit intimidating, in the flustered mood he was clearly in.

"The same reason that someone made sure Jiraiya-sama tagged along?" Aiko asked dryly. She didn't indicate her Kiri headband. She didn't need to.

He gave an apologetic grimace, despite the fact that she was absolutely certain he'd had nothing to do with that. "Yes, well…" Iruka moved to fidget, and then stopped.

She took pity on him. "Yes, I understand." Aiko raised her eyebrows incrementally. "Thank you for your interest in making certain that Naruto-kun doesn't end up kidnapped or murdered by a strange foreigner."

Iruka turned bright red.

"I'm being serious," Aiko dismissed. "That kind of thing happens, and he really doesn't seem like he's wary enough. I don't plan on killing him, but he shouldn't be putting his hopes on the benevolence of someone he just met. It's good that you have his back." She did stand up then, so that she could give him a bow in thanks. "I don't have a lot of relatives, so it'd be a shame if his good nature ended up getting him in trouble."

Iruka was still red, but it was a different kind of embarrassment now. He glanced at his feet. "Well… I'm glad that you're so understanding, Aiko-san. I do worry about him. He doesn't have much family, either…."

"And his teacher is kind of…" She trailed off politely, because there was no where she could go with that statement without crossing into rudeness.

"Jiraiya-sama?" Iruka asked warily.

She shook her head. "Hatake."

Iruka winced. "Yes," he agreed wearily. "He is." He gave his empty cup a mournful look, and then seemed to look about for a place to set it. When she indicated the ruined table with a nod, he winced but complied. "Well, have a good night. I won't intrude any longer."

"Good luck teaching Naruto-kun manners," Aiko said, because she was newly invested in this. What kind of barbarian might he end up, in a world where she wasn't there for him? His role models were Kakashi and Jiraiya and that was just plain concerning.

Iruka sighed. "I do my best."

"If you can keep him off the furniture and using doors, you're doing good work," Aiko encouraged. She moved to open the door and stepped aside, letting him out. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Of course, of course." He moved past her, and bowed out the door. "The same."

She let the door shut on that awkwardly polite end to the chaos that had interrupted a rare team bonding moment.

'It feels premature to assume that I'm done being invaded for the night.' She gave her door a wary look. 'But… that's probably all. Konoha isn't a completely blunt instrument. Anything more than that would stretch incredulity that anything could have been a coincidence.'

She wasn't totally convinced that Konoha would live up to her prediction. But either way, she had to leave, and the sooner the better. Shizuka had asked for a day to go over their rough agreement with her advisers. That was completely reasonable, weighing both her need for caution and Aiko's need for haste.

'Of course, that urgency does mean that they know I'll be under pressure to agree to any changes, just because I need this done as soon as possible.'

Shizuka seemed a bit soft for that kind of power play against a more powerful country, but you never really knew about a person. And Aiko could see circumstances wherein she would take advantage of that sort of leverage, so she couldn't truly resent the possibility.

It just… made her nervous. That was all.

Despite wanting to just get it over with, she took her time getting ready. It wasn't too early, exactly, but it was better to run more on the 'punctual' than the 'early' side of the spectrum. Showing up as early as possible without being rude would make her seem desperate.

'No,' Aiko corrected. 'Being desperate makes me seem desperate. There's no point in playing these games- they know that I need their help.'

Her expression, caught in the middle of pulling her hair into a braid, was rueful. She scrunched her nose at her reflection and finished quickly. The only thing left- would it be better to wear shinobi gear or civilian? She gritted her teeth, weighing the rhetorical statement that different outfits would make. If they did make it to Iron, as she hoped, coming in armor might give an unintentionally hostile impression to her hosts. Or would it convey more power and authority?

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and pulled the awful striped sweater over her head. She threw it on the floor. "I'm thinking too much about this. I'll pick something that I like."

She'd brought her entire wardrobe in seals- and why not, it wasn't heavy or anything- so she managed to find a kimono that should be suitable in short order. She went with red and gold motifs on blue fabric and paired it with a pink and red obi. Aiko took a step back to admire the effect. She frowned.

'This is either a really good outfit, or a really bad one.'

For a moment, she missed Karin like she would a rib. Karin would have an educated opinion. Or Naruto, actually, he'd always been better at this than she was. He probably hadn't had to learn that in this world- he'd had no sister who wanted to cheat on the stupid tests. Shame. Sakura was missing out- she could have used a second opinion too, her choices were always so painfully dull.

Well…

There were worse crimes than being bad at pairing kimono. At least she'd tried, and she didn't look intimidating. She shrugged it off and concentrated to find the gatehouse outside Nadeshiko where she was expected.

"Ah!" That was a voice she didn't know.

Aiko dodged the kunai on reflex, blinking at the person that she'd startled. Ah. Right. They were expecting her to walk up, probably. Walking was rather traditional. "My apologies." She nodded to the guard, noting that the young woman's brown eyes were wide. "That was a bit rude of me."

"I am so sorry," the guard breathed. Her hair was frizzing in the humidity. Oh, no, was that going to happen to Aiko, too? She should go somewhere less wet as soon as possible.

"No, no," Aiko waved off. "You reacted well. I wasn't thinking about how that would appear. Here you are." She leaned over to pry the kunai out of the wooden wall and hand it back to its owner. "I believe that I have an appointment?"

"Yes."

Both Aiko and the gate guard looked over. And then up.

She had already known perfectly well that Tokiwa was intimidatingly tall, but that somehow didn't diminish the effect.

"Good evening," Aiko said after a pause to process just how big the other woman was. "Will you be taking me to Shizuka-sama?"

Tokiwa nodded. "Please follow me," she said. "I'm afraid that you will be seeing her in a different location today."

That turned out to be a private residence fairly near the gates. Shizuka was dressed for travel, in the most workmanlike shoes Aiko had ever seen on a kunoichi and carrying a full set of gear.

Aiko and Shizuka took a moment to eye each other, caught in a mutual moment of slightly unpleasant surprise.

"We picked opposite strategies," Aiko said after a pause. She ran her fingers over her kimono. She hadn't brought weapons at all, hoping to present a peaceful front to the civilian. Mifune-sama was reasonable and intelligent, but he was not over-fond of shinobi.

Shizuka glanced down at her armor. "Perhaps I have overcompensated."

"No, no, I'm too casual," Aiko disagreed to be polite. She looked at the ax on Shizuka's back. She really, really wouldn't have expected that choice. "I feel under-prepared now."

Tokiwa sighed.

Shizuka startled. "Oh, yes. We made a few changes to the contract, as you'll see." Her fingers shook a little as she handed it over.

Wary, Aiko settled back to read through the wording, looking for any traps or tricks. The meat of the agreement all seemed to be there:

Kirigakure was offering their military and political protection to Nadeshiko, in exchange for economic contracts and humanitarian relief. Kirigakure would be bound to intervene in Nadeshiko's conflicts for the duration of the treaty, but Nadeshiko had no such obligation to Kirigakure if Kirigakure was facing another of Nadeshiko's allies. It was set to last for a year, at which time it would be formally revisited. The contract would compel Kirigakure to escort any civilian shipment of desired goods upon request for reduced rates, and import fees would be waived for the year.

Ah. They'd been reduced import rates before. Aiko looked up, raising an eyebrow.

Shizuka looked a little embarrassed.

Well. She would have agreed to worse.

"Let's sign this, then." Despite her words, Aiko carefully rolled the treaty up and tied it with the red ribbon that had been on top. "In front of Mifune-sama, I think. If that is acceptable?"

"That is reasonable," Shizuka said. "How, ah, if I may ask…"

"It's a transportation technique similar to Hiraishin," Aiko explained. That sounded like a lie, but it would be a stupid one to say right before offering to use it, so hopefully Shizuka would delay judgment a moment or two. But of course- "How would you like me to demonstrate proof, before I may escort you to Iron?"

Shizuka hesitated, glancing at Tokiwa. Her expression was mildly rebellious. "No demonstration but that will be needed."

"I will, of course, be accompanying you." Tokiwa interjected.

Shizuka's jaw clenched.

'There's something weird going on here and I need no part of it. Sticking my nose into other peoples' business only ends in tears and accidentally annexing a country. I have no idea what I would do with Nadeshiko. What is their economy like? Oh, god, I'm just not ready for that.'

For her sanity's sake, Aiko valiantly pretended not to notice any tension at all. "Alright then. I need to be in physical contact. And I'm afraid that this errand might take some time, since I haven't done more than send a letter to his office that I planned to come. I can't be certain that he found time in his schedule, but I hope that for a meeting involving emergency relief, he'll forgive the breach in protocol."

Shizuka blinked. "Oh." She seemed to rally. "I had wondered if you had managed to send word in such a time frame."

Well. Truthfully speaking, leaving a letter in an envelope marked 'Urgent: To Mifune-sama, From the Godaime Mizukage' on the gate guard's desk when he looked away was not any sort of proper protocol for arranging a meeting.

But it seemed a sort of middle ground from 'giving no notice at all before showing up' and 'leaving the letter in a more convenient but creepy location, like in his personal office'.

And it was the kind of letter that you would at least look at, because you were alarmed if nothing else. That had probably been an alarming experience for all involved. She was a little sorry.

The smile she gave Shizuka back was queasy. "Of course." To forestall any more awkward questions, she held out an arm. Shizuka delicately laid her soft palm on the back of Aiko's hand. She felt oddly like she was on a romantic walk.

Then Tokiwa stepped over and took Aiko's other hand before it could be offered. She wrapped her fingers around Aiko's wrist with just a little too much force.

That felt a little less romantic. It felt a little like a reminder that Tokiwa's hand could reach around Aiko's neck, too. She glanced up at the blonde woman dubiously.

The expression she got back was too blank for comfort.

'Right…'

She forced on a smile. "Let's go, then." Well. "We might have to duck," Aiko shared. "People are often twitchy when you just appear in a place. Be sure not to strike back on reflex, that only escalates the situation."

"That seems reasonable," Shizuka said, her words split between the entryway and the space outside of Iron's capital city where visitors could be received. She jerked in shock, pulling her arm back. Tokiwa squeezed Aiko's arm, and then let go as well.

The man sitting at the gate might have been the same one she'd seen yesterday. It was hard to tell- she'd only seem him from behind. But he didn't seem happy to see three shinobi appear, and it was the same shift, so, probably? "Nadeshiko, I assume?" He held up a sheet of paper.

"And Kirigakure," Aiko corrected, holding up her hand. She stepped away from the other two to make it clear that there were two groups. "Does that mean that Mifune-sama could find the time to meet with us?"

His eyes, deeply set under his brow and shadowed with lines, narrowed. "Yes." The samurai examined them all. "I'm afraid that any weapons must be left at the next check point."

Shizuka made a perturbed sound and touched the handle of her ax, but she didn't actually protest.

"Of course," Aiko agreed. She folded her hands in her sleeves. It was chilly in Iron, much colder than it had been in Nadeshiko. Snow was actually falling. "Is there anything else that we should keep in mind?"

"No." He waved them on. "You are expected at that building, with the red tiled roof."

Aiko craned to see the building he was pointing at. Ah. That should be easy enough.

"Your appointment is for 40 minutes from now." He continued sourly. "Please hurry. It is best to go through security and be at least ten minutes early to the waiting room."

Shizuka bowed gracefully. "Thank you. We will see ourselves out, then."

Aiko found herself trailing the other woman a moment, before she made an effort to keep up.

'How is it that I'm the one in a kimono, but she seems all delicate and princessy?' Aiko wondered. 'She has an ax as long as her arm.' She pursed her lips. 'Maybe I could have asked her about the obi. She seems like she might be better at that than I am.'

Next time, perhaps.

In contradiction to every experience she'd ever had with bureaucracy, Mifune-sama was early to the appointment.

She felt a tinge of guilt. Mei was expecting her in an hour. That probably wasn't going to happen.

"Good evening." He nodded to all three of them, gracious and formal. "I know your face. Nadeshiko no Shizuka-sama. I'm afraid that your companions are a pleasant mystery, however."

"Yes." Shizuka bowed low. "This is my assistant Tokiwa, a jounin of Nadeshiko. She completes my party." She gestured to Aiko. "I have the honor of introducing Kirigakure no Uzumaki Aiko, Godaime Mizukage."

Mifune didn't hide his surprise quite well enough.

'To be fair, he probably expected a famous Kiri-nin. People always do. Can't imagine why.'

"I see." He turned to Aiko fully and gave the same sort of bow he had given to Shizuka. "I had not heard of the change in administration. I admit that I am surprised."

Aiko bowed back. "It is a recent honor," she said delicately. "The announcement that the Godaime has been chosen was made this morning. However, my appointment is not yet public knowledge. Outside of Kirigakure, only those gathered here can claim knowledge."

Shizuka blinked twice quickly at that.

Mifune's eyes narrowed, but he seemed more puzzled than displeased. "I am honored." His mustache quivered as his mouth moved, looking for the perfect way to phrase the question. "Iron has had regrettably little to do with Kirigakure in past years. I confess to some surprise."

In other words, this was a very strange group and he wanted to know what the hell she was doing. Aiko liked him.

She smiled. "One of my first hopes is to establish good relations with Nadeshiko." She nodded to Shizuka. "Shizuka-sama has kindly agreed to a partnership to address Kirigakure's current situation and move towards a future relationship of a more stable nature."

Shizuka took over. "We were hoping to ask you to act as witness when we sign the preliminary agreement. Aiko-sama opined that Iron's oversight would provide international legitimacy and make clear to all that both parties intend to honor the treatise."

Mifune shifted his gaze to Aiko, considering the request. For a moment, he didn't speak. "May I see this agreement?"

"Of course." Aiko pulled it from her obi and held it out with both hands. He took it with a polite murmur and a small bow.

He gestured towards the table. "Might I-"

"Of course," Aiko repeated. A moment later, Shizuka added, "Please, do."

He gave them a look she couldn't interpret, but at least it wasn't hostile. "Please, have a seat." Mifune waited until they had before finally slipping off the ribbon and unrolling the scroll. His lips moved just a little as he read.

It was rather short, so far as these documents went, bare of legalese and layers of protective clauses. But it was, quite clearly, written to be a preliminary agreement. So that wasn't too unusual.

Aiko squirmed a little as his eyes clearly moved down the page. Mifune was clever enough to read between the lines and realize that the document was not what Kirigakure would have written if they were doing well. She knew he would have to be appraised of the current situation, to some extent, but it was still viscerally uncomfortable to knowingly reveal her country's weakness.

It felt like an eternity, but it was likely about four minutes before he set the paper down and returned his attention to his guests. "It all seems to be in order." Mifune looked at Aiko, hard. "What has happened in Kirigakure, if I might ask?"

She fought the urge to look away, or to close her eyes. "The Yondaime Mizukage saw fit to release the Sanbi within the village when he was challenged," Aiko explained. "We are in considerable distress due to infrastructural damage, interruption of normal operations, and the effects that my predecessor's policies had on our economic production."

Mifune nodded, drinking that in. "How are your hospitals?" he asked.

It seemed a bit of a non-sequitor, except for the part where Mist's healthcare was abominable. The recent struggles had given her a bit of a schooling in the many things they were not equipped to deal with. The injuries from damaged buildings or jutsu crossfire were on that list: the sheer scale would have overwhelmed them even if their personnel had been better-trained. And the fight had taken out powerlines, leaving much of the city without electricity at all, which compounded the problems facing the many households who could not access running water. Things would get worse before they got better as cleanliness went down and Kirigakure began to face the hottest parts of summer without electricity to cool buildings or store food safely.

And. Two weeks ago, a hospital generator had given out. Three infants on artificial respiration had died before it could be restored. She'd brought them back, but how many times could she do that? She couldn't revive everyone who should have survived Mist's hospitals.

Some of that might have shown in her eyes. Her answer was a more diplomatic, "I hope to make improvements to our facilities and begin training more medical personnel in the near future."

Which was honest, but not as honest as, 'I don't want to think about it because it's really terrible and there's not much to do until we stop the other ways the city is hemorrhaging. And I'm not qualified to do anything about it, anyway. I want Sasuke to come and fix my life but he's currently twelve and useless.'

Mifune seemed to have been expecting that answer. "I see, I see." He stared at her. "I do not know if you are aware, but Iron has fine schools and medicine."

Aiko blinked, considering what he might be implying, but he was already moving on.

"That is a discussion for another time, I suppose. Forgive an old man his digression." Mifune pressed the scroll flat. "I believe that I would not be hard-pressed to witness this agreement. I imagine that you are eager to begin the work at hand."

"Nadeshiko has begun some preparations in hope that this meeting would go well," Shizuka agreed. "We are eager to lend our assistance to an ally. We believe that an initial relief shipment might depart tomorrow, or the day after."

That was news to Aiko. Good news. She blinked off her surprise, feeling her stress begin to subside.

Mifune nodded approval. "Very well. Shall I call for a pen?"

They were patient for a moment as he did just that. His assistant returned quickly with the aforementioned pen, as well as a stamppad. Mifune thanked her with a bow. "Tea, I think," he said quietly. The woman nodded and left.

Well, then. When he looked at her, Aiko gestured politely towards the treaty.

Mifune's lips twitched. He shook his head. "You should go first, I believe."

Oh. Fair point. Aiko inked her name and title carefully. She took a moment to lift the pen tip, admiring the way "Godaime Mizukage" looked next to her name for the first time. It was surreal, but it looked good. She put down the pen and pulled out her inkan.

Mifune set down the little round stamp-pad quietly. It was red- she made the stamp in red and then drank in how it all looked together.

Before anyone could think she was being odd, Aiko bowed out of the way and set the pen down on the table. Shizuka took it up next. Mifune examined the signatures for a moment, checked the seals, and then left his own. He held it up for perusal, and then to let it dry. "If business is concluded, perhaps we might enjoy tea and then conclude this meeting?" he asked.

Aiko and Shizuka both agreed.

'I might actually make it to Mei on time. Or close to it. Mifune doesn't waste time, does he?'

They made pleasant conversation that none of them enjoyed, in all likelihood. But it was blissfully free of politics, so Aiko soaked it up. Mifune saw them out personally when they were done, wishing them both the best of luck in their endeavors and promising to send a notarized copy of the agreement.

Aiko took Shizuka and Tokiwa home, and thanked them for the success of the meeting and the efficacy of their relief efforts. Her watch was burning a hole in her pocket, but she was successful.

It was 9:28 when Aiko took herself to her office in Kirigakure and let Mei in. Mei was already waiting, of course, but at least Aiko had managed to be punctual.

The expression on Mei's face was grim enough that she might need to hold onto that small sense of accomplishment to help her get through the night, however.

"What do you have to report?" Aiko asked, fairly certain that she didn't want to know.

Mei sat down and crossed her legs at the knee. "Let's start with the good and work our way through the mundane to the worrisome, shall we?"

"I like that plan." Aiko agreed. "Please tell me good news, and I'll tell you mine."

"The foundation and first level of the first complex are completed." Mei managed a tired smile. "With the exception of plumbing and electrical wiring, of course, but they will be easy to add." She paused. "So far as these things go, in any case. It will still take quite some time."

Aiko nodded. "That makes sense. And Yamato-san is…?"

"Not as affected by his teammate's capture as we might have hoped." Mei's lips tightened.

"You think that he's managed to contact someone?" Aiko asked, feeling a line of stress appear in her forehead. This job was aging her like crazy.

Mei hesitated. "I do not believe so. However, it may well be that the second shinobi-"

"Raidou?" Aiko asked for clarity.

Mei blinked, unsure.

"That's the second Konoha shinobi we captured," Aiko explained. "That's who you mean, right?"

"Yes." Mei clearly decided not to ask why Aiko knew so many Konoha nin. "That one. Raidou-san may well have been able to send word before he was captured. We do not know what information he managed to gather, but I am fairly certain that your identity was not among it. Other nations may be aware of our weakened state, however."

"And the vultures will come." Aiko wrapped her ankles around one of the legs of her chair. "Nadeshiko signed the agreement tonight, with Iron no Mifune as signatory witness. We can expect an initial delivery within a week, although I do not yet know exactly what it might contain."

"That should provide some reason to at least consider the wisdom of assuming Kirigakure is weak enough to act against," Mei agreed. "Nadeshiko is not strong, but they are active. And Iron is fairly strong, as well as respected. Until it is clear that our relationship with them is minimal, others may be wary of upsetting Iron and risking an embargo or other repercussions."

Aiko smiled. It was tired, but it was genuine. "Any more good news?"

Mei shifted slightly in her seat. "Your contractors arrived on our outermost island this evening," she said. "From Wave- a master bridge-builder and a staff of ten."

"Ten?" Aiko tapped her fingers against the desk. "It's not as good as I hoped, but it's not as bad as I feared. If they're on the outermost island…" She tried to think of how long that would take civilians- a large group of foreign civilians who would need to pass layers of customs. "Not tomorrow, but the day after?" she said, half-asking.

"I believe so, yes." Mei's eyes narrowed in the way they did when she was moving on to the next topic. "The sewer mainline on the west district has been repaired to functionality."

"Thank god," Aiko said with feeling. That had not been an enjoyable supervisory visit. "A few buildings in the area were cleared for habitation once that had been addressed, right?"

Mei nodded.

Aiko searched a memory. "A few residences, a bank, and…" she trailed off, frowning.

"A convenience store," Mei prompted. "We'll see what can be done with that, perhaps they can help supplement the food distribution system."

Aiko nodded. "I look forward to seeing what you do with it, then. Oh, I have all that paperwork." She fished it out, but opened the folder instead of handing it over. "There was something strange- a Kida-san was mentioned in the office personnel-"

Mei hummed acknowledgment. "Yes, I transferred him to deal with the problem of finding housing and routes for the civilian contractors."

"Hm." Aiko frowned. "That wasn't what I intended, but.. that's fine, then." She laid the folder on the desk. "The new requests and reports, please." She blinked at the stack Mei handed over- mostly because she didn't hand it all over.

"This," Mei waived, "is our strange and concerning item. It was left in your office. No one admits to leaving it. And as you can see-" she flipped it around- "it is addressed with what might be considered inappropriate familiarity for a letter to the Mizukage's office," Mei finished dryly.

Aiko felt a headache coming on. She knew the handwriting, of course, but she didn't need to. There was only one person in the world who would write her a letter and draw little cartoon representations of them in the 'To' and 'From' spaces. Obito's face was a sworl, which Mei had probably interpreted as pointed anonymity and not an incredibly distinctive calling card.

"Whimsical." She felt like going to bed and never dealing with this.

Mei offered the envelope up.

She didn't want to take the envelope. She took it anyway and held it gingerly. "I'm going to be honest with you- I know who sent this, but I have no idea what they would want, or how hostile they are."

Mei frowned. "Leaving it in your office is an inherently hostile gesture," she said.

'That's what I thought when he met me in a park at night and sent flowers to my apartment and any number of weird things. And it never turned out to be accurate- sometimes the interaction was an absolute disaster because he's such a screwed-up person, but he wasn't intending to be hostile or intimidating.'

"No, not for him. Not necessarily." Aiko shook her head. "He has a long history of failing to understand boundaries like that. It's not necessarily malice."

Obito was just seven different kinds of fucked-up. It didn't mean he was safe, but it did often mean that he meant well. The problem was that what he thought was good and helpful was often bafflingly insane.

"So… You are good friends, then?" Mei ventured. She seemed disinterested, but she was probably wondering if she would get a clue as to where Aiko had actually come from.

Aiko winced. "We were," she hedged. "And as things are, we might be even so far as wronging each other goes. I'm not sure where we stand. I think that putting him in prison for three years and gouging out his eyes sort of balances the kidnapping and surgery, but he might feel differently. The last time we met, he wasn't…" she trailed off. "He wasn't as hostile as I had feared. Admittedly, I didn't give him much chance to demonstrate good or bad faith."

Mei actually rubbed at her temples. "That is probably for the best, when dealing with someone who might be holding that type of grudge," she agreed. "Those pictures were not drawn by a blind man, are they?"

'I appreciate that she doesn't sound certain about that. I like to think that I bring excitement into her life.'

"No." Aiko pursed her lips. "He's picked at least one eye up somewhere, which means- well, I think I know who did the surgery for him. He's more than capable enough, and they'd be in contact." She scowled, thinking of Zetsu. What a creep. "Well." She glanced at the envelope. "Might as well."

Mei leaned forward as Aiko ripped it open and pulled out the letter. It only took a moment to read.

"Thank you for fixing my window," Mei read aloud, because Aiko's voice had failed her completely. "Let's see a movie."

Frogs were calling outside the window, keeping the cicadas company. There were the only things that Aiko heard for a few minutes.

"It's some sort of code," Mei said. "Do you know-"

"Yes," Aiko agreed. It was better to let Mei think that was code. The inverse would involve far too much explanation. "I think I know what he means." She slid the letter back into the envelope and put it in the pile with her papers. "Thank you. Is there anything else that we should deal with?"

Mei gave Aiko a dark look, clearly unhappy about being left out of the loop. She was silent a long moment. "No." The older woman leaned back in her chair, flexing her ankle. "I don't believe that there is."

Mei's attitude left a bad taste in Aiko's mouth, but she chose not to comment. "Alright, then." She raised her eyebrows. "I won't be able to meet tomorrow until 11, I'll be taking care of something else before that- procuring more funds. Please pass this on to Utakata-san-" she laid out a sealed envelope- "and direct Chisato-san to make the arrangements I've outlined here for the Nadeshiko delegation that we're likely to see within four to six days. I'd like her to meet them at the outer gate, as you can see, so Ao-san will be supervising the interaction." A piece of stationary went on top of the envelope.

It felt like there should be something else. She took a moment to think- but no, there wasn't. Aiko sighed. "You may go. Thank you."

"Thank you," Mei echoed, gathering up her papers. "Have a pleasant evening."

"Of course, you as well." Aiko waited until her subordinate had left the room to begin to frown.

'Mei is starting to take liberties. I'm not certain that I like it.'

Something should be done, but not tonight.

'One thing I can do is limit her influence- I need to balance her out, promote someone trustworthy and competent and divide responsibilities. If Mei is starting to think she can make decisions without telling me, or that I need to tell her what I'll be doing…'

It just didn't bode well.

She blinked. "Wow," Aiko said. She frowned, examining her feelings. "I'm more worried about Mei than Obito. That's… that's a change in priorities."

To be fair, Obito had dropped off the map for a long time. He was unpredictable in many ways, but she was still fairly certain that he would have contacted her in a much more dignified, dramatic way if he had a fight in mind. Something like slipping out of the shadows when she brought Zabuza and Utakata to Kirigakure, for example. That was classic drama-king Obito. This?

She looked at the sketches again, mildly amused by the scowl on her own cartoon face. Obviously inaccurate, she had an incredibly sunny disposition, thank you very much.

He was communicating that he wanted a ceasefire. By thanking her for a favor she'd done him, and by calling on their shared recollection of fun times they'd spent together, he was invoking the best of their relationship.

'A movie, huh… Icha Icha's not out at the moment, but I bet that if I looked, I'd find one of those ghastly princess movies playing at the theater in Iwa that he likes. That's where he'll be watching for me.'

It was too late tonight, and she was too busy tomorrow. But the day after- she could give that a try.

"I'll see what he wants, at least." Aiko held the paper out, giving it one last look. Then she thought back to the feeling of fire, how it coursed through her blood when she used the Rinnegan. She gave it a try, breathing out a simple lick of katon on memory and without a handsign. It caught the paper aflame, but sputtered and died in her mouth too easily.

Well. She spat water out before her fingers could get singed and dropped the smoking, dripping remains of paper into the bin.

"I'll practice that."

Aiko stretched. Involuntarily, she yawned.

Oddly, she didn't want to leave. The office wasn't luxurious, but it was fairly comfortable. And no one was attempting to spy on her here. She didn't have to pretend to be someone else. It was exhausting, dull, and frustrating, frankly.

"I'd better get back to Konoha," she told herself, hoping that would somehow make getting up easier. "I've got to arrange a break in training the boys for me to spy on Jiraiya. And maybe get a swimsuit- he's going to get me wet if he can. And he probably can." Aiko sat expectantly for a moment, waiting for the urge to be productive to wash over her. It didn't come. "Ugh." She tilted her head back. "Okay, I sit for two minutes. Then I go back to Konoha."

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity #AIC #Aiko in Canon

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