Natsuki sank into thought.
Of the four locked abilities on the Aizen template, the Hogyoku could wait until last. Its unlock condition was simply the hardest of the lot—absorbing the power of all nine Tailed Beasts was no easier than conquering the ninja world outright. He couldn't manage it now, and it wasn't the kind of thing that happened quickly.
The other three, though—those he could start laying groundwork for.
Of the three major villages—Hidden Cloud, Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist—the Mist was far and away the easiest to seize. Its overall strength was the weakest of the three, and the Third Mizukage was, at present, the weakest of the Five Kage. Factor in the condition that required killing a Kage-level powerhouse, and the Third Mizukage made for a tidy target on both counts.
In the source material, once Uchiha Obito turned, he'd chosen the Hidden Mist to control. Part of the reason was that the Mist had killed Nohara Rin—but at bottom, it was because the Mist was the weakest. Had Obito gone after Konoha instead, he'd have faced two problems: first, he might not have beaten Sarutobi Hiruzen; second, Konoha had the Hyuga, and the Byakugan could see straight through genjutsu control.
Taking the Hidden Mist would be harder for Natsuki than it had been for Obito, though—because he also had to establish the Espada, and the Espada demanded ten Mist Jonin.
His thoughts turned to Pakura. The cleanest route to controlling the Hidden Mist was to install a new Mizukage of his own. Do that, and taking an enemy ninja as a student could be folded into the same operation.
Terumi Mei surfaced in his mind. She was the same age as Hatake Kakashi—about ten right now. The timing was ideal.
Natsuki nodded. Target chosen, the rest got a good deal simpler.
First came waiting for the Third Mizukage to leave the village. Not a difficult wait; with the war against the Hidden Cloud escalating, the man would take the field himself sooner or later.
Second came taking Terumi Mei as a student—and that was the harder half. The condition explicitly specified an enemy ninja. If Natsuki concealed his identity to take her on, it might not register as an enemy ninja at all. But if he didn't conceal it, then under any normal circumstance Terumi Mei would never agree to study under him.
Natsuki turned it over for a moment, and an answer came to him.
He'd simply force her to become his student.
In Bleach, Gin Ichimaru had approached Aizen intending to kill him. Aizen had known it perfectly well—and kept him close anyway, curious to see how Gin would go about it.
A knock at the door.
"Come in," Natsuki said, surfacing from his thoughts.
The door opened and Uchiha Mikoto stepped through. She came right up to him and produced a document.
"Natsuki, this is the roster of Genin registered for the Chunin Exams," she explained.
Natsuki took it and read.
Konoha might have been running these Exams alone, but a great many squads had signed on this time. The reason was the war on the horizon. Skip this round, and no one could say when the next Exams would come—a war that swallowed the whole ninja world could easily drag on for years, and waiting that long would set a career back too far.
Still, for all the squads entered, only three had any real chance of fighting their way through: Natsuki's, Namikaze Minato's, and Nawaki's.
"Send out the notice. The Chunin Exams are set for next Monday," Natsuki said when he'd finished.
"Okay." Mikoto nodded. "How should we handle the chief examiner and the exam content?"
"Let Shikaku write the content." Natsuki paused. "For chief examiner, have Minato pick three ninja."
Nara Shikaku and Namikaze Minato were both Hokage Secretaries, same as him—well within the rules for either to take those matters on.
"I'll go notify them now," Mikoto answered at once.
She lingered a beat, glancing at him, before turning to go. And felt, privately, a small disappointment. He hadn't laid a hand on her today.
At that thought, Mikoto gave her head a sharp shake. When exactly did you become this kind of woman?
She banished the tangle of thoughts and hurried off toward the Secretary's office.
Natsuki couldn't help but smile. He'd caught her look—he simply had somewhere to be.
Tagorihime was calling him with the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
Natsuki arrived a moment later at the Seven Warlords of the Sea's base in the great port city of the Land of Water.
"Master." Tagorihime inclined her head. "We've located Kinkaku and Ginkaku's corpses."
"In the Hidden Cloud?"
"In the Hidden Cloud, yes." She nodded. "But the village has them hidden away."
"Why?" Natsuki's interest sharpened—though he already had a guess.
"Their corpses hold an enormous quantity of Nine-Tails chakra," Tagorihime replied.
Just as I thought, Natsuki said inwardly.
In the source material, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had once been swallowed whole by the Nine-Tails. Their Sage of Six Paths bloodline meant they not only survived, but devoured a colossal amount of chakra from inside its belly—until the beast couldn't stand it and spat them back out. The chakra they'd eaten stayed with them. Most absurd of all, they could manage partial Tailed Beast transformation, which effectively made them a pair of miniature Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
All of which worked in Natsuki's favor. He could use the Black Grail to drain every drop of that Nine-Tails chakra.
"What's the setup? How many are guarding them?"
"Just one Cloud squad." Tagorihime paused. "Four of them, and none especially strong. The captain's a Jonin."
Natsuki was mildly surprised—then understood. Under ordinary circumstances, nobody bothers stealing corpses. That the bodies were packed with Nine-Tails chakra changed nothing; for the overwhelming majority of ninja, that chakra was far too violent to use at all. The only way to harness it was to become a Nine-Tails chakra Jinchuriki—and like the Ryumyaku, a mindless mass of chakra would rampage without end. More trouble than it was worth.
"Once the Chunin Exams wrap up, make the trip to the Hidden Cloud and summon me," Natsuki said after a moment's thought. He'd never been to the Cloud himself, and had no interest in making the run on foot; far better to let Tagorihime do it.
"Yes, Master."
"One more thing—give it to Ichikishimahime." A thought struck him. "Have her keep watch on the Third Mizukage and Terumi Mei. I want their locations at all times."
That said, he opened an Air Door.
Natsuki arrived at Pakura's house in the Hidden Sand Village. She wasn't home.
He stroked his chin and guessed where she'd be soon enough: the Kazekage's office.
Normally a new Kazekage only took office after the inauguration ceremony. But the Hidden Sand's circumstances were anything but normal right now. The Third was dead and the village leaderless; if Pakura didn't start working early, too much would grind to a halt.
Natsuki made his way near the Kazekage building. He spotted the window of the office and opened an Air Door. The Door-Door Fruit's teleportation required only that he'd been somewhere before—or that he could see it.
Seated at the Kazekage's desk, Pakura glanced up on reflex. Space warped, and a door appeared. She let her guard drop at once.
"Congratulations on becoming the Fourth Kazekage." Natsuki stepped through, smiling.
"I haven't finished the formalities yet," Pakura said, looking at him.
"Only a matter of time." He asked it casually: "When's the inauguration?"
"Next Sunday. I have to wait on the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to arrive."
Natsuki walked toward the desk. Assuming he wanted the chair, Pakura started to rise—only to be caught out. Natsuki hopped lightly up and sat on the Kazekage's desk instead.
She'd never seen anyone sit on a desk before. Least of all the Kazekage's.
He was making a point, Pakura understood. Saying, without saying it, that the Fourth Kazekage answered to him.
"You're Kazekage now, but keep an eye on Rasa and Reki," Natsuki cautioned. "Their reach in this village isn't small."
"I know." Pakura sat back down and looked up at him. "I already have a plan to whittle them down by degrees."
Natsuki's gaze drifted lower. Perched up high the way he was, he had a fine view—the pale skin at Pakura's collar, the clear lines her clothes drew beneath it.
"Want my help?" He blinked at her. "I could take Rasa and Reki off the board for you."
"No need." Pakura shook her head. "More to the point, I'd rather not open a war with the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Mist the moment I take office."
Natsuki gave a small nod. She'd overlooked the Hidden Cloud, though.
In the source material, the Cloud had been the first to strike once word of the Third Kazekage's disappearance got out—only to withdraw after a single attack. The two villages were simply too far apart, with Konoha and the Hidden Stone wedged between them. But that one raid had confirmed the Third Kazekage was gone and laid the Sand's condition bare for everyone to see. After that, to bleed off its internal tensions, the Hidden Sand had thrown itself at Konoha—at which point the Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist pounced on the opening and hit the Sand as well. It was under that pressure that the village sold Pakura out to buy peace with the Mist.
Of course, the Third Great Ninja War hadn't been a siege on the Hidden Sand. It had been a free-for-all among all five Great Villages, with Konoha faring worst of all—fighting four villages at once.
This time around, things stood differently. The Cloud and the Mist were already at war with each other and almost certainly wouldn't come for the Sand again; as he'd said, the distance made it a losing proposition. The Hidden Mist was close by, true, but tied up with the Cloud and unlikely to spare the Sand a glance for now. That left the Hidden Stone as the one most likely to seize the moment.
"I'll keep watch on the Hidden Mist for you," Natsuki said, following the thought through. "You just mind the Hidden Stone."
"Mm." Pakura smiled, suddenly. "Now that I think it through—being under your thumb has actually been good for the Hidden Sand."
Ordinarily the village would have had to worry about the Hidden Stone, Konoha, and the Hidden Mist all at once. With Natsuki in the picture, that list came down to one.
"And how do you plan to thank me?" Natsuki raised a brow.
"Things are hectic lately. Let me pay you a little interest up front." Pakura rose and leaned in, lips parted.
Natsuki dipped his head and kissed her.
Her composure shattered instantly. She'd kissed him before—but those had been pecks. This was something else. The way his tongue took hers left her head swimming.
Looking at him, right there in front of her, Pakura felt her heart hammering. And found herself thinking this life wasn't so bad after all. Natsuki was powerful and striking besides; if he lived in the Hidden Sand, he'd have suitors beyond counting—and she wasn't sure she'd have held out either.
A long while later, their lips parted.
Pakura's mouth stayed slightly open, breath coming quick, her chest rising and falling. Natsuki reached out and eased the strain her clothes were under. She went dazed, looked away, the color in her face deepening—but she didn't pull back. She let him.
"Save the rest for next time." Natsuki licked the corner of his mouth and released her.
He opened an Air Door and stepped back into his office in Konoha—straight into Uchiha Mikoto.
"Natsuki." She came to him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Every notice has gone out."
"Thank you for the trouble, Mikoto." Natsuki looked at her rosy lips and kissed her.
Mikoto met him gladly, halfway. Her arms went up around his neck, and the full curve of her pressed into him. Feeling his breath against her, a hazy look settled over her face.
"Mikoto." Natsuki leaned in close to her ear. "Do something for me."
Teased by two beauties back to back, he had, as any man would, a good deal of pressure built up.
"Wh—what?" Her face burned crimson.
Natsuki told her, in a single sentence.
Mikoto blanked for a moment—and then snapped fully awake, shaking her head on instinct.
Natsuki sighed, deliberately.
"I... I..." Seeing that, shy as she was, her resolve softened, and at last she nodded.
A wave of satisfaction rolled through him. As expected—only Uchiha Mikoto would ever say yes to this.
Natsuki let her go and crossed to his desk. By the time he sat down, Mikoto had vanished from sight.
He picked up a document at random. Halfway through, he frowned—then his expression eased again. Natsuki took out a pen and wrote his instructions across the page.
He let out a long, slow breath and glanced down at Uchiha Mikoto.
Her cheeks were puffed out. She didn't say a word.
Natsuki went back to work.
Half an hour later, having sat too long, he stretched his stiff legs.
"Mikoto, you're done. You don't need to keep me company anymore," he said without looking up.
She looked up, swallowed hard, and nodded. She climbed out from under the desk and wiped the corner of her mouth on reflex.
For some reason—she should have refused, she knew that—it didn't feel unacceptable to her at all.
Mikoto patted her cheeks and forced herself back to composure. Then, thinking better of it, she decided to head home and clean up first.
—
The new week came around fast.
Monday, and yet the Ninja Academy sat empty—because today was the Chunin Exams.
The first stage was a written test, and the Academy was the venue. So as not to disturb the Genin taking it, the school had given its students the day off. The students, needless to say, were thrilled.
"Why does the Chunin Exam even have a written test?" Uchiha Obito asked, thoroughly put out.
"Because a ninja who's bad at studying can't become Hokage," Hatake Kakashi said, perfectly level.
"Damn you, Kakashi!" Obito flared instantly. "Says who? I could do it!"
"Could you?" Kakashi spared him a glance. "Pass the written test first, then talk."
"It's fine!" Mitarashi Anko planted her hands on her hips. "I already found out—cheating's allowed on the written test!"
"Seriously?" Obito perked right up.
"Obito, cheating isn't right," Nohara Rin said softly.
"I'm just curious." Obito smiled awkwardly, then frowned. "How can cheating possibly be allowed on a written test?"
"Strictly speaking, it isn't," Sarutobi Asuma said offhandedly. "It's just that if you don't get caught, it doesn't count as cheating."
"Exactly!" Anko said, brimming with confidence. "And with my skills, there's no way I'm getting caught."
Obito rolled his eyes—and felt something stir all the same. If he had to answer honestly, on his own, he had no faith whatsoever that he'd pass. And if he flunked, wouldn't Kakashi hold it over him for the rest of his life?
He couldn't stomach that.
"I don't need to cheat," Yuhi Kurenai said with a smile.
"Me neither," Shizune agreed.
"You bookworms are seriously irritating," Anko sniffed.
"I wonder who the chief examiner is." Asuma looked around.
"I looked into it. The chief examiner for the first stage has always been a Chunin or a Special Jonin," Anko replied.
"No wonder you're so cocky." Asuma's mouth twitched. "Why don't you research your actual missions this thoroughly?"
"They're low-rank missions. Nothing to research." Anko waved it off. "They're a cakewalk for our squad anyway."
"Why is Minato-sensei here?" Rin said suddenly, spotting him.
"Hello, everyone. I'm the chief examiner for your written test—Namikaze Minato." He walked in and introduced himself.
"We're done for!" Anko felt a headache coming on immediately.
Meanwhile, in his office, Natsuki watched Uchiha Mikoto eat a popsicle. He'd picked it up on a whim that morning. It was late April and the weather had turned cool, but a popsicle could make you feel cooler still—a cooling effect all the same.
Natsuki looked away and returned to the Chunin Exams. There was nothing worth watching in a written test, so he didn't plan to attend. The second and third stages meant real combat, though. Those he'd go see for himself.
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