"You mean this, don't you?" Shikamaru said miserably, looking at the resolve in Hazō's face. "You honestly believe that there is a scenario in which you are able to lawfully communicate with the sovereign head of a foreign state, and further facilitate the arrival of an agent of that state in Leaf, without so much as informing the relevant Leaf authorities, much less securing their permission. Gōketsu, how can you so contest the Hyūga in desire for your own clan's annihilation?"
"You're exaggerating, Shikamaru," Hazō said with wavering confidence. "For a start, there's no Hokage. No one can approve or disapprove of us sending this message, especially given that we're the Hokage's clan. If anything, until the elections, we have a better claim than anyone else."
"Gōketsu," Shikamaru said. "May I apply the power of the Clear Communication Technique?
"I do not intend my evaluation to in any way reflect my opinion of your moral character, nor of the effort you must have expended to arrive at this point, nor of the decisions made. It is intended only as a neutral analysis of your position, focusing on aspects I believe you have hitherto overlooked or underappreciated.
"The power of a clan, its very nature, derives from tradition, backed by countless generations of accumulated knowledge, and expressed through unique abilities refined over those generations. At the present time, the power of the Gōketsu, its very nature, derives from a man who is no longer with us, backed by at most a single generation of knowledge, and expressed through abilities refined over a decade at best. With him gone, your clan consists of a gifted commoner, three shinobi who left their clans before they could gain more than the bare rudiments of those clans' power, and Gōketsu Kagome, common-born until proven innocent. Your special assets are limited to a summoner and two sealmasters, proportionately powerful but trivial in comparison to any clan worth mentioning, which could wipe you from existence with numbers alone.
"Most damning of all, in the public eye, you are the alien scions of Leaf's greatest enemy. You simply have not had the years necessary to overwrite that perception. You are the weakest voting clan, and with the Fifth lost to us, it is only fear of legal precedent that keeps you from being stripped of your vote or even your clan status. To those who would advocate this, what are you but convenient fuel for Jiraiya's power grab, absorbed in defiance of both morality and law because of your concentrated strength, helpless dependence on him, and guaranteed lack of ties with his rivals?
"Relatedly, you underestimate the amount of security afforded you by your positive personal relationships with influential figures of the younger generation such as myself. Were we as a collective to be your enemies, as would be expected given your origins, or even simply disinclined to interact with you, you would quickly cease to exist as a political entity, no matter your legal status. Conversely, our tolerance influences the mood of others who have yet to decide whether to reject you as foreign matter. To fully appreciate this, I invite you to imagine a world where every clan heir shared Neji's values."
After a second's pause, Shikamaru leaned forward a little, interlacing his fingers below his face.
"I would note, in the spirit of the Clear Communication Technique, that it is incumbent on me as Nara clan head to make my decisions with this information in mind. You are suddenly worth far less to the Nara than you once were. It is fortunate for both of us, but especially for you, that the Nara unfailingly honour our commitments, and thus will proceed with the marriage irrespective of reevaluation, and thereafter acknowledge the bond it creates. There are clans, and not necessarily those which first spring to mind, that would have seriously considered terminating the engagement with the sudden death of the Fifth. Nevertheless, I must give serious consideration to which paths our alliance opens up for us, and which ones it closes, in a completely different way than my father had to.
"To finish off, please understand that I personally wish to be on your side. Keiko is the best bride I could have hoped for, and this one time I will admit that I find myself feeling a certain amount of affection for you two as well. While the rest of your family frankly intimidates me, I do not feel actual hostility towards them. As Nara Shikamaru, I wish for you all to prosper and find happiness. As clan head, these feelings are irrelevant.
"With all of this in mind, I urge you to tread lightly. Even if you successfully recruit Naruto as you must, you are far more vulnerable than you seem to understand."
"That bad, huh?" Noburi asked after a long, long second.
"That bad," Shikamaru confirmed.
