Omake (AU): Handling The Hagoromo
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Omake (AU): Handling The Hagoromo
I wrote this immediately after @Velorien's update where the whole plotline started up and before y'all started responding to it. It was purely a plot bunny that I needed to get out of my head and it likely would not have worked for real. Despite that, we put it in the bank for use as an interlude when we lacked energy for a full update. Enjoy. —EJ
Some paperwork was worse than other paperwork. The current paperwork was the worst of the worst, and for the last hour Hazō had been struggling to plow through it instead of throwing explosives everywhere and fleeing in terror. As such, the hesitant knock on his door was very welcome indeed.
"Hazō? Can I have a minute?" Noburi asked nervously. Yuno lingered behind him, with an expression that would have fit well on the face of a sealing master looking at a smeared and active seal.
"Yes!" Hazō said, jumping up and rushing from behind his desk so he could chivvy his visitors into chairs and quickly unseal a tea set and three cups. "Please! Come in, come in! What can I do for you?"
Noburi and Yuno exchanged looks. Noburi appeared to lose the metaphorical toss.
"As my clan head, I think I need your permission to marry," Noburi said. "I ask that you bless my union to Gasai Yuno of the village of Isan."
Hazō's jaw dropped for a moment and then a wide smile spread across his face. "That's wonderful! Yes, of course you two have my blessing. And may I just say: It's about time, Nobby. Yuno, you are the model of patience for waiting on him so long."
The pink-haired girl shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, sir—"
"Please, just Hazō."
"Um. Well, I actually wasn't as patient as you might think..."
"She very reasonably got fed up," Noburi translated. "What was less reasonable"—he paused to stick his tongue out as his bride-to-be, which fortunately made her smile for a moment—"was that she decided to marry Neji instead. It was the jolt I needed to stop eating the squid and propose."
Hazō laughed. "Well, as long as it happened it still counts as good news in my book."
"Yeah...about that." Noburi shifted uncomfortably. "There may be some...diplomatic concerns. With the Hyūga." Wordlessly, he handed over two sheets of paper.
Hazō skimmed through the first one. "Dearest Yuno...enjoyed tea...Neji...ordered him to marry—what?!"
"Hinata ordered him to marry me," Yuno said defiantly. "He didn't want to, or at least he didn't show any such interest, but I was going to accept. I was packed when Noburi came to me."
Hazō stared blankly for a moment. "Well...at least the best man won?" he said at last. "Don't worry, I'll sort it out with Hinata. She may be irritated but that's my problem, not yours. You just focus on planning the wedding. Talk to Mari for ideas, maybe."
"Read the second thing," Noburi said grimly.
Hazō frowned and flipped open the second sheet.
Dear Hazō,
If you are reading this, you have undoubtedly heard the news that Yuno has selected her husband and will be moving to the Hyūga compound. I assure you that my offer to her is intended as no slight to you, and is merely an effort to secure the happiness of two people who care for one another but are clearly too bound up by their traditions and upbringings to act on it. In truth, I simply got so frustrated watching them dance around that I couldn't not act! I hope you are not offended.
As a peace offering, I wanted to give you advance notice so that you don't get blindsided at the next Council Meeting: The Hagoromo were offended by your support for the concubine laws—they are strong traditionalists and are deeply appalled at Keiko's choice of partner.
Unfortunately, they are not toothless. It is a Leaf tradition that all high-status weddings are conducted by a Hagoromo priest, and weddings of clan ninja definitely fall into that category. Worse yet for your cause, all of the priests in Leaf are associated with the Hagoromo in one way or another and would not dream of acting against their wishes, which gives the Hagoromo de facto control over all weddings, not just those of high-status individuals. This is going to be a problem, since I have received word that the Hagoromo will refuse to sanction any Gōketsu marriage until you offer a formal, public apology for making them bless Keiko's marriage 'in violation of their faith'. Please consider carefully how you will react to this; it is no small matter and will require careful handling. Should you wish advice or a sympathetic ear, feel free to call upon me.
Your sister in service to the Leaf,
Hyūga Hinata, Clan Head of the Hyūga
Hazō finished reading and stared at the paper in silence for three long seconds, his expression utterly blank.
"Hazō?" Noburi asked nervously. "Hazō, don't go off with your kunai half-drawn, okay? We need to think this one through. Take a breath, okay?"
Hazō looked up slowly and smiled. "Don't worry, Noburi," he said. "Before I take any action I intend to draw the kunai all the way. Excuse me."
He stood up and walked out of the room.
o-o-o-o
Keiko rapped her fist on the table. "In service to the Leaf, and to our glorious nation, and to the Will of Fire, I, Consort Nara Keiko, call this meeting to order. Let us all speak truthfully and serve loyally."
Eyebrows went up around the room. The full formal protocols were rarely used.
"Let us all speak truthfully and serve loyally," the clan heads chorused.
"What's this all about, Asuma?" asked the Kurusu Head. "We weren't scheduled to meet until next week. And why is that lot here?" He gestured to the three people seated against the wall: Kadokura Ruri, the Condor Summoner and a KEI jōnin. Minami Aika, the Porcupine Summoner and a clan jōnin. Gōketsu Noburi, the Toad Summoner, with his barrel at his feet.
"Excellent questions, Kurusu," Asuma said, sitting back in his chair and gesturing to Hazō. "Lord Gōketsu approached me asking for a chance to address the Council. Apparently he has an opportunity for us." His lips twitched. "He did mention that he wanted to pontificate for a few minutes first, although that's not quite the wording he used. I admit, I find myself curious. Hazō, the floor is yours."
"Thank you, sir." He looked around the table, nodding to each of the other clan heads. "Exactly a year ago today, my uncle and I completed research on the skywalker seal. At the time, my team were missing-nin with every ninja's hand against us. Despite that, we had a good life. We were comfortable, we could go into towns and even cities when we liked and disappear when we wanted to. We had no obligations and the wilds are large enough that it was unlikely any hunter-nin would ever find us.
"What then should we do with this transformative new technology? There were two questions to answer, the pragmatic and the moral. Morally, would we more effectively make the world better by keeping skywalkers secret or by giving them to one of the villages? Pragmatically, could we do so without being arrested and killed? Furthermore, could we improve our own lives in the process?
"The moral question was trivial: Yes, giving skywalkers to Leaf would be the most effective way at our disposal to make the world better. The Will of Fire is the greatest, most powerful philosophy in the Elemental Nations. It is the source of Leaf's power and Leaf is the best of the villages. The people of Fire are wealthier, happier, and healthier because the Will of Fire is the Hokage's guiding star. Enhancing the power of Leaf was the morally right thing to do, beyond doubt.
"What about the pragmatic? If we handed over the seal and the research notes, what was to prevent us being arrested and executed? We wouldn't be needed anymore. If we weren't arrested, would we be allowed to dwell here or would we be cast back into the wilds? If we were accepted, would Kagome-sensei and I be imprisoned in a small room somewhere, forced to scribe skywalkers sixteen hours a day and never again see sunlight?"
He paused, looking somberly around the room. "I was confident that Leaf would deal fairly with us. If they made a bargain, they would stick to it. They would not return a gift with death or imprisonment. They would either send us away or they would allow us to live here. Of that I was certain. I thought the most likely outcome was that we would be allowed to live in the city, that Kagome-sensei and I would be forced into the sweatshop, and that the rest of the team would be well-treated in order to motivate us.
"The rest of the team discussed it and decided to leave it to me. Even Kagome-sensei agreed. Being chained to a desk and forced to make seals forever is literally his worst nightmare, but he agreed to follow whichever choice I made."
He chuckled, waving vaguely in amusement. "Some of you may have heard that I will go pretty damn far for my family. I said that to Jiraiya once, and it caused a bit of difficulty. Regardless, I made the decision to come here. I trusted in the Will of Fire, trusted that Leaf would be honorable. I felt that I could probably work a deal where only I would be sent to the sweatshop and Kagome-sensei would be left his freedom.
"You all know what happened. Lord Third and Jiraiya accepted us—indeed, Jiraiya even adopted us. It was the greatest gift anyone had ever given me, and I intend to spend the rest of my life repaying it. As I said, I will go pretty damn far for my family, and I can never repay the honor that Leaf has given us." He let his eyes wander around the table, smiling and nodding his gratitude to each Clan Head in turn...except that the smile slipped and the eyes went cold when they met those of the Hagoromo.
"This past year has been a turbulent one, to say the least," Hazō said, smiling again, although now it was rueful. "I would like to review some of the key elements and how the Gōketsu have attempted to pay back a tiny portion of our debt to Leaf. If you indulge me, I will conclude the list with an opportunity that I believe will benefit everyone here." He picked up the leather satchel that had been sitting beside him on the floor. He rummaged around inside for a moment and produced a stack of seals which he set on the table in front of himself. "Sir," he said to Asuma. "The Gōketsu have already supplied the Tower with our quota of skywalker seals for the month, but this is double the amount again, as a symbol of our loyalty and our desire to embody the Will of Fire."
He produced four bronze strips, each stamped with the Leaf symbol and a name, and laid them beside the stack of seals. "In addition, the Gōketsu are training up four additional sealmasters who will be able to produce skywalkers. Their training under Kagome-sensei is proceeding quickly and they will likely be able to clear the bar by the end of next year, perhaps sooner."
He turned his hand, 'conjuring' the KEI badge he'd been palming, and set it delicately on the table beside the seals. "My sister, Gōketsu Keiko who is now Lady Nara Keiko, co-created the Konoha Enlightenment Initiative alongside Lord Uzumaki." He nodded respectfully to Naruto, who sat with arms folded. "There was doubt among many as to whether the KEI was a wise decision. I would like to think that the results speak for themselves; under Keiko and Lord Uzumaki's guidance the skills and power of the clanless have increased significantly. Given that they constitute one-third of all the ninja in Leaf, I feel it is safe to say that this Gōketsu contribution has enhanced Leaf's power on the international stage." He set the button down beside the seals.
"Speaking of Keiko," Hazō continued, once he was sure he would not be interrupted. "I'm sure you all know that she is the Pangolin Summoner. It was never explicitly stated but I have always suspected that part of why Jiraiya adopted us was to secure the power of a Summoning contract for Leaf—he was wise enough to recognize that yes, they really are that valuable. As one very small example of why that is the case: Her pangolins were a major factor in why Leaf utterly dominated the most recent Chūnin Exams, thereby demonstrating our supremacy over all the other nations. The international recognition that earned for Leaf is but the tiniest step towards even beginning to repay the debt we owe that great man. To Jiraiya." He lifted the cup of sake in front of himself in toast.
"To Jiraiya," chorused the other Clan Heads, likewise raising their glasses and drinking.
"We brought something else with us, along with the skywalkers," Hazō said, setting his cup down. "You are all aware of the existence of Isan, the hidden ninja village that my team—who are now the Gōketsu Clan—discovered and informed Jiraiya about. They have a unique sealing tradition unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. They have unique jutsu. They have jōnin ninja, of which Leaf is currently in short supply. Most importantly, they are just now emerging onto the world stage and Leaf is in an excellent position to shape that emergence. I am proud to have been able to present this diplomatic opportunity to Leaf." He produced a small silver disk with an apparently-abstract design on it that could have been a tapir, for those few who were present that knew what a tapir was.
"Of course, in the process of discovering Isan, we also acquired something of great import: The aforementioned Pangolin Summoning Scroll."
Hazō nodded to Keiko. She reached over and lay the massive scroll on the table in front of Hazō so that it lay perpendicular to the long axis of the table, next to the button that symbolized Isan. She bowed to the other clan heads and resumed her seat without a word.
"Note that I place this here merely as a symbol," Hazō said, raising a finger and smiling. "She gets it back after the meeting. Where was I...? Ah, yes: Jiraiya. The Gōketsu have done all that we can to honor him. Part of that was to train the next Toad Summoner: My brother, Gōketsu Noburi."
Noburi stood up, blank-faced, and walked forward to place the Toad Scroll on the table to the right of the Pangolin Scroll. He bowed to the Clan Heads. When he straightened he locked eyes for several seconds with Hagoromo before resuming his seat.
Hazō waited until his brother was settled, rolling the Toad Scroll back and forth very slightly with one finger before continuing.
"Now, one scroll was worth adopting a bunch of missing-nin over, and those missing-nin were good and loyal enough to Leaf that Jiraiya judged us worthy of the Toad Scroll, among other things. Still, surely it would be better for Leaf if we brought an additional scroll, right? Well, that's what we thought too. Hence why Keiko, Lord Uzumaki, and several others went out and defeated the Condor Summoner." He turned and gave Kadokura a half-bow. She stood up and came forward to place the Condor Scroll gently beside the Pangolin and Toad Scrolls. Silently, she bowed to the Clan Heads and resumed her seat.
"And, of course, if we were going to get three, why not four? After we acquired the Porcupine Scroll it seemed like the right thing to donate it to Leaf instead of keeping it for ourselves." He bowed to Minami Aika and waited while she placed the Porcupine Scroll beside Pangolin, Toad, and Condor.
"Things seemed to be on the rise. And then, of course, tragedy." He bowed his head for a moment before straightening up and resuming. "We have sought out ways to express our gratitude to Leaf. Sadly, we were given three such opportunities just a few months ago during the Collapse."
Noburi stood without being prompted; the eyes of all the non-Gōketsu clan heads locked onto the unexpected movement, and then relaxed. He calmly dipped a cup of water out of his barrel and walked over to place it gently in the line of trophies that Hazō was accumulating.
"The ninja of Leaf worked ourselves to the bone with search and rescue and rebuilding. Chakra was at a premium, and Noburi was there to help, always ensuring that those with the most well-suited jutsu had the energy to use them. Lives were saved because of his contribution." He nodded his thanks to Noburi. Noburi nodded back, his face grim, and took his seat again.
"Many were killed in the Collapse. More were injured and rendered homeless. We did all that we could, taking in civilians and ninja alike that they could have a warm place to sleep and a full belly. We—"
"Is this going to get to a point sometime soon, Gōketsu?" Lord Hagoromo snapped.
"I believe you'll find that I have the floor, sir," Hazō said politely. "I would thank you to sit quietly until I finish or Lord Hokage sees fit to take the meeting from me. Don't worry, I have several points that will interest you greatly."
Hagoromo glared and then rolled his eyes and flopped back into his seat with a put-upon sigh.
"So, yes. We took in and sheltered all that we could." He produced a sheaf of paper covered in lists and lists of names. "We provided food, housing, education, work, and a medical clinic that is open to Leaf as a whole." He placed the papers down and added a drawing of a medic-nin's clasped-hand badge.
"Three ways that we were able to show the Will of Fire: First, providing chakra for SAR and rebuilding. Second, taking in those who had nowhere else to go, including providing medical support to all of Leaf. Third—" He reached into his satchel and produced a sheaf of storage seals. "Third, we reconstituted all of the intelligence and logistics records that were lost when the Tower fell...or, at least, as much as could be recovered. In his role as spymaster, Jiraiya was authorized to keep copies of important documents for his own reference. They were heavily ciphered and coded, but my uncle Kagome is an excellent cryptographer, and he managed to decipher and decode all of it." He placed the two-inch stack of seals neatly next to the prior list. "Lord Hokage, I will leave these with you at the conclusion of the meeting."
Asuma waved a hand lazily. "I expected no less. Do go on. I can't wait for the denouement."
Hazō studied the line of symbolic items in front of himself silently, allowing the other clan heads time to appreciate the Gōketsu contributions.
"Now, we have found two more ways to serve the Will of Fire, and they concern all of you."
He reached into the satchel and produced a map which he laid carefully on the center of the table.
"It has been made clear to me that maps of the Seventh Path are to be avoided," he said carefully, nodding respectfully to Asuma. "This is not a map as such, merely a rough diagram of which of the Seventh Path clans are adjacent. It does not accurately represent the actual sizes of the territories or the shape of their borders."
"I will review this only in brief as it's going to require multiple meetings of its own. For those of you who are unfamiliar, there are several key elements to summoning. First, a summoner may sign the Scroll for only one clan, ever. Second, a summoner must make contracts with individuals from that clan. Third, a summoner may bring any of their contracted partners to the Human Path at will, although it requires a lot of chakra. Fourth, a summon may bring their summoner back to the Seventh Path if both cooperate, at which point the summoner will arrive at the location of their contractee. Fifth and most important for our current purpose, seals and other physical items can be brought between the Paths, and if two summoners meet on the Seventh Path they may exchange goods.
"Leaf has nine different summoning contracts at the moment—Toad, Slug, Snake, Dog, Turtle, Pangolin, Condor, Monkey, and Porcupine. The Gōketsu have leads on several more. I'm sure you see the implications: Virtually instantaneous resupply and intelligence reports from the field. Trade between any two points. Perhaps most important: Mid-battle chakra refills."
Eyebrows went up around the table.
"As the Toad Summoner, Noburi can arrange to be on the Seventh Path when a major battle is expected," Hazō explained. "Any of the Leaf summoners can reverse-summon to his location and have their chakra immediately and completely refilled in the middle of battle."
Excited murmurs went around the table as everyone studied the map.
"There is the issue that the summoner always appears at the location of their contractee," Keiko said. "That means that in order to take maximal advantage of this, we will need to have members of each of our contracted clans colocated with members of the clan of any summoner we wish to engage with."
"True," Hazō said, nodding. "The inefficient way would be for each of our clans to send a representative to each of the other clans. It's hundreds of miles between some of these clans, meaning that each such assignment would be years long. Plus, some of the combinations would require passing through hostile lands." He shook his head. "No, a much better solution would be to have all of the clans form a single multi-national embassy in a central location." His finger came down on the Pangolin territory. "For example, here. The Pangolins and their...strong allies, the Condors, are central to the continent. Every Leaf-allied summon clan except the Dogs can get to every other Leaf-allied summon clan without passing through neutral or hostile lands. The Dogs are on poor terms with their neighbors, the Hyena and Leopard, but I'm hoping I can convince Cannai to send an expedition by sea, then down through Porcupine. We'll see.
"In any case, it's fortunate that Gōketsu Keiko—excuse me, Lady Nara Keiko—holds the Pangolin contract. The network I have outlined would be largely unworkable without the support of her allies but as it is I feel certain we can make it happen. I expect that over the coming decade this will increase Leaf's power and wealth exponentially." He looked over to Keiko. "Would you agree, Lady Nara?"
She nodded. "Indeed. Without the Pangolin this would be very difficult or impossible. With them, it seems relatively feasible. The military and economic benefits cannot be overstated—certainly they will matter far more than skywalkers."
Lord Hagoromo was beginning to look sick.
Lord Kurusu looked up from the not-a-map, his eyes shining with excitement. "Lord Hokage, your predecessor had a plan to offer training cadre and border guards to Sand in order to bind them tighter to Leaf. Would you consider following through on that plan, and stationing one of the summoners there for a time? I've got a bulk-goods trade contract that takes forever to transport, but—"
"Your pardon, Lord Kurusu," Hazō said, bowing respectfully. "Would you do me the favor of delaying the discussion for a few minutes? I have two brief matters I would like to conclude."
Kurusu glowered for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. Your pardon, Gōketsu. Please, continue."
"Thank you, My Lord. I shall be brief. Of the ways in which Gōketsu has attempted to repay Leaf for its kindness, I shall mention but one more: We have attempted to help our fellow clans wherever possible. For example, the Hagoromo."
Lord Hagoromo froze.
Hazō bowed politely. "I realize that the latest installment of our loan to you is not due until tomorrow, Lord Hagoromo, but I hope you don't mind if I provide it early? I'm afraid I'm busy tomorrow and so it's easier to do now. Here you are: All two million of this month's support." He tossed a leather pouch across the table, dropping it directly in front of the other Clan Head. The top was not secured and half a dozen Gōketsu scrip tokens spilled out.
Hagoromo looked at the pouch and his face went red. "Gōketsu—"
"You'll find that our scrip is accepted in most stores now," Hazō said, smiling. "It's lighter and easier to carry than ryō but you are more than welcome to come by our compound at any time if you need it exchanged."
Hagoromo glared, clearly unable to speak.
"Oh," Hazō said, frowning. "There was one last thing...I heard some foolishness in the market the other day. I'm sure it's nonsense, merely someone spreading false rumors." He laughed, shaking his head in dismay. "They were so ridiculous too. Why, someone said that you repudiated the marriage between Lord Nara and my sister, the Pangolin Summoner. They said that you disapproved of her for some reason...I don't remember why, but I'm sure it doesn't matter." He laughed again. "Most ridiculous of all, they claimed that you were going to abrogate your sacred duty as the keeper of Leaf's traditions by..." He broke off, shaking his head. "Your pardon, I know it's utterly ridiculous. You are an honorable man, Lord Hagoromo. You would never weaponize the priesthood for political gain. I'm certain that you do in fact approve of my sister and her marriage, and that you are looking forward to performing the wedding ceremony between my brother, Gōketsu Noburi, and his betrothed, Gasai Yuno of Isan. Isn't that right, Lord Hagoromo?"
