Red Riot - Chapter 40 - Red Developments (Patreon)

Matsu Uzumaki:- person of high interest to other Shinobi Villages. Recently promoted Jonin. Medical/Taijutsu/Ninjutsu/Sensory speciality

Gengetsu Hozuki:- The second Mizukage and trickster Lord of Kirigakure. Master of Illusions and torment. Defeated Mu, the Second Tsuchikage in combat. Lost his left arm and left leg in the fight. Matsu healed him.

Idate Hozuki - student of Matsu. Hozuki clansman. Chunin. 

Midori Terumi - student of Matsu. Terumi clanswoman. Tokubetsu Jonin. Straightforward thinking lass with good intentions for most people!

Han:- orphan student of Matsu that is raised by his uncle. Civilian-born shinobi. Chunin now working in the academy.

Sayuki:- Second in command of the Civilian Nin when Matsu isn’t around. Takes it seriously. A touch annoyed that she just lost to Minato Namikaze.

Shoto:- ANBU operative, which effectively takes him out of the standard ranking system. Has been absent for several months. A highly skilled Stealth specialist. Friends with Matsu and Rei.

Rei:- former classmate with Matsu, Shoto, and Sayuki. Only the first two know she’s alive. During a brawl at the brothel she was hiding in she was injured with her eyes being damaged. Something of a prodigy at Fuinjutsu but can’t advance her skills until she has a teacher, and her eyes back. She’s also supposed to have died, but Matsu pulled a fast one on all of Kiri to save her life and preserve some good.

Kuroiwa Karatachi - student of Matsu. Karatachi clanswoman. Soon to be Chunin. Medic. Capitalist!

Kana Karatachi:- the Clan Head of the Karatachi Clan. 

Katara Karatachi:- Applicant to the Medical Corps.

Koga Karatachi:- Applicant to the Medical Corps

Fuguki Suikizan - Wielder of Samehada, Leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Maiko, Yayoi, and Mari:- basically joined at the hip for all intents and purposes.  Medic orderlies that helped Matsu during the second Shinobi war.

Ala:- Kunoichi that met Matsu during his deployment to the Land of Wind during the final stages of the Second war. Matsu used her as a foil to trick a reluctant teacher into teaching. Matsu’s first pick.

Hanahime Terumi:- Matsu’s ally during his years in the Academy. Led the Terumi contingent. Upon the success of the Red Graduation she was ordered to kill the weakest shinobi in their respective groups. She had to kill her cousin and best friend. Hasn’t spoken with Matsu since then. Is the daughter to Nezda Terumi.

Nezda Terumi:- the Chamberlain of Kirigakure. Ostensibly the man who has the best chance of taking over the seat of Mizukage if Gengetsu were to die anytime soon. Has political strength. Has fingers in many pies. Understands the financials of the Village. Is the brother to the Clan head of the Terumi. Hanahime is his daughter.

Lord Kubisaki:- Current Daimyo of the Land of Honey. Playing around and avoiding marriage for some strange reason…

Lord Ryoku:- the Chamberlain of the Land of Honey and the man who sees to the day-to-day running of the nation.

Lord Koza Kubisaki:- a historic figure from roughly thirty or so years ago that summoned Shiromari the Chameleon to defend the Land of Neck from an invading army.

_____________________________


By the third day, the ache in my coils had vanished, and physically, I was back at my best. 

Mentally, I felt like I was starting to juggle eighteen different-shaped props in the air with the occasional snipe coming from Gengetsu, with him calling me to his wagon.

Sometimes he’d test me, demanding that I check him over for any more health issues he might have. In other instances, I stood nearby while he held court. 

During these periods of time, various Shinobi would present themselves with an array of missions to either update him on their statuses or inform him of the result. 

Surprisingly, several missions failed where Gengetsu didn’t kill the Shinobi in charge of the operation, or in some cases, the survivors. 

These people were invariably powerful or influential shinobi, and upon hearing all the details while reading the reports they lodged over Gengetsu’s shoulder, I occasionally sympathised and agreed with their assessment.

Often, Gengetsu would test me or the shinobi that presented themselves to him by leaving an illusion that would continue to politely listen while he would strut around them. Then he’d start touching them, inspecting their gear, or even flash a kunai in front of them. 

Sometimes he’d even whisper in their ears.

It was chilling to watch, especially with those who had no idea they were in an illusion. 

Rare were the shinobi that would turn their heads when Gengetsu stood, but I made a note of each one that did it.

What was the only common thing these shinobi had? 

It took me a while, but I eventually narrowed it down to the fact that they were combat veterans and their instincts were second to none. 

Their chakra didn’t fluctuate, but there were signs they knew Gengetsu was there. A smell on the wind, a slightly off shadow, or some sign that they must have noticed that let them know.

Fuguki Suikizan was among this number. 

Sometimes Gengetsu would merely stand and ‘walk’ around the caravans with me trailing behind him.

I’d get to watch as people reacted to him when he did it openly, and amuse myself with his antics when he was tricking people by being a ghost. 

A hundred and one little nuisances that could be passed off were Gengetsu.

Is the firewood sodden instead of dry? The spices were mixed up? The clothes you’d laid out in preparation to don, only to find them not there? 

Small, everyday little annoyances that caused people to be more tense but seemed to titillate Gengetsu to no end.

Sometimes he wouldn’t summon me.

There would be no warning apart from his chakra signature approaching my wagon. 

He’d let himself in and sit and watch me and my clones working on our plans.

He never said anything, just sat and watched. 

I made sure to give him nothing more than a casual glance before ignoring him.

I knew he didn’t like it, but he also couldn’t kill me. Not yet.

If he tried, I’d make things extremely tough for him. No illusion would work for him now, not against me. 

He’d have to go loud, which was another thing he didn’t want to do against me, not right now at least. 

While I’d won the genetic lottery for chakra reserves by being born an Uzumaki and had recovered quickly both physically and in terms of chakra, Gengetsu didn’t have that advantage.

He’d also lost an arm and a leg, which had thrown his chakra control off, so all those little tricks of his were more draining than usual.

It was only when considering this that I suspected that Gengetsu was testing himself with ‘live’ situations where he might get caught. There wouldn’t be any ramifications if he did so, but it worked in his favour to attempt to regain his previous control levels.

So he needed something subtle, which again, wasn’t an option against me, not anymore.

His method of infusing Kiri’s shinobi with small amounts of his chakra over a long time was brilliant. 

I’d copied his method, albeit through a different vector. 

It had been a half-baked plan that I’d only considered moments after achieving it. Still, by giving Gengetsu some of my blood, I’d effectively given him some of my chakra and had his body accept it wholeheartedly. 

To him, it wasn’t a foreign body. It was part of him, just as his chakra was part of me.

He could circle and gnash his teeth all he wanted for now, but unless he wanted another actual fight, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

So he watched, lingering near me in an attempt to play mind games.

Thus, I ignored him and continued to workshop my ideas for what I would need.

When I wasn’t doing that, I, or a clone, was out of the wagon, networking with people.

I made sure to spend the lion’s share of ‘my time’ with my students to advise them on ways to make their mission assignments work. 

For Han, that was rather easy as I could discuss methods of learning and teaching along with creating new tests. All of which he’d run past the new headmaster of the Academy.

This led me to run a lesson with him on ‘office politics’ and how they were similar to running a feudal kingdom. He’d left with a thoughtful expression, and I applied my own lessons to what I was now calling phase zero of creating a Medical Corps within Kiri.

I needed to get the lay of the land in the Land of Honey. I needed to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each stage, all while staying aware of the major players that would be circling my interests in Kiri.

Kuroiwa was dragged in and began bouncing ideas off of.

I’d tagged her as the finance officer of my new enterprise, but in my brainstorming, I’d come upon an issue of needing to create allies for myself.

Kuroiwa was already well-positioned as my ‘second-in-command’ for a future political juggernaut of Kiri with the Medical Corps. If things went well and I ascended to the Mizukage, Kuroiwa would find herself Chief Medical Officer of Kiri.  

This gave me a serious opening to talk with the Clan Leader of the Karatachi clan. I had a big pot of honey to offer them. 

And if that didn’t work, I had other options and plans ready to implement.

“Like batman,” I muttered to myself as I flicked through the stack of papers, ignoring the rocking motion of the wagon that I’d grown used to over the last few days.

A shout had me looking out to find our convoy approaching the port city that would see us back to Kirigakure. Well, at least most of us. I understood that the missions that governed a Shinobi village never ended.

Gengetsu received and assigned missions almost every hour of the day, with critical missions requiring him to be read into them no matter the hour.

Our convoy had faced no less than three attempts to blow it up or destroy it by ‘masked’ shinobi. 

I suspected ROOT and Danzo more than any other group. 

I didn’t buy into the narrative that Kumo was attempting to flatten us.

Well, I accepted the reasons, but when the manga showed that most of the bad things that happened to Konoha were due to Danzo and ROOT I liked to lay most of the blame at that man’s feet.

It seemed only fair due to what his track record… would be. 

If only there was a way to snatch up Jiraiya’s trio of students in the land of Rain… hmm, food for thought later on. I technically had an in with them because Nagato and I were cousins. 

I added it to the mental stack of ‘things to plan for’ as I hopped out of the wagon just in time to watch the labourer’s that had been carrying the various palanquins or driving wagons suffer from a case of a slit throat.

Urgh, once more, Kiri rears its ugly head.

Objectively, I understood it. They’d spent far too much time around us while we were in a vulnerable state. They’d have been snatched up by foreign Villages and interrogated within hours if not days of our departure.

They were a weakness.

But one that I assigned to Kiri more than anything else. We should have had more options than this. 

It was just another thing I wanted to change about Kiri.

For that, I needed to be stronger.

Which is what everything came back to. 

Behind me, a small bell rang out, and a moment late,r I had a memory of staring at my hands with water held in an orb above them as I moved the water with gentle fluctuations. 

This had begun as training for the first step of the Water transformation, using my hand placed on top of a small puddle or bucket of water and having it move back and forth, then side to side, before moving on to the next step. 

The next step involved moving greater amounts of water with less and less chakra, by controlling the ‘flow’ or current that you were setting up with your chakra, you could create more powerful jutsu.

I understood it to be somewhat like creating pressure gauges. You could create high-powered water blasts by forcing them through thin openings.

But that had seemed limiting. 

I knew that there was more to water transformation. The most powerful water users were considered to be Kirigkaure shinobi due to the sheer number. 

The person with the most control however would actually be the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

A shinobi with such genius he created numerous jutsu, such as the Shadow Clone, along with having a mastery of water ninjutsu that allowed him to use water in the air to fuel his jutsu.

With that in mind, his prowess with water jutsu had become my benchmark.

With a quick flick of my hand I opened my canteen and had the water inside rising until it almost touched my hand. It paused just before that, and with a small movement, I checked how close I’d gotten it. 

It wasn’t quite sensing like with my chakra sense, but I was hoping to create an awareness of water in my general vicinity. I didn’t have anything solid to work off, but I was somewhat hoping that I could pick up.

It was a work in progress, like many of my plans at the moment. I formed another Shadow Clone, and it nodded to me before hopping back into the wagon to continue the work with the other five I had solely working on this.

With my chakra levels back to full, I was now able to keep twelve shadow clones active at once and still have a healthy reserve of chakra left over.

Progress was now inevitable, and my goal didn’t seem so out of reach.

I moved off to continue networking with a smirk.

__________________

By the time I made landfall in Kirigakure I had advanced a few of my plans by getting a read on the Land of Honey from people who frequently ran missions either through the nation or within it.

From some of the analysts that I’d spoken with at the Chunin Exams, I’d been able to garner more still. 

The Daimyo, Lord Kubisaki, was a man who chaffed at his role as the Leader of his nation and often handed much of his work off to his Chamberlain, who was the true ruler of the Land of Honey. 

A no-nonsense man who sadly had few points of leverage. 

Which wasn’t the same as saying that he had no points of leverage.

One point that had come up in conversation as an idle remark had been how Chamberlain Ryoku wanted to improve the Land of Honey.

That gave me an in, but I’d kept probing, looking for a certain landmark. When they’d mentioned a haunted castle, I had marked it down as important to follow up on later. It might not be important, or it could be everything.

“Sensei,” Kuroiwa said as she slid up next to me. “I’ll approach my Clan Leader about your proposal. I think they’ll want to talk within the day.”

“Hmmm, I’ll keep the rest of my day open,” I replied, glancing up at the sky. 

It was only midday. 

If the Karatachi Clan head waited until tomorrow, they were going to play hardball, and I might need to look into another Clan for my support.

Kuroiwa nodded and hurried off, understanding that she needed to speak with her clan head as soon as possible.

The Yuki weren’t approachable with Kori likily looking to lash out. The Kaguya wouldn’t typically be interested in healing skills, but then again, there might be ways to use them. It would come down to how I worded it.

The Terumi… were complicated, but also a possibility. 

It would just mean I’d have to deal with Nezda Terumi. 

He was a man who already had his fingers in a lot of pies and had the potential to be a rival for the position of Mizukage if it became available soon. So, no, I would not be handing the Terumi the keys to the kingdom.

The Hozuki… were a possibility, but then I’d be empowering Gengetsu, which wasn’t terrible, as it could be seen as a swap of hat for a solidified position of power within Kiri’s infrastructure.

I was leery of tying myself too strongly to Gengetsu’s faction, however. 

There were other, smaller clans, like the Ringo, or the Suikizan, or even the Tendo, but they were mostly swordsman clans, or rather families that were loosely related. They didn’t have the true power base that others did.

They might if I built them up, but that would take time and effort. 

I wanted my own power base, and the Karatachi served as a method of potentially weakening one of my rivals. They were my first option but there were others that I could explore.

I’d barely reached the civilian apartments when Kuroiwa and another Karatachi clan member approached me.

“Lady Kana would like to talk to you about your proposal,” stated the clansman.

Kuroiwa gave a small nod to confirm that this was legit, along with a small hand sign that she hid from her clansman. 

Hmmm, very interested was she?

With a nod and a quick trio of shunshin, I found myself in front of an ornate set of buildings with a low wall to signify that this was a clan compound. Guardsmen patrolled the walls while others stood at the entryway.

Kuroiwa smiled and waved at a few of them, and I got to watch some of their reactions at her wearing a chunin vest. Then their eyes slid to me, and they paused.

A few of the more shrewd among them must have known that something was up, but I had to give Kana props. With the timing, most would merely assume that she was ‘summoning’ me to thank me for Kuroiwa’s rapid advancement. 

Most people had written her off due to her relegation to being a Mudanin. Now she was a fully fledged Chunin.

I was led into an office with a large table that dominated the room, behind the table sat a woman who was showing signs of white hair much earlier than one would expect. She had a long-stemmed cigarette holder in one hand with the lit cigarette, causing the room to stink of tobacco.

Along the edges, three men lounged like artful statues on divans and lounges while an elderly male stood to the other side with a vague look of disapproval at everything and everyone within his sight.

“Hmm, congratulations are in order on many fronts, I shouldn’t think,” Kana, the clan head of the Karatachi clan stated. 

Her cigarette holder bobbed up and down. “First, there was Kuroiwa’s return to the normal ranks of shinobi, then your own promotion, then followed up by her own promotion to chunin, and finally there is that of your surviving Lord Gengetsu and Mu’s… scuffle,” she said with a twitch of her lips. 

It was rather amusing to imagine their dispute as something of children’s playground scrap, but I couldn’t laugh due to the memory of an arm over my shoulder and a stern but fair man’s passing.

“If only it were a scuffle, there would have been less bloodshed,” I commented with a small bow of my head.

Kana paused and considered me. “Hmmm, you’re an honest one, aren’t you?” she mused aloud.

“I try to be when I can. I find it has the best results,” I replied amicably. 

Kana nodded. “Huh, that’s refreshing,” she said as she laid her holder to the side, the end still smoking. 

I noted that the smoke and flare of embers rose in time with her breathing. That indicated that she was a fire-aligned Shinobi and made her choice of hobby rather more practical. The smoke also took on a potential use with blinding or hiding other elements.

“So, you have a proposal for me?” she asked leadingly, her eyes locking with mine. The men in the room shifted like they were leaves, and her voice was the wind that disturbed them.

I smiled widely. “Gengetsu has allowed me to begin creating a Medical Corps for Kirigakure. Our remit is going to be extremely wide and will open new opportunities for many.” 

Her eyes widened slightly. “You want our support?” Now everyone was staring straight at me.

“I do, I want your backing, and I want your shinobi. I want Kuroiwa to be my second in command,” I stated, causing the girl who was kneeling behind me to stiffen.

Kana allowed her gaze to wander across my features. “Rather ambitious for one so young.”

“Ambition is without the skill and strength to achieve it. You’re far too young for such lofty dreams!” scoffed the elder.

“I am the youngest Jonin since Kirigakure’s founding,” I stated firmly, my chakra beginning to blare around me in a silent display of warning. “I have and I will achieve much more.”

I stared straight ahead. “I am approaching you to see if you wish to grow with me. When I am Mizukage, Kuroiwa will be primed to take over the Medical Corps, which will grant her, and through her the Karatachi Clan a position on my council.”

“Preposterous!” scoffed the Elderly man. “You dream too large! Gengetsu will never allow this! He’s merely leading you along.”

“Gengetsu has my efforts as a medic to thank for his survival,” I stated, and the room fell silent.

Kana tilted her head. “Oh? Do tell?”

I huffed at the blatant attempt at ferreting information out of me. “It’s no surprise that he was injured from his fight with Mu. The extent is much greater than people realise. If you had the skill—” I gave the elderly man a small smirk. “—you’d know the true scope of his injuries. Some of which he will not be recovering from anytime soon.”

“Is he vulnerable?” asked one of the men to the side who’d sat up. I suspected they were more than just ‘beautiful men’ that Kana liked to look at, but shinobi did so like to obfuscate their roles.

“As vulnerable as he will ever be from shinobi at your level,” I replied easily.

That made them blink. There was an implied second part to my statement that he was vulnerable to me. I’d said that without missing a beat against a shinobi whose chakra level easily ranked as ‘Jonin’ in my mind.

Kana took up her cigarette and took a long draw as the others blinked in shock.

When she exhaled the cloud of smoke hid her hands and chest, but her eyes gleamed brighter. 

“Interesting. Very well Jonin Matsu, I will support you as long as the conditions remain the same. Kuroiwa, or one of our clan, will succeed you,” she stated.

She pointedly omitted the mention of my becoming Mizukage. She likely thought that to be a long shot that she wasn’t willing to bet anything on. Supporting her clan however? That would be an easy sell.

“Good,” I replied, reaching into my pouch and drawing out a large stack of papers. “These are the requirements I have both for the volunteers that will be stepping into the Medical Corps along with the funding that I will require.”

Everyone paused once again at the sudden demands I was laying down.

Kuroiwa stepped forward to collect the papers from me, I caught the twitch of her lips that told me she thought this was hilarious. 

Rather than give them to Kana directly, she instead handed them off to the trio of men, who quickly read through them. 

One of the men even sniffed them, showing that they were there as guards of a sort.

The Elder choked when he saw my demands. He turned to me with bulging eyes. “That’s ridiculous! We could fund five S-rank missions for that sort of payment!”

“Yes, I know. I’ll be needing that quarterly,” I replied. 

The Elder began to wheeze. “The annual budget!” he rasped as he began to slide down the wall. 

Kuroiwa flipped a page. “Here, this should make you feel better Grampa, right?” 

Oh? Kana’s Grandfather was an advisor for the Clan head? She’d never mentioned that before.

The Elder blinked. “Eh? You projecting how much return?” 

I shrugged, “Accurate projections will have to wait until we’ve completed negotiations with the Chamberlain of the Land of Honey. I have outlined a few thoughts on that,” I stated as the papers were handed over to Kana Karatachi, who had gained an amused look as she flipped through them.

It hadn’t passed my notice that she and the trio of men had relayed quick signals to each other while the Elder had been having his ‘fit’.

They all had their little roles, didn’t they?

Kana took her time with the report I’d compiled. I’d outlined potential sites with all the various benefits that would come with them, along with listing off the best places for getting the most from our training grounds.

“You plan to use the people of Honey as your training props?” she muttered.

“In a sense, first will be fish, then rats, and finally pigs, before we attempt using any of the standard medical jutsu on people, but there are going to need to stress test the methods and systems put in place. The people of honey will be used for this.”

“You project that you can have a cohort trained up within six months… that seems a little extreme no?” asked one of the men.

“Kuroiwa managed it,” I said. “I will be expecting a lot from the candidates. Don’t worry I won’t let any fall behind.”

Kana snorted like I was joking but I just smiled as she shook her head. “You realise some people just can’t learn such things correct?”

I just shrugged. “We’ll see,” I replied. In truth, I had a plan for that that I’d stolen from military boot camps. I was going to force feed them knowledge while breaking them down and making them become a unit.

I’d just need to dial the idea of ‘bootcamp’ to fifteen out of ten to get a reaction from shinobi.

From there, the discussion continued with Kana and her council poking holes in my plan or suggesting better options.

The idea of poison testing and antidote creation had them interested. “You’re going to need an aquarium along greenhouses?” one of the pretty men asked.

“Some of the most deadly animals are water snakes. We need to tap into that. Why should Sunagakure have the claim of poison specialists with mere scorpions and their plants?” I stated. “There are a lot of opportunities for us here one that we haven’t been tapping into properly.”

The Elder shook his head. “You want to create courses for poisons at the academy?” he said, challenging the idea.

“How many prospective shinobi do we lose from poor education standards? If they know where to start there are better odds of success. Also, poison in the right dosages can be medicine. We need to be investing in this or the people that do are going to be leaving us in the dirt!” I argued.

Back and forth we went, sometimes they had good suggestions, like the amount of food that needed to be ordered. I’d underestimate the need, which had in turn increased the cost of the project. 

Once the Elder had realised what he was arguing for, he’d wept a little.

Kuroiwa consoled him by reminding him that the Village and the Land of Honey would also be putting in some money to fund this project.

By the time lunch passed us, I had my support.

There was a final question that they hadn’t asked which seemed odd. They of course waited until I was about to leave before voicing it.

“Why The Land of Honey? You realise this will annoy the Daimyo of Water yes?”

There were a lot of reasons for it. Mostly I wanted access to the eastern continent and the possibility of going to the Land of Vegetables.

I didn’t say that and instead said, “Security concerns. There’s lots of attention on the Land of Water and our capital.”

That earned a few nods. 

“With the Land of Honey, we can develop with a degree of anonymity,” I added.

“Hmmm,” Kana exhaled a long stream of smoke. “You realise that some of the ‘candidates’ you’re going to be forced to take on will be ANBU, yes?”

“I’ll deal with that,” I replied easily as I gave a bow before I left.

Rather than go home, however, I headed towards the hidden grotto where the ponds were. There, I performed the cross seals and distributed the clones to their own ponds to continue the transformation training exercise. 

I lowered myself into a pond, occluding my sense of hearing and sight so I could turn my attention fully inwards. From there all I did was cycle my chakra, fast and slow, pushing each setting to the extreme of what I could manage.

Then I let things go still, calming the cycle and allowing myself to rest.

I gave a signal, and two clones popped, filling me with memories.

With this new information, I meditated, focusing on how it made the water around me feel different. When I felt I had a grasp on it, I formed up another two clones. 

If I needed to, I was going to repeat this for every waking hour I had available to me while in Kiri, but sadly, I knew I couldn’t. 

There would be too many people looking for me. So I limited myself to a few hours before I departed the grotto.

When I made it back to my room, I wasn’t surprised to find Shoto sitting at my table with a takeaway meal laid out in front of him. 

Next to his plate, a blank ANBU mask sat, telling me precisely what he’d been doing since I’d last seen him months ago.

“Hey, Matsu,” he muttered in greeting.

“Shoto,” I replied with a nod. “You look like shit.”. 

He nodded grimly. “I’ve been to see her,” he said without saying who he’d been to see. We both knew he meant Rei.

“She’d have liked that,” I offered. “I’ve got some plans for things… and I also took care of the people that hurt her.”

“I heard,” Shoto said, only to stare at the mask. “I’m not sure if going off when I did was worth it.”

“You couldn’t have known ahead of time that those assholes would come,” I offered. 

“Couldn’t I?” Shoto snapped. “You grew up in the Red-Light district. How often do men get violent?”

The silence between us stood as a damning truth and he sighed as I conceded the point. “In a perfect world I might have been able to get some guards, but… I can’t always have the answer for when I’m not there.”

“We need to be better,” Shoto stated.

“Yeah, I’m trying,” I offered lamely.

I reached into my pouch and drew out another scroll, which I tossed to him. “Here’s some thoughts I had. I’m also going to have Sayuki look over them and offer me some adjustments. Things are looking up for us, though, so don’t be too down,” I offered.

Shoto grunted and opened the scroll only to blink at how densely packed the text was. Then he unrolled some more. His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he stared at the plan I’d created.

“Matsu… what is this?”

I grinned. “It’s a plan, one of many I’ve created recently,” I stated as I drew out several more scrolls from a storage seal. 

Shoto laughed. “You’ve gone a bit mad with that, haven’t you?”

“Nah,” I replied with a smug smile. “I’ve started to get serious.”

I drew out another scroll. “Have a read of the first kinjutsu I’ve gotten my hands on,” I announced, offering him the scroll that I’ve written up for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

“Kinjutsu?” Shoto hissed in surprise. “Those are known as forbidden for a reason Matsu!”

I merely bobbed my head from side to side. 

“What’s it do?” he asked, eyes flicking down to the scroll as he started unravelling it.

His eyes flitted across the top only to blink. “Memory bleed over, personality shifts due to altered expectations, potential chakra exhaustion or damaged chakra network? Matsu, this is kind of nuts!” He glanced up at me. “Are you using this?”

“Prolifically. The risks are outweighed by the rewards it offers.”

Shoto frowned, glancing back at the scroll for the next few minutes, he didn’t speak as I ate the offered food. “I don’t see the benefits,” he said.

“The memory bleed,” I muttered, jabbing my chopsticks at him. 

“It has practical uses in guarding, along with scouting. You can send a clone forward into hostile territory and be warned in advance. But that is pocket change to the real benefit,” I stated.

I made a cross seal, and three clones appeared around me with a slight puff of chakra smoke. Good, I was starting to get better at that. The less chakra I wasted, the more clones I could use. 

Shoto bolted to his feet. “Matsu what are you doing?”

My clones and I all waved our hands, having expected this. “Mah mah, relax Shoto. You’re too tense and uptight. Joining ANBU has stiffened you up! You need to relax some!” we said in stereo.

Then I pointed to the side where two of my clones were practising a jutsu. “Now, let’s say I leave them to practise a jutsu and go do something else for an hour. How long will I have practised a jutsu for?”

Shoto gaped before his breath hitched. “An hour?” he asked.

“Bzzt!” I buzzed, crossing my hands over my chest. “The correct answer is two!” I announced.

Shoto’s eyes widened. “What are the limits?” he asked.

“The size of your chakra pool, and patience. I make sure not to let all of my clones pop at the same time as the bleed through is no joke,” I replied, tapping at the side of my head. “It causes a serious headache and slight vertigo-like feeling, but the benefits?” 

I opened a hand and a Rasengan that previously would have taken me both hands to create spun to life in my hand instantly. 

“Well worth it for the time saved,” I stated as I finished up my meal.

With my meal done, I gave Shoto a firm look. “That isn’t even the craziest thing I have to tell you, not by half.”

Shoto sat down and shook his head. “I’m not sure how you can top this Matsu.”

“I got some good leverage on Gengetsu,” I announced with relish. “He’s giving me everything I need to start making waves in Kiri.”

Shoto stared at me before shaking his head. “Man, I thought I was having a crazy enough time of it with all the missions ANBU has had me running back-to-back to prove myself. What the hell have you been up to?”

I leaned back and began filling my closest friend in on what I’d been up to, or at least as much as he needed to know to start making his own moves. 

By the time I was done, he was shaking head. “You’re mad. You fought a Sannin. Then you marched back into the Village Hidden in the Steam and sat at the table and negotiated with him? What were you expecting to happen? And Gengetsu? You’re blackmailing him?”

He threw his hands up in the air. “You’re mad!” he repeated.

“Good, that means they won’t see what I have planned coming,” I declared. “Now help me streamline these plans!” I ordered. “Your future Mizukage demands it!” My chopsticks stabbed at him imperiously.

Shoto spluttered. “Aren’t you getting a big head? You barely survived scuttling around the fringes of a Kage fight!” he declared, stabbing back with his own chopsticks, only for me to counter him and a chopstick battle to ensue.

My clones saw this and joined in on their own teams, causing a lot more chaos. 

By the time we were done, due to our chopsticks breaking, Shoto and I were grinning at each other like we hadn’t spent months apart.

Shoto grew more serious. “So give it a few months and Rei will be healed?” he asked.

I nodded. “My plan will see her better than ever.”

That got a grin from him. “Yeah, alright. I believe you buddy.” He raised his fist and I thumped mine into it.

“Shall we go find Sayuki?” he asked with a smug grin.

His cocksure attitude got a snort from me. He was planning something, but he didn’t understand that I had… huh, okay, maybe I needed to watch how much I used the clones to make plans. 

I was getting a bit crazy with them… Time to change things up.

“You three!” I rounded on the clones. “Henge into other people and go have some fun!” I ordered.

The clones grinned and did just that.

Shoto stared after them. “Was that such a good idea?”

“It was,” I declared firmly. Only to pause… no, it was a good idea, I was sure of it. I needed different experiences. “Come on, Sayuki’s in her apartment!”

Upon leaving my apartment, Sayuki had all of a moment’s notice for our arrival. I knocked only for Shoto to put his hand to the lock which clicked open and swung open silently.

When I stared at him, he shrugged. “It’s standard procedure never to announce your presence but just to arrive, drop off your message and depart. It kind of imprinted on me,” he muttered as Sayuki emerged and gave us both annoyed looks.

“This is going to take awhile isn’t it?” she groused.

Shoto grinned, but I bowed my head. “I come bearing gifts!” I opened up my hand and several jutsu scrolls that I’d picked up from the Chunin exams appeared. 

Sayuki’s mood did an instant one-eighty. “Come right in!” she beamed as she snatched up the scrolls. “I’ll put the kettle on!” I trekked after her, my shoes sliding off at the entryway.

Shoto scoffed. “Being invited in doesn’t have the same style,” he muttered as he kicked off his shoes and followed us.

It was nice to have the gang together again.

________________

Gengetsu’s metallic fingers drummed on the table. The heavy clacks only highlighted the unnatural state of his arm. 

When I’d suggested that he use the puppet strings jutsu, I hadn’t expected him to go in a Fullmetal route with the metallic armour-like arm that had small grills and vents spread over it that glinted within, highlighting the potential for hidden weapons. 

He’d also done away with a full body robe and instead had the joint exposed with a loop over his right arm with a long sleeve, while his left glinted in the light.

With an illusion, the metal limb switched sides constantly.

At first, I wasn’t sure why he’d decided to expose his injury, but then I recalled that there had likely been long-range observers. Something that would probably impact my future BINGO book entry.

He wouldn’t have been able to affect the observers too much with his illusions, so the secret was out that he’d been wounded. Now he was sowing his brand of confusion.

Which limb was it? Left or right? Or was the rumour of his injury just that? A rumour?

It was maniacal and oh so perfectly Gengetsu.

“There has been a list of names placed upon my desk. All of them young, willing, and highly skilled in chakra control,” he stated calmly. “Interesting, wouldn’t you say, considering that nothing has been announced?”

“It would be, but I’ve been making some inquiries,” I replied shamelessly. “This project of mine, I want it to have the best odds of success. For that, I need to grasp as many advantages as I can.”

“Bold of you to discuss it,” he hissed with narrowed eyes. 

His fingers had stopped tapping, and one of the ports was pointed in my direction. 

I suspected it could launch a senbon if he desired, but for now, it simply remained a threat I had to be aware of.

“I’m not spreading it wide and far. It’s on a need-to-know basis. We don’t need our enemies to know, just the right people,” I offered. 

“And you, a newly promoted Jonin have a clue who the right people are?” he mocked.

“It’s not the Terumi, or the Kaguya, that’s for sure. The Karatachi offer a different set of benefits as a large clan. In a way, I’m doing your clan a favour by destabilising your rivals,” I argued.

Gengetsu snorted. “You’ve gained a certain level of arrogance about yourself Matsu. Be sure to keep that in check.” He produced a list and laid it out. 

“I have here a list of names. I will allow you to pick three; the other seven will be up to me.”

“Kuroiwa is locked in and doesn’t count as either of our picks I take it?” I replied as I took the list and considered the names upon it.

Gengetsu waved his hand dismissively. “No, but your attempt to claim her as one of my picks is amusing. She will be your assistant in this project.” He smirked. “Good help is tough to find so I can respect your prior work with her.”

As I considered the names, I noted that several names jumped out at me from my first mission as a shinobi. 

Ala, Maiko, Yayoi, and Mari, were four names I hadn’t considered for this project. They had taken up residence in the apartments and integrated into my civilian contingent for training.

The kunoichi trio of Maiko, Yayoi, and Mari were only truly suited to work as nurses or orderlies. Their skills as medics had been limited. If push came to shove I was sure I could develop them, but using any of my choices on them struck me as poor.

Still, that didn’t mean they were all bad options. 

Ala became my first choice, quickly followed by a pair of Karatachi shinobi. One Katara Karatachi, and Koga Karatachi.

Gengetsu nodded thoughtfully and tapped six other names.

I wasn’t surprised to see three Hozuki names being selected. Then he selected two civilian names, along with a Yuki clansman.

Then he turned the page over and smiled at me as he tapped his finger on the single name listed on the back of the sheet.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “That’s… going to create difficulties for me,” I hissed.

“She’s indicated interest and is a viable candidate,” Gengetsu said with an all too pleased smile. “Her father wants her to succeed.”

I grimaced and added Hanahime Terumi’s name to the list.

I’d wanted to avoid dealing with Nezda Terumi, but by taking his daughter on as a trainee, I was going to be drawing his attention much quicker than I wanted. 

Hanahime… We hadn’t seen each other since we received our first missions, and I’d been deployed to the Land of Wind. 

I wonder if she still hated me for how the graduation exam ended?

Or did she lay the blame of having to kill her cousin at Gengetsu’s feet?

Gengetsu sat back, lacing his fingers together in an altogether too pleased pose for my liking. He was such an easy man to hate. “You will have a week to make contact with the Daimyo of the Land of Honey and secure an agreement.”

“I’ll depart immediately,” I replied, only to step close. When he tensed, I allowed a flicker of a smirk to play across my lips before vanishing, knowing that he’d catch it. “Need to adjust your blood vessels so you don’t drop dead on me,” I stated, raising my arm slowly.

Gengetsu narrowed his eyes at me, and I saw a flicker of hate enter them. In his mind he must be keeping a tally of all the small injuries I was inflicting upon him.

One day, he’d no doubt seek to repay me, but until then, I’d let the debt continue to grow.

“Get going,” he ordered after I was done.

I departed like he had ordered a squad of hunter nin after me, knowing that every day would count greatly for what was to come.

______________

I lost a day sailing to the Land of Honey, but I didn’t wait around at the Jarpot port and instead sprinted towards the Land of Honey’s capital city, Hive.

From there, I spent a few hours recovering before I set up an observation net by creating clones and henging them as servants who worked around the Daimyo’s castle.

The Daimyo ended up matching the reports I had with him being a young Lord that was more interested in playing games and riding horses, despite being unmarried and without an heir.

Something that came up in a lot of servants’ gossip with the man apparently having ‘sampled’ many of the female servants, only to dismiss them minutes into the encounters for a variety of reasons. 

Seriously, it was like the primary source of gossip between servants. Apparently, he was still trying to work out his type or so the rumours stated.

It was harder to not hear the rumour getting spread around, which made me think something might be afoot. There was no way a Daimyo let such rumours perpetuate so freely, not without a goal… or severe incompetence.

It had to cause no end of headaches for the Chamberlain, as multiple servants had attempted to press a claim saying that their babes were the result of such encounters, only for the Lord to speak up and deny that anything had happened, rather publicly.

It was creating a bit of a mess all around and would be easy to resolve if the Daimyo simply took a wife and some dedicated mistresses like a normal Daimyo, but the man resisted.

Which was a problem that I could somewhat use.

As a servant, I slipped into the Chamberlain’s office, checked the man’s schedule and then added myself to it.

Then, when it was time, I simply sauntered up the front doors. 

Albeit, I made sure to henge myself to look older, or at least what my best estimate of an older, taller Matsu would look like.

I approached the Samurai with a polite smile. “I’m here to see the Chamberlain for an appointment,” I announced, which caused them a moment of confusion before they sent a runner.

They quickly got a reply and I was let in and led directly to the Chamberlain’s office.

The man gave a signal, and the Samurai lingered at the door. Something that had the man clasping at his sword in preparation.

I smiled and bowed like I wasn’t worried about the ‘sword’ at my back, which, if I was perfectly honest, I wasn’t. 

“Lord Ryoku, thank you for receiving me. My name is Matsu Uzumaki, a Jonin of Kirigakure. I wanted to discuss a project that I am hoping to develop.”

Lord Ryoku squinted at me over the top of his glasses. “Why should I even entertain you shinobi? I know I didn’t have anything set in my schedule for this afternoon!”

“Ah, perhaps you forgot?” I said. “I did send a letter?” I lied, gesturing to the side. Ryoku scowled at me as he dragged open a cabinet and flicked through papers only to blink when an ‘aged’ looking letter appeared. 

“Eh?... you…” he shook his head. “Urgh! It must be the stress getting to me!” he muttered, rubbing at his chest idly. 

The gesture didn’t escape my notice, however. Perhaps he was experiencing chest pain? I’d need to see about performing health checks, but that could come as a perk of our deal.

“What did you wish to discuss, a project you said?” he growled, still eying my suspiciously.

“How would you like to advance your people’s health and well-being to be the most modern within the Elemental nations?” I said, beginning my pitch.

My ‘pitch’ focused on many aspects of public healthcare. Mortality rates, disease and illness prevention, medical training and also education principles that a feudal society would have never encountered. I discussed a breadth of topics under the purview along with the benefits I wished to create for the Land of Honey.

Then I pivoted. “The cost would be that I would need to set up the facility for this world first within your nation. My plan is to start with a cadre of shinobi trainees to get the core staff, and then I will begin rotating local scholars and learned individuals into our school. This will create a wider network for the Land of Honey, but the primary facility and therefore the best site for healing will always be within Hive and controlled by Kirigakure Shinobi.”

The man had nodded at several points throughout my pitch and I could tell he was interested. “So a medical centre controlled by a forien nation hmmm? Is there anything else you are asking for?” he demanded.

“Funding initially, I estimate that within the first year, we will have our core of staff and we can begin implementing different models of healthcare depending on your desires for the efficacy of our facility.”

“Models?” he repeated. “Explain,” he ordered, and I smiled.

I laid out various healthcare systems discussing the effects of complete privatisation, which would cost the state little but provide only benefits to the rich and powerful while beggaring the desperate. 

Then I laid out the opposite, which included free healthcare for all while highlighting how this might attract attention internationally with an expected increase in immigration and other ripple effects.

Lord Ryoku considered this and wrote down my suggestions. “This… is very comprehensive,” he muttered. 

I bowed in thanks while mentally patting myself on the back. 

Seriously, having clones to draft plans stolen from my previous life’s memories was such a boon I was tempted to keep them working on more and more plans just to see what I could come up with. 

But that way laid madness.

“We could also hybridise this model by creating paid services for keeping doctors or medical experts on staff, for example, there might be a need for birthing specialists for Ladies or fertility experts for… Lords,” I suggested.

Lord Ryoku stiffened. “There is nothing wrong with my Lord’s… virility,” he bit out.

“I implied nothing, merely highlighted key areas that some Lords might be interested in retaining medical staff for.”

Lord Ryoku nodded. “This… it all sounds wonderful, but… I’m not sure I can accept this on a whim.”

I bowed my head once more, the picture of a humble servant. “I understand. How about this?” I locked eyes with him. “I will perform a mission free of charge to show my sincerity. I understand that you have a haunted castle within the Land of Honey that you are unable to utilise and that blocks a trade route, no? What if I removed the issue?”

“You speak of the Kubisaki castle?” he muttered, rubbing his chin. 

“We’ve had priests and holy maidens, and monks enter only to be tormented to their wits' end. No Lord will accept the castle due to its curse, and we can’t use the site for any patrols or armed forces…” Lord Ryoku tilted his head slightly in thought before nodding. “Very well, cleanse the curse and I shall consider your proposal.”

The bow I gave him was perfectly controlled, even as inwardly I held back a victorious laugh.

I did so love it when a plan came together.

In this case it was multiple plans, which made it all the sweeter.

_________________

The Kubisaki Castle was a landmark that appeared in the Naruto anime for all of one episode, which explored the missing case of the Princess of the Land of Honey. 

It saw Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata exploring a castle that was purported to be haunted.

It had been a bit of a gimmick that played on Naruto’s issues with the paranormal, only for there to be a trick. 

The trick was discovered by Hinata, who revealed that the castle wasn’t a castle but a giant summons that had disguised itself as part of the landscape to assist with defending from an invading army.

Supposedly, the land of Neck had been at war with another nation, and the then Daimyo had summoned a giant Chameleon by the name of Shiromari to defeat the army. 

Only for the Daimyo, one Koza Kubisaki, to fall in battle, leaving the summon stranded. 

I wasn’t sure about the exact mechanics of summoning, but it seemed to hold up, especially if Shiromari didn’t have the intelligence to desummon himself, but summons seemed to be widespread and variable in their ability levels.

It was impressive, nevertheless, that the summon had held its ground for fifty years. 

During that time, the land itself had shifted around it, expanding from merely the Land of Neck to become the Land of Honey when Neck and Honey had merged due to inheritance. 

Kubisaki castle stood within the Kubisaki pass that should have been a main thoroughfare for merchants to travel from the Land of Honey to the Land of Wolf and the much smaller Land of Bean Jam. 

Sadly, many travellers were known to be snatched up should they pass too close to the castle, forcing trade to come via sea, or through the eastern part of the Wolf-Honey border.

It would be a victory for me if I got the castle to desummon itself.

Buuuuut, I wanted more from this. 

There was no way I was leaving a potential Summoning contract for a Giant chameleon on the table if I had any choice in the matter.

It took me another day to reach the Kubisaki pass, where I could see the castle looming large over the pass.

It was an old castle that others considered to be ‘ruins’ but in truth it was remarkably well kept. The walls were all intact, and the towers allowed a wide view of the landscape for miles around.

Simply being able to deploy Shiromari like this would be a major tactical advantage. 

I activated my Mind’s Eye of the Kagura and focused my senses directly on the castle. 

It was only as I began to strain myself that I noticed the flow of chakra through the walls. There was a central nexus of chakra that, if I had to guess, would be where Shiromari’s heart would be while it was in its transformed state. 

A transformed state that wasn’t an illusion but a physical transformation, similar to that which Naruto was touted to have achieved with his own Transformation jutsu.

This summon was seriously building up more and more reasons for me to want it. 

The only sticking point would be if it could teach me to become a Sage… well that and the ability to summon other chameleons. Variety was the spice of life and all that.

My plan for this was simply.

The Talk-no-jutsu.

I landed before the castle gates and took a moment to observe the castle before advancing right up to the main gates. 

With a deep breath, I steadied myself, then I shouted at the top of my lungs. “SHIROMARI THE CHAMELEON! I AM A STUDENT OF HISTORY AND A CURRENT ALLY OF THE LAND OF HONEY! THE DAIMYO OF HONEY IS THE RIGHTFUL INHERITOR OF THE LAND OF NECK’S DOMAIN! THE WAR IS OVER! ALLOW ME TO LAY LORD KOZA KUBISAKI’S GHOST TO REST!”

I took another deep breath while watching the castle. It was masterfully disguised; even with how close I was, there were only minor tells, and that was with me knowing to look for them.

Then the presence of the castle shifted, and the tallest tower began to glow red. 

The gates creaked open slowly, and I braced, ready to—

A tongue shot out, and I ducked under it. “Shiromari! Your duty is complete!” I shouted, only to have to dodge another tongue strike that threatened to drag me into the castle’s depths.

I scowled. 

Damn it! I’d been hoping to solve this without destroying the summons scroll which became infinitely more likely as the castle began attacking me.

Then the castle stilled. I stayed ready, expecting it to fake me out, only for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end as something appeared behind me.

“You speak of forgotten history,” declared a cultured voice.

I turned and found myself looking up at a tall figure wearing Samurai armour with a tall helmet that signified his rank.

“Lord Kubisaki?” I said. I knew, in theory, that this was possible. Heck in the manga, the Sage of the Six Paths can converse with Naruto and Sasuke, despite having passed hundreds, if not thousands, of years prior. 

A single ghost turning up less than fifty years after its passing? What was that in comparison?

It didn’t stop me from sharpening my Mind’s Eye of the Kagura as much as I could manage. It felt like… mist that I was trying to grasp with my bare hands. I cupped, snatched and swatted at the air with my senses. I could tell there was something there, but I didn’t have the right methods to understand what I was ‘seeing’.

Was this Yin chakra? Or a manifestation of nature chakra?

“You know my name… You speak well, young shinobi. Tell me, did you speak true? Is the Land of Neck safe?” The ghost’s voice echoed from all around me.

“Yes,” I replied. “It has been ever since your sacrifice. Your successor was a distant nephew who eventually combined the lands into something greater than it was.”

Lord Kubisaki nodded and directed his eyes towards the castle. “Shiromari! I release you from your duty! Go with pride!” he declared.

The castle shifted to my senses and then exploded into a cloud of chakra smoke that blinded my chakra senses completely. I stumbled only for a large hand to catch me.

“Thank you for laying an old burden to rest,” murmured the ghost before fading.

I stood, a strange chill pervading my shoulder where the ghost had touched me.

That… raised so many more questions.

When the cloud of chakra smoke blew away, only a flat stone base stood before me, empty of the impressive castle that had once dominated the space. 

I walked up onto it, eyes sweeping back and forth, hoping to see a large scroll or some indicator of a summoning scroll.

There was nothing. Shiromari had left without so much as a word.

“Damn,” I muttered, turning away with a click of my tongue.

I started hopping back to Hive City to announce the success of my mission. I’d have to share the ‘revelation’ of the castle’s true nature, but that shouldn’t be too much of a hard sell.

It didn’t stop me from being sad, though. There had been some serious potential if I’d gotten access to a Summoning Scroll. 

This time around I didn’t sprint back to the city and instead chose to stay the night at a nearby inn.

After all the running about I’d done, along with my current mood, I felt like I needed to have a good night’s sleep. 

When I awoke, it was not morning.

I was also not alone.

Both were facts that had me sitting upright and sweeping the area with my chakra sense on full bore as my hand closed around the kunai I had under my pillow.

“Ah, good you are awake,” chimed a polite voice.

Staring back at me with her head tilted to the side was what could only be described as a female Chameleon wearing a rather nice robe.

Around the room, positioned at various points of the walls, ceiling, and floor, were several other Chameleon. They twitched their heads, and the sole eye I could see tracked me.

“You won’t need that weapon of yours,” suggested the Chameleon in front of me.

“I’ll take you at your word,” I said, sliding into a more polite position. “You have me at a disadvantage. My name is Matsu. Who might you be?”

“I am Nono,” she said with a smile that all but screamed she was lying to me.

I narrowed my eyes. “You invade my room, and lie to me? It seems you are a poor guest,” I stated.

‘Nono’ giggled coyly. “Oh, but we are not guests. We are merely messengers. Your freeing Lord Shiromari has not gone unnoticed. He was lost to us for quite some time. You have earned yourself a boon of the Chameleon Clan. Name it,” she said, more command than offer.

I hummed rather than answer straight away. “I’m sorry to say that what you offer is rather nebulous to me. Who are the Chameleon Clan and what are your capabilities?”

Nono sniffed. “We are a clan of summons specialising in espionage, subterfuge, and weaponry.” she flashed her hand and a fan appeared only to vanish a moment later and a sai blade to cut through the air. “Our reputation will not precede us, you note?” she said with a certain level of pride.

I had to concede the point. In a world of shinobi, not knowing about them indicated a high level of skill for all their members.  

That or they were conflating their reputation… but considering Shiromari’s skill level, it might just be possible.

“Are you able to teach me how to be a Sage?” I asked, my pulse quickening.

The question caused all of the chameleons in the room to twitch.

Nono sighed. “Sadly, you ask that which eludes even us… Attempts have been made to learn it, but they have gone poorly. We have also tried to infiltrate the Realm of the Snakes and Toads for their secrets… but the first’s realm is hostile to all that enter it, and the second… are annoying to deal with. They always seem to know when we are attempting it,” Nono admitted. 

Considering that the Snakes could release poisonous gas around them, if Orochimaru’s final ace in the hole were any indication, then it made sense to me. 

As for the Toads… well, they did have that Oracle Toad, as well as two Elders capable of using the Sage arts, which might make them tougher to crack.

“You’ve made attempts at learning it yourselves?” I asked. What was there, a bunch of Statue Chameleons around a pond?

Nono nodded her head. “Indeed. One of Shiromari’s children attempted it… they failed and mutated, gaining a serpent’s tail before running amok. They have not been seen in years,” she stated before narrowing her eyes.

Now why did that stir a memory… I considered asking more about that only for Nono to shake her head. “I have spoken enough of our shame! Name a boon!”

“Could I have your summoning scroll?” I asked.

Nono and the other chameleons hissed. “You ask much! You have not even passed a test for such a thing, and yet you presume to ask for it?”

“Ah, my bad, I didn’t know that you’d desire such a thing,” I asked bowing my head. “This is the first time I’ve been able to talk with a summons clan.”

Nono settled down at that admission. “Very well, your lack of manners is noted. If you wish to undergo the trial you may as your boon.”

I seriously considered it for a moment. It would be tempting to accept the deal but… I felt like a Clan capable of Sage training was needed.

Although perhaps with my knowledge, I could boost the Chameleons to such a level?

“Could I have a friend attempt the trial?” I asked, checking what my options were.

“No!” she spat instantly before flicking her head to the side.

One of the chameleons behind her coughed and shifted slightly, indicating she wasn’t telling the truth.

Nono shifted and turned back with a single-eyed glare as her other eye tracked something behind her. 

Her lips pursed, she gritted out. “Yeeesss, that would be possible,” she stated, obviously not liking the idea but being honest, or rather being forced to be.

I bowed again. “I mean no offence, but I was merely checking my options. Would I be able to consider this offer and talk with you again in a few days?” I asked.

Nono nodded. “That is acceptable. The Clan has only just had its scroll returned to it, so waiting a few more days is nothing to us!” she announced.

She then reached into a pouch and threw a flashbang onto the ground, causing a crack and a burst of smoke.

When it cleared, she and the other chameleons were gone. I’d been able to track them for a few hundred metres before their chakra signatures vanished in puffs of smoke, signalling they had desummoned themselves.

I lay back down, giving my surroundings another careful sweep, only to spot Nono herself still hiding in a nearby tree, observing me.

Huh, alright then. This little adventure had taken an interesting turn, but it was a sweeping success where it mattered. 

With the Land of Honey secured as supporters, I could start taking serious strides.

After so long, I finally felt like I was making measurable progress.

It was a good feeling. 

_____________

A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support!

I will be holding a vote that will be a yes/no vote on if Matsu should accept the chameleons as his Summoning Clan.

The chameleon clan is one based on espionage and subterfuge. They excel as Shinobi and information gatherers with some warriors.

The vote will be something to the effect of: Should Matsu sign the scroll or hand it off to someone else? E.i. Shoto or someone else that Matsu knows?