Chapter 8: Betrothed? (Patreon)

Chapter 8: Betrothed?

The Third Hokage's POV

“Tell me Anko’s, How did the mission go?” I say as I release the smoke from my lungs.

“Well lord Third everything went according to the plan, and the portal was just as the scouts predicted.” Anko answers the thick smoke between us. 

Looking down at my cluttered mahogany desk,  I contemplate how this will benefit the village  while listening to Anko Mitarashi as she delivers her debriefing.

"We cleared the rogue Kumo missing-nin, and we successfully cleared the portal," Anko reported, her standard manic grin replaced with a professional demeanor. "As ordered the team were exposed to the secret of the portals and I believe the seed has been planted in Jun Karasu’s head."

Taking a long, slow drag from my pipe, exhaling amother thick cloud of gray smoke. I love when a plan comes together. 

“Good, with the Daimyos opposition lately against Konoha, having the boy doubting the capital could slow down Ozai's plan, we might even be able to flip the game in our favour.” I say to Anko, she doesn't really need to know all this but having her feel as if she is involved should make her more motivated to do what's necessary.

The entire purpose of assigning Jun Karasu to Anko's squad was to slowly create a reason for the boy to care for Konoha, Short Answer: Anko cares for Konoha = Jun cares for Konoha. 

Anko hasn't done any honeytrap mission before due to her infamy and frankly lack of tact, but what makes her unsuitable for normal nobles is what makes her perfect for seducing the boy. I'm more than sure the boy knows that she was sent to seduce him as she.

The boy probably thinks he can use her to get his rocks off and move on but he underestimates how quickly and easy it is to fall for someone you are intimate with especially your first timel, yes the boy is a virgin from my Anbu’s investigation.

And well it's the same for Anko even if she dresses like she has been around the block, she hasn't been able to get close enough to anyone let anyone in, at least any men. From the Anbu reports she is more than a little friendly with the Yuhi girl.

I'm sure that once she is sleeping with him they will grow attached. Slowly converting the boy.

The point of sending the boy on this mission that he would encounter the portal, using the knowledge that the capital was keeping from him to cultivate a quiet, deep-seated resentment within the boy, that Ozai was  farming his ancestral lands and hoarding the immense wealth of the portals without giving the boy anything in return. Turning him away from the Capital and binding him irrevocably to Konoha's Will of Fire.

While he disagreed with Danzo’s method he did not disagree with the end result of having the boy loyal to Konoha.

"There is something else, Lord Third," Anko continued, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious. "When Jun-Kun delivered the final strike, something happened.” Anko says. By the sound of worry she is trying to hide she is already growing attached. Faster than expected but welcome.

The medical staff at the hospital already confirmed the boy acquired the system. Making him even more valuable than before. His natural, passive physical defense is if he is permanently hardening his skin with high-level chakra. But he isn't. His cellular structure... his very DNA appears to have fundamentally shifted.

Acquiring a bloodline or skill from the portal always comes with the system. 

It getting closer and closer to the point when civilian shinobi will have to be used for clearing portals.

“I wondered why the boy was unconscious when you arrived and immediately rushed to Konoha Hospital.” I pretending as if I don't know what is happening to the boy.

I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes through the smoke haze. "What happened? And don't leave anything out." I ask. Hopping for a clue on how one is chosen for the system. 

Before Anko could answer, the heavy wooden privacy doors of the office burst open. An ANBU operative fell to one knee, panic evident in the rigid lines of his porcelain mask.

"Lord Hokage! Forgive the intrusion, but an official royal escort from the Capital has just passed  the gates! The Princess of the Land of Fire... Princess Azula is here. She is marching directly toward the Konoha General Hospital with a full vanguard of private guards."

My pipe nearly fell from my lips in shock. I stood up abruptly, the heavy wooden chair scraping loudly against the floor. Azula. The Fire Lord's daughter. A notoriously volatile prodigy who carried the full, terrifying authority of the throne. If she arrived at the hospital before I could, it'll be harder to question the boy about his new abilities and the system.

Does the capital know about Jun acquiring a system? How few knew about the system and abilities from the portals, could someone have told Ozai, who? No, I’ll have time to think about this later, right now I need to divert the princess.

"Anko, you're dismissed," Hiruzen commanded sharply, grabbing and putting on the formal Hokage robes. "I will handle the Princess myself."

The pristine, sterile white corridors of the Konoha General Hospital were completely silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of medical machines.

I intercepted the royal procession just outside the intensive care wing. Princess Azula stood at the head of the vanguard, her sharp, golden-amber eyes instantly locking onto me. She wore the elaborate, dark crimson silks, clearly designed for combat that favours a lot of movement, her dark hair pulled back into a flawless, razor-sharp topknot.

"Lord Third," Azula said smoothly, her voice an unnaturally sweet voice.

"Princess Azula," I replied, offering a polite, practiced bow. "Konoha is deeply honored by your unexpected presence. What can Konoha do for you?”

“I heard that Jun-kun was carried back to the village. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't check in on him.” She replied, not even trying to hide the fact that the capital had spies in Konoha.

“While I applaud the princess's friendship with young Karasu’s is so strong that you would rush all the way from the capital. However, young Karasu-san has just returned from a grueling, highly hazardous mission. His body is severely exhausted, and he requires absolute quiet to recover. I must insist that you allow him to rest. I shall personally have you summoned the very moment he awakens."

Azula's lips thinned into a dangerous, sharp line. Clearly taking offense to be told no, She pouted slightly, playing the part of a concerned childhood friend with terrifying precision. "He is my dearest childhood friend, Lord Third. Surely, the great 'God of Shinobi' wouldn't keep a worried girl from seeing that her oldest friend was okay?"

"The medical professionals' words were very strict, Princess," I insisted, stepping firmly into the center of the corridor, utilizing the immense weight of my chakra to pressure the princes just enough for her to know that she would not get around me. "I cannot allow it. While young Karasu is a ninja under my care, his safety is my responsibility."

Azula’s golden eyes flashed with a sudden, triumphant, shit-eating grin. It was the look of a grandmaster executing a flawless checkmate.

"Yes, I suppose it is, Lord Hokage," Azula purred, stepping forward until she was mere inches from my robes. "But  as Jun Karasu’s betrothed, And I think as his future wife I should have every right to see him."

I froze. My mind completely stalled for a fraction of a second. His betrothed? The intelligence reports from the Capital had never mentioned a betrothal between the Princes and Karasu. Is this something new because they knew about the system or where they just hiding it for the right moment?

Taking immediate advantage of my shock, Azula smoothly swept past my shoulder, her silks rustling as she pushed the door to the private room wide open.