Naruto: Binding Uchiha Sasuke, Hundredfold Return

Konoha Tavern, Table No. 601

"Why the switch to sake today?"

"Just felt like it. I come here often."

"Really? I thought you preferred tea."

"I do enjoy tea—a bit of that subtle bitterness, a gentle sweetness that touches the heart, and that odd sensation of tea leaves sliding down the throat, as if consuming something tainted from the world."

"And what about sake?"

"Sake is different and oddly intriguing. Sometimes it tastes terrible, yet at other times, it's a delicacy, something you feel you can't live without."

"Can't live without it?" Konan asked, puzzled.

"Not clear on what I mean?"

"Not at all."

Kazuki took a slow sip and explained, "Try a sip when you're happy and another when you're sad. The same drink, same concentration, same amount, but it tastes completely different."

"This drink changes its flavor according to one's emotions?"

Konan took up a cup, slightly skeptical, and drank slowly. Her tongue burned, her throat burned, and her stomach, too, felt aflame.

"Not for me," she said, setting down the cup, disappointed.

Kazuki shrugged. "Have you decided?"

"Yes. Amegakure is willing to become a vassal state of Konoha. In return, Konoha can station its shinobi in Amegakure and provide military aid against foreign invasions."

Kazuki nodded. "Good, once you're decided, I don't need to know the details. That's not my department." He refilled his cup, finishing it in a single gulp.

"Go directly to the Hokage's office and inform Gekko Himan. Tell him I approve, he'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Understood."

Konan stood up to leave.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Is there more?"

"There's one thing—Zetsu. Do you have any information on him?"

The only remaining threats Kazuki considered significant were this thousand-year-old rat and a certain Ōtsutsuki hiding in a monk's body to recover. Kazuki intended to root them out, one by one, from their hiding places.

"He came back once, sought information on you, and hasn't returned since."

"Is that so? Then please keep looking for Zetsu, and contact me as soon as you have news."

Konan fixed her gaze on Kazuki, probing his intentions but refrained from asking anything.

"I understand."

Hokage Residence

Having secured Kazuki's agreement, Konan headed straight to the Hokage's office. But as an outsider, her entrance triggered a rapid response from the Anbu, who encircled her as she entered.

"I'm here on behalf of Gekko Kazuki to speak with your Hokage," Konan said calmly, addressing the masked shinobi around her.

"Who are you, and why do you need to see our Hokage?" the lead Anbu questioned.

"I am Konan from Amegakure. My business here concerns a diplomatic alliance," she replied.

The Anbu exchanged looks before one of them nodded and said,

"Wait here while we inform the Hokage."

Shortly after, the Anbu returned.

"The Hokage has agreed to see you. Follow us."

Under the Anbu's watchful escort, Konan entered the Hokage's office unharmed.

Inside, Gekko Himan was seated at his desk, flanked by two young kunoichi, one dressed in pink, the other in purple. A man with a ponytail sat at a nearby desk, working feverishly through paperwork.

Gekko Himan's eyes sparkled as he noticed the strikingly beautiful woman in front of him. Konan caught the shift in his gaze and felt a flash of concealed disgust.

"Amegakure's Konan, correct? Kazuki sent you?"

"Yes."

"And his purpose?"

"An alliance. I am here on behalf of the daimyo of the Land of Rain to negotiate the nation's integration with the Land of Fire."

"The Land of Rain joining the Land of Fire?!"

The shocking proposal made Gekko Himan lose his composure, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Hokage-sama~"

The two kunoichi rushed to help him up, but he shrugged them off, resting his head on his desk as he focused on Konan.

"Did Kazuki… approve this?"

Konan nodded calmly. "Yes."

"How could he…?"

"Hokage-sama, perhaps it would be best to dismiss the Anbu first," Nara Shikaku advised, stepping beside Gekko Himan.

"Ah, yes! Anbu, you're dismissed!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Once the Anbu had left, Gekko Himan turned to Shikaku to discuss the proposal.

"Hokage-sama, we can't simply absorb the Land of Rain!"

"You think I don't know that? The Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfalls are all buffer zones between us and the Lands of Earth and Wind! If we incorporate the Land of Rain, we'd be bordering those two countries, and that could lead to major conflicts!"

"Exactly. Our policy is to avoid war and allow our citizens to live in peace. But by absorbing the Land of Rain, you risk breaking your promise…"

Shikaku didn't need to finish, Gekko Himan already knew. Despite his moderate talents, he was quick-witted—without that, he'd never have maneuvered himself into the Hokage's position in the first place.

"No, I need to speak to Kazuki directly," Gekko Himan said, preparing to leave, but Konan stepped forward to block him.

"Hokage-sama, where do you think you're going?" Konan asked, her expression as impassive as ever.

"Move aside! I need to see Kazuki!" Gekko Himan's patience was wearing thin.

"Kazuki instructed me to tell you that if he approves, you'll agree to my request," Konan said with quiet resolve, showing no hint of deference.

For a moment, Gekko Himan was stunned into silence. If anyone else had made such a demand, he'd have exploded in anger. But behind Konan stood Kazuki himself. Defying Kazuki would be tantamount to rejecting his authority.

But agreeing would mean open conflict with the Lands of Earth and Wind, and that was a burden he couldn't bear. If war broke out, the villagers would tear him apart.

Gekko Himan found himself caught between impossible choices, while Shikaku questioned how a mere Jōnin could so heavily influence the Hokage's decisions. Was Kazuki truly just a gifted young Jōnin?

After an internal struggle, Gekko Himan relented to Konan's request, allowing the Land of Rain to join the Land of Fire, though he found an excuse to delay the formal process.

"I accept your request to integrate the Land of Rain, but… such a decision isn't solely within my authority. You'll need to bring your daimyo to Konoha for negotiations with our daimyo," he stated.

"The Land of Rain has no daimyo," Konan replied simply.

"Then at the very least, I must inform the Land of Fire's daimyo and secure their approval. I'll draft a proposal tonight, and we'll deliver it by morning. Return in a few days."

Konan paused, trying to read any deceit in Gekko Himan's expression. But his words were plausible enough to pass without question.

"Fine."

------------

The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg