Naruto: Tango with Death

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"Lady Shogun, there is a man here to see you."

The day after my arrival at the Fire Capital, Sendai, I was reading the reports I had asked the Daimyo to send me when I was warned of an unexpected guest.

Curious, I asked them to be sent in, and I was surprised by whom I saw.

"Commander."

Before me was one of my 11 officers back from the battlefield against Kiri. It was Hideto, the Lightning Bender.

I smiled at him and asked, "You weren't sent to another of the battlefields?"

Hideto shook his head and replied, "No, I was given a leave. So when I heard about the identity of the feared new Shogun, I had to come."

I nodded and asked, "Is it only you?"

Hideto answered, "There is also Jotaro, but he couldn't come."

I snorted, "I assume he is with his girlfriend?"

Hideto scratched his head and started, "Well…"

He didn't finish, but the answer was obvious. Not that it surprised me.

Jotaro looked like the toughest of the bunch, being the physically biggest and more often than not silent, but through our time together I learned he wasn't so tough. Of course he was a soldier, and that required a certain toughness, but he held a lot of place for love in his heart.

And currently, this happened to be filled by a girl, a childhood sweetheart to whom he had made a promise before heading to war. Quite the romantic story.

As his commanding officer I saw many of the letters his girlfriend sent him. Of course, I had the decency not to open them, but they were fairly easy to recognize when they were the only ones covered in pink hearts and with some fairy glitter.

After a moment, Hideto asked, "So, you made quite some ruckus."

My eyes drifting back to the reports, I said, "I did. Only way to get the rats out. Besides, crushing down corruption to do so with the same stone is a good thing."

Hideto sighed, "Well, you should be careful commander. Word that you are getting drunk on power is spreading already. They…"

"They what?"

"They… are saying that the Shogun is a brutal leader, among other things."

My eyes not moving from the reports, I said, "What matters is what the people think, not the leaders. The leaders can always be removed, but the people are what makes a country what it is."

Hideto replied, "But those rumours are also spreading among the people."

I picked up another report with my free hand and raised it as I said, "I already got that covered. In case you didn't hear, the Shogun's mission isn't only to quell the rebellion, it is also to help manage the country."

Hideto remained silent for a moment, during which I put the report back in place, resuming to my reading. Finally, Hideto asked, "You seem awfully confident, commander. Does that mean the rumours about the Land of Forests are true?"

Sighing softly, I replied, "The problem with rumours, Hideto, is that everyone has a different version. Tell me, what exactly do you think happened in the Land of Forests?"

Hideto explained, "Although it is publicly believed that the blame fell on Kiri, and Kisame Hoshigaki, I've heard more than once that everything happened because of the Owl. That she was behind everything that happened."

Scoffing, I replied, "Isn't that public knowledge already?"

Hideto said, "Not really no. Maybe for the top brass."

"Come to the point, Hideto. You already know I was the one who took down the country. I believe I already told you guys about it once, indirectly."

Hideto finally said his piece, "Your involvement isn't the question, but who you were. Would you happen to be the Flower Princess? Princess Takayama?"

Smiling softly, I asked, "What makes you say that?"

"It isn't just me, it came up once when I was talking with other officers. First, the Flower Princess was known for her beauty."

Slightly shifting my eyes from the report, I saw that he said that with a perfectly straight face, but I still teased, "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

Hideto didn't show any emotion though as he replied, "This is only an objective statement. Moreover, the Flower Princess was said to be the hope of the Land of Forest, a kind and competent leader. The very definition of the perfect ruler."

Letting go of the paper in my hand, I said, "One compliment is flattering. Two is admiration. But anymore than that can only be bootlicking."

"Were you the Flower Princess, Lady Shogun?"

Crossing my legs, I asked, "I was. So what?"

Hideto stared back, and eventually smiled as he said, "Then I'm relieved. My direct service under you may have ended with the defeat of Kiri, know that you will forever have my respect. Actually, this stands for all 11 of us, so if you need anything done, you can trust me."

I smiled, and got up, before walking in front of him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, "And if you ever need help, any of you, don't hesitate to call for me."

Hideto nodded, and headed for the door. However, I stopped him and asked, "Would it be too soon to ask you for help?"

Hideto turned around and replied, "I'm bored anyway."

Chuckling, I said, "As you may have heard, I arrested someone yesterday."

Hideto nodded, "Lord Hirahisa, probably the noble with the most power. He controls, or used to control a large part of the trade between the Land of Fire and the several smaller nations around us. A powerful man."

"That's exactly why I need people I trust guarding him. Could you take care of that?"

Hideto raised an eyebrow and said, "I wasn't expecting that, but sure. Any particular command?"

I nodded, "Make sure no one sees him without my personal approval. If someone tries to take him by force, and they are too much for you to handle, act like you would against Kiri."

Hideto nodded, and walked off, leaving me alone. I was happy with this arrangement, it would allow me to focus more on what was important.

And so I dived back into the reports, for I hoped to read them all before tomorrow. Like that, I would better understand what exactly was wrong with the land, and how I could fix it.

And so the rest of the day went by, with me reading the reports, and managing my forces as I had my Anbu investigate, more secretly this time, the important people of the capital. Feels like I am becoming an evil mastermind.

Am I really going to turn into Lord Darth Edgy?

I hope I don't burn my face off with redirected lightning…