I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

After hearing Wu's account of his stay in Otogakure, several thoughts ran rampant within Hiruzen's mind. First and foremost, he was astonished by how 'easily' Wu had managed to infiltrate and become a ranking member of another village. Secondly, while the Otokage wasn't guaranteed to be Orochimaru, everything Wu revealed suggested it to be true...

As important as the first two points were, the information that stood out the most in Hiruzen's mind was the 'arrangement' Wu had made with the Otokage. It was also the only point he could address at the moment, so he asked, "Are you intending to establish a Clan in the future...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu lied, "I haven't thought about it. My status as a member of the Sarutobi Clan has been extremely 'convenient.' I was just bullshitting to see what lengths the Otokage would go to in order to retain me. It also allowed me to establish that Otogakure has at least three more bases spread throughout the Elemental Nations."

"I see..."

Caressing his chin, Hiruzen lowered his gaze, a thoughtful glimmer in his eyes. He knew the boy well enough to know that Wu wasn't being entirely truthful. If he had to guess, Wu 'had' thought about his future quite a bit. His actions with the Higurashi girl were enough to prove that. If Hiruzen had to guess, Wu just wanted to gather more information before making a decision that would shape/impact the rest of his life.

Raising his gaze, Hiruzen inquired, "Those girls you mentioned...based on your observations, do you believe any would be willing to become citizens of Konoha? If their goal is merely the restoration of their respective Clans, arrangements can be made..."

Having already anticipated such a question, Wu replied, "Some are loyal to the Otokage, but I'm almost positive it's because they fear and respect her. If she can be taken out of the picture, most of them would have little choice but to lay their roots elsewhere. It's impossible to found or restore a Clan without adequate backing, power, and resources."

Nodding his head in approval, Hiruzen offered a soft, "Well said..." before entering another contemplative silence. Based on the information Wu had provided, it could be seen that Oto was a meritocracy of sorts. While that provided them many advantages during the founding stages of a village's development, Clans needed land and resources to lay their roots. In other words, unless the Otokage established an actual settlement, it was only a matter of time before the groups serving her became disillusioned.

Understanding the type of person his former student was, Hiruzen could imagine the fates that awaited anyone who had served their purpose. The only person Orochimaru truly cared about was himself. He had the mental fortitude and charisma to inspire fierce loyalty, but he would not hesitate to sacrifice even those closest to him if they became a hindrance...

As that thought crossed his mind, Hiruzen found himself gazing at Wu, a boy not all that dissimilar to Orochimaru. The difference was that Wu had no fear of death and intended to reach the pinnacle with his own strength. Orochimaru dreaded the end so much that he would go to any lengths to preserve his life. Both manipulated the people around them, but Wu did so to help others improve within the bounds of their capabilities. Orochimaru was nearly the polar opposite as he endlessly pursued external powers to circumvent his mortality...

Confident in his assertion, Hiruzen went on to state, "The Chunin Exams are three months away. If an attack is to happen, it will most likely occur during the Finals, when the eyes of various nations are fixed firmly on the Leaf. I'll begin making preparations, but there is only so much we can do without alerting our enemies and undermining the trust of our sponsors..."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Hiruzen observed for any changes in Wu's as he added, "If an attack does happen, I'll be counting on you to exhibit to the world that Konoha is not a soft target to crack. In exchange, once the Chunin Exams have ended, I will personally endorse your advancement to Jonin..."

Seeing no changes in Wu's expression, Hiruzen adopted a devilish grin as he revealed, "Once you have been promoted to Jonin, you will be allowed to splinter from the main house and form a Branch Family of the Sarutobi Clan. If that doesn't entice you, I can also make arrangements for you to develop your own house, but having a familial connection with an existing Clan is usually better from a political standpoint. Regardless, once you are the Head of a Clan, you will have every right to decide its members..."

Understanding the implication of Hiruzen's words, a similar grin developed across Wu's face as he playfully remarked, "You're serious about keeping me in this village, aren't you?"

Without hesitation, Hiruzen nodded his head, admitting, "Indeed. Just as you often comment about how you would be a 'fool' not to take advantage of certain situations, it would be careless of me not to do everything in my power to ensure Konoha remains your home. Many others share this view, so please keep us in mind if you ever find yourself at a crossroads..."

Nodding his head, Wu replied, "I always do." before rising to his feet and asking, "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss? If not, I have a lot of training to catch up on."

Though there was actually a lot he wanted to discuss, Hiruzen exhaled a light chuckle and replied, "No, I think that just about covers everything. I may have more questions for you later, but you're free to return and do as you please. Just let me know if you decide to take another stroll outside the village. Knowing you, I imagine you're still eager to investigate Kumo and Suna."

Instead of responding to Hiruzen's words, Wu waved over his shoulder, 'disappearing' the moment he reached the door. The things Hiruzen said had given him a lot to think about, so, while Kumo and Suna were on his mind, they were only third and fourth on his list of priorities...

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Though a month had passed since Wu's departure, mere days after they became a couple, Tenten was in reasonably high spirits. There were times when her mind wandered to thoughts of the future, but most of her focus, time, and effort was spent improving herself and her various tools.

Holding up the sickle she had just finished polishing, an approving smile developed across Tenten's face as she appraised its luster. Wu had told her that he would be returning in a month, so she had spent most of the day polishing the various weapons in her room. Her outfit, consisting of a long-sleeved white cheongsam and red waistband, wasn't really suited for the task, but Tenten wasn't the type of girl to care about getting oil on her hands and clothes.

"Hm, hm, hmm~"

Narrowing her eyes in contentment, Tenten began to hum a soft tune as she polished the blades of a giant fuuma shuriken. It was the last item left to polish, so she took her time to ensure not even a single blemish could be found between its creases or along its blade. When she was finished, she wrapped it in a cloth before turning around, her body freezing in place as she spotted a familiar figure lying sideways on her bed, observing her with a teasing smile.

Though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer, Tenten asked, "How long have you been here...?"

Adopting an even cheekier grin, Wu answered, "Around the time you were finishing up with your final set of kunai, so around an hour or two? And no, I didn't sneak in. Well, I did, but your mom let me into the house and gave me permission to come up..."

"I see..."

Setting aside the bundled fuuma, Tenten made her way over to the bed with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Wu half-expected her to try and hit him, but their time together hadn't been for naught. Tenten knew the futility of trying to catch him off guard, so she sat next to him on the bed, patting her thighs as she said, "Put your head down. Then tell me all about your month outside of the village."

Though briefly taken aback by the proposition, Wu followed Tenten's instructions, resting his head on her toned yet incredibly smooth thighs. As he did so, she began combing her fingers through his hair, her voice gentle and soothing as she inquired, "Did you have fun?"

Confident that he could dodge even if she tried to pinch his cheek or pull his ear, Wu closed his eyes and responded, "It was a learning experience, that's for sure..."

"Mmm...I see..."

Moving her fingers from Wu's hair, Tenten caressed his cheek with the back of her hand as she asked, "And, when do you leave next...?"

Without footing around the issue, Wu's voice softened as he replied, "In a day, two, maybe three. I could delay things a bit, but I've never been the type to put things off..."

Like a message on repeat, Tenten muttered, "Mmm...I see..." while tracing Wu's lips. In response, the latter brought her middle finger into his mouth, gently suckling it for a few seconds as they sat in silence.

Removing her finger from Wu's mouth, Tenten revealed, "I talked to Kaia, Ino, and Sakura while you were away...they told me about what happened when you were playing the King's Game..."

Exhaling through his nose, Wu opened his eyes and asked, "And, what did you think? Did it make you regret becoming my girlfriend...?"

Shaking her head, Tenten surprised Wu by admitting, "I'm not sure if Ino and I can ever be friends anymore, but, other than that, it actually made me a little jealous. If I had known you were so...easy, I might have taken advantage of you myself..."

Turning to look up at the dango-haired beauty, Wu raised his left eyebrow and retorted, "You think I'm easy? Is that why you got me to rest on your thighs...?"

Instead of refuting it, a faint smile developed across Tenten's face as she replied, "Something like that..." Then, even though her heart was beating like a startled rabbit, she guided her hand to Wu's chest, stroking the firm muscles beneath as she revealed, "Since all the 'simpler' ones have been stolen by others, I'm tempted to take the remainder of your firsts..."

Exhaling a light chuckle, Wu playfully remarked, "Someone grew bolder in the past month..."

Though she would ordinarily react to Wu's teasing, Tenten remained calm and composed as she dropped another bombshell, revealing, "Ino told me about the agreement you made. That if things didn't pan out the way they were hoping, you would accept 'responsibility' for each of them...that you would invoke the Clan Restoration Act and take all of them as your wives."

While internally remarking, ("Never trust a Yamanaka to keep a secret...") Wu outwardly responded, "I'm not going to deny it. Because of my unique constitution, the old man has been pushing me to marry since I was eight. Does that change anything between us?"

Exhaling a faint sigh, Tenten said, "That depends on you. If you can tell me why you chose 'me,' of all people, I might be willing to forgive you..."

Understanding that Tenten was asking him to lie to her, even if she didn't know it, Wu's expression became serious as he asserted, "Of all the girls I interacted with growing up, you're the one who compliments me the most. We have similar interests, similar values, and, most significantly, a similar drive to improve. While other girls were chasing their crushes and wasting time, you kept your head up and continued working toward your dream. It was honestly refreshing..."

Though she felt more than a little gratified by Wu's words, Tenten did her best not to let it show. Truth be told, she didn't really mind if Wu had other girls. Well, it did. Quite a bit, actually, but she also understood the value of Wu's bloodline in the grander scheme of things. What 'really' bothered her was the idea that Wu had been sneaking around behind her back, keeping her in the dark while preparing for his future alone...

"No more secrets, Wu-kun...you will tell me everything, or we will never talk again. Do I make myself clear...?"

Instead of taking offense to Tenten's assertive words, Wu offered a faint smile as he replied, "No problem. Just remember, you chose this path...if we're going to walk it together, you'll need the same conviction now that you had in your youth..."

Snorting through her nose, Tenten retorted, "You let me worry about me, you damned monkey. Now, start talking..."

Maintaining his smile, Wu closed his eyes, memories playing within his mind like the stills of a movie as he whispered, "It all started eight years ago..."

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