Queen of Air and Darkness

ii. the most knavish among them

Naruto's return did not come without reason. Jiraiya arrived with news of attacks on the border, quick strikes by well-trained forces without pattern or goal. Displeased by this news, Kakashi folded his arms across his chest. Jiraiya had never been much for sacrificing for the crown, preferring to roam the countryside righting wrongs and committing acts of heroism (or so he told the women of taverns scattered across the continent). But there was no doubting the knight's skill in battle or his experience.

If Tsunade was distressed by the news, she did not let it show. The war council was filled with lords who itched to see her grasp on the kingdom topple. Gone were the days when she would publicly lose her temper in the war room—but that did not mean Kakashi could not feel ire radiating off of her. The source, however, he was still unsure of.

Jiraiya leaned back in his chair, steeling his hands in front of him. "I suspect the attacks are tied to Orochimaru and Otogakure. They wear no livery, but they aren't armed like bandits. They also don't take anything from the villages they raid."

"Does Naruto share these suspicions?" Kakashi raised the question. The young king of Konoha had a grudge against Orochimaru; a grudge that had sent him into a flurry of action two years ago when Orochimaru had first attacked the kingdom. In Kakashi's gut, he did not trust Naruto to behave rationally if he thought Orochimaru was a threat to his kingdom—or in any matters regarding the former Konoha knight.

"He does," Jiraiya acquiesced. Perhaps sensing Kakashi's hesitation, he added, "He's matured over the last two years. He knows better than to act rashly. He will not lead the country to war without evidence."

"But he is still determined to lead the country to war," Danzo murmured. Kakashi spared the older man a glance, finding himself reluctantly agreeing. The Naruto Kakashi had known would have ridden into battle against Orochimaru himself, with nothing but a sword to exact his vengeance. So much the better if he could muster an army; political consequence be damned.

Tsunade gestured for Danzo to be silent. "There will be no war."

"And what say do you have in the matter?" Danzo's rebuke was sharp and angry. "Unless tou have no intention of allowing him to rule," Danzo turned on the regent. "You plan on seizing power for yourself." Tsunade leaned back in her chair, for a moment looking like an angry serpent ready to strike.

"I have and will do what is best for the realm," she hissed, only barely keeping her temper in check. "I could have seized power at any moment, and I have not. I do not plan on destabilizing the kingdom now."

"We would never accept a sorceress's rule," Danzo snapped back.

The air in the room froze at the accusation. Rumors had swirled around Tsunade since the death of her fiancé, but no one had ever dared voice them since her return. The stories claimed that Tsunade's power went beyond healing, into darker, forbidden territory. Kakashi had always dismissed them out of hand, but based on the frosty edge of Tsunade's voice she seemed threatened by the accusation.

With good reason, he supposed. Sorcery had been made illegal in Konoha after the death of King Minato, the punishments for transgression harsh. But the laws were not without their problems. The definition of Sorcery was thin, calling it out as any kind of unnatural force wielded by man. The techniques noble families had developed over the years, that were used in Konoha's defense, all came perilously close to the definition.

The mere accusation could be wielded like a knife against one's political enemies.

Slowly, every nerve in his body alert, Kakashi put his feet on the polished mahogany of the war-table. He leaned back, as if bored by the conversation, pulling out the manuscript Naruto had gifted him. "I never expected you to be so loyal to King Naruto," Kakashi demurred in Danzo's direction. "I am sure he would thank you for your support."