Broken Hearts, Shattered Dreams

[15]

Naruto had a lot of work ahead of him. He had received word from his messenger that GamaBunta would be arriving in a few days. Of course, the silly toad never said when. He'd just have to be prepared to eat whenever. He sighed and looked off in the direction of where he'd sent a messenger to Katsuyu. She was nice and probably wouldn't refuse an invitation, especially from someone she had saved in earlier years. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of feet padding toward him and he looked over his shoulder to see a red fox with his tongue lolling out, panting heavily.

I was able to make it to Lady Katsuyu in time, My Lord. She accepted your gracious invitation and said she would come in a few days.

"Hmph, a few days must be some kind of code between bosses. I'll have to learn that. I bet you that they all show up at the same time. Anyways, how did her realm look?"

Lady Katsuyu's realm is very green, greener than ours. It's a veritable jungle with all kinds of slugs and their kin lazing about. They aren't a very productive people.

"I see. She'll still be a valuable ally. Have you seen your brother that I sent to talk to Handra?"

No my Lord. I hope he is all right though. The snakes aren't known for…tactfulness. At least Manda wasn't.

"I notice you didn't call him Lord Manda. Any reason for that?"

I never considered him worthy of respect. The only reason he climbed that high in the ranks was because he was the biggest and strongest. Not to mention the meanest. I believe he demanded human sacrifices when he was summoned.

"Yes, I've heard something along those lines. He was not an honorable beast. It was for the best that he died I suppose. Killed by his own summoner no less. Well, I have to go check in with the council before I go back to the mortal realm. I'm putting you in charge of coming to get me when the others arrive. Oh, and let me know when your brother gets back. I want to be sure that he is safe."

You're a strange one, my Lord. The old Kyuubi wouldn't have cared if we made it back, so long as the message was passed.

"And that's where we differ greatly. I do care. I hate the senseless shedding of blood and life. Now go enjoy yourself. Watch for your brother."

The fox nodded and ran off back toward the village. Naruto sighed and followed after. He didn't really mind the council in this world. They weren't as biased as the one in the mortal realm, but he still had a few wrinkles to iron out. The council was supposed to be the right hand of the monarch, but if they had their own agendas then that didn't work for the people. He'd have to keep his eyes open for any corruption. He turned his eyes skyward and put his hands in his pockets. He couldn't wait to bring Ino here in due time. He looked back down when he felt himself bump into something and heard the snickers of the foxes around him. He had walked right into the pillar of the palace without noticing. He glanced back sheepishly at the foxes who were trying to hold in their laughter and stuck his tongue out before darting inside. All who were holding back laughter exploded into a cacophony of gasps and guffaws. Their regent was a strange one indeed.

The council was assembled in front of the steps leading to the throne and were all tapping their tails impatiently. They had been told to gather nearly a half hour ago and had yet to see neither hide nor hair of the monarch. Hinamori and Kazuma nodded to him as he walked past, and he gave them a wide grin. Usually, in the world of canids, the baring of teeth was a sign of aggression. Working with humans, however, had led to a new level of expression with the mouth. They had found, over the years, that a slight curling of the mouth or a twitch of the lips, meant a lot to the person receiving your gaze. Naruto flopped down on the top step, as was his custom, and waved his hand, signaling for them to begin. The elder bowed and spoke up.