Naruto The Warlord

Chapter 11

Temari glared at him from across the small table set between them. One of Naruto's men had come and served them water before leaving them to themselves within the tent that had been hastily put up for their meeting. Shou had been adamant about having someone to guard Naruto, not trusting the Wind shinobi, but Naruto had told him it wouldn't matter. They weren't ready to fight these people, no matter what the inflated ego of his people told them.

"You look good.", Naruto commented as he put down his cup, eyes never leaving Temari. While they had once been comrades in the short time between the chunin exams and his exile, Naruto wouldn't trust Temari even if he had been forced to fight alongside of her. Her loyalty was to her Kazekage, someone who owed their allegiance to a Daimyo who endorsed slavery and the murder of innocent people.

"Thank you.", Temari muttered, expression unwavering as she glared at him. Questions could be seen boiling behind her eyes. "Where have you been for all of these years?"

"Everywhere.", Naruto shrugged. "After I was exiled, I spent some years traveling before I settled in the 'Land of Earth'. Spent a few peaceful years there."

"And now you lead this band of brigands to invade our lands?", Temari scowled at him, gaze darkening.

Naruto could feel his hackles rise in anger from her provocation, but he steeled his feelings. Temari had never stricken him as a zealot, so chances were she didn't have all of the information.

"We're neither brigands nor invading.", Naruto muttered, taking another drink from his cup. "We're moving south towards the sea, as far away from the northern winters as we can before we make our way elsewhere."

"We received word of a large force without royal colors walk across our borders from the North and a unit from the royal army has gone missing." Temari narrowed her eyes at him. "Am I supposed to believe you and yours had nothing to do with that?"

"Of course we had something to do with that." Naruto's fists clenched, his halberd still at hand. "I killed that pillaging army of yours myself."

Temari's eyes widened for a second before a cold gaze came upon her features.

"...I agreed to have a peaceful meeting with you here, only because of our history.", Temari growled, her hands twitching at her side. "But if you are invading our lands-"

"For fucks sake, we're not invading!", Naruto snarled and interrupted her.

"No?", Temari scoffed. "Then what is you and your force of 1000 men and women doing here in our lands?"

Naruto sighed in annoyance.

"We were driven from our village by the Daimyo of Earth." If Temari cared about his words, she showed little of it. Her eyes was still set in a cold glare at him. "The noble family who governed our village treated us like slaves. When his son attempted to kill a friend of mine, I stepped in and provoked a rebellion among the rest of our people. We fought and won against the army that the Daimyo sent, but at a heavy prize."

"If you won, then why are you here?", Temari cocked a brow with curiosity, some of her cold exterior showing interest.

"We realized that we couldn't hold the village, no matter how much we wanted to stay." Naruto paused to think over his words. "The Daimyo would have punished us all, so we packed up and began to escape south before winter."

"And your conflict between our Daimyo's army?", Temari glared again. "How will you justify murdering over 200 loyal men of our country?"

"Your self righteousness is growing exceptionally annoying.", Naruto growled, his irritation getting the better of him. She had no right to sit there and judge. "You serve a despot who enslaves and murders innocent, so do not think you have any sort of moral high ground here. We marched through several villages despoiled and ravaged by your Daimyo's army, both before and after I killed them. Loyalty does not excuse them of their vile crimes." Naruto's eyes hardened as he glared at her. "I suppose it doesnt excuse you either. If I was given the same choice a second time, I know I would choose to do the same all over again."