Chapter 44: Meeting The Shimokage.

The Shimokage was a youngish man. He appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties, with short black hair and a moustache that was starting to turn grey. He wore his Kage cloak over the standard Frost jonin uniform, but his hat was sitting on his desk.

His face was handsome, but it bore a few scars, and one of his eyes was milky white, possibly indicating blindness. It was hard to tell his build due to his heavy, warm clothes and him sitting behind a desk, but I guessed he was as fit or fitter than the average jonin.

"Lord Shimokage, these are the Leaf ninja that captured the criminal known as Ichiro, the Ice Man." Said Kouta, but I caught Haru sneering at him when he referred to Ichiro as a criminal.

The Shimokage looked us all up and down in silence before finally speaking in a gruff voice.

"Leave us; I wish to speak to these Leaf ninjas privately," he ordered Kouta and Haru.

Haru's objection was evident, but Kouta's response was immediate and respectful: "Yes, sir!" He then escorted Haru out, closing the door behind them.

When our two Frost escorts left the room, the Shimokage gestured to two seats in front of his desk. Shino and I sat on them while Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba sat on a couch along the office wall, Akamaru lying down at Kiba's feet.

Before we could speak, the Shimokage said, "I take it one of you two is the leader."

His gaze roamed over Shino and me, lingering on my black lingerie-clad form, the sheer lace and heavy fur coat offering a stark contrast to the utilitarian gear of my teammates.

"We share leadership. I'm the squad leader, but Sakura here was put in charge of diplomatic matters." Answered Shino.

He didn't use my last name, as it was policy to inform foreign ninjas of clan names only if strictly necessary. Even though I wasn't from a ninja clan, the Shimokage didn't need to know that.

"So I should speak with you then," he said, his brown and milky-white eyes gazing into my own green ones as he spoke.

"If this is a diplomatic incident, then yes. However, we simply wish to drop off our prisoner and continue our original mission. I'd rather not divulge what it is, but you have my word it has nothing to do with you, your village or your land."

I said firmly. It was the truth, but I had no way of proving it.

He leaned back in his chair before sighing. "Even if I believe you, which I'm not saying I do, you have interfered with our internal village politics and assisted my government, which makes me look weak in the eyes of my enemies."

I could see his point. It was clear to me that his faction was pro-Leaf while another, which Ichiro and Haru seemed to belong to, was against the Leaf. We captured a strong leader of the opposition and gift-wrapped him. The other side could argue that this was proof that Lord Shimokage and his government depended on the Leaf or that we may demand compensation for assisting them.

He continued. "While it is true you have assisted me, I'm afraid I can't pay you Ichiro's bounty from the Bingo Book. The official story will be that he and his ninja were attacked and defeated by my men, and, as the last surviving member of his team, he fled and, heavily wounded, ran into your squad, who treated his wounds and brought him back to our village."

As the Shimokage laid out his plan, I began to understand the delicate balance of power at play. He needed us to validate his story, but we also held the power to disrupt his narrative. It was a high-stakes game of politics and strategy.

He was going to bribe us.

"Let's cut the bullshit. What do you want?" He finally said after a prolonged silence.

I was about to say we didn't want any trouble and that we could just agree to report his version of the story, but Hinata stood up from the couch before I could.

"Lord Shimokage, Sakura and I would like to speak to you in private."

Shino turned around to glare at Hinata. "Hinata, don't interfere!" He shouted, but I placed my hand on his shoulder.

Hinata's eyes were pleading with me to agree. Whatever she had in mind, I trusted her.

"Shino, as ambassador for the Leaf, I'm asking you, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru to wait outside."

He looked back at me with his mouth open before he closed it and shook his head. "This better not be what I think it is." He then stood up and walked to the office's double doors.

"Come on, let's leave this to the girls," he said over his shoulder to Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru.

Kiba looked aghast, but Naruto just nodded to Hinata and me, clearly trusting us. Akamaru didn't seem to care. The four of them exited the office and closed the door behind them.

Hinata sat beside me in front of the desk, in the seat Shino had just vacated.

The Shimokage eyed her skimpy white outfit, too, before he spoke. "Well?" He asked, glancing between us.

I just looked at my wife and waited for her to begin.

"Is this office truly private?" she bluntly asked.

Our Hokage's office had a security system that could be activated, sealing off the room from the outside world and blocking anyone from listening in or observing us via jutsu, as well as soundproofing the room. I wasn't sure if Frost Village had a similar system; it was expensive to maintain and required high-level sealing jutsu.

The Shimokage smiled and pressed a button under his desk. "It is now."

The office windows were shuttered, and seals appeared on them and the double doors. It didn't look as subtle as the Hokage office, but I guessed it was just as secure.

Hinata let out a deep breath. "We want the ninja known as Kouta," Hinata declared, catching both the Shimokage and me off guard.

I maintained my composure, not wanting to reveal my surprise, but the Shimokage's reaction was unmistakable.

"Why?" He asked, but on closer look I realised he was sweating.

"You know why. He has the Byakugan, a kekkei genkai from our village."

That was news to me, but I suspected he had some sort of kekkei genkai to be a jonin despite being so young and seemingly naive.

The Shimokage was getting nervous but tried to play it cool. "That is preposterous. What are you basing that on?"

Hinata activated her Byakugan, causing the veins around her eyes to bulge out, transforming her usually sweet and attractive face into a terrifying and intimidating one.

"Because I noticed him using it on us to try to see beneath our clothes when we arrived."

Ah, I hadn't noticed that due to the sunglasses that all the Frost ninjas wore. Hinata must have seen it but did not wish to discuss it with us till she was sure we weren't being overheard by anyone.

The Shimokage deflated and wore a resigned look on his face. "Ah, you're a Hyuuga. I suppose there is no way to fool you... Kouta, you perverted idiot..." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"Actually, I'm an Uzumaki now. I have no loyalty to the Hyuuga clan anymore. And I see no reason to inform them or the Leaf elders about your attempt to steal one of our most powerful kekkei genkai. Just give him over to us, and we will keep quiet about him as well as support your story about how Ichiro was captured."

The relief on the Shimokage's face was evident. He must have been worried we would inform the Leaf, and they would punish the Frost.

He let out a sigh, "Oh, fuck. I nearly had a heart attack..." He took a deep breath and composed himself again. "Lady Uzumaki, I appreciate your discretion, but I'm afraid that is too much, and you have shown your hand. You clearly want Kouta for your own ends; otherwise, you wouldn't have wanted your teammates to leave the room."

Hinata looked to me to continue, and I did so.

"Lord Shimokage, it's clear to me that this Kouta is a liability. He was far too easy to get information out of, and he recklessly used his kekkei genkai around the very ninja your village stole it from. Next time, you might not have a chance to make things right."

I thought I had worked out Hinata's plan. Before we left on this mission, she brought up using her eggs as a bargaining chip to get the Cloud to teach Naruto how to control his beast. We hadn't spoken about it since, but a hole in the plan was that any children born of Hinata's eggs would be only half Hyuuga and might not inherit the full Byakugan.

A child from her, a full-blooded Hyuuga, and a non-Hyuuga, for example, Naruto, would have a fifty per cent chance to inherit the Byakugan. In contrast, a child from her and Kouta, a half-blood Hyuuga, would have a one-hundred per cent chance to inherit the Byakugan.

Lord Shimokage took a moment to think it over. "Let's say I agree, you back my government's story that we were solely responsible for the Ice Man's capture. What exactly do you want me to do with Kouta? He may be an idiot, but he is loyal to the village, and I won't have him killed."

I decided to take over, as it was my role on the team to handle diplomacy and espionage.

"You tell him the truth, that he has been outed, and for his safety and the village's relationship with the Hyuuga clan, and by extension, the Leaf Village, he has to be exiled. We will take him with us, and once he has fulfilled the role we need him for, we will find him a new home."

My plan was to take him to the Cloud and, once we used him to fertilise some of Hinata's eggs, to use those eggs and Kouta himself as bargaining chips with the Raikage. He would have a long and fruitful life as a breeding stud for the Cloud after we left, and even if word got back to the Hyuuga about it, the Cloud would have a much easier time protecting him from them than the Frost Village.

I wasn't going to tell Lord Shimokage any of that, or even that we were going to the Cloud Village, though I assumed he would guess that, as why else would we be travelling through the Land of Frost?

The Shimokage looked pensive. "I'm not sure, Miss Sakura. I can't order him to abandon the village... I will grant him the option to leave with you, but if he refuses, I will protect him even if that means hostilities with your village."

He seemed genuinely torn. Normally, I would use sex or seduction to influence someone who was struggling to make a decision, but I knew that wouldn't work this time. Though it may work on Kouta...

"Just give him permission to leave with us if he asks, and let us handle the rest."

...

After the rest of our team returned to the office, we drafted and signed reports confirming Lord Shimokage's account of Ichiro's capture. Shino was subtly prodding to know what was discussed, so I took him aside after motioning Hinata to distract Kiba and Naruto, so she flirted a bit with both of them while she filled out her report. Looks like I was right, and she was more confident with people she had already had sex with, as she was way more confident flirting with Kiba now that she had fucked him.

"What was that all about?" He whispered.

"Securing bargaining chips for our main mission. We need to stay in the village for a day to finalise things. Tell Kiba and Naruto it's for a good night's rest." I whispered back.

With that, we finished up the reports. Now the Shimokage could prove his version of Ichiro's capture, even if we changed our minds, but I doubted he would go back on our deal, as we would inform the Hyuuga and Leaf of Kouta's existence and whereabouts if he reneged.

The Shimokage thanked us diplomatically for "assisting" the Frost and stuck to the documented version of events, which would now be the only version he acknowledged. We bowed graciously, then exited the office and the building. When outside, Shino addressed the team.

"Well, that went relatively well. I think it's time we all had a little rest. The Frost Village isn't the friendliest place for us, but if Sakura agrees, I say we spend the night here and set out fresh and early in the morning."

He asked me, as I was in charge of diplomacy and espionage. There was, indeed, a very hostile anti-Leaf faction, but the ruling Shimokage and his government were at the very least neutral, and we did just assist them. So I thought it would be safe for us to stay in the village for a day, maybe a few, until we outstayed our welcome.

"Sure, I think staying here a day will be fine, but don't get into any fights or arguments with anyone badmouthing us or the Leaf Village. The anti-Leaf faction might try to goad us into one to force an international incident."

I doubted Shino would have made the offer for R&R if I hadn't secretly asked him for an extra day to obtain more "bargaining chips" for our primary mission, but Naruto and Kiba seemed satisfied.

"Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru, why don't you four go find us a place to stay the night. Sakura and I need to talk about some things."

As neither Kiba nor Naruto knew Shino was gay yet, both seemed to incorrectly assume we were going off to have some fun on our own, and neither Shino nor I corrected them. Hinata didn't join in with the "huh-huhs" and eye rolls because she knew he was gay, but neither did she refute them, as she correctly guessed it was so I could inform him of our secret deal.

"Have fun, you two," Kiba said as they walked away, placing a hand on Hinata's shapely ass, clad only in a white thong made entirely out of chakra.

Naruto looked back at us, but Hinata quickly placed her hand on his arm and drew his attention back to her.

Shino and I made our way to what appeared to be a frozen pond that doubled as an ice-skating rink, and we sat on a bench overlooking the civilian village folk skating.

He began. "So, tell me the full story."

I sighed. I didn't like sneaking around Naruto's back, but Hinata didn't want him to know about her plan to basically sell her eggs to the Cloud.

"Hinata and I came up with a plan to help with negotiations within our main mission." I wasn't going to mention details of our mission that didn't need to be said to minimise the risk of the Frost listening in. "But it involves her doing things she isn't comfortable with people knowing about. Nothing dangerous to her. While here, we discovered someone who could assist with her plan, and we managed to convince the Shimokage to allow us to take them with us. I will explain more when we are outside the Land of Frost."

He simply nodded, realising that I wouldn't say more until we were outside Frost Village territory. Even if I had the permission of the Shimokage, the anti-Leaf faction wouldn't want us to succeed in our mission, especially if it involved taking a powerful kekkei genkai user away from them. The only reason the Shimokage agreed was that he would rather lose Kouta than increase hostilities with the Hyuuga and the Leaf. That was precisely what the anti-Leaf faction wanted, and for all we knew, they would interfere with our plan and call us kidnappers to force an incident if they found out about it.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Just keep Kiba and Naruto busy for a few hours. Hinata and I will handle it."

"Understood, but I want a full explanation once we are in secure territory."

"Okay."

We both stood up and headed back to find the rest of the team.