When her birthday came, they settled on the outskirts of a small village, south of the Land of Fire and not far from the Land of Waves. The weather was great, so they took the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing under a henge and to relax a little. Training wasn't as intense as when they first began, but they still practiced often to make time go by faster.
Jiraiya started joining them again, despite the clear disdain Kisame had for him, her reluctance, and the indifference of Itachi and Sasuke. The only one who genuinely seemed to care for him was Naruto, and she knew it was because he wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself. Little by little, Seina began to accept Jiraiya again, noticing how he seemed to be taking things a bit more seriously than before. Or at least, he made it seem that way around her.
Kisame, on the other hand, seemed to have received a letter from Kirigakure. He didn't tell anyone what was in the single sealed letter he received, but everyone knew it came from the Mizukage.
"Good news?" she asked.
"Better than expected, to be honest."
And that was it. With Itachi, who had been his partner for years, he spoke a bit more privately.
"Do you think he'll return to Kiri?"
"...I hope so," he finally admitted after a thoughtful silence. "Kisame's issues with Kiri are tied to Yagura and his reign. Mei Terumi seems to be completely different."
"What do you think will happen if he's accepted back in Kiri?"
"The same thing that'll happen to me: interrogation, monitoring within the village, unpaid service to atone for the debt... Considering our rank and what we've done outside our villages, I imagine it'll take years to be accepted back into the shinobi ranks. One to three years depending on our behaviour."
"But you're innocent," she said aloud. "Why should you be punished for three years for what they did to you?"
"Because people don't know the truth and even if they did, they'd still feel more at ease knowing I followed protocol. After all, Tsunade-sama will rule more easily without the civilian council breathing down her neck."
Itachi was right. It wasn't entirely fair, but it was the most efficient way to reintroduce him into Konoha's shinobi ranks without anyone turning on his master. If Mei Terumi was just as smart, she'd know Kisame was a valuable asset for her village and would agree to his return after hearing the terms Itachi had mentioned. In that sense, it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before Kisame left to return to Kirigakure especially since, in recent months, he hadn't committed any crimes that might stain his village's reputation.
Even so, October passed, then November, and then December. She was already 15. She remembered Neji, Lee, and Tenten and with a jolt, she realized they must already be 16, going on 17. Time really did fly. Every time she thought about the calendar, she realized how little time was left before they could return. Maybe in summer, maybe early autumn.
Kakashi, in his letters, informed her about Tsunade-sama's progress against Danzo and Orochimaru.
"...We've destroyed a couple more bases and also prevented him from acquiring certain resources. Still, he's not short on personnel. There are a lot of people unhappy with the major shinobi nations and a lot of poor people being abused by those in power they can't escape. It's no wonder Orochimaru is so attractive to someone weak and desperate for the power to fight back against their abusers.
We also know he is on the move again, looking for Sasuke. The time to change bodies is fast approaching. That meant Sasuke wouldn't be safe in Konoha until after August, since that was when Orochimaru had taken his current body the first time. That is one of the reasons, after all, why you are far from Konoha."
Seina had to stop reading the letter, sighing as she realized she'd been a bit naive. It wasn't just Danzo they had to worry about, it was also that bastard Orochimaru. She'd completely forgotten he would be waiting for the right moment to take Sasuke once his old body started to rot. Just thinking about it made her blood boil, so she decided to talk to her team and to Itachi.
"Thanks to Kakashi, I remembered something," she began once she had them all gathered one night inside the tent. "Orochimaru must have only a few months left with his current body."
Sasuke blinked in surprise.
"I forgot about that."
"You mean the teme is in danger again?"
"His window to take over Sasuke's body ends in August, so I imagine the closer that date gets, the more desperate he'll be to find him."
Jiraiya frowned at the thought. Itachi said nothing, but she noticed from the corner of her eye how he deactivated his sharingan, which had activated without him realizing it likely out of anger. He'd been using the sharingan constantly for so long that she wasn't surprised any strong emotion could trigger it involuntarily.
"Good call. As summer approaches, you should return to Uzushiogakure. There's no place safer in the world right now."
"We'll be alert for any attacks," Itachi assured. Who he was saying it to, she didn't know.
They kept moving through the Land of Fire, following Jiraiya from a distance so he could work alone, while they trained behind multiple fuinjutsu and magical barriers. Until the expected day came. Kisame received another letter.
"The Mizukage has sent me coordinates in the Land of the Sea to meet with her."
"..."
Silence fell as they all processed what he had just said. Sasuke and Naruto didn't care much, considering Kisame hardly trained or interacted with them. But for Itachi, it meant losing a companion and friend who had loyally followed him for years. Seina glanced at him, seeing how he blinked slowly with a neutral expression. Since he didn't seem like he wanted to speak, she spoke for him.
"When's the meeting date?" she asked, assuming he would go.
"In two weeks."
That meant early February. It had taken less time than expected to meet with people from his village. Still, part of her would miss him.
"What will you do if it's a trap?" Itachi asked. "They could try to kill you."
"I've thought about that. But to learn the truth, I have to talk to them."
"I could give you a portkey in case you need to escape," she offered.
Kisame nodded, but nothing more was said. That same night, after Naruto and Sasuke had gone to sleep, Seina went out to find Kisame to talk to him. Surprisingly, Itachi had beaten her to it. She found them both sitting on a log near a stream. They looked up when they sensed her presence, but didn't send her away. She conjured a soft puff cushion in front of them to sit face-to-face.
"I knew you'd show up," Kisame smiled, calmer than usual. "I've been thinking about the portkey, and I'll take you up on that offer. If worst comes to worst, I can escape and forget about Kiri."
"With Seina's powers, if she agrees to help, you could change your appearance and pretend to be a civilian," Itachi said. "You could request residency in Konoha, and no one would suspect a thing."
"He's right. Only we would know who you are and where you are. Yes, you'd stop being a shinobi, but you could live the rest of your life in peace."
Kisame stared into the river, lost in thought. Itachi and Seina let him think in silence, watching the stars and the full moon.
"Well. At least I know I have more options than just going back to Kiri or being a lifelong exile. I wouldn't like having to watch my back from both Akatsuki and my village's hunter-nin until the day I die."
Suddenly, before she could open her mouth to answer Kisame, her enchanted ears picked up the presence of someone entering her 30-meter range. She slowly sat up on her puff seat, realizing that they were outside the protective barriers. It was the first time in many months that she had heard someone approaching the camp area. Normally, no one bothered them because they were hidden behind barriers and because they chose deep terrain where no civilian dared to go.
She stood up, grabbing the puff so she wouldn't leave it behind, and sat down very close to a slightly surprised Itachi.
"Someone is spying on us," she whispered, using Itachi's posture to prevent anyone from reading her lips.
"Let's go."
Seina nodded. She grabbed Kisame's arm and wrapped her other arm around Itachi. A second later, they vanished. They landed in front of the tent door. Kisame and Itachi stood up without much trouble.
"What happened?" Kisame asked, confused.
"There was someone else there."
"You heard them?" asked the ever-perceptive Itachi.
"Yes. The strange thing is, they didn't come any closer."
Seina frowned, realizing they had stopped exactly within her hearing range. One step further and she wouldn't have heard them. Her skin prickled at the thought that maybe it had been intentional. What the hell...? Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances but said nothing. Could someone have done that on purpose? If so, how did they know her range? How did they know she could hear from that distance? Before going into the tent, she set up a few stronger barriers, though she knew they likely wouldn't help her sleep that night.
Itachi's hand on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts.
"Let's go. We should get some rest."
"Now I don't know if I'll be able to sleep," she admitted with a dry laugh.
"I won't let anything happen to you," he said, with a serene voice and total conviction.
Seina shook her head at his words but trusted him. Itachi wasn't a fool. He had likely come to the same conclusion she had. Still, the fact that he tried to comfort her was sweet. She leaned down on her heels and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Itachi."
She kept thinking about what had happened, but since she had no further leads, she let it go for now. Still, she told Jiraiya and the others so they wouldn't leave the barriers alone, and they moved in a different direction, far from that place.
"You all have a lot of enemies," the perverted sage told them. "It could be anyone."
He wasn't wrong.
When the time came for Kisame's meeting, he said goodbye to everyone in advance. He didn't know if he would return, but it was a real possibility. He smacked Naruto on the head, ruffled Sasuke's hair, gave Jiraiya a warning look, and then caught Itachi off guard with a strong hug.
"Take care of these idiots," he said, as if they couldn't hear him.
Then, he turned to her.
"Come. I need to tell you a couple of things before I go."
They walked until they left the others behind, still within the protective range. Kisame turned to face her.
"In case I don't come back, I just wanted to tell you this: even if you're not from Kiri, you're still my apprentice, and you've already surpassed several of my brothers with your kenjutsu. Keep training and prove your worth as the first swordmaster of Konoha."
Seina nodded, bowing before he left. The days passed, and by mid-February, with no news of Kisame, she knew he wasn't coming back. Itachi, contrary to what she might have expected, didn't distance himself. He seemed to have made peace with Kisame's departure. Maybe because everyone knew it was inevitable. Without Yagura, Kisame had no reason not to go back, especially after turning his back on Akatsuki.
"Time passes and circumstances change," Jiraiya told her. She nodded. "I'm sure you'll see him again one day. Especially if Konoha finalizes our alliance with Kiri."
"You think that's possible?" Naruto asked, intrigued.
"It should be. Both sides want this alliance, and if they join forces, the Fire, Wind, and Water countries would control the southern half of the continent."
"Huh. You're right."
"All the more reason for others to try and stop it."
"That's also true..." Jiraiya sighed at Sasuke's words.
Everyone knew he was talking about Kumo, the biggest enemy of Konoha and the country least interested in seeing the Fire Country with allies in the south and west. Thinking about alliances reminded her of something she had overlooked and had promised to take care of. She had to prepare Naruto to take over leadership of the Uzumaki clan. If nothing stopped it, she would eventually marry Kakashi and take his name. She had no other option, considering he was the last of his clan, and if they married, his bloodline would need to continue.
That meant she would become Seina Hatake, and her brother would, by default, become the leader of the Uzumaki clan. There was also the Namikaze clan, of which they were heirs, but it was a minor clan from the Wind Country with no other members besides them. Since they couldn't live in Suna unless they accepted a transfer, it meant that with their generation's death, the Namikaze clan would officially go extinct, if Suna's council hadn't already considered it so. She didn't like it, but that was reality. Naruto wouldn't agree to move to Suna if he wanted to be Hokage, and she wouldn't either, considering she wanted to marry the leader of a Konoha clan.
Until now, she hadn't had to attend any ninja council meetings due to her age. Her seat had been temporarily deactivated until she turned 16. Now she was 15, and they would likely return to Konoha right around her birthday. Which meant that as soon as there was a meeting, she'd have to sit on that damned council, at least until she married and her brother took over. Since she didn't know when that would happen, it was better to start preparing Naruto now.
"Itachi," she called one mild afternoon in February. "Are you teaching Sasuke what he needs to lead your clan, or does he already know?"
"I spoke to him months ago. As far as I know, he's been reading the documents ever since he realized his position. Why? Planning to talk to Naruto?"
"Yes. He's my heir, so he should know what to do if I'm ever indisposed."
"Makes sense."
That's how she called Naruto to her room one afternoon. Her brother entered, his hair still damp from the shower and wearing pyjamas.
"What's up?"
"Sit down, Naru. We need to talk."
"Should I be worried?" he asked, half curious, half amused, half serious.
"I'm going to teach you everything you need to know to be a clan leader before we return to Konoha."
"What? Why? You're the eldest," Naruto frowned.
"But you're my heir. If I die or marry someone who requires me to change my surname, what do you think would happen?"
"...I'd become the leader," he sighed.
"Exactly. My heir can't be clueless about clan politics. I should've told you sooner, but it slipped my mind. Luckily, I have everything you need to start learning."
Naruto groaned in frustration when he realized she was right and that he'd have to study politics. Seina smacked him on the head and handed him the necessary scrolls to begin.
"Use your clones if you want. When you finish, I'll quiz you so no slacking off," she warned.
"Hai, hai..."
Her brother took all the documents with him. Naruto listened and used his clones to study the scrolls, saving himself from reading them manually. Still, he couldn't escape being thoroughly questioned by her two weeks later while Sasuke smirked with amusement. There was a lot to learn: from economics, contracts, alliances, and business to protocols that changed depending on the situation...
"So, according to all this" he gestured at the mountain of scrolls "what about your alliance with the Nara?"
"It's an alliance with me, not the clan. If I marry into another clan, the alliance would stay with me or, if renegotiated, with my new clan."
"I see," he frowned. "And the businesses? The Uzumaki clan doesn't have any, right?"
"Right. We don't have any active or passive income, unlike the Uchiha clan, for example. We should think about what to do when we return to Konoha. If we don't have any kind of business, what can we offer other clans to form alliances with us?"
"Yeah..."
Naruto frowned again. He was starting to understand why he needed to know all this. After all, everything was connected.
"The Uchiha clan will negotiate an alliance with the Uzumaki clan," Sasuke said suddenly. "When we return, we can make it official, but we can talk about it now."
"Alright. What are you offering us?"
Seina and Sasuke, with Naruto quietly listening and Itachi present, negotiated an alliance. They agreed to protect each other, vote in favour of each other's interests in the ninja council, safeguard both clans' secrets, and provide shelter in each other's properties. From the Uchiha clan, they'd receive free weaponry from the Uchiha armament stores, though currently, there was only one in Sora-ku, Nekobaa's shop. From the Uzumaki clan, they'd accept fuinjutsu commissions from the Uchiha clan, including barriers, weapons, and other items. Both parties also agreed on a clause to renegotiate the terms if the situation of either clan changed.
"It doesn't make sense to offer fuinjutsu if no one in our clan is a sealing expert," Seina said.
"What about your abilities?" Naruto asked. "Couldn't they be part of the alliance?"
"My abilities aren't shared with other Uzumaki, unless it's my future children and only if they happen to inherit them."
"There's no point in talking about Seina's kekkei genkai when we don't even know who she'll marry," Itachi explained. "If it's a civilian, Seina would remain the clan head. But if it's, for example, one of your friends, an only child and heir to his clan..."
"I get it. Seina's kekkei genkai would become part of another clan."
"Exactly."
"Still, I'd like the Uzumaki clan to start some kind of business. Something sustainable. To increase our funds and offer something to other clans."
"What kind of business are we talking about?"
"That's what we have to figure out."
They sat in silence, meditating on what they could do that other clans weren't already doing. The Yamanakas had plenty of land with flower plantations, the Naras had their secret medicines and deer materials, while the Akimichi owned several restaurants in Konoha. The Inuzuka ran veterinary clinics, the Hyuga had their dojos, and the Aburame produced silk from their worm farms. Then, a brilliant idea struck her.
"I've got it" she grinned from ear to ear. "What is something the other clans don't manufacture, grow, or produce?"
"A lot of things" said Sasuke immediately.
"Yeah, yeah" she rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about a vital need. Something we could use to trade with Konoha and build alliances with all the clans."
...
They thought for a few minutes, racking their brains, until Itachi spoke.
"Food."
"Exactly!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "And what's the only thing the Uzumaki own entirely? The Land of Whirlpools. And that's more than enough! We have space to grow all kinds of crops and raise different types of livestock. And not just that, we have a rebuilt city where people can begin to settle, and we can earn money quickly through rent."
"Considering the island's protections" said Itachi thoughtfully, "Konoha would be extremely interested in turning Uzushiogakure into the Fire Country's granary. Even if our mainland crops were attacked, we'd still have a guaranteed food supply during wartime."
Sasuke and Naruto stared at her in astonishment, while Itachi, wearing a calculating expression, was clearly contemplating the idea.
"B-but… that would require a massive amount of people! And more clan members to make sure everything runs smoothly!"
"That's where alliances come in, Naru. We could offer free housing to civilians from various clans in exchange for managing our crops and livestock for, say, three years. Obviously, there's a lot more to consider, but luckily, we've got our clones. We could start planting the first crops ourselves. In fact, planting season is just around the corner."
"You could even pay for D-rank missions occasionally so that genin could check that everything's running smoothly" Sasuke said aloud, thinking.
They spent the whole afternoon planning and brainstorming everything they'd need to do. Both Naruto and she had saved a lot of money from their missions since they didn't spend on bills or rent, so they'd contribute an equal share to buy what they needed to kick off the project. In return, even if she got married and left the clan, her new clan would receive a proportional share of the business, something that would be formalized with an alliance. Sasuke and Itachi, the last two remaining Uchiha who had lost practically all of their clan's former businesses, offered to contribute a third of the funds in exchange for a third of the profits.
"This way, even if the profit is smaller because it's split, we'll also have more help organizing and managing everything" Seina told her brother Naruto.
"Sounds good to me. When do we start buying seeds?" Naruto asked with a grin, rolling up his sleeves.
"As soon as Jiraiya gets here."