Shirokumo climbs up my body and rests on my head. "Only if I can stay here while you do it."
"I can live with that." I walk to the desk and pull out paper and pen.
...
I whip up a quick letter to Tsunade saying I'm okay, Sasuke is okay, we're as safe as possible while living with Orochimaru and there is no need to worry. I also explain that Shirokumo is my summon and he'll be our messenger, so don't be surprised if you randomly find him around. I take the time to write out a letter just to Kakashi explaining everything to him. I don't doubt he's blaming himself for Sasuke and my defection.
I get it all done within ten minutes. I'll get the truly important information to her later. Things like Orochimaru's shinobi forces, base locations, details on what his elite can do and who they are.
"Shirokumo I have the letter ready." He hops off my head to the desk and picks up the letter and secures it to his back with webbing. "It would be best if only Tsunade saw you, I'm not supposed to be contacting her. Best not to mention it to anyone really."
"Don't be seen and don't tell anyone. Got it. Anything else you need?" He looks disapprovingly at my bed. "Better sheets perhaps?"
I raise an eyebrow in surprise. "You can make better sheets than these?" The sheets are already a very high quality, Orochimaru didn't spare any expense on them.
"Me? No, but we have many weavers back at the Nest. They would love to make things for you, they rarely get to use their skills for someone important to us. They mainly make the clothes for other summon creatures." Shirokumo informs me.
"Hold up." I get down to his eye level. "You're telling me that I have high quality garments on demand whenever I need them?"
"Pretty much yeah." Shirokumo replies. "The weavers can make just about anything. Our silks are better in every way to those of this realm. Sheets, shirts, pants, you name it they can make it. Want to place an order for anything? I can pass it along when I go back to the Nest."
This is a dream come true. My shirt problem is fixed! I don't need to worry about shredding shirts by using the Jiongu anymore! "Better do a whole wardrobe. The people here have the worst fashion sense ever. Stick with blacks as the main color choice. Add in some dark blues, maybe even a few greens too. Oh, and a sandy yellow in case I go to the Land of Wind. How long will that take?"
"Since you want a whole wardrobe, that's at least eight sets of everything, it'll take a couple hours." Shirokumo informs me.
"Damn. That is crazy fast. Could you bring them by next time I summon you? I'll probably get around to doing that tomorrow."
He does a spider shrug. "Whatever works for you. Fair warning, the weavers might go a bit overboard. They don't get to practice their craft as much as they would like to, and even then it is rarely for one of our own."
"Wonderful! I go through shirts like crazy, tell them to focus on them." This is very convenient! "Now, could you go to Tsunade for me? That letter is two months late."
Shirokumo waves one of his legs at me. "I'll get going. See ya tomorrow Al!"
POOF
He's gone. I hope Tsunade doesn't accidentally smash him, he seems like a nice guy. He even gave me a nickname!
...
Hokage's Office
Tsunade is sitting at her desk working on the final piece of paperwork for today. She's almost done.
POOF
"Hey, you Tsunade?" Shirokumo asks her.
SLAM
Tsunade stomps down viciously at Shirokumo. "That's it! I'm officially crazy! The paperwork has driven me insane! I'm seeing giant talking spiders!"
SLAM
"OI! Lady stop trying to squish me!" Shirokumo dodges out of the way of Tsunade's furious stomps.
"Hold! Still! DAMMIT!" Tsunade is chasing Shirokumo all around the room, hell bent on smearing his guts on the floor.
Shirokumo pulls the letter off of his back and holds it up as a peace offering. "Alvarcus sent me!"
Tsunade pauses in her rage fueled stomp fest. "Alvarcus?"
"Yeah him. Male, young, pale skin, black hair, badass looking scar on his neck, has a strange fixation on sunglasses no matter how dark it is. That Alvarcus. I'm his summon." Shirokumo wiggles the letter. "This is for you."
"Oh. I... uh... Sorry about the stomping?" Tsunade weakly says. Its more of a question than an apology. She bends over and takes the letter. "Could you give him a message for me? Tell him to be in touch sooner this time. Two months! How irresponsible, it was his stupid idea to play spy in the first place. I have half a mind to make him stay a missing nin even if he wants to come back! Making me worry like that."
"I'll be going now." Shirokumo says. "You're obviously crazy. BUSY! I said busy. Uh... bye?"
POOF
Shirokumo flees in a cloud of smoke, leaving Tsunade is alone in her office again. "I was done with all the paperwork too. Alvarcus, you have the worst timing." She opens the letter and quickly reads through it.
Lady with the Hat,
I'm alive! Crazy right? I thought for sure the Traitor would have killed me by now. Anyways that is unimportant. Obviously you've met our messenger if you're reading this letter, he'll be running communications between us. Do try to not squish him, he does grow on you. Like a fungus. I figure for secrecy I'll refer to everyone by a code name. Yours is obvious, you know which traitor I'm referring to, I'm Spider (it is fitting isn't it?) and the other wayward leaf is Snake. Yes, snakes are to him as spiders are to me. Anyways, I should be going now. I would hate to be caught.
I've added in a letter just for my sensei. Can you get it to him for me? I'm pretty sure he's blaming himself, I hope it will clear things up for him. There is nothing sensitive in it, it is pretty much "Quit blaming yourself! I chose this."
Spider
"SHIZUNE!" Tsunade thunders out.
Shizune bursts into the office. "Tsunade! What's wrong? What do you need?" Worry is etched on her face.
"Fetch Kakashi, he should be in the village. Tell him it is an emergency, I need him specifically. That'll get him here without any fuss."
Shizune sighs, "Okay. I'll be back in an hour or three. You know how he is." Shizune leaves the office.
In a surprising half hour she returns with Kakashi in tow. He's ragged and worn, his clothes are unkempt and his jonin vest has seen better weeks. There's three different kinds of stains, one is obviously alcohol, one is dried blood and no one is really sure what the other is. He's been throwing himself in mission after mission. Even his naturally vertical hair is drooping down in defeat. He took Alvarcus and Sasuke leaving harder than anyone else.
"Hokage-sama? You summoned me? Is there another mission you need done?" Kakashi asks.
Tsunade dons a very serious face. "What I am about to say is an S-class secret. If this gets out, one of Konoha's most loyal shinobi will die a very painful and agonizing death at the hands of one of our worst enemies. If you can't keep this quiet, then walk out the door now."
Kakashi steels himself. "I will take it to my grave."
Tsunade casually tosses the letter to him. "Alvarcus says hello from Otogakure."
...
"Hokage-sama? You summoned me? Is there another mission you need done?" Kakashi asks.
Tsunade dons a very serious face. "What I am about to say is an S-class secret. If this gets out, one of Konoha's most loyal shinobi will die a very painful and agonizing death at the hands of one of our worst enemies. If you can't keep this quiet, then walk out the door now."
Kakashi steels himself. "I will take it to my grave."
Tsunade casually tosses the letter to him. "Alvarcus says hello from Otogakure."
Out of pure reflex Kakashi catches the airborne letter. "... Come again?"
Tsunade slowly repeats herself as if she's talking to a child, "Alvarcus says hello from Otogakure."
"You mean... he's... I don't understand?" Kakashi looks like a lost puppy. If you ignore the various stains he has on him. His head is ping ponging from the letter to Tsunade.
"Just read the damn letter!" Tsunade orders in mild anger. "Now scram! I've got more important things to do than walk you through this. You're a jonin, act like it."
"Of course, Hokage-sama." With a halfassed bow Kakashi leaves.
...
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