Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.
Strength. Endurance. Ruthlessness. Sacrifice. Victory. This is what the shinobi of Sunagakure are made of. They are built to endure in times of war and in times of peace. To achieve victory by any means, by any sacrifice. Even their lives.
The families of Sunagakure took advantage of the surrounding desert, gaining natural advantage over foreign countries and their shinobi. The values the Shodai Kazekage instilled upon the shinobi of the village remain today the barrier between peace and destruction of Sunagakure, much like the sand it's named for.
'There is strength in the sand, for each grain has the same ambition,' the Sandaime's voice rang out, strong and clear. 'This is something you will all learn as you are constructed into this village's shield. Made into its weapon. Your graduation symbolizes a new layer to this great village's defense.'
Six young shinobi stood tall as the Sandaime Kazekage handed each of them their hitai-ate, signifying them as genin of Sunagakure.
One, with hair of bright red and a vacant space left in his brown eyes. The grandson of a legendary kunoichi and a genius among puppeteers.
Another, with the five qualities that create the perfect Sunagakure shinobi in abundance. The son of nobody but the sand and the wood by which his two new companions, and himself, manipulate in the name of Sunagakure.
And a third, with purple war-paint streaking down from her mouth and eyes. The descendent of the creator of the Puppet Jutsu technique and a visionary puppet-crafter, even at her young age.
And these three would go on to join the Kugutsu Butai no Sunagakure, and make a name for themselves as the Sabaku no Sankugutsutsukai.
While one would leave the village, and the other die in the name of it, Chikamatsu Aruna, the third, the last, remained one of the pillars of strength, endurance, ruthlessness, sacrifice, and victory that held up Sunagakure.
The halls of the Kazekage's office building were quiet, the stucco structure mostly subduing the already soft steps of a shinobi. The office was empty, most of the men leaving to return home, or gone on missions. The subtle footsteps of a woman were accompanied by the gentle whirring from her wooden companion, both stopping once reaching their destination.
Knock! Knock!
'Enter,' The Kazekage's voice was muffled from behind the door, but loud enough to be understood.
'Kazekage-sama,' Chikamatsu Aruna greeted respectfully, walking in. 'I have the reports you require.'
'Thank you, Aruna-kun,' Rasa murmured, not looking up from his paperwork. 'Please leave them on my desk. I have something I need of you before you retire home for the night.'
'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'
'As my advisor, and body-guard, I would like your view of these…Rumors, Aruna-kun.'
Just from the Kazekage's body language, Aruna wasn't fooled by his blank facial expression. She had worked for Rasa for 13 years, and 2 years before that under the Sandaime. The one thing all military leaders had in common was their façade.
'Permission to sit, Kazekage-sama?'
'Granted,' he replied, sitting back in his chair. Aruna rounded the chair, sitting quickly and crossing her left leg over her right. The office was horribly lit, with walls that matched the floor and a ceiling that was almost too low for comfort. The windows that were positioned behind Rasa were half shuttered, showing the village shadowed by the setting sun.
'Ever since the Daimyō began to outsource jobs to Konohagakure, the more radical Anti-Kazekage groups have been begun to be increasingly vocal. The people of the village can no longer ignore it,' Aruna declared frankly, resting her head on her hand as she continued making eye contact with her Kazekage. 'I got…egged last week.'
'…Egg-ed?'
'Yes. And earlier this week, the group that calls themselves "Sabaku no Kakumei" has begun stuffing petitions under the doors of the residents of West Suna. They call for an impeachment of you, Kazekage-sama.'
'I see…' Rasa uttered, situating his intertwined fingers against his mouth. The office was quiet. 'It's as I feared. These radical groups are beginning to make the general public uneasy. It's only a matter of time before the vandalism and protest reaches dangerous levels.'
'Is this all you needed, Kazekage-sama?'
'Yes. Thank you for your service today, Aruna-kun.'
'Of course, Kazekage-sama,' Aruna bowed, touched by the thanks given. 'I will ensure your safety and help put these groups out of commission, sir. That you can count on.'
'I have no doubt…' Rasa responded gently, his face softening for the first time that night. 'Aruna-kun, forgive me, but one last thing…'
'Yes?'
'How is…Kankurō's training?'
Aruna smiled, thinking of her apprentice. She had been teaching Rasa's middle child the art of puppetry for the last 9 years, taking him on as her protégé.
'He is already proficient enough to use two puppets at once, with perfect control. He has done some…interesting modifications to Karasu. I have no doubt he could make it to chūnin status this year,' Aruna set her hand on her cocked hip, raising one eyebrow, 'However, he's a pest and I can't wait to give him double the drills tomorrow, if you don't mind me saying so, Kazekage-sama.'
'You would know best,' Rasa waved his hand, swiveling around to watch the last of the sun disappear behind Suna. 'That will be all.'
'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'
Chikamatsu Aruna had been working in the name of Sunagakure for 25 years, 15 of them serving directly under the Kazekage. Sunagakure had a population of 12,408, with 4,950 of them being shinobi. Aruna numbered one of the 186 Jōnin the village had in its arsenal, though each year, more chūnin were promoted to further the might of their military force.
As advisor and main body-guard to the Yondaime Kazekage, as well as ANBU director, Aruna was a recognized face in Suna, so much so, many villagers treated her with great respect and reverence. After years of serving in the Kugutsu Butai, her prowess in puppet-craft was close to legendary, rivaled by only one person: Akasuna no Sasori.
However, Aruna loathed to focus too strongly on the past.
'Chikamatsu-san, do you have anything to add?'
Aruna looked up from the mission report she held in her hands. The layers of paint surrounding her eyes did only so much to hide how tired she was, and she hadn't been listening to the conversation. She eyed the two chūnin before her, who were meant to tail her all day. It was part of their internship as future ambassadors for Suna, or something. Aruna did not remember.
When do I ever have anything to add? Aruna didn't reply, instead looking back to her report so she could quickly file it and get on with her day. Personally, she thought chūnin were fairly old to start internships, but they looked young, most likely advanced through the ranks quickly because of family background or even bloodline limits, if Aruna recognized one of them correctly.
'Chikamatsu-san?' She looked back up. 'What is it like working with the Kazekage so closely?' Aruna didn't like these sort of questions; they always read a little suspicious.
'What is it you actually want to know?' she asked instead. The younger of the two blinked owlishly.
'W-What do you mean?'
'Why do you wish to hear about how it is? Working with the Kazekage,' she said bluntly. 'Don't make me repeat myself again, this is not a learning experience for me, it is for you. You cannot beat around the bush when seeking information you need, no matter the circumstance. As a shinobi, you take the information you need, you do not wait around to see if you might get it. Jot that down,' she said, pointing to their notebooks.
'Chikamatsu-san, would you say it's more dangerous working directly below the Kazekage?'
'It can be. If Kazekage-sama is being targeted, then I am being targeted. If he is in danger, I am in danger,' Aruna filed away the last mission report and stood, turning to the only walking companion she could stand. 'Oni, what time is it?'
The two chūnin leaned forward eagerly, failing to seem uninterested. Aruna watched as her partner pulled itself up, it's long, wooden arms snaking forwards to grab hold of the desk. It straightened its large straw hat and gave a snarky salute. 'It's half past 0900,' Oni rasped, eliciting gasps of awe from the two chūnin.
Aruna turned to her shadows, looking them both in the eye. She didn't like them very much, but she figured that didn't matter much. 'Listen up,' she said, watching them straighten their backs. She nodded approvingly before continuing, 'I want you two to report back here at 1400, not a minute past. In the meantime, I implore you to practice acting like you're actually chūnin, and not the 14 year olds you are. Dismissed.'
'I'm 15—!'
'I said dismissed,' she interrupted, annoyed at the outburst. The young shinobi hurried away, accidently knocking into each other when they went through the door.
'I always admire how rude you are to young people,' Oni voiced, shaking out its limbs. 'Would you wind me up? I'm stiff.' Instead of arguing, Aruna stepped forward, bending low in order to reach the winding key. Feeling her chakra pool to her hands, she gave the key three strong winds.
'There. Now let's go.'
'Ah, rude to all. You see, that's what you humans call dedication,' Oni supplied, falling in step with Aruna. 'To be consistently rude; it's talent, I'm sure.'
'It puzzles me to this day who you gained such a mouth from, Oni,' Aruna grumbled, hiding the smile her partner's sass extracted from her.
Oni hummed, not giving her an answer. Aruna had come into the, for lack of a better term, possession of Oni when she was 18, and since then, the sentient puppet had become a valued friend and partner to her. Many questioned the origin of Oni, due to the fact that no other puppet in the history of Sunagakure had gained sentience. However, the Sandaime, before his disappearance, had outlawed the answer, creating a gag rule. The only ones who knew were Aruna, Oni, the Yondaime and Chiyo-baasama.
Aruna and Oni continued down the hall of the Kazekage's office, discussing in low voices how awful the dry season was on the joints of old puppet models. The walk to the training facility was short, even shorter for a shinobi. Sunagakure was split into eight divisions. These eight were divided into four districts; West Suna, East Suna, North Suna, and South Suna. West Suna was a residential area, home to the civilian population at large. South Suna was help all of Suna's marketplaces and businesses, as well as the (admittedly few in number) inns and lodging for visitors of Suna. North Suna was more residential area mixed with businesses and held the main Hospital and a lot of Suna's medicinal gardens. East Suna was shinobi territory.
East Suna was avoided at large by the civilian population, but that did not mean it was roped off from the public. Aruna and Oni passed a small group of boys, fake hitai-ate falling over their eyes and making them bump into each other. The boys stopped to stare as they passed by, one boy looking at Aruna with admiration in his eyes, while another grinned excitedly as Oni, the ham, tipped it's hat to them. Aruna gave them a small nod of acknowledgment but did not stop. They arrived at the training facility reserved for the Kazekage's family right on time, Oni not missing the opportunity to poke fun at Aruna's inhuman punctuality. Aruna believed being early was acceptable at best, and being late was deplorable, period. Years as a shinobi had wired Aruna to do as she was told to a T, a habit she had secretly been trying to break. But being punctual was a personal preference.
Aruna turned, looking down at her watch. The small hand ticked, and Kankurō only had 37 more seconds before he was late. He appeared with 10 seconds to spare. Aruna's cloth mask covered her smiles, but her eyes were expressive enough to show Kankurō how pleased she was.
'Shishou,' Kankurō greeted. His face paint was different from when she had last seen it, but she decided quickly it suited him. Kankurō had started mimicking her own face paint at a young age, and if that wasn't enough to break through even her sourest moods, then the replica of her personal crest on the chest of his outfit was. Kankurō greeted Oni, who gave the young genin a lazy wave in response.
'Kankurō, I'm pleased at your punctuality, as usual. Before we begin, I'd like a status report of your partners.'
Aruna and Kankurō were the only puppeteers that referred to their puppets as partners, something many people had criticized Aruna for when she was younger. But after taking Kankurō on as her apprentice, she had impressed upon him that while puppets were tools, it took understanding your tool completely, inside and out, to improve and flourish as a puppet master. You needed to do the same with partners.
'I reattached Karasu's arm and it's all good now,' Kankurō answered dutifully, before adopting a more mischievous look, 'and I did a few other things to it, too.'
Aruna crossed her arms, not supplying an answer to the second part of his reply, but nodding. 'Good. Be prepared for it to break again: you're doing double drills today.'
'What!? Shishou, I said sorry yesterday, and you accepted it!'
'Yes, I did accept it. And after your drills, I will forgive it.'
'Better just listen to her, Kurō-kun. She means business,' Oni supplied from her left. Kankurō's cocky smirk had fled Suna entirely, leaving him with a devastated look on his face. He looked back up at Aruna, a clear pout and wide eyes. Aruna promised herself that face would never work on her again.
'If you impress me, the drills will be shortened,' she said quietly, wondering when she allowed herself to be twisted around this little punk's finger.
Kankurō nodded, obviously relieved his mentor wouldn't put him through the wringer.
She did. Halfway through she decided double drills would benefit him more. Kankurō kept his whining to himself, lest she decide to make it routine.
Man, I'm never going to prank Shishou again, was all he thought as he withdrew his partners once again.
Perhaps it was the pride for her village, which had blossomed in her chest at birth. Or maybe, the code which all shinobi, from any village, live by. Whatever it was, Aruna would not admit to any outsider just how much Sunagakure was suffering.
She saw it on the Kazekage's face each morning, each time she brought in a new report. She saw it in the markets, when vendors closed early because they were out of things to sell. It was painful to see the civilians scrape together whatever they could, and even more painful to see the encroaching homeless problem, only temporarily solved by housing them in the Shinobi District of East Suna until they can pick themselves back up. They rarely ever can. The jōnins are old, and shinobi should never be old. It was both a blessing and a shame to live that long, even more so because of how few missions they had in comparison to most Hidden Villages.
Aruna and Baki were two of the youngest jōnin, as well as two of the strongest. Aruna got along well with Kankurō's sensei, more of a formality than practicality in the case of the Kazekage's children. But even Aruna and Baki, 32 and 30 respectively, were close to being considered old themselves. A shinobi's life expectancy was short, which is supposed to be made up by their replicability. But in Sunagakure, their military power was halved due to the size. So, what Suna didn't have in numbers, they had in strength. They had individual power. Because each grain of sand was important. That's what the Sandaime had believed.
But blood made sand clump.
Aruna didn't agree with it. She had followed Rasa for more than a decade. She resented anyone who told her she did anything blindly, but in a way, that's what she had done. Follow blindly. But it was worse when you followed someone you didn't agree with. Aruna wished she had stayed blind, only had to worry about the Kazekage's body, and not what may happen to Suna.
The Sannin were famous everywhere. It didn't matter if you hailed from Takigakure, Kirigakure or some insignificant village in the middle of nowhere. One was a sage. One was a legendary healer. One was a S-Class missing-nin.
Aruna would have rather dealt with the Slug Princess.
'Kazekage-sama, permission to speak freely?' she murmured as soon as the man left. Rasa eyed Aruna for a second, a stern, impenetrable look on his face.
'Granted.'
'Konohagakure may not be our closest ally, but without the truce between us, Suna may not—'
'You are not usually this long-winded, Aruna. Tell me your point.' Aruna narrowed her eyes, trying not to show her dissatisfaction with her Kazekage's lack of patience in the face of her questioning. Call her a rebel, but absolute power wasn't a good thing.
'I do not believe it wise to trust Orochimaru. I fear Suna will suffer greatly.'
'I see.' Rasa did not speak for a long while, and Aruna wondered if he was considering what she had said at all. 'As my advisor, I…value your insight. Leave me to my thoughts, Aruna.'
'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'
He didn't listen. The Suna Council had agreed. No more outsourcing missions, no more selling gold dust just to keep Sunagakure floating. Otogakure was lending man power, and promising a better future for Suna after the hit to Konoha. The Ichibi's jinchūriki was to be the centerpiece of their invasion on Konoha. Kankurō's little brother.
'Shishou, Baki is going to put us in the Chūnin Exams,' Aruna could see Kankurō was trying to hold back his excitement, trying to play it down. Aruna had assured Kankurō a number of times he was ready for chūnin status, had practically bragged to many of her colleagues about his brilliance as a puppeteer and shinobi.
Aruna would not be the one to break the news to Kankurō that their stint to Konoha was not to get promoted. She left that to Baki, who had taught the three siblings since they were young. Baki, who was wholly behind the plan. She didn't know what Temari thought, the teenage girl had never come to Aruna for anything other than her brother's whereabouts, and even then, conversation was stilted. The Kazekage had long stopped referring to his youngest as such, which left him out of Aruna's sphere of attention. But some nights, after a particularly rough night, Aruna thought of the small red-haired child with a beast in his belly and wondered if she could ever have been his Shishou.
Kankurō was easy to read. He did not seem to like the plan, even if he hid his opinion in the deep recesses of his mind. Even if he smirked and agreed readily to do his part. Because even though he wasn't hers through blood, Aruna felt undisputable devotion to Kankurō, a fierce protectiveness welling up within her.
So yes, she would follow Rasa into this fight, protect him. If not for Sunagakure, then for Kankurō, to make sure he wasn't thrown into the fire that the Kazekage started.
Aruna had only been to Konoha seven times in her life. Each time hating the trek, and each time cursing the humidity. And she would never admit it, but beside the damp air and the stupid shinobi, she liked the look of Konoha. The trees were strong and tall, nothing like the bushes and shrubs of the desert.
The Sandaime Hokage was an old man, that played the grandfatherly part a little too strong for her tastes. Never in the history of the Hidden Villages had a Kage regained the hat, but if Aruna was being honest, that's because most Kage's never got the chance to "retire". The idiots all die before they get the chance. The Yondaime Hokage was someone Aruna had never seen in person, but his reputation was enough for her to respect him, even grudgingly.
Again, not something Aruna would admit readily.
Her trips to Konoha were always for the same thing. The Joint Chūnin Exams, or as a messenger for the Kazekage. Aruna had not taken part in a Chūnin Exam herself, having been field promoted at the age of 8. She thinks she would have liked an Exam instead.
As the official unofficial ambassador to Konoha, Aruna was expected to meet with the Hokage in the place of Rasa, since he could not leave the village for insignificant meetings.
So, it's up to Aruna to not tip everyone off as she meets with the Hokage to personally enter Sunagakure's chūnin candidates. Of course, Aruna would never; she was a professional and completely loyal to her village. Snitching on her Kazekage was not on her agenda. But it was strange, walking through a market place that could get razed by people she knew. Possibly by her. She disliked the idea of it purely because of how she would feel if it was her village. If Konoha and Otogakure (an alliance which realistically would never happen) brought Suna to its knees, she would be beside herself with hatred and anger.
But this wasn't her village. And she couldn't change her Kazekage's mind. So, she walked to the Hokage's tower, avoiding the eyes of the four immortalized heads of their leaders that watch over Konoha. And when she stands before Sarutobi Hiruzen, she knows he doesn't suspect Suna plans to take his life.
She enters the 10 teams from her village, she gives them the required registration papers that each genin had signed. Aruna doesn't even blink as she hands over Kankurō's.
'Chikamatsu-kun, thank you as always. I hope your return to Suna is just as safe.' The Hokage sounds genuine, but Aruna has met enough shinobi to know that anyone named the God of them would be just as good at lying, if not better.
'Thank you, Hokage-sama,' she replies, her bow never reaching lower than it would for her Kazekage.
It's all uniform and by the book and so painfully predictable. And so, she tricks herself into thinking this visit is just like all the others. Because shinobi lie, and she's a good shinobi.
Aruna saw Kankurō and his siblings off as they, and a few of the other teams from Suna, started their own journey to Konohagakure. Aruna flicks the feline ear of Kankurō's head scarf.
'Do not do anything stupid.'
'Me? Stupid? Please, Shishou.' He's cocky and naïve, but she sees the small flicker in his brow that tells her he knows what she means, and Aruna is reminded. Reminded of a small boy with brown hair that didn't have a bloodline, didn't have a tailed beast, and didn't have a lot chakra, but flourished under her teaching. Flourished despite the desert's best efforts.
'Baki,' she called out, privately pleased to see the apprehensive look on his face as he turns to her. 'You have permission to punish my protégé if he proves to be disruptive in Konohagakure. This mission is all about…cooperation between villages, after all,' Aruna jokes, but mostly it just comes off as a strange warning. Oni is the only one who laughs.
She stays by the gates, watching the genin disappear into the dunes.
Aruna distracts herself with work. Along with being advisor to the Kazekage, she is his ANBU director, and therefore is basically legally allowed to have her thumb in every pie in Sunagakure. That's how she ended up getting shoe-horned into actually doing her job; stopping the "Sabaku no Kakumei."
For almost more than half of her life, Aruna has been privy to the inner workings of not only ANBU, but Sunagakure itself. She had eyes and ears everywhere, painstakingly curated through services and benefits and loyalty. There were not many things that made it past Aruna's notice, besides the obvious civilian gossip that was of no value to her.
And if you ever saw Chikamatsu Aruna frequent a certain establishment in the Red Light District, well…no one thought it was any of their business what the busiest woman in Suna did with her free time.
Nakajima Kazushi had been a male entertainer for most of his adult life, if not all of it. He was confident in saying he was hard to surprise, even after all the things he had seen. But, when the Kazekage's right hand woman came to him the first time, he redacted that assertion. That first visit was the start of an arrangement between the two of them. Chikamatsu Aruna offered him protection and money in return for information he gathered from his clientele and his own connections around the Red Light District.
'Chikamatsu-san is here to visit, Kazushi,' his colleague would report, a lecherous, teasing grin adorning her face each and every time. He couldn't tell her it was purely business. Well, it was purely business already—just more so, now. He couldn't tell any of them that behind screen-doors, they kept nearly all their clothes on, only doing the bare minimum so as to not get caught. He'd get fired, lose his reputation as a valued and sought-after entertainer.
But each time Chikamatsu Aruna came to visit, there was a strange, bitter taste of irony in each encounter. He once said to her, 'This is rather dirty—what we're doing—isn't it?'
'Dirty?' it was the first smile he'd seen, but it was sardonic in nature and made his skin tingle. 'Sweetheart, everything you do is dirty.'
He resented that. She would come to find he was just as valuable, just as honorable as some high-ranking shinobi. And, through it all, after 6 years, they had come out the other end friends, and he awaited her visits with bated breath. Because, when he did hear interesting things from his other clients, he knew there was a reason she needed to know them—a good reason. So, even when it made him feel dirty, or used, or even untrustworthy, he felt proud. He knew she only did it for Sunagakure, for its people. He could not pardon his worse clients, not like some of his associates could. It felt good to be of some help.
Officially, it wasn't called a brothel. Oh, it certainly was a brothel, from the prostitutes inside to the flickering red light hanging from the awning. But sex makes people uncomfortable. So, officially, it's nothing but a special tea house.
When she walks in, the first thing she ever looks at is the people. The escorts and entertainers all wear fine clothing, infinitely more lavish and decorative than the average civilian of Suna. She watches them smile at her, and catches the occasional predatory edge, no doubt because of her status. Aruna notices the new workers first, then looks to the older women, and finally, whenever she visits, she goes to see the mother.
Wakumi-sama was once a kunoichi of Sunagakure, an expert at infiltration and subterfuge. The training facility no longer taught the same skills to kunoichi that they did when Wakumi became a kunoichi. By the age of 17, Wakumi held the record for the single most successful seduction and infiltration missions. After retiring, she took in women and men looking for work and taught them her skills, her ways. Not a single one of her employees had ever been taken advantage of without losing something in return—whether it be a certain part of the human anatomy or their life.
'Wakumi-sama,' she greeted, bowing shallowly.
'Aruna-chan…what a lovely surprise,' Wakumi gestured to a young woman, hardly out of her teens. The girl stood up immediately, running to get tea. Wakumi shook her head at the lack of poise. 'He's busy right now.'
'I'm a patient woman,' Aruna replied, unconcerned. Wakumi narrowed her eyes, studying the younger woman.
'So you are. Why does my Kazushi interest you so?'
Aruna respected Wakumi, respected her history and her age and her legacy. But one fact remained at the front of her mind. For all Wakumi could do or had done, she was old. She was plumper, having lived a relatively easy life after retirement. She was slower, her joints and muscles weakening with age and overuse. Despite Wakumi's skills and knowledge, Aruna was better. Not just anyone could get where she had gotten and stayed there for over a decade.
So, Aruna smiled, the only evidence of it the crinkling of her paint slathered eyes. When the young girl returned with tea, Aruna took a cup, but didn't take a sip. 'Can't a woman have her tastes,' was all she said before emptying the cup in one go. Only those who didn't know Aruna's skills intimately would ever attempt to poison her.
The two women were stuck like that, watching each other with veiled intent. It wasn't broken until Kazushi entered the main room, leaning against the doorway.
'Aruna-sama, I apologize for the wait,' he said, looking completely unapologetic. Aruna calmly stood up, giving another quick, shallow bow to Wakumi, before walking over to him.
She followed after him, silently taking in the uneven gait of her associate.
'Wakumi-sama has grown suspicious of me,' Aruna commented lightly, lowering her voice. Kazushi twitched, looking back at her.
'Yes, she has.'
'I'm sorry to put you in this position.'
'That's not usually what my clients say to me.' Aruna's quick cough hid any reaction to his joke. 'Right through here, Aruna-sama,' he said, louder than perhaps necessary.
The sex was clinical. Neither of them drew any immense pleasure or satisfaction from the action, but that had proven to be too suspicious. Aruna's reputation of a calm, quiet woman would have to change in order to keep this contact.
'He came in last night,' Kazushi reported, pouring her some more tea. 'He was tense, very touchy, and a bit rough. He mentioned two of his partners had left the movement. Oh, and apparently, I am now a member of the Sabaku no Kakumei,' he said that last part with mocking nonchalance.
'Congratulations, Kaz,' she said dryly, taking off her mask to drink her tea.
'I've been invited to the next meeting.'
'Will you be going?' the casual nature of the question was ruined by her serious expression.
'I haven't decided. Getting mixed up with them would cause more than just one problem for me,' he said, standing up to lock the door. 'But I can tell you where it is. They plan for their rallies to be in a warehouse, right at the cusp of East Suna.'
Aruna drew in a quick breath. 'They plan to meet right under the nose of Sunagakure's forces?'
'Apparently so.'
'They're even bolder than I assumed…' Aruna stood, removing her flak jacket and headdress. 'Let's begin; I have other places to be.'
Kazushi rolled his eyes, 'You really know how to arouse,' he muttered.
It had reached the point that it was no longer uncomfortable, because for all the strangeness their arrangement caused, they were both professionals.
'The girls don't believe you, you know,' he told her, undressing. 'They think you must be frigid since you make no noise. Or that I'm just that bad at my job.'
'Then I'll just have to pretend,' she replied, looking up at him.
'Think you can manage?'
'Shinobi are good liars,' Aruna breathed against his neck.
Getting eyes inside the Sabaku no Kakumei's rally wasn't hard. Nothing truly beat having contacts and connections in every district, but Aruna was not hailed as a genius for nothing.
Along with puppets like Oni, which relied on chakra-enriched gears and hydraulics to move on their own, Aruna was able to create wind up listening devices; ones that looked just like bugs and desert fauna. They were not effective in combat, but not every mission ended in fighting. Infiltration, sabotage, information gathering, all done by a puppet the size of a bean.
Unlike Oni, though, they were not fool-proof. Because of Oni's consciousness, it was able to react and devise and adapt to situations, to think and move. Aruna's "Bugs" could only scuttle until the chakra ran out. It was a work in progress.
'Zzzzzzz… The Kazekage has…Zzzzzzz…too long!' Aruna knocked her fist against the radio, rapidly adjusting the frequency to get clearer audio. Oni napped beside her, having no interest in her reconnaissance. 'For decades, the Kazekage Clan has flourished, protected by the warriors meant to protect us! Our Daimyo has left us due to their incompetence! Due to squabbles between grown men meant to be our leaders!'
Aruna snorted softly, resting her head on her palm, recording the speech by hand. These men truly don't realize the lengths many shinobi go for them, she mused.
'We do not have to stand for this any longer! In the words of the Shodai, "Never again will the people of sand sink"!'
Oni creaked, reaching forward to grab the table. 'Quoting a Kage at an Anti-Kazekage rally? Interesting, no?'
'I don't think the people there really care,' she commented back, listening to the fuzzy roar of applause absently.
'The Kazekage plans to…Zzzzzzz…But he will not succeed!' Aruna sat closer, eyebrows furrowing. 'The Honored Entourage leaves to Konohagakure for the finals of the Chūnin Exams, where he will land a hit against their Hokage…'
'How do they know about this?' Aruna nearly thundered, standing up so fast, the chair she had been sitting in fell backwards. 'MAKI!' she barked.
The door slammed open, Maki at full alert. She did not question Aruna, a fact that distantly pleased the older woman. 'Construct two squads. Riot gear. Rally located near the community training grounds. I need it dispersed immediately. Preferably yesterday.'
'Yes, ma'am!' Maki shunshin-ed briskly. Aruna turned to her partner, her face twisted in irritation.
'Oni, can I count on you to continue listening in while I deal with this?'
'Maa…I was going to go back to sleep,' Oni remarked, wrapping its long arms around itself. 'Yes, mother, I will play spy.'
Aruna didn't have time to argue about his tone. She made it to the Kazekage's office in three seconds flat. She had no idea how the Sabaku no Kakumei had gotten word of the Kazekage's infiltration of Konoha, but she was going to find out.
The rally turned out to only have about 50 people in attendance, but that was 50 people that knew the Kazekage's plan. Aruna couldn't help but be relieved Kaz hadn't gone.
After finding out about the rally, the Kazekage was in a bad mood the rest of the week. Public dissent was one thing, something any Suna shinobi could handle. The spread of a A-class secret? Not as easy.
Aruna had a long month ahead of her.
To: Chikamatsu Aruna
From: Kankurō
Shishou,
Konohagakure is as green as you said it was. At first, I didn't get why you wanted to tell me that, but now that I'm here, that's gotta be the most obvious thing about this place.
I almost punted the grandson of the Hokage. Sorry, I guess. Tomorrow we start the second exam. The first one was to test how good we are at stealth, and our resolve or whatever.
See you soon.
Kankurō's letters always left much to be desired. Even after teaching that boy how to write, Aruna wasn't able to get him to actually write.
Kankurō and his siblings would be staying in Konoha for the next month if they passed the second test—which she was sure they would. Aruna didn't consider Kankurō relationship with his siblings her business, but she was sure she no longer wanted to see Kankurō continue to wither in the presence of his youngest sibling. Gaara was not under her jurisdiction, in both an emotional and professional fashion. But, the host of the Ichibi was unstable, volatile, and left Kankurō shaking at night, so she wasn't so sure she'd avoid it forever.
Rasa was many things, but a good father wasn't one of them. Or a good brother-in-law.
The memorial in Suna was small. Sunagakure did not have the luxury of having rich earth which would be fine to bury the dead in. Nor did many of the dead ever make it back home again.
A large sandstone mausoleum, erected from the sand and rocky cliffs that surrounded Suna. Every summer, the streets were cleared and the denizens of Sunagakure and their protectors all traveled down the large roads that crossed through their village, pilgrimaging to the mausoleum to give tribute and prayers of safe passing. Prayers of peace.
She visited often, alone or with Oni, to the few names she cared to see. Aruna did not enjoy the large parades through the street. It was tacky to her.
Yashamaru would tease her if he knew how much she visited him. Her mother would probably remind her she had more important things to do. Jomei…Jomei would probably flush bright red, which would have clashed with his naturally ashen skin. The ghost of her closest friend, the maker of Oni, would never expect his stoic teammate to take time out of her day just for him.
Maybe that's why she did it.
'He's grown almost 10 centimeters in the last 6 months,' she reported quietly to Kankurō's late uncle. 'He seems to think his height will garner more respect. I told him if that was all it took, I never would have gotten where I am.' 171.9 cm was respectable, she would argue till the day she died, but that didn't change the fact that one day, Kankurō would be much, much taller than his poor Shishou.
She wasn't sure if rambling to the dead made it easier or if it was just one more thing she did to try and quell her guilt. Oni payed its own respects once in a while to Jomei, but never once saw any reason to feel burdened by the life he had given it. The puppet never did grasp that aspect of human nature, but when she brought it up, it always said the same thing;
'I'm not human, so why does it matter?'
And if that wasn't a reasonable answer, Aruna didn't know what was.
Humanity and morals were tested as a shinobi, a fact Aruna did not shy from. If sleeping with a prostitute for information was questionable, Aruna invited anyone to read the reports of some of her more exciting missions. After Jomei, Aruna had been set adrift. Until her partnership with Yashamaru, she agreed to do anything for the village. Yashamaru brought back more of her humanity.
Of course, not even Yashamaru was free of a shinobi's burden. Every once in a while, Aruna would curse Rasa, deep in the middle of the night, for stealing Yashamaru from Gaara. Stealing him from Kankurō and Temari. And then, the next morning, she would greet him like she did every morning.
She wasn't a good person. Had never tried to be. But she was a good shinobi.
