2. Hunger and the puppetmaster

Close to an unknown village south of Sunagakure

Kira has been walking for nearly a day, her strength sapping the longer she goes without food or water, and the hot desert temperature only amplified her hunger, pain, and despair.

"How much further Shukaku-san." Kira said to him weakly. "I'm starving and very thirsty."

"Almost there." Shukaku replied. "Can't you see the village?"

Kira did see some buildings but they were blurry due to her being far from the village. As she got closer to the village, they became more detailed until she saw people and animals and anything that were inside the building. As she arrived, she ran towards the well to get a much needed drink.

"Thank you, Shukaku-san. But I'm still starving."

"Just go find a food stall or something, if niceties don't work then I'll give you some of my power to help."

Kira started to roam the village looking for someone to ask food from. As she roamed, she noticed the glare of some of the elderly villagers as if they were shunning her.

"She's possessed by that demon." one of them said quietly.

"What does Shukaku want now?" another said

She did notice the glares of the people around her. It didn't help that she had no one to help her but Shukaku, and it only made her feel worse.

"Do…they hate me?" she said to him, tears falling from her eyes.

"Don't worry about them." he replied back. "They are simply too scared of real power."

But this did not make her feel better. Even though power can avenge her parents, she needed someone to take care of her right now more than wanting revenge. She finally noticed a bread shop. Without hesitation, she ran to the shop and asked for food.

"Please, can I have something to eat." she said weakly.

"Go away you thief and demon." The shopkeeper replied to her, giving the same glare as the other elderly villagers.

"But I never met you before and I don't have parents anymore."

"Well money isn't plentiful as sand and you look like you made a deal with demons."

"But…" her voice starting to waver due to hunger and despair that no one would help her. She was also on the verge of crying.

"Either you go away or I get the guards." he said angrily.

It was simply too much for her. She collapsed on her knees and started to cry and sob loudly, unable to comprehend the hate and loneliness that she felt. Deep inside she called for Shukaku to help her.

"Please...you're the only one I have."

"Alright, alright, I'll help you. Only because you can't actually help yourself."

The shopkeeper was immediately scared of the sight of Kira slowly transforming herself partly into Shukaku. The other villagers also noticed this and started to flee the area.

"Give me something to eat or I'll kill you!" she growled in a demonic voice.

A part of her didn't want to kill the shopkeeper, but when one partially transforms into a tailed beast, the untrained lose their sense of mercy and goodness. This time, her and Shukaku's anger and hatred were in control.

"Do I have to kill you to get what I want?" she growled in absence of a response from the shopkeeper.

"Alright! I'll give you anything! Just don't kill me." he replied in terror and fear of her. He gave her a bag full of bread and two waterskins just in case she asked for it. Then he ran away to avoid being killed. Her transformation started to recede until she returned to her old appearance. But she still kept crying weakly as she took the supplies that she scared off the shopkeeper.

"Does everyone…hate me?" she said to the tanuki inside of her.

"Look here Kira," Shukaku replied. "Someone will always look down on you because you have me inside of you but one day, they will respect you just like my last container."

"It…just doesn't look like it. I just want someone…to just take care of me and never leave me. It's not fair that I have no one else now."

"Come on, you're not that alone. You still…have me I guess." he said awkwardly in an attempt to cheer her up. He would never be this hospitable to anyone, much less his new and previous container. But this reminded him of something that he had forgotten. But he decided to dismiss this thought and focus and getting Kira to Suna to find his previous container.

"But stop crying now." he continued. "Now's the time to find my old container and train you to become a shinobi. Didn't you say you were going to avenge your parents."

"Yeah…I guess." Kira replied. She picked up her supplies and started walking from the village to the direction of Sunagakure as directed by Shukaku.

Unknown to both of them, a retired Suna ANBU noticed her partial transformation and decided to warn the Kazekage about the incident.

"I better tell the Kazekage that Shukaku has been sealed inside this girl before the other villages find out." he thought.

Kazekage's Office, Sunagakure

The retired Suna ANBU was running towards the office when he was stopped by Kankurō.

"Hold on, the Kazekage is not taking visitors right now." he said to the ANBU.

"This is urgent and it's strictly for the Kage's ears only." the ANBU replied.

"Let him in." Gaara said from the room.

"Thank you, Gaara-sama." he said as he rushed to the office, with Kankurō not even stopping him from entering.

"It's bad." the ANBU started. "Someone has sealed Shukaku into the body of a young girl."

"How did that happen?" Gaara responded. "The only person in Suna that can seal Shukaku is long gone."

"I don't know, but I saw the girl transforming partially into the tanuki when a shopkeeper refused to give her food. The girl is just a toddler who has been orphaned."

"What did she look like, this girl?" Kankurō asked, now interested in why Shukaku would have a new jinchūriki.

"Mint green short hair, a tattoo just like Gaara-sama's except it says 'one'."

"I see." Gaara said. "Kankurō, see to it that the girl is taken to the village immediately. Also," he turned to the ANBU. "since you have taken initiative to report this even if you are retired, I'll see to it that you are moved here so you can retire in safety."

"Thank you, Gaara-sama." he replied.

After the ANBU left the room, Gaara gave Kankurō a piece of paper that contained a sealing formula.

"This is just in case she starts partially transforming into Shukaku, but if you can't suppress him, there's no shame in retreating and letting me handle her."

"Even if we bring her here, what will the other villages think of this?" his older brother asked.

"I'll convene a Kage Summit here once we have her in the village." he replied. "In any case, we have to make sure no more jinchūriki are being created as all villages have agreed with the tailed beasts on this matter."

"And what will happen to the girl?"

"I will help her make the burden she has to carry easier in way I can. She and I were Shukaku's jinchūriki after all."

The desert, South of Sunagakure

It was night time and although it was much cooler and bearable than the day, she is making slow progress in travelling. Even with supplies, Kira is still exhausted and is starting to feel the effects of insomnia from not sleeping for two days straight.

"Shukaku-san…please let me sleep." Kira begged, wanting to rest from travelling for the night.

"We travel in the night so you don't have to travel in scorching heat." he explained. "Unless that and being very thirsty is your preferred way of travelling."

"It's not just that. I feel like you're...trying to take over me when I'm about to fall asleep."

"I can't help myself with that. It's a quirk I have and you get because you're my container. Seriously, I'll let you sleep once were there if that is what it will take for you to stop complaining."

"I just feel like you're going to kill someone while I'm asleep. And what if they blame me?" Kira said in a weary tone.

"Come on, don't you-

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when she noticed an eyeball floating just metres in front of her. Out of curiosity, she tried to grab it but it turned to sand before she could grab it.

"Shukaku…I think someone is watching us."

Back in Sunagakure, Gaara relayed Kira's position to Kankurō via Sand Clone for him to find and capture her. In the desert, she noticed a rattling sound which turned out to be the sound of what she thought was a giant ant with many arms coming in to attack her. Out of instinct, she manipulated the sand to capture her attacker and crush it. From a hidden place, Kankurō was dismayed by one of his Kuroari being destroyed so easily.

"That's the second time I have to completely rebuild Kuroari." he thought. He decides to reveal himself and summons the Sasori and the second Kuroari puppets.

"Who would want to kill me?" Kira thought. She then notices a second giant ant, a red-haired man, and a large jackal, which unknown to her due to hallucinating from a lack of sleep, were actually Kankurō controlling his two puppets.

"I'm not going to die!" she shouted, starting to partially transform to Shukaku out of fear of dying. "Sand Shuriken."

Kankurō got hit by some of the many sand shuriken but was not seriously injured due to him rapidly summoning Sanshōuo to block most of the attacks.

"This is bad, the transformation has already begun." he thought. He placed the sealing paper into one of Sasori's arms and sent it and Kuroari rapidly towards her. She tried to manipulate Shukaku's sand arms in an attempt to capture both puppets, but Kankurō managed to place the sealing paper onto her forehead, forcefully receding the transformation and returning her to normal. He wasted no time throwing a sedative-laced senbon at her arm and soon enough, she started to fall asleep.

"I'm going to die…" she said weakly as she collapsed into the sand, believing that she will be killed by the three creatures. Kankurō overheard this and only had sympathy for her and the life that she has been forced into.

"You're in safe hands now." he said to the now sleeping toddler.

"Now to find out where one of my Kuroari is buried in this place and take her back to a medic-nin." he said to himself as he picked her up after storing away his unbroken puppets.