1Gaara was livid. Not even pissed.
Absolutely furious.
Those damn rogue ninjas thought that they could land a full out attack on Suna? On his fortress? Oh, he would be sure to crush those insolent little maggots in their place. He couldn't stand incompetence and these people were pushing the red head's limits.
His mouth was covered by his crossed hands as his elbows leaned on his desk. The rumbling of the area outside of the city was becoming unbearable for even semi-calm him to handle. The lights were flickering on and off with every blast and shake, the adobe walls slowly crumbling.
Temari was pacing back and forth, commanding jonin and ANBU with her demanding voice and prominent finger points to go to their positions and prepare for an attack. Gaara couldn't be bothered. She knew more about what was going on than even he did at this moment.
It seemed that the ANBU squadron that was on a mission to retrieve Sasori's scroll on puppetry was found drifting back in bits and pieces down the dunes into Suna's front line defense. Blood mixed with sand made a thick, brown river as the rumbling of the sand ships of the rogues in the distance hovered just out of reach. Just out of their jurisdiction and just out of their attacking range.
Now, the clan was teasing the small town, sending sand dragons to encircle the capitol city from reinforcements from Leaf and Cloud. No one could get in and no one could get out. They were completely trapped.
And Gaara was in complete shit from the elders.
"YOU! TO THE NORTH GATE. YOU AND YOUR TEAM ON INFANTRY. YOU, YOU AND YOU. YOU'RE TO SEND THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO THE STRONGHOLD. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. MOVE QUICKLY AND PRECISELY. I WANT NO MISTAKES!" Temari shouted at the many frightened shinobi underneath her.
They weren't stupid, nor should they be considered so. They all knew the dangers of this rogue clan and how no one has survived to tell the details of their attacks before dying of their injuries or in pieces. Any person in their right mind would be afraid.
Gaara stood in his place behind his desk as a puff of smoke shuddered throughout his office. Kankuro looked calm and had a hint of excitement in his eyes, the commanding officer in him looking ready to lead his people to victory. That was one thing that he could count on his lazy brother to do. If anything, it would be to make a dent on this rogue population.
Keeping Kankuro pent up in Suna was Gaara's plan all along. The longer he was inside, the more productive he would be in battle. The more he would kill. The more he would protect. At this point, to succeed was the main target. Suna NEEDED that scroll. It was absolutely mandatory.
"Finally Baka! Help me out here! This is your job for chris'sakes! Do it!" Temari shouted over her breath as she moved back towards Gaara's side to map out an attack route.
Kankuro stepped forward and to his captains and spoke in a low voice. They all nodded in unison and disappeared calmly. Turning to the ANBU, he spoke in the same tone of voice and they all nodded with a "Hai Kankuro-dono" and disappeared as well.
Gaara had been originally surprised when he had first seen his brother step into action. He didn't scare them like he or Temari did. He simply went down to their level and spoke to them like they were his equals. Maybe that's why they listen so well. Kankuro acts like he's human.
Finally, Gaara's assistant Matsuri bursted into the room with her arms filled with all of the information that she could possibly find about the rogue ninjas that have decided to pay revenge on Suna.
"Gaara-dono," she bit out confidently, dropping the files softly onto his desk. "I have the information you asked for."
"Report," he said coldly. Kankuro and Temari stood next to their brother like two supporting pillars, although one looked like it was crumbling slightly from overexhaustion and the other looked like it was about to blow itself in half with fury.
"The rogue clan calls themselves 'Tori no Suna', or Sand Birds thanks to their feathered goggles with beak-like appendages on the ends of their noses. They've been living on the outskirts of Suna for at least 300 years, gradually growing as they accept more and more into their clan. They are usually married within their clan. Male members should be able to be identified by linear scars across their arms and torsos. The more marks they have, the more powerful they are. Females usually have one, two or three scar circles under their right eye depending on what stature they are in society.
Their current leader is Nakahara Kojiro, age 46 and he has been married three times over. His first wife was traded to Sasori for the Puppetry Scroll and his second was put to death for treason. His current wife is Fukosari Seka, age 37. They have three children together who are the direct heirs to the clan; Nakahara Akemi, female, age 20. Nakahara Taigo, male, age 17. And finally Nakahara Sozen, male, age 5. The female is the next in line and is their commanding general directly under her father."
Temari bent over forward to look at Kankuro, a feral grin on her face. "Looks like you're going to be fighting a chick then, eh Kanku-kun?"
The man didn't say anything in response. Gaara could tell by his stern appearance that he just wanted to get out there and tear something apart. The wait time was over.
Matsuri continued. "Their special abilities usually orbit around Earth techniques and Wind techniques. Those few that are special enough to inherit both elements usually command the sand ships that carry the rest of the infantry. Because they have Sasori's scroll, we can only imagine that some skilled ninja know the techniques, although we don't know what kind of puppets these people are using."
"Why not?" Gaara asked quizzically, his forehead furrowed slightly.
Matsuri paused and looked down. "No one has survived to give very many details before they perished. Reports show that some barely surviving members froze up at the mere mention of the puppets and passed shortly after. We can only assume that with their major injuries, they were literally scared to death."
Temari sucked in a breath while Kankuro looked down, plotting. If these puppets were so bad, then Kankuro would be sure to dissect the sons of bitches to nothing but rubble. With his personally, hand crafted puppets, it would be easy to tear down these commercial pieces of shit. That shouldn't be too hard.
"I don't see how hard it could possibly be. We have over three times as many Suna shinobi as they have warriors. I think we're going to be okay," Kankuro spit out like acid, his thin frame moving towards the door.
"Kankuro, are you seriously going to fight in a t-shirt and sweat pants? It's not very protected. You could get hurt," Gaara let out gently. If Kankuro wanted to be an idiot, then he couldn't stop him. He was merely the younger brother and could only suggest things to the elder.
"I'm a big kid now Gaara-kun. I think I know how to dress for battle, ne?" Kankuro let out his signature smirk and opened the door to Gaara's office. "You'll be seeing a white flag wave from those Bird brains sooner rather then later. Ja."
Temari yelled out the door after him as it clicked shut. "Don't you dare end up dead you asshole! You still have work to do!"
No response.
"He's going to get hurt, isn't he Gaara-kun?" Temari asked, blowing her bangs out of her face.
"Most likely."
"Do you think he's going to live?"
"..."
The Kazekage, the ever steady beacon of light for his people, felt his strength flicker at the thought of his only brother perishing in battle.
Kankuro sped off into the sands, his feet leaving footprints behind him with three ANBU guarding his flank. He was going to be going directly into battle while Temari would be commanding from the towers. Gaara would be reassuring the people on the insides of the walls and wouldn't have to fight unless retreat had become an option.
Kankuro could honestly say that he didn't want Gaara to fight this battle. Not because he would probably take all of Kankuro's kills, but because if anything happened to the red head, Kankuro would never forgive himself and neither would his people. They would most likely exile him or even possibly kill him. Anyone who endangered the Kazekage was considered to be a threat and should be disposed of as such.
Kankuro quickly arrived at the front lines. Baki was waiting and staring out to the horizon at the sand ships whizzing around, hoops and hollers from the rebels sounding like Indian war calls. Kankuro tapped his mentor on the shoulder who addressed him without turning around. "What are the orders from Gaara-donno?"
"Kill them all," Kankuro blurted out, his mouth in a hard line. "If there are prisoners, keep only the ones who look to be the highest in society. We're going to make the Nakahara-san over there sweat a little."
Baki nodded in understanding and darted back towards the front line, leaving Kankuro to stand as a lone black figure amongst the tan sands. He drew a scroll from his back and bit his thumb, drawing a crimson streak of blood before scribbling it onto the scroll. "Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, Kuroari and Karasu were at his fingertips, both chattering and fiddling with excitement as their master drew chakra into their bodies for the first time in months. It was battle time and the puppets were ready for some blood shed.
Kankuro took an offensive position and waited. He felt the army of shinobi behind him also tense expectantly. The sand ships before them had gotten into a line and rumbled gently on the horizon. The yelling and screaming of excitement had ceased.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Kankuro yelled out to his people. "The time has come for us. After years of sitting and waiting after the Second Shinobi War had ended, it's time to draw our kunai forward to suppress an enemy dedicated to destroying us. Our women and children, the defenseless future to our society are shaking in the strongholds, unsure of if they or their loved ones, that's you guys, are going to be alright."
Kankuro paused for a moment and let it all sink in before continuing.
"But I know for a fact that we will succeed. That Suna will continue to be a stronghold for all of the Nations to witness. Our impenetrable walls and unshakable faiths will rock these rogues to the core. As shinobi, it is our duty to fight, to protect, and to defend against enemies who threaten our ninja ways. I'm defending mine as we speak."
Kankuro took a breath as the heat of the mid-morning sun beat down on his hood. It was going to be a hot one today.
"My ninja way is to protect those I care about. My village, my family, my friends. My teachers, my students, my peers and my comrades. By serving in line with everyone out here, my friends and comrades, I am making my ninja way a reality. As the great ninja Hatake Kakashi had once told to me, "Those who abandon their mission are trash and those who leave their friends behind are worse than trash." Do not abandon your team! They will be your greatest allies and your most powerful weapons. You work together to reach a common goal. That is what a team is."
A few cheers were heard from the back to the middle ranks of the army. Suddenly, the sounds grew loud as every single willing and fighting force behind Kankuro erupted into cheers and battle cries. The time had come and they were ready. They were behind him.
And all it took was a sappy, half-assed speech that he came up with on the spot.
"Boys and girls, let's get ready to FIGHT!"
A pair of small, gloved hands grasped gently at a pair of binoculars from atop of a sand ship. The wind blew through her reddish brown hair as her vision locked onto a black figure standing alone in the front line with two puppets shaking in anticipation before him.
That must be Kankuro no Sabaku, the infamous Puppet Master of the Sand... Well Kankuro-san, let's make this fight a fun one shall we?
With a coy smile, Nakahara Akemi pulled her clear goggles down over her violet eyes. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her people's chakras nearly becoming palpable with anticipation. Suna would fall and her father would be forever remembered for the victory in which he felled the young Kazekage, Gaara no Sabaku.
A general to the right of the girl stood at attention. "Sir, are we leading the first strike?"
While strapping green, red, brown and dark blue feathers to her goggles, she turned towards her general. "Yes. I'll activate the first line of attack when I'm ready. Calm yourself soldier and wait for victory. These Sand bastards don't know what in the world their getting into."
With a nod, the general signaled for the rest of the party to prepare. Feathers and beaks of all different colors appeared from the sand ships. Some were short, some were long, but the most remarkable thing was that their eyes all shone with the same intensity that their young leader's did.
After finishing her preparations and her long beak firmly in place, Akemi did a few different hand signs before finishing with her hands thrust into the ground.
"Doton! Sabaku Sunaarashi!" (Earth Style: Desert Sandstorm)
The grains of shifting sand became loose as the entire battlefield between the Suna Shinobi and the Tori no Suna became enshrouded in a cloud of sand and wind.
Akemi urged the sand ships forward with a cry as they sped into the clouds.
Kankuro yelled in start, feeling as if the rogues had instituted the fight with their sandstorm. Shinobi began to pull up their shirts to block the sands from their faces as jonin and chunin shrouded their faces with the shinobi issued veils Suna perfered.
The infantry ran into the storm, kunai flashing as the rumbling in the distance became stronger.
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Wow! Second chapter up! Woo!
I really love where this is going!
Don't worry, I'm sure you can feel the tension between Kankuro and Akemi already ;) (Pst, they're the main characters if you haven't figured it out already!)
This is sure to be quite a bit of fun as Ms. Akemi said.
Well! Until next time!
Your loving author,
Epsilion 3
