Chapter 3: We Move Out
"So are you okay now, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said.
"Oh, yeah, much better," Kakashi laughed, waving her off. "The new Hokage told me everything. So let's go. I'll take the front. Sakura, you stay in the center at all cost. Sai will take the sky. Shino will be right behind me and Naruto and Hinata will be in the back. If someone is coming, Hinata's Byakugan will see them. Naruto you're taking the back to dispose of the enemy. Use your shadow clones. Does everyone understand?"
"Yes sir," the shinobi say in unison.
Ahem, am I getting through? A voice suddenly said. The group turned around every which way and where. Where was it coming from? Can everyone hear me? Well for those who can, let me introduce myself—My name is Kin Yobi. I have captured your Kages. Before you all panic and get out of control, let me tell you this: I want all villages to abandon their shinobi practice and give up your entire ninja way. The use of chakra is unnatural. No one had it in ancient times. Scores were settled with our bare fists and weapons crafted without the use of chakra.
Ever since Kaguya Ootsutsuki's appearance in the ninja world, I have thought about what our world needs—it needs a cleanse. A cleanse of chakra. Kaguya's sin of consuming the Juubi's fruit gave her an unnatural ability that allowed her to overpower all, but it only led to deeper devastation amongst us humans when she birth sons who possessed chakra. They too bore kin who spread the chakra all until the shinobi of this world were able to possess this energy. We are all technically brothers and sisters, those who possess chakra, and all share this sin. If all the villages end their ninja practice, I will release all the Kages safely to their villages. But if not, then I will kill them one by one until you finally make that descision yourselves. You have three days to make your decision."
Naruto looks at the ground. He curled his hands into fist. He's going to kill Grandma Tsunade? Who did he think he is?
"There's no time to waste," Kakashi sternly said. "Let's go."
(Konoha…)
You have three days to make your decision. The voice disappeared from Seka's head. Shizune and Seka stood silent in the temporary office. Shizune shook with fear. She thought of the condition Tsunade might be in at this moment. She wouldn't be scared, no. She would try to figure out where she was and try to escape.
"All of them have been captured, hmm?" Seka said to herself. Her hands were posed over her mouth. She stood up. "Make contact with all the other villages, Shizune. Now. Tell them we need to arrange a telepathic meeting with them to discuss this situation."
"Uh, yes ma'am. Right away!" Shizune quickly left the office. Seka squeezed her hands, angry.
(In the forests…)
"Sai, do you see anything?" Kakashi called.
"I do not," the artist replied. "But I will fly ahead."
"Alright. Hinata, do you see anything?"
"No, I don't," Hinata said, raising her voice since she was in the back.
"Shino, your bugs?"
"No," Shino said.
"Alright, but keep your eyes vigilant." It's been a couple hours since they left the village. Nothing happened in that time since the message from Kin. They've been expedite about the mission. Failure is not an option.
(Somewhere Unknown…)
"Kazekage," Tsunade whispered, making sure her voice was only low enough for her fellow Kage to hear.
"Yes, Tsunade," Gaara said. He had only come to half an hour ago. Onoki and Ay had told him what happened.
"Do you think you can summon your sand from here?"
"I don't know where my gourd is exactly, but I can try." Gaara closed his eyes and concentrated. He cried out immediately. The veins in his temples throbbed. "I can't focus," he said. "There's something in the way."
"What do you mean?" Ay asked, turning his head.
"The man's face appeared in my head. I can't feel my sand at all." Gaara said. Tsunade exhaled with displeasure. Being locked up in a small cage like an animal was less than ideal. Tsunade was out of ideas of how to escape. While unconscious, and moved into the cages, a seal was placed around them that incapacitated their use of chakra in every way. Gaara's link with his sand was her last hope. She hasn't given up, but she needed more time. Three days was all they had to think of an escape plan. Could it be that without their chakra that they were completely useless? Even her strength came from chakra.
Kin and one of his followers stepped into the room that only shone a light in the center of the circle of cages the Gokage were imprisoned in—Ay's was a little bit larger than the others to accommodate his size. They came carrying bowls of rice and water on trays. He held the bowls and chopsticks on one tray while his follower had five large cups of water on the other.
"I'm sorry to keep you like this," Kin said, squatting down next to Mei's cage. He opened the small hatch on the bottom right hand side of the cage and slid the food and water inside. He did that for all the Kage's. "Until your villages decide to discontinue all shinobi practice in the world, I must keep you like this. I've given them three days to make up their minds. If they do not comply with my wishes or reply within the three days, then they'll never see you again.
"And what would you be planning on doing with us then?" Onoki asked.
"I will have no choice but to kill you. All of you." They all sat in silence. The tone of his voice told no lies as if it refused to do so. The Gokage put trust in their villages. They would not fail them.
