CHAPTER 6: Kokuou the Gobi

Hello, everyone. I noticed that this story's going great, eh?

This was hard to write, considering the fact that both Kokuou and Han are silent and broody and whatnot; it was hard to sculpt something from the two. And for some weird reason, while I wrote this, I felt like crying. I didn't know why, I just felt pretty sad.

Anyway, other than that, the missing jinchuuriki will have more frequent appearances as we get closer to Naruto's "Jinchu-Bijuu consultation". I also like to put my emphasis on Yagura, since you'll see a little surprise later on with him. But you won't see him here though. I have to time it correctly, or something might screw up.

Naruto WILL get his spotlight moment. Just wait for it. If you're pretty worn out on this consultation thing (like I am), don't worry. After Naruto talks to Kurama, the fun and training and battles start.

Oh, and an interesting debut will make its place here. Other than a student-and-master relationship, there'd be another one. Waiting for the fangirl screams that will happen in 3…2…1…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone here, that's final.

CHAPTER 6: Kokuou the Gobi

Finding Han's Bijuu place was quicker than everyone thought it would be.

The jinchuuriki and the Sage stopped at a forest near the Land of Lightning border with the Land of Fire. Jiraiya sensed a calming in Han's chakra, and he figured out that it was the place. That was pretty fast. Night didn't even fall yet, and right after Roushi, it was Han on the same day. Jiraiya was impressed. The Iwa jinchuuriki did work fast.

The jinchuuriki were sitting in the trees while Jiraiya sat in front of a meditating Han. Naruto sat nonchalantly on a bough while the others sat on separate branches near him. The breezes that past where calming and serene, and there were many things going on in the young shinobi's mind. He started thinking of all that happened in the time span of all these days. Just after he went on a mission to Yugakure, all of a sudden, all the jinchuuriki were there, all of them on a fate-of-the-world mission that none of them signed up for. And it was anything but a mission. It was a quest.

"Hey, are you okay, Naruto?" Fuu asked all of a sudden, knocking him out of daze.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto said. "I'm fine."

"Well, you don't look fine, boy," Roushi asked. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, it's just," Naruto was unsure of what to say, so he kept scratching the back of his neck. "Y'know…have you ever thought of why it's us? Why it's jinchuuriki of all the shinobi in the world to fight the Akatsuki? I mean, did we even have a choice?"

Roushi stayed silent. "Well, if it isn't us, who else would it be? We're the only ones who can fight them. And besides, the Bijuu inside us have to be at good use too. They can't just stay locked inside us forever."

Naruto stayed silent. "Yeah…that's easy for you to say. The Kyuubi's always been harsh on me, ever since I was a kid. He never listens to me."

Fuu tried to keep Naruto optimistic. "Well, who knows? Yeah, he's probably going to decline on The Shouri, but you might build a bond through this quest! You might become friends."

Naruto gave a grin before his attention was caught by Yugito's question.

"Hey, Roushi," she asked. "Why is Han always so…silent?"

"Yeah," Naruto continued. "It's always so weird and awkward standing next to him. He's so quiet. Did anything happen to him or something?"

Roushi looked just as confused as all the jinchuuriki. "I don't know either. He's always been silent, ever since I met him. I don't know why."

Fuu looked at the Gobi jinchuuriki curiously. "He's one mysterious guy."

"Yeah…" Naruto said, following the jinchuurikis' gaze on Han. His eyes were closed and the tag on his forehead. Who knows what secrets his Bijuu and him were talking about.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Han was in a green field. It was daytime in his mindscape, and the sun was over his head directly indicating noon. The grass under his feet was vibrant and full of life, swaying in the calm breeze. No tree was in sight. It was just a plain of grass for miles and miles away. He looked directly ahead, but he didn't look back. He just trudged forward on the grass, looking for his Bijuu.

Where could you be? he thought. Kokuou?

There was a sound of a long loud rusty groan behind him, something like a deep dolphin cry with a little horse neigh mixed into it, similar the deep sound of a broken trumpet. Han didn't move. He didn't stir. He didn't feel anything. The ground vibrated a little, but Han didn't feel fear. He nonchalantly turned around and came face to face with his Bijuu.

There were large wooden trees without leaves that sprouted out of the ground and were wound in braids to form a cage knotted at the top. It was generally big and with a few leaved branches sprouting out of the bars. Inside the cage was a large white horse with a dolphin-like head. It had red markings under its dark bluish-green eyes and four horns atop of its head. Its five tails swished madly in the cage, and some twirled around its bars. The tips of its horns, hooves, and tails were colored a very light brown, with small spots in the same color between the white and the brown. The beast was sitting, with its front and hind legs bent underneath it, and its head held high. Upon sight of its jinchuuriki, it lowered its head to look at Han.

"What is it, Han?" the Bijuu said. "You talk to me rarely now."

"It's hard to explain, Kokuou," Han said. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

Kokuou stayed silent. "I don't know, Han."

Han sighed and tucked his right hand into his kimono. "Never mind. So let me ask you a question. Are you well acquainted with The Shouri?"

"Of course," Kokuou raised its head. "My siblings keep talking about it."

"Your…siblings?"

"The Bijuu, Han. Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, and Son Goku. They have told me."

"Isobu?" Han narrowed his eyes. "Who is Isobu?"

"The Sanbi. He knows."

"The Sanbi jinchuuriki…" Han muttered. "The Sanbi jinchuuriki knows?"

"Yes. According to Isobu, he's on his way to you right now."

Han looked intently at Kokuou. "But you do know what The Shouri is…don't you?"

"Of course I do. It's a collaboration group of the jinchuuriki to fight the Akatsuki." Kokuou gave a low growl and bared its sharp teeth. "How I loathe the Akatsuki."

"Do you wish to join it, Kokuou? You know it will benefit you and me."

"I know. I cannot fully trust all my siblings, especially that prideful Kurama. But for now, my answer will be a yes. I will cooperate with the Shouri."

Han felt relieved. His Bijuu said yes. That was good. "Thank you, Kokuou. You will not be disappointed."

The Bijuu lowered its head even more and looked at Han eye to eye. "Bring salvation, Han. Do not let yourself die at the hands of the Akatsuki. You deserve to die a more heroic death, not one where you will have your Bijuu extracted out of you. It was your words that inspired the jinchuuriki to push forward with the Shouri. Be strong."

Han hesitated to do this, but he stretched his right hand from his kimono and let it touch the Bijuu's head. His hand looked small against Kokuou's large forehead and it felt like an unusual thing to do, but he felt like doing it. Kokuou said nothing, but let his jinchuuriki hold his fur.

"I know, Kokuou," Han said. "I won't let you down."

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Utakata walked from the forest to the river in the noon forest, packing some fruit he picked earlier into his kimono pockets. Sitting by the river bank with her feet in the water was his "student", Hotaru.

She was a young woman with wavy shoulder-length blond hair. She wore a violet kimono-like shirt with white bordering, black shorts and skirt, same colored boots, and light purple wristbands. Her boots were beside her and she was kicking and splashing the river water with her bare feet. She smiled and giggled at her actions, and she constantly looked at her river reflection that she didn't even notice her "master" was standing behind her.

Utakata cleared his throat, making the girl jolt up in surprise. "Hotaru?"

The girl nervously dragged her wet feet out of the river and sat in front of her teacher as she bowed. "Master," she said.

Utakata sighed exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't call me 'master'?"

"I'm sorry, Master," Hotaru said politely. "It would be disrespectful to not call you by anything else. I insist that I call you by that."

"Ugh, fine," Utakata said. Hotaru was hastily about to put on her boots but she stoped when he said, "You don't have to put on your shoes just yet, unless you want them wet on your dire efforts." After he said this he nonchalantly walked on the water until he was midway through the river.

Hotaru sighed. "Master, why don't you have confidence in me? I said I could do it."

"Really?" Utakata said as he pulled a fruit from his kimono. "Here's a peach. If you could walk on the water properly like I taught you, you'll get a lot more of these."

Hotaru gasped happily at the sight of the peach. "Peaches! I love peaches! How did you know?"

"I didn't," Utakata held out the peach. "Lucky guess. Now, if you can grab this peach from my hand by walking on the water, you can eat all of the ones I picked. I think I got a dozen." Utakata smirked at the sight of Hotaru's excited face. "And if you don't, well, we'll let the water decide."

Hotaru nodded. "I'll show you, Master. I can do it."

Hotaru left her boots at the bank and looked at the water scared. She really knew that she couldn't do it, but she had to try. She had to prove her master wrong. She looked at her nervous rippled expression in the river and tried to channel all her chakra into her feet. She took a step forward and just couldn't do it. But it was too late.

She fell with a splash into the shallow river water.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

A young man sat on a tree bough, nonchalantly leaning on the trunk and gazing into the late sunset. The breezes ruffled the white kimono-like long-sleeved shirt that bore his chest and the blue cloth tied at his waist. He held a sword in his right hand, flicking his wrist lazily.

"Sasuke?"

The young boy looked down to see a pale old man with long black hair and white clothes looking up at him. Sasuke looked down at him just to look back at his comforting sunset. "What do you want, Orochimaru?"

"I just wanted to inform you about something," the Sennin hissed. "Something rather…well…interesting."

Sasuke did not stir. "Well, tell me then."

Orochimaru chuckled. "I'm sure you know who the jinchuuriki are, right?"

Sasuke's mind flashed back to Naruto. He remembered that fight at the Valley, that coat of red chakra around Naruto, that immense power he never knew he had… "What of them?"

"Well, they've formed a group. They've christened themselves 'The Shouri' and their ultimate goal is to defeat the Akatsuki. Isn't that nice?"

Sasuke stayed silent then said, "How does useless information about the jinchuuriki benefit me?"

"You don't really seem to understand, boy." Here Orochimaru crossed his arms. "They're the closest you could get to the Akatsuki, and the closer you are to them, the closer you are to your brother…."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Of course. Why didn't he see it before? Naruto was a jinchuurki, so he would be part of The Shouri, right? He was a loud naïve idiot who would warmly welcome him into his company. And once The Shouri would lead Sasuke to Itachi, he would slaughter them all. It was foolproof. It was absolutely brilliant.

"I'll find them," Sasuke said. "I'll let them lead me to Itachi and then kill them all."

Orochimaru clicked his tongue. "That plan would backfire in more ways than one. They won't go to the Akatsuki right away because they're training. And they're jinchuuriki. You're underestimating them."

Sasuke blinked and didn't move. "Well then, I'll wait for them to go to the Akatsuki. And don't whine about me underestimating them, you're underestimating me as well."

Orochimaru sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sasuke…"

Sasuke stayed silent and heard Orochimaru's footsteps leave him. As he watched the sun set, he knew that he would do anything, absolutely anything to take revenge on his brother, even if it meant fighting all nine jinchuuriki at once.