CHAPTER 7: Chomei the Nanabi

OH MY GOD IT'S IN SYNCH.

Anyway, HIIIII. I'm sorry for the late update, it's just that I had too much stuff to do over the weekend and it takes me like 4 hours to type a chapter (yeah, I'm that slow) and I have projects and papers to pass. AND IT'S JUST SO UUUUGGGHHHH.

Anyway, how did you like the last chapter? Sasuke's an idiot, isn't he? But other than that, we're gonna have more characters enter into the picture! And you know what else is gonna be epic? Akatsuki fights, training, and jinchuuriki collaboration! It's gonna get there, you'll see. Bonds will grow stronger, more OTPs formed, and we'll see a whole new side of the jinchuuriki. It's only seven chapters, it'll grow!

You wanna see more Akatsuki? You got more Akatsuki.

You wanna see more Sasuke? You got more Sasuke.

You wanna see Konoha nin? You got Konoha nin.

This will take a turn for the better, although I can't really be sure about the pairings though. But I swear I will make it up to you. I'm doing it little by little. This story has something in it for you, I'll tell you that. Reviews are highly appreciated.

Oh, and Kung Hei Fat Choi! It's the Year of the Horse everyone! Happy Chinese New Year!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. How many times have we gone over this?

CHAPTER 7: Chomei the Nanabi

Tsunade was desperate. She knew she had to send them out. There were two teams, and if they didn't come back, it would be even riskier to send out ANBU troops to rescue them. She already told Shizune to call the teams to her office. They were two of them, both perfect for the job.

It was noon when they all stepped into her office together with Shizune. First came in Kakashi and Guy, then Yamato and Sai then Lee and Neji. After them, the girls Sakura and Tenten came in last. They were all advised by Shizune to pack as much as possible; they stocked up on food, kunais and shuriken; as much as they could hold. It was some A-rank mission for both of them. The real deal.

The two teams stood beside each other in row form. Tsunade was sitting at her desk with two scrolls in hand and Shizune holding Tonton behind her. Tsunade held out both the scrolls, one per team. She gave words for each.

"Kakashi," she said to the white-haired Jonin. "You're given an A-rank mission. Your team travels to Kirigakure. The Mizukage has given me reports on a jinchuuriki named Utakata, a rouge shinobi. Your team's duty is to follow her orders, work with hunter-nin from there, and bring him back to the village and doing so, to The Shouri."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi replied, giving a subtle bow and putting a hand in his pocket.

"The Shouri," Sai said. "It's the jinchuuriki group, right, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Naruto…" Saukura mumbled softly, her mind drifting back to her jinchuuriki friend.

Kakashi got the scroll from Tsunade and the Hokage turned to Team Guy. "Now, your team. Team Guy will—"

"Get an S-rank mission?!" Lee yelled enthusiastically. "I am all up and ready for an S-rank mission!"

Tsunade paused for a while before speaking again. "Uhm, no. It's the same as Team Kakashi. It's an A-rank. But it's just as important."

Lee hugged Guy with tears streaming down his face. "Did you hear that Guy-sensei?! We're given an important mission! We must do our best to accomplish it!"

Guy hugged his student back. "I know Lee, I know! Always strive hard and accomplish this mission, even if you have to move a mountain to do it! You can only do it if you believe you can!"

"I believe, sensei, I believe!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

Neji sighed. "What is it, Lady Tsunade? I'll just tell them once they're done with…uh…whatever they're doing." Both Hokage and Jonin looked back to see Tenten trying to rip the exuberant duo apart. Neji gave a deadpanned face.

Tsunade sighed. "Fine, Neji. So, your mission is to go to the northern area of the Land of Fire. You're supposed to find a jinchuuriki there as well. His name is Killer B, a jinchuuriki from Kumo. Escort him to the rest of The Shouri. That group will be easy to identify; they're a group of jinchuuriki, after all. They're sure to leave rumors wherever they go."

Neji nodded and took the scroll. He looked back to see that Tenten had hit both Lee and Guy with a paper fan, leaving both of them rubbing their heads. She bowed to Tsunade. "Apologies, Lady Tsunade," she said. "They're always like this."

Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The rest in the room just deadpanned, even Tonton the pig did.

"We'll do our best on the mission, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said as he bowed.

"We'll do quadruple our best!" Guy said, quickly helping himself up.

"Great!" Tsunade said. "Contact me if you can about how your mission's going from time to time. Good luck, both of you!"

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~

Jiraiya and the jinchuuriki were looking for a place for Fuu the night after the jinchuu-bijuu consultation of Roushi and Han. It was noon, and they were near the border of the Land of Fire. There was a lake and a river they came across. It was supposed to be just a simple rest spot, but it turned out that Fuu's chakra calmed at its sight. And the flat stepping stone under the waterfall there was perfect for meditation.

"A…waterfall?" Roushi asked they stood at the bank.

"Yeah!" Fuu agreed. "I absolutely love waterfalls! I even live behind one!" Here she laughed, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh too.

Yugito sighed and held out her hand to them as if showcasing them to a crowd. "Behold: the optimist pair of The Shouri."

"That's a nice title. It fits," Roushi agreed and walked towards the water.

Yugito looked at her reflection in the river and saw her frown in the rippled water. "As a Fire Style user, I detest the idea of swimming."

"Come on, Yugito," Naruto said as he knelt beside her. "Water really isn't that bad. You're a shinobi. You drink this stuff."

"I know," Yugito looked at it doubtfully. "But it's just…I don't like the idea of even putting my body in it."

Naruto snickered. "So you don't shower?"

Yugito blushed and fumed. "No, not like that! Like…natural water! I just don't like it! You get me."

Roushi scooped some of it and splashed it on his hands as he washed them. "I'm a Fire Style user too, Yugito. No use sweating it."

Fuu laughed and walked on the water. She knelt and cupped her hand inside the river, and splashed the water at Yugito. The young woman screamed and fell back onto the river bank and she scrambled to wipe the water off of her face.

"Fuu!" she screamed. "That was not funny!"

Roushi and Naruto laughed while Han was seen chuckling.

"Come on, Yugito," Fuu grinned. "It's just a little fun, that's all!"

"A little fun?" Yugito fumed.

"Alright, all of you, calm down," Jiraiya said. "We'll all have our share of fun. Now, come on, Fuu."

The young kunoichi followed and sat on the stone underneath the waterfall. Jiraiya sat on the stone in front of her, holding the tag to her forehead. What made the meditation interesting was that Fuu sat directly underneath a waterfall. But, even when her eyes were closed and her chakra was pulled into her subconscious, wings on her hips grew and covered her head from the water. And if that wasn't enough, there was even chakra powder that deflected the water. Jiraiya was amazed.

This girl really knew how to tame her Bijuu.

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~

Fuu found herself in a foggy grassland. The time of the day was rather unknown; it was bright, but there appeared to be no sun. The only thing that caught Fuu's attention was the giant tree in the middle of the grassland. Its trunk was enormous and its entire being made Fuu feel small. The branches and boughs spread for great distances and the shade seemed to go on forever. Fuu looked at it in amazement; it reminded her of her home. She started to climb the tree.

It was a tough climb. She slipped often since her grip on the bark wasn't all that good and she couldn't summon her Bijuu chakra to make wings. So, as a last resort, she got two kunais and jabbed them into the tree with her hands as she boosted herself upward. She reached the part of the tree where the trunk split into boughs, which was a flat ground. It was an even ground, like some stadium or stage built inside the tree. What amazed her even more was that at the center of the flat ground, there were thick branches that grew up parallel to one another in circular formation to act like a cage.

She was even more astounded to find what was resting inside the cage.

Inside it was a humongous dark blue rhinoceros beetle. Its head resembled the armor of a knight and its eyes were hidden behind a helmet lid with a faint orange glow coming from the inside. It had spikes and slits on each of its shoulders, and had three legs on each side of its body. Its body (like its legs) grew from a dark blue hue to a green one. The bottom half of its body was green and it had six tails that acted as orange wings, with three on each side, sprouting from it. The seventh one was a long green tail that came out from its abdomen. Its wings buzzed noisily in the cage while the seventh tail swished about madly.

Fuu cupped her hands to her mouth and screamed as loudly as she can to attract the beast's attention. "Chomei!"

The Bijuu continued to buzz, but it changed its position in the cage. "Oh, Fuu! What're you doing here? I thought you said you went on an adventure."

"I am, Chomei!" she yelled happily. "It's a fun journey so far! I made some friends!"

"Good for you, Fuu!" Chomei said enthusiastically. "Who are they?"

"Oh, the jinchuuriki," Fuu said. "Gaara, Yugito, Roushi, Han, and Naruto!"

"Hmmnnn," Chomei hummed. "They seem like an interesting group."

"Yeah, exactly. The Bijuu and the jinchuuriki'll team up and form a group called the Shouri. Then we'll fight the Akatsuki with everything we've got!"

"Woah, woah, slow down there, Fuu," Chomei stated. "The Akatsuki?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow, what an exciting quest! Although I fear for you, Fuu."

Fuu became skeptical. She never heard Chomei talk with a tone like that. "Huh…?"

"It's just…well, you know the Akatsuki well, right? Who are they?"

"Uhm, they're a group of S-rank criminals targeting you and the rest of the Bijuu."

"And? Do you know what happens when the Bijuu is extracted out of the jinchuuriki?"

Fuu stayed silent. She didn't know the answer, and that filled her with dread.

Chomei's buzzing became quieter. "They die, Fuu."

Fuu gasped. That was what would happen to her. She would die. Of course such a fate was fitted for a young innocent kunoichi just wanting to be accepted by her villagers. So that was her fate all along? To die at the hands of the Akatsuki? Was there no other way to turn it around? She had to die a hero's death. She had to prove her villagers wrong. But then again, what could she do? She couldn't do anything. She was just a kunoichi with a curse implanted into her life. Just the thought brought her close to tears.

"Oh…oh no…" Chomei's voice became maternal and comforting. "No no, Fuu, don't cry. It's alright."

A small tear slipped down her face. "B-But Chomei, they all hate me. They hate me! My death wouldn't mean anything to anyone! I'm nothing to nobody! My death…my death is worthy of me!" She started to cry.

"Oh no, no, that's not what I meant, Fuu," Chomei continued to console the poor girl. The beast flew in such a way that its head would be closer to the young kunoichi. "I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to scare you. Where's the optimistic girl I know and love?"

Fuu wiped away her tears and sniffed a little. "She…she's right here." She made a small effort to smile.

"Think about this, Fuu," Chomei comforted. "If you think that nobody would care about your death, you're oh so terribly wrong. There are always people who will care about you. And do you know who they are? They're the Sage and your jinchuuriki. You said they were your friends. And friends would care for you. They would help you fight the Akatsuki and mourn over your death. And that Naruto kid, I like him!"

Fuu looked up at her Bijuu.

"That kid is your perfect role model," Chomei continued. "He's a steadfast strong and sturdy young man. He's the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the meanest beast! And look at him! He's as optimistic as you are! If you can't die for your villagers, do it for him or for the jinchuuriki."

Fuu wiped the last of her tears away. "C…Chomei…"

"I believe in you, Fuu," Chomei announced. "I know why you came to me now. I know you were going to ask me to join The Shouri. And guess what: I will. I'll do it for you. I'll show you that you can be a hero, and that people indeed care for you. I care for you, Fuu. I care."

Fuu smiled the largest grin she could flash. "Chomei…a million 'thank you's isn't enough to repay you."

Chomei raised its head and the buzzing of its wings grew louder. "Then repay me by going out there and winning for me! For us! For the jinchuuriki and for the Ninja World!"

"I will, Chomei!" Fuu shouted. "I will!"

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~

"T-The Godaime Mizukage?

Yagura was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe what he had heard. This woman…his successor? What could she have done to make her such a loved Mizukage? And why did people hate him? Those questions just faded away. He was too petrified to speak. The smug face that the Mizukage was wearing made him feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, dear boy," she said. "And I feel honored to be in your presence, Lord Yondaime." Here she gave a small bow of her head.

Yagura struggled to do the same. "To you as well." He shook the shackles on his arms to remind this woman that he was bound. "Now that we have a mutual understanding, I ask you to release me from this prison."

"Why would I do that?" Mei asked with a playful tone in her voice.

"Because…" Yagura struggled to find the words to say. "It's because…I have things to do."

"Oh really?" Mei asked. "What sorts of things?"

"I have riddles that need to be solved," he answered. "I have questions that need to be answered. I ask things that even I cannot fathom."

"You desire help," Mei summed up.

"Yes," Yagura hated to admit it. "I need help. I need all the help I can get."

"I have a suggestion for you," Mei said, putting a finger to her lip. "There's a group of people who plan to defeat the Akatsuki."

Yagura's eyes widened. This was the group that Isobu talked about. What was it called again? The Shouri, right? Why was the Mizukage talking about such, and how did she know about it?

Mei smirked. "You seem rather interested. They plan to defeat the Akatsuki. And oh joy; they're all jinchuuriki like you! Isn't that fantastic?"

"Why are you suggesting such to me?" Yagura yelled. "Why do you want me to join The Shouri so badly?"

Mei's eyes grew fascinated. "Oh, you know its name too! You do catch on quickly!"

Yagura grew impatient. "You haven't answered my question. Why do you want me to join them?"

"Because," Mei replied with a serious tone. "Unlike you, who only desire things for yourself, I desire the salvation of the world. And I believe that The Shouri is our path to salvation. They didn't want to choose this quest, but the jinchuuriki chose it anyway. They chose to save their people before themselves. They're risking everything: their feelings, their loneliness, their passions, their dreams, and even their lives just to save the people who couldn't fight the back. And here you are, selfishly thinking about yourself."

Yagura couldn't help but feel guilty. She was right. Right about everything. He chose himself before others. He was even Mizukage for crying out loud. Shouldn't he be the one to set an example for the jinchuuriki? He bit his lip.

"Yes," he admitted shamefully. "I admit I am selfish. I am a young naïve boy who wished to only help himself. I am not worthy of my title as Mizukage. I didn't think about others, and I know now that I have to think about them. And doing so, I'll finally know who he is."

Mei's face turned curious. "Who is 'he'?"

The Yondaime Mizukage paused. "All of those things I did as Mizukage, all of those things that were pictured as bad, all those things that spoiled my reputation, they weren't me. Someone from the Akatsuki was controlling me. All this time. And I want to know who he is and what he wants from me."

Mei came to revelation. "Oh."

Yagura looked up at Mei. "I see now as well. By helping others, I help myself. I don't have enough strength now to go to The Shouri. My chakra supply is almost out."

Mei stared long and hard at Yagura before smiling. "I get it now. You're a Water Clone. Hmph, you are crafty. They didn't call you a Mizukage for nothing."

Yagura gave a small grin. "Yes, thank you for the kind words. I shall disperse now. Thank you for offering me advice, Godaime Mizukage. I will join the Shori. You have my word."

Mei smiled as the Yagura strapped to the chains burst into a blast of water, turning into a puddle on the cold jail floor.

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~

The real Yagura ran through the forest. His face and arms were covered in scars from the hunter-nin's needles. His body ached until he couldn't take it anymore. He had to walk, and even his walking looked like he was limping. He held onto his staff and gripped it tightly, afraid that he would let go of it without his awareness. He felt a little of his chakra return to him after the clone had dispersed, and Isobu couldn't contact him because of his low supply of chakra. The noon winds blew past him. They brought the sounds of laughter and splashing of water. It seemed like an illusion.

Wait, that wasn't illusion; that was real.

Yagura staggered to lean on a tree close to a river bank. He saw a young blond-haired girl tripping into the water many times and a young tall man in a blue kimono walking on the river's surface, holding some pink fruit. The young man yelled at the girl urges and tips, but apparently, she wasn't following them. But who cares, they were people who could help him.

And he needed all the help he could get.

Yagura slowly limped to the river bank. The girl noticed him and screamed, probably thinking him as some intruder or scary bloody-looking stranger. The young man ran from the river in front of the girl to protect her, holding some kind of bubble pipe at him. He was about to blow, and Yagura knew had to say something to make sure he wasn't identified as an enemy to them.

"H-Help…" he wheezed. "H…Help m-me…"

He fell to the ground, his senses shutting down on him. His vision and turned black, but he heard the voices of the people speaking.

"Oh no, Master!" it was probably the girl. "Oh no, what do we do?"

"Relax, calm down," the young man stated. "All we have to do is inject chakra into him. I'll get hot water. Make him lie down."

"Yes, Master."

All his senses shut down, and Yagura heard or saw nothing more.