Chapter 12 – The Fifth Kazekage
==Hidden Sand==
Baki and Pakura's mob of supporters had dragged all the captured and unidentified as friendly or not Sand-nin into the main square where Shukaku had gone down after Naruto showed them where they were. Mimasu was overseeing the medical treatment of the Kosa siblings and the Leaf nin while talking quietly with Sasori and Jiraiya.
Jiraiya and Sasuke had been struck glancing blows by the sand bullets, but Naruto's Shadow Clones had used themselves as meat shields to protect him and Sakura, and Kakashi had managed to dodge. Sasuke was wincing and trying hard not to flinch and squirm as the med-nin worked to keep the flesh that had been scraped off his face by the sand from scarring too badly and set his broken collarbone.
As Baki, Pakura and their supporters arrived in the square, Mimasu turned to look at them, "I guess I should go ahead and address those present and let word spread from there. I can have an official address tomorrow or the next day. Sasori, you are of course welcome to scavenge the battlefield for materials to replenish your collection." He extracted a scroll from his cloak, "And here is your payment. We are in your debt and look forward to working with you again."
Sasori nodded with that sleepy smile his now scorched puppet face was forever stuck in, "And the Akatsuki will look forward to working with you as well. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go get started, I'm still not very popular here." He turned to go and then paused, "Oh, by the way, pass this along to that boy with the face paint for me when he wakes up. I was paying attention during the battle to see if he was worthy of wielding Crow. Have him seek me out when he is able to use the five puppets I left in Hidden Sand simultaneously, and I will take him on as my apprentice." Before anyone could question him, he disappeared in a puff of sand.
Everyone who had heard him and knew who he was gaped at the spot where he had been. "Well," Shukaku drawled from his spot atop Gaara's head, "Kankuro's gonna be bouncing off the walls with joy." "Indeed," Gaara agreed calmly. Then Temari remembered something and pointed at Mimasu with a bandaged hand, "And what do you mean 'beautiful'?! Were you trying to flirt with me?!"
Mimasu shot her an unnerving stare that actually made her flinch slightly, "What do I mean by beautiful? Well I suppose I mean that you are extremely attractive. I could've been being sarcastic or patronizing as I sometimes am, but in this case I was not. Most likely what I meant was that since I have been sent to take over as Kazekage and you are in fact highly attractive as well as being highly skilled in wind jutsu is that I would like to see you again in a less tense situation and possibly pursue a romantic relationship with you. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what I meant at the time."
Then he looked away and shrugged with a small grin, "Of course, I had just fallen out of the air and landed very hard, perhaps you have no desire for my attention and I will claim my brain was a little rattled by my hard landing before apologizing for making you uncomfortable. Really it's whatever you make of it Temari-hime."
Temari blushed and tried to come up with an answer for that and then Gaara said in that odd monotone of his, "Wha-oh, Temari's got a boyfriend." All the color went out of Temari's face in an instant and her jaw dropped. She looked at Gaara in shock, "Did, did you just tease me?" "I have no idea what you're talking about," Gaara replied with a deadpan stare and a perfectly straight face.
Temari's brain tried to process that and her mouth opened and closed a few times with no sound coming out as Shukaku nearly fell off Gaara's head laughing.
==The Uchiha District==
"Ok Itachi, where's the shower?" Konan demanded as soon as they were in the door, "I've got way too much of that snake's blood on me and I want a bath." "Upstairs, first door on your right," Itachi replied as he looked around at the house he had grown up in. "Good," Konan declared, "Come on Kisame, you can help me wash my back." She disappeared off up the stairs dragging a very happy Kisame.
Itachi wasn't really paying attention. He had picked up a family picture and was sighing at it. He set it back after a minute and looked at the one Sasuke had put next to it, the only one that was new. "So they gave him to Kakashi," Itachi said quietly to himself, "I wonder what he did to deserve that." Sasuke looked, well maybe not happy, but definitely smug in his team photo. There was a blue haired girl who Itachi couldn't identify and a blonde kid who could only be, "and Naruto too. All they need now is to be…" "Squad Seven?" A voice asked from behind him.
ANBU Commander Ghost appeared out of thin air behind Itachi, his mask pushed up as he casually munched cereal from the kitchen. Itachi smiled as he set the picture back, "Are they really? Almost like Lord Third wants them to be the trouble team." "Why try to prevent an inevitability?" Ghost asked, "After all, those three are bound to be trouble magnets. Putting all three of them on one team may be cursing them with the worst luck ever, but it keeps all the other teams safe. Besides, if anyone can handle their luck, it's those three. I just feel a little sorry for Sakura, she got stuck as the final member of that squad. She clearly had no idea who she was getting thrown in with."
"How has he been?" Itachi asked quietly. Ghost shrugged, "What do you expect? We haven't been able to tell him the truth. He's hell bent on killing you. He'd probably have it in for me too if he knew I had been in on it." Itachi sighed, "I suppose that's to be expected. What about you? How have you been?" Ghost shrugged, "Eh, same old same old. Protect the village, worry about my family, wish we had been able to find another way."
"How are the kids?" Itachi asked. Ghost made a face, "Ehhh…well, being brought up by a bunch of ANBU in secret has its ups and downs. You're familiar enough with the downs but," He beamed, "My baby girl's almost Academy age and she's already mastered her first fire technique! I'm so proud!"
Itachi smiled, "Of course you are. If I ever get to come home, I'll be proud of my children as well." Ghost raised an eyebrow, "Didn't know you had any?" Itachi laughed, "I don't. Not yet. I don't know if Anko will ever forgive me, but if she does, I want to try." "Well she was almost there on the whole forgiving you thing until she walked in on this little conversation," Anko declared acidly as she materialized in the door to the kitchen wearing the white leather jacket and boots Itachi had sent her with her fingers drumming a tattoo on the hilt of a kunai.
"Aw f***!" Ghost swore after a moment of him and Itachi being pale as ghosts. He pointed at Anko, "Anko Mitarashi this is an S-Class secret and by order of the Hokage you are to keep your mouth shut and never ever tell anybody about this on pain of death!"
Anko shot him a death glare, "If there's not a damn good explanation coming out of your mouth in the next five minutes, you're going to know all about 'pain of death' when I turn you into a REAL ghost. Same goes for you Itachi! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Ghost was glowing crimson with embarrassment that he had been snuck up on and Itachi was poking his fingers together and having trouble making eye contact in a manner very reminiscent of a certain Hyuga. "Well…"Itachi started, "It goes kinda like this…" Then Anko fainted as Ghost's genjutsu took effect and wiped her memories of the past fifteen minutes. Itachi sprang forward and caught her halfway to the floor as Ghost sighed with relief and pulled his mask back on, "That was way too close." "Tell me about it," Itachi agreed as he set Anko on the couch.
==Hidden Sand==
Mimasu stood on a large pile of sand firmly shaped into a platform courtesy of Gaara, with Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Baki and Pakura behind him. "Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand," Mimasu started, "Today, a great crisis has been averted. The Council of Sand and their foolish plans to wage a losing war on the Village Hidden in the Leaves are all dead. Most of you probably do not know me. I am Mimasu Subete, Chief Tactician to the Lord of Wind. I have been sent by His Highness to take over as Kazekage and return Hidden Sand to its former glory."
There was a fair deal of unease in the crowd so Mimasu continued, "I know that this likely does not sit well with many of you. Please take solace in the fact that I do not intend to change much and everything I will do in Hidden Sand will be for the good of Hidden Sand. On that note, I would like to hereby present my chosen advisors and the first members of Hidden Sand's new Council for your approval." He turned and looked at the Sand-nin behind him, "Baki Noberu and Pakura Nichibotsu, will you accept the position of First Councilors to the Kazekage?"
Baki and Pakura bowed slightly and in unison, "I will." Mimasu whirled, "Shinobi of Sand, will you accept these two heroes to be members of your governing council?" There was rumble of agreement and a few cheers. Mimasu smiled, "Good! Next, I would like to make a few promotions. Jiraiya of the Hidden Leaf's Sannin, please step forward."
Jiraiya stepped forward and everyone looked at him curiously as Mimasu asked, "Lord Jiraiya, are you confident in your ability to act in the Hokage's stead and interpret his intentions as he would desire?" Jiraiya thought carefully for a moment, "I am." Mimasu nodded, "Temari Kosa, Kankuro Kosa, Gaara Kosa, step forward." Temari Kankuro and Gaara stepped forward, more than a little surprised as Mimasu turned back to the assembled shinobi before him who were watching very curiously.
"These three genin were en route to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for the Chunin Exams when they learned of the former Council of Sand's incompetence. I believe they are worthy of their promotions despite not being able to attend the exams in Hidden Leaf today. For their valor and skill in the battle to secure the future of the Village Hidden in the Sand, I would confer upon them their promotions to Chunin." He turned to Baki, ignoring the stunned looks of the Kosa siblings, "First Councilor Baki Noberu, these three are your students, do you believe them worthy of this promotion?"
Baki bowed, "Yes sir, I believe that if they had attended the exams they would all have passed easily." Mimasu nodded and turned to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya of the Sannin, I ask you, as the representative of the Hokage, do you believe these three to be worthy of promotion?" Jiraiya nodded, "I do." Mimasu smiled and turned to the Kosa siblings, "Temari, Kankuro and Gaara Kosa, will you accept your promotions?" The siblings accepted in stunned voices, still shocked by this turn of events.
Mimasu turned back to the assembled shinobi before him, "Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand, I present to you your newest Chunin!" There was a wave of polite and in many cases somewhat confused cheers. Mimasu smiled, "And now for my first village wide proclamation as Kazekage…"
Everyone listened apprehensively as Mimasu declared solemnly, "In honor of those who have fought and passed from this world, in honor of those who gave their lives for this village, and in honor of all of you who risked your lives today for your homes and loved ones… To mark this turning point for the better in the history of the Village Hidden in the Sand and the bright new day that has dawned for all of us… To prepare us for the hardships to come as we work to rebuild and return our village to its former glory…" Mimasu paused for dramatic effect and a smile broke through his solemn façade, "Let's party!"
There was a shocked silence and then the entire square erupted in honest heartfelt cheers.
==That Night==
Temari lurched slightly as she headed off after Mimasu. It was her first time drinking and those around her had discovered her to be a giggly and temperamental drunk. Gaara and Kankuro had been carefully keeping as many people out of her way as they could. Baki had been helping until a very drunk and cheerful Pakura had led him away by the hand and he had cheerfully told Gaara and Kankuro good luck, they were on their own.
Gaara and Kankuro had fallen asleep not long after Temari passed out, Shukaku informing them that it was fine as he had a little sand clone form and thus wouldn't fully manifest if Gaara fell asleep. Now Temari was awake again and hunting a certain samurai who'd had the audacity to flirt with her. She was actually remarkably quick tracking him down, especially for someone who was so very drunk. She found him in a square with a fountain, one of the few in Hidden Sand, surrounded by Sand shinobi.
Temari may have been drunk, but she was still a kunoichi, and she knew when something was up, so she waited in the shadows of the side street she had come up and watched.
"Who do you think you are? You can't just come here, kill our entire council and declare yourself Kazekage! You're not even a shinobi! You're a samurai!" the apparent leader of the shinobi ringing Mimasu spat the word like a curse.
Mimasu chuckled, "Who do I think I am? I am a very bad samurai." He moved too fast to see and suddenly the man who had been questioning him was conspicuously lacking his arms. Mimasu smiled wickedly as he threw the appendages back to the man from where he now stood atop the central statue of the fountain. Curiously, the literally disarmed man made no sound at having his arms chopped off. Then he collapsed, stone cold dead and his head bounced away. Mimasu had decapitated him so cleanly that his head hadn't even realized it was disconnected. The shinobi who had been near the man backed away quickly as though the man's death were somehow contagious.
"You see," Mimasu continued, "A good samurai would've gone along with the Lord of Wind's plan to send an army of samurai and crush Hidden Sand rather than talk his lord down from his righteous fury. A good samurai has a sense of justice that wouldn't let him rest until a den of warriors who were more loyal to money than their rightful lord was torn apart and burned to the ground rather than volunteer to go lead them. A good samurai has no need of nin or genjutsu, and wins on the strength of his spirit, conviction and training. A good samurai takes as much pride in his enemies as his friends and speaks of such ethical wonders as justice and comradery."
Mimasu's chuckle was hair raising as it wafted across the square, "I never took to any of those traits very well. Many men like me are mocked if they claim themselves samurai. They are mocked as pedantic machines who know too little of ethics and too much of books. 'Book smelling sot', I believe was the last thing I was called by way of mockery. That man too found himself dead when I beheaded him in a duel the next day. Nobody ever thought to wonder if I might have poisoned him the night before to ensure he didn't get away with insulting me in the event I lost. It was unnecessary, and unethical too. So when you call me samurai, I say you are wrong. When you ask who I think I am, I tell you that I do not think I am the new Kazekage, I AM the new Kazekage. As such," He drew his katana and held it in front of him horizontally, "I will kill you all as a shinobi, and I will do it in time to catch this blade before it hits the water."
He dropped the sword and made a slashing motion with the hand that had held it. A hail of massive wind blades rocketed through the air and tore apart the small crowd of shinobi who had been circling him moments before. Mimasu seemed to teleport again as the air stilled. He reappeared, standing atop the water of the fountain and deftly catching his sword from the air. As he sheathed his katana, his whisper drifted across the square, "Wind Scythe Jutsu."
Temari's jaw dropped and across the square atop a building, Kakashi said quietly, "What do you think Jiraiya-sama?" "I think," Jiraiya replied quietly, "We just made Hidden Sand a force to be reckoned with again." Sasuke looked over at Naruto, "From the sound of it Naruto, I think you may have missed your true calling as a samurai." "Shut up teme," Naruto grumbled. Sasuke just smiled smugly and Sakura giggled slightly at the look on his face.
==Five Years Earlier==
The serving girl shrieked in surprise as the very drunk second son of the Lord of Wind caught the hem of her kimono to ask for more sake as she passed. The girl tripped and spilled the tray of drinks, directly into the lap of the Lord of Wind's third son. There was a moment of horrified silence except for the girl stammering apologies. The ill-tempered third son was even more drunk than the cheerful second, and his face twisted with outrage as he leapt up, "How dare you spill drinks on me?! You incompetent clutz! I should have your clumsy hands cut off! Or maybe your clumsy head!"
The girl shrank in terror and the third son suddenly found a piece of fish plastered to the side of his head with a loud slap. "That is enough brother," declared the Lord of Wind's very sober fourth son from across the table. He was the eldest bastard of the Lord of Wind's seven sons and six daughters and the most level headed of the Lord of Wind's thirteen children, "Her tripping was an accident. Me hitting you in the face with a well-aimed fish on the other hand, that was quite intentional."
The second son quietly shooed the serving girl away as the third son turned on the fourth, "You bastard!" The fourth son waved his chopsticks idly, "Yes, yes, we are all quite aware of my illegitimacy and inability to inherit. You shouldn't waste that fish or anyone's time stating the obvious. Sit back down and eat Masashi, this is a party, not a tavern for brawling and frightening serving girls."
The fourth son resumed eating calmly and Masashi's face twisted with anger, "Well perhaps I will state the obvious anyway! You are a bastard and a book smelling sot! You sit in the library all day reading those scrolls of yours and never practicing your swordsmanship! I never see you at the temple and I have never seen you pray or meditate, so I call you an immoral heathen and a barbarian as well! You win your battles through trickery and you keep the company of mercenaries and peasants! You look nothing like the rest of us and nobody knows who your mother was! I call you a gutless coward, an honorless pretender and the son of a whore unfit to bear the name samurai or the blade you carry at your side!"
There was a frozen horrified silence as the fourth son continued eating calmly, letting the words hang in the air. The enmity between Masashi and the fourth son had never been a secret, anyone who had ever watched them could tell they bore no love for each other and were polar opposites. This though, this was an affront no samurai could let stand, and the fourth son would lose all standing he had if he didn't reply in an appropriate manner. Masashi began to grow uncomfortable as he stood there pointing his finger at his half-brother who just kept eating as though he hadn't heard a thing Masashi had said.
"SAY SOMETHING DAMN…" "I heard you quite clearly idiot," the fourth son snarled, the pure hate and fury in his voice shocking everyone who heard it and making them sweat with worry. Masashi in particular was stunned as the fourth son continued eating, his half-brother never got angry at his insults, he just sniped right back with verbal barbs of his own. The fourth son finished his bowl and set it down, gently laying his chopsticks across the rim of the bowl.
"Now then…" he said quietly. Before anyone could question the slight pause, a monstrous pressure filled the room as the temperature seemed to plummet. As the guards rushed in they found themselves stopping to choke on the unbelievable killing intent. Masashi stepped back in horror as the fourth son's ever eerie yellow eyes bored into his.
"Consider that fish I slapped you with as a challenge to a duel," the fourth son said icily, "We can step outside and as soon as someone fetches our katana you can test that swordsmanship you have never seen me practice for yourself. I'll ask those kami you've never seen me pray to if they might have mercy on my foolish brother when they judge your soul after I've lopped off your head for that little crack about my mother." Masashi was ghostly pale and drenched in cold sweat as he felt the almost surreal surety that he was going to die.
Then the smothering killing intent vanished with an almost audible *poof* and the fourth son reached for another bowl of rice with a smile, "However I would rather wait until dawn to kill you. Your pants seem to be quite soiled and I would not send you to meet the judges of the dead in soiled pants, might make an even worse impression than your standard." He took his bowl and smiled a very unnervingly bright smile at Masashi, "So I will see you in the courtyard at dawn. Eiichiro," he added to the eldest brother, "You officiate and judge the duel, and Hiro," he said to the second brother, "if you should happen to see that serving girl again before I do, send her my way. She was quite pretty and I would very much like an opportunity to make her acquaintance."
He rose and waved his fresh bowl, "I'm taking this with me. Masashi I recommend you go take a bath and change your pants. You should at least try to not smell like an old sandal when you meet the judges of the dead. Everyone else, I will see you in the morning, do have a pleasant evening and don't let my little spat with Masashi ruin the rest of your meal."
He hopped over the guards who had collapsed in the doorway gasping for breath when his murderous aura allowed them to breathe again and cheerfully told them, "Keep up the good work fellas."
==Late That Night==
Kurotsuchi breathed a sigh of relief as she was on her way out. Poisoning the Lord of Wind's brother and chief tactician had been a cinch after the commotion the Lord of Wind's sons had created at dinner. It was totally worth the embarrassment of being tripped she thought. She froze as she rounded a corner and saw who was waiting for her, silhouetted at the end of the roof against the setting moon. The fourth son smiled without looking at her, "I owe you one kunoichi. Thanks to you I now have an opportunity to kill that idiot brother of mine."
Kurotsuchi didn't respond as she calculated her odds of killing him without raising the alarm to her presence. "Calm yourself, I have no intention of waylaying you," the fourth son told her calmly, "In fact I have another job for you." Kurotsuchi's eyes bugged out slightly and she only narrowly caught the almost head sized pouch of money the fourth son tossed her, "Go poison my brother the way you just did my uncle. Use something slow and painful. I do not expect him to live through our duel tomorrow, but I would not have him get off free in the odd event he does. He's on the second floor of this building, third room on the right from the stairs, and I'm sure you remember what he looks like. He's the only one of us that snores in the event you don't." Kurotsuchi nodded warily, hardly able to believe her luck.
"May I ask your name?" the fourth son asked as she turned to go down to the edge of the roof and climb through her new target's window. "It's polite to give your own name before asking someone else's," Kurotsuchi replied nervously. "I am Mimasu Subete, fourth son and eldest bastard of the Lord of Wind," Mimasu replied, "And unless I'm mistaken you are Kurotsuchi Kamizuru, Chunin of the Village Hidden in the Stones and granddaughter of the third Tsuchikage."
Kurotsuchi paled, SHIT! Mimasu grinned at her immediate and obvious discomfort, "It's nice to know I can call Hidden Stone for a decent assassin. Hidden Sand's been a little low on the talent pool lately." He turned away from her and said over his shoulder, "Best of luck Kurotsuchi-hime, I hope we can work together again one day." He calmly hopped off the roof, leaving a blushing Kurotsuchi to wonder if he was flirting or just polite as she shook her head and got back to her new mission.
==The Next Morning==
Masashi's head bounced off the tiles of the courtyard almost as soon as a nervously sweating Eiichiro gave the order for the duel to begin. Mimasu sheathed his blade as Masashi's now headless body collapsed, "And that's the end of that. By the way, that cute serving girl I was looking for decided to seek other employment after her little scare last night, so I'm going to go see if I can find a girl as cute as she was to celebrate my victory with. Toodleoo!" He cheerfully called over his shoulder with a wave as he headed for the gate.
AN:Yep, that's Mimasu for ya. Scary and diabolical as hell. As for who his mother is, that's a surprise for later, and nobody would darecall her a whore if they knew who she was. Suffice to say it's no shocker to anyone who knows about her that Mimasu wound up not only in, but running a shinobi village. (and don't worry, that's probably the last flashback for a while)
For those of you wondering about Konan and Kisame, and how in the hell that happened, I'm not telling. Yet. For now, just chalk it up under that list of things that's different about the Akatsuki in Shooting Straight.
As for who ANBU Commander Ghost is, I would tell you, but he kinda gave me a scary red-eyed glare until I edited his name out. He says I can tell you when it's declassified.
Also, for those who haven't caught it yet, yes, Haku took Hinata's place on Squad 8 after what happened with Sakura back in Chapter 7.
Next time we'll be getting back to Hidden Leaf to find out the results of the Chunin Exams Second Round!
