Incident 19 – Hot and Cold

River Country – Near an Empty Industrial City

Disputed Territory

Immediately Following

Yadome felt strange. Her world had changed, but she was not overcome with grief or anything so common. Her fingertips felt tingly where they had brushed the captain's eyes closed. It was a strange echo sensation, something only in her mind, and yet not. It was almost unreal to look at Saito, being carried by an obviously distraught Eisai, and realize he was truly dead, not simply asleep or something similar. Still, Yadome could not feel sad, because Saito had not wanted them to feel sad. Instead she took refuge in cold pride, pride in what had happened. Their enemies had launched a very good plan to trap them, but had failed. Two more had fallen, leaving potentially as few as three. It was good progress, Yadome knew that, and was proud of it. She was also certain they would finish the task, and soon. Saito would have faded from their lives then anyway. It was not better this way, but it was simply the way it had happened. Somehow she, a creature of death, was able to accept this. It was not a particularly happy fact, but by its very nature, neither was it sad.

In time they reached the rendezvous point that had been pre-arranged. Tsune was there of course, she had proceeded directly, but Togawa and his team were also present. Yadome hadn't expected them to be back so quickly. It appeared that things must have gone well in that case. She could see that the robe-wearing jounin, Sadakaze, carried a figure, a woman Yadome vaguely recognized as Nii Yugito. She was unconscious and looked rather the worse for wear.

"Shit," Togawa said immediately upon seeing the group shuffle into the small river bend clearing. "We lost Saito huh? Damn…"

Yadome realized her attention was more broken up than she thought when she hadn't realized Togawa's mask was gone instantly. He couldn't have taken it off; he never did when others were watching, so it must have been somehow destroyed.

The other three jounin nodded slowly, their heads bowed. "Captain Saito was a good man," the youngest, Aomori mentioned. "That's a real shame."

"Tsune," Yadome asked. "Can you help Eisai?" she pointed to her brother. "And prepare what's necessary."

"Y-yes, of course," the nun replied. "I know the service, though I've never done it myself before. It will have to be very simple, I'm sorry."

"That's alright," Nanami spoke up from behind. "I think maybe that's better."

Tsune nodded without speaking, and with great care helped Eisai lower the Captain's body to the ground.

"We'll leave you to it," Togawa commanded, quickly taking charge. "Everybody let's move off, we have to discuss things."

Yadome nodded, but said nothing.

The eleven Shinobi-Ite followed the four jounin a little ways off into the woods, and settled to the ground in a stand of trees.

"I'll run this for now with the Captain gone," Togawa began. He held out his hand to forestall comments, catching Shiori and Arisa with their mouths half-open. "I know I don't command you, but for now I have seniority. We'll call the Raikage later and deal with the command issue. For now we all need to get the same story."

"Why don't you go first?" Arisa suggested from Yadome's left.

"Fair enough," Togawa replied. "We went in to the city. They left a pair there, as expected. Hoshigake Kisame and Uchiha Itachi, those were the two. We managed to kill them both and recover Yugito. I'll spare you the details."

"That means the Uchiha bloodline is dead then?" Mikiko asked quietly. All knew that strange story. It wasn't something they really regarded with sadness; the Leaf's loss was Cloud's gain in this case.

"Quite," Togawa replied. "It took some work though, that Uchiha destroyed my mask, still, a small price to pay." He gave them a cold smile, though his face seemed odd, exposed as it was, unused to expression. "The one problem we have is that Yugito's still unconscious, and we don't really know how to wake her. Still, that's a problem for the future, and maybe the nun can help some." He stopped there and looked at Yadome expectantly.

The pale sniper supposed it fell to her to talk; at least, she was the eldest among her sisters. "They doubled back on us, Diedara and a fairly young man who called himself Tobi. Diedara launched some strange attack from above we could not shoot down, the Captain recognized it, I think it must have been the one he used at Suna." They had heard that story. "The Captain used a forbidden jutsu to counter the effect, Soul-Guided Arrows. That's why he died, not enemy action. We killed the other the pair shortly after that, they clearly hadn't made any plans for failure."

Togawa absorbed this carefully. "The old man sacrificed himself for the young huh? Noble of him, I don't know if I could do something like that. Damn noble." Togawa shook his head slowly, perhaps his own expression of grief. "Anyway, that means we killed four of them today, add Hidan and Kakuzu to that and only three remain. One of them's the crazy plant man you kept killing when we surrounded this place, but we don't know the others."

"So it would seem," Yadome replied, not feeling the need to say anything more.

"Okay," Togawa shook his head again. "Three left huh? Seems we need to talk to the Raikage."

As a group they all stood, and headed over to the piled equipment that had been left there. Tsune looked up as they passed back, taking her hands from the white shroud over the captain's lying body. "Are you all done?"

"We need to speak to the Raikage," Togawa explained. "I think you should listen to."

Nanami, with shaking hands, fished out one of the long range radio units. "We still have access to one of the nearby repeaters, so contact should be good. Who will speak?"

"I'll handle it," Togawa announced. "There'll be less confusion that way."

"Right," Yadome answered, she would rather it be that way. It was probably best that the news of Saito's death came from someone else, not one of the snipers.

Togawa put the radio down on a backpack, so it was high enough everyone could hear easily. "Echo-Sierra-Sierra calling Charlie-Charlie-Alpha, reporting," Togawa began.

There was a pause. "This is Charlie-Charlie-Alpha," Naotaka's voice was clear to them all, and it was obvious to Yadome that the Raikage sensed something was wrong. He would have expected Saito to call, not Togawa. "What's your status?"

"Complicated," Togawa barked back, his own feelings frayed. "You want the good news or the bad news first?"

This wasn't exactly proper protocol, Yadome noted, but Togawa perhaps thought his rank gave him license. She knew it was unlikely to matter if anyone was listening now in any case.

"I'd prefer to know which casualties you took," Naotaka's demand was forceful, and made it very clear he could read between the lines of the conversation, even at such a great distance.

"That'd be the bad news then," Togawa quipped. "Alright," his voice turned immediately serious, and Yadome could tell the jounin was genuinely sorry about what had happened. She supposed that was reasonable, Togawa had known Saito for much of his life, had fought at his side during wars, and more. The Captain might have been their uncle and trainer, but that did not make him any less a fellow ninja to one such as the Forked Bolt. "Ukita Saito, jounin captain of Hidden Cloud, is dead."

"I see," Naotaka's voice was strained. "And the circumstances?"

"The girls were pursuing the majority of the targets, they got doubled on and the mad artist pulled his blow-the-village trick," Togawa explained, keeping to slang to obscure things somewhat, but relating the obvious meaning to the Raikage. "Saito used some nasty kinjutsu to save everyone, but it seems to have used up the rest of his life."

"Yes, I understand," Naotaka answered slowly. "Is that the only loss?"

"Yeah."

"Very well," the Raikage's voice had changed to the voice of command. "I knew that when this endeavor was begun there were likely to be some loses. We shall have to accept this. What of the enemy?"

"We eliminated four," Togawa answered. "Hoshigake Kisame, Uchiha Itachi, Deidara, and one who called himself Tobi."

"Three remain then," the Raikage confirmed. "And the line of the Uchiha is ended. Very good. What of our captive?"

"We've got her and she seems okay, but she's unconscious. We're still working on that part," Togawa went on.

"Very well, do what you can with that. When she does wake up I will want to speak with her," it was not a request. "Now, what about the remaining three targets? Are you all willing to continue this effort without Captain Saito?"

Togawa turned around to look at everyone. He turned to his three team members first. "You guys?"

Miya answered for them. "Why are you even asking?"

"Heh," Togawa nodded, and then looked to the Shinobi-Ite. "Then I guess it's all of you."

Yadome looked at her siblings, searching their faces, those she knew so well. The question was telling, to go on without the Captain to lead them. It would be different than before. They had served missions autonomously in the past and even during this mission as they broke up into teams, but that was not the same. Things had changed and a new voice would have to guide them now. Still, none of them hesitated; there was no need for speech or discussion. The Captain had wanted them to finish this, so they would. "We are ready." Yadome answered.

Togawa nodded, having clearly expected the same. "It looks like everyone's on board. We don't want to let the last of them get away."

"I'm glad," Naotaka replied. "However, this means there must be a new mission commander. The Shinobi-Ite requires a Captain, and they will command the conclusion of this effort. You understand that Echo-Sierra-Sierra?"

Togawa didn't look happy but he answered. "I understand. So who commands?"

There was another pause, and then the Raikage spoke surprising words. "Saito did not leave any clear instructions. Therefore the Shinobi-Ite is authorized to chose its own commander, who will then be evaluated at the conclusion of this mission. Take your time, but tell me when you're ready."

Yadome looked at her sisters, and then, at some unspoken signal, they all shifted into a circle, facing each other. There was silence.

"So, any nominations?" Nanami asked after no one else spoke.

Ten faces shifted to stare at Yadome. She looked back at them all, her ten siblings, the ones closest to her, and was saddened. She had expected this, somehow, but she did not want it. "No," she whispered at first. It was somehow impossibly hard to say the words. "No," she repeated. "It should not be me. I cannot lead you; we are not all the same." She had never said anything crueler, and it was difficult, unbelievably so to say it now, but it was the truth. "And I am not the one who can lead you."

They all stared at her, and Yadome knew this was not as they had expected. She had been their guardian for a long time, the best of them, indeed the very reason they were ninja was something she had done. All had naturally assumed she would be the leader, but it was not to be, Yadome was absolutely certain of it. She suspected Naotaka agreed, if she was the natural leader he would have just appointed her. Since he had not the implication was someone else should take the role.

"Um, in that case sister," Eisai asked carefully. "Who do you think it should be?"

Yadome's eyes shifted, and everyone else's moved to follow. It was not necessary to say anything.

"Me?" Kina's voice was surprised, almost scared. "You can't be serious."

"Seconded," Arisa said without addressing any objections.

"You are the best strategist among us, sister," Nanami added, and a chorus of nods followed.

"You can do this Kina," Fushiyo added supportively. "The Captain was grooming you to command, it was obvious."

"But, I'm not one of the older ones, and…" she seemed desperate to raise objections.

"Kina, you can do this," Yadome spoke with certainty, for she was certain. "You showed it today, you reacted quicker than the rest of us, came up with a plan, and executed it. If you had not done that Diedara would have escaped."

"You are all…certain of this?" Kina asked one final time.

Everyone nodded. The decision was made.

"Very well," Kina sighed, and before Yadome's eyes something appeared to change. "Master Togawa!" the young sniper's voice had taken an unmistakable tone of command, and the jounin jerked back in surprise. "Give me the radio please."

"Right," Togawa adapted quickly to this sudden change.

Yadome smiled.

"Raikage, sir," Kina addressed the distant Naotaka. "I have been appointed to command this endeavor," there was no need for Kina to use her name; Naotaka could easily recognize her voice. "We will remain at this location for present. At the next check in I will update Yugito's status and confer with you on a plan for the remaining enemies."

"Very good Captain," Naotaka answered with supportive confidence, and then cut the connection.

"Alright," Kina turned back to them all. "Tsune?"

"Yes?" the nun answered respectfully.

"Are you ready?"

"Whenever you wish." Tsune bowed her head to them.

"Then lets do this, our Captain shouldn't wait any longer," Kina said quietly, tears gathering in her eyes again.

Chapter Notes: