Sakura
The celebration was tremendous, with all the townspeople huddled in the colorful square. All the shops had been closed, the marketplace lying empty. In that area had been placed the bodies of the fallen, both shinobi and commoner. The Battle of the Mirrors had ended victoriously, but not without cost. Later in the night, the newly instated daimyo, the ex-diplomat Heyuut, had proclaimed that a mourning ceremony would be held for those who had died defending their village. But for the moment, a day of peace and sharing was to enliven them all.
Team 7 stood off to the side as announced the end of the alliance with the Land of Sound, and what he hoped would be a long and profitable relationship with the Land of Fire instead.
Sakura smirked as she looked around, taking in the smiling faces of triumph. Kabuto had fled the scene of the tower hurriedly, and they had not bothered to stop him. He knew he had lost, and would no doubt be licking his wounds under the protection of the snake. It was safe to say neither would be showing their face.
We actually did it. Or, Naruto did.
Heyuut's speech ended with the cutting of large red ribbon, which had originally blocked off entrance to the Palace.
"With the symbolic cutting of this ribbon," Heyuut concluded, "I allow all members of the Land of Dunes to be allowed to walk the halls of the Palace, where inside we will begin the economic reconstruction of our land with a feast for all! Food will be evenly distributed everyday by the Palace, so that all may be fed. At last, we are all equal."
The crowd responded with high cheering, and the guards allowed a steady stream of people to enter the Palace, where Sakura knew a truly large feast awaited the people.
"He'll do the place good," Kakashi remarked. "They'll reach struggles along the way, but with Konoha's support, we can help them overcome whatever they face."
The Fifth Hokage nodded her consent. She and the Fourth Raikage had arrived the next morning after Sudoar's defeat, with hundreds of shinobi fighters who had all been seeking to join in the conflict. They had been warmly welcomed, and the Raikage spoke off to the side with Daimyo Heyuut, discussing a new trading agreement.
"Now that corruption has been removed and a new branch of leaders put in, this country can finally return to its former glory." She gave Kakashi a good pat on the back that sent him stumbling forward with her immense strength. "And thanks to your explorations of the Palace, most of it's being opened to the public, which means even more publicity and visitors to the Land of Dunes."
"All the better," Sakura agreed. "After seeing what the village was like when we first arrived, I'm glad they'll recover and become strong again."
"And that's a nice attitude to have, Sakura," Kakashi replied warmly. "Now, let's go eat."
"Oh boy!" Naruto burst out, having been silent during Heyuut's entire speech in a rare moment of respect. "I'm freaking starving, I didn't get a chance to eat at all!"
Sakura grinned, but inside she felt pity for Naruto. His fights with Sudoar and Bioto, coupled with the overexposure of chakra from that strange source, had really left him in a bad state. The best medical professionals in the Land of Dunes had worked on him and patched him up, but they could barely do a thing. The Fifth Hokage had promised to work on him when they returned home, and Sakura had no doubt in her abilities to heal him. But seeing him so battered was a heart-wrenching sight.
She sighed. I can't believe I'm going to do this. "Naruto?" she asked, and he looked at her. "Do you... want me to feed you? Since you're not supposed to move either arm."
It was like a festival was happening on his face. His face split open in a wide grin. "Oh, yeah! That'd be really, really great! Oh man..." He seemed to longer even be on the topic of food anymore. "I can't believe she's going to feed me..."
"Don't push your luck," Kakashi intoned lightly as he looked at her with apprehension. "Let's just get inside already."
They all progressed forward, Kakashi steering Naruto in, Sasuke following closely behind.
Her heart pinged. Sasuke...
"Sakura, can we talk?" She turned in shock, surprised the Fifth was actually addressing her.
"Um... um, sure!" They stepped off to the side, letting the men go on ahead.
The Fifth's green eyes looked into her own, powerful and authoritative. "Kakashi told me about your performance against Drel. Against a Reanimated foe brought back by the Second Hokage's Justu, that is a feat very few can perform, especially against such a strong shinobi to begin with."
She was going red, she could tell, despite her best wishes. "I... thank you, madame."
Still the Kage did not move away. "You're a growing kunoichi, Sakura, whether you realize it or not. You make yourself weak by thinking you are, but you are steadily following the path to success. Don't forget that."
Sakura felt tears sting her eyes. "Compared to Sasuke and Naruto, I'm always left behind. I'm always the handicap, the one dragging them back. I always get into trouble, and have to rely on them to help me. And I'm just so sick of having to watch them get HURT-"
The Fifth put both of her powerful hands on Sakura's shoulders, stared through the emerging tears and into what felt like her very soul...
"You can't always be strong enough to help the ones you love," the Fifth said softly. "No one is ever strong enough to do that. But you can always be the one to pick them up when they fall." Her tone switched from affection to a near-business stance. "I'm requesting that you look into becoming a medic for your team in the future. You don't have to choose now, but I want you to look into it. Alright?"
Sakura wiped away her tears. "You're... personally recommending me?" It was so powerful, to have that feeling of being recongnized by the single best medic in the entire continent.
"I am," the Fifth finished. "Think about it, talk to me after the dinner when you've recollected yourself." She released the pink-haired youth and walked back into the Palace, chasing after the retreating backs of the Fourth Raikage and Daimyo Heyuut.
She stood there for a moment, pondering her words. If I can't be strong enough to help them fight, then I can help them heal so they can keep on going. To be able to stop them from being hurt, and to help them in my own way.
She thought about Kabuto and Bioto's insults, of her being the handicap, the weak one always holding back Team 7. And I took it because I knew it was true. But now I can prove myself, to both them and my friends.
She wiped away the last of the salty water, her face clean, mouth smart, eyes intelligent. "Wait, Madame Hokage!"
The older woman paused, turned her head. "Yes-?"
She caught up quickly, stood right behind Tsunade. "I'll come with you."
XXX
Kakashi
The celebration was indeed grand, food plentiful from the ex-daimyo's private storage handed out to what had originally been his starving people. Heyuut was definitely off to a strong start, and he hoped he would follow through with that path.
Naruto's excitment eventually lost him the right to be fed by Sakura, especially when he accidentally dumped his entire ramen soup on her.
And she was changing to, he could tell that the conversation the Hokage and her were sharing was not a usual one. Her determination to grow stronger was just hiding beneath the surface; it would take some sort of strong nudge to get her to actually start.
But at least she's openly considering it now.
The room became filled with steam as the main course was brought out, a host of steamed vegetables and delicious pork. The smell, however, was intoxicating for him, and he quietly excused himself from the table to go out to a side balcony, where he could be alone and catch fresh air.
He made to close the door to cut off the sounds of celebration, but a large foot suddenly stopped the movement of closing it. Slowly, he ran his eyes along the ridge-line to see who the foot would belong to.
"I hope you can accept one more person out here," said the Fourth Raikage heavily. "I can only tolerate so much cheeriness in one night."
Kakashi nodded. "Be my guest." The powerful kage stepped out, and Kakashi finally closed the door, leaving the two of them in relative quietness. For a moment, each appreciated the stillness offered by the night, but the silence quickly grew uncomfortable.
Despite his presence of a high-ranking shinobi in Konoha, Kakashi had never really been up close with another Kage before, or at least not A. However, he could tell that the Raikage wanted to say something by his posturing, and at last he broke the silence. "Is there something you would like to ask me, Lord Raikage?"
A guttural sound that was the synonym of an affirmative. "Yes, there is."
"Then ask away, ask away."
"You were placed under the affects of the Memory Jutsu, yes?"
An uncomfortable shudder that had nothing to do with the cold temperature. "Yes. It's an experience I won't forget anytime soon."
"It is a good thing that assistant of Tsunade's found a remedy for you when you return home then. I would hate for you to have to be stuck with half your memory missing."
A gave a sidelong look. "But you are the only one alive who is alive and gone through it. I think you know all those people who had been fighting the Dunes's soldiers in the Palace were under the Jutsu, yes? Well, they were all killed. This makes you a relatively unique person."
Kakashi gripped the handrails, not turning to face the Raikage. "Unique how?"
The Raikage understood his tone of voice, but he was undaunted. "Imagine a field army of shinobi who has no qualms of fighting to the death. A supersoldier who's sole concentration is of that the battle at hand and of the jutsu he will perform." He held out a meaty hand to the full moon as if he was talking to it instead. "That is what the Memory Jutsu would be capable of, and what Sudoar tried to perfect with those men and women. It is a very attractive goal to lean towards."
Still, Kakashi did not look at A. "You're saying you were in favor of Sudoar's plot?"
He shook his head. "Sudoar was a high ranking member in our society. My father had discussed such a plan during his talks with us about the Third Shinobi War, of how an unbending army could have easily won us the conflict. You understand that the idea is very appealing, should war break out again. I simply wanted an explanation of the process from you-"
Kakashi whirled around and stared the Raikage hard in the face. "You want to envision war again? Well just look below you." He pointed below the balcony, where the ravaged districts of the village were easily seen. Gray and black bricks, still warm from the fires from days ago, filled the streets. The Land of Dunes had been to preoccupied with Sudoar's threat to mount a cleanup; therefore, the destruction remained evident.
The Raikage shrugged his massive shoulders. "Conflict is conflict. This Land is just another victim of another problem. But actual war, of armies moving and clashing-"
"To the Land of Dunes, this is war," Kakashi interrupted. "Tell the people who lost their friends and family that this was not war. Tell the soldiers who lost their comrades. Tell them their friends and family did not die in war."
The Raikage gave a low growl. "You are a respected jonin throughout the continent, Kakashi. However, I am still your superior in every way. I will not be talked to in such an ungrateful fashion."
Kakashi turned away to look back over the balcony. "You will have to drop your plans, just like Sudoar did" He closed his eyes, but his Sharingan was almost popping out of his eye, to evaluate the Raikage's next actions. He was a man with a short temper, he knew, and while he was feeling furious with the man, if it came to blows he would be dead before his body touched the floor. "The Memory Jutsu dies with Sudoar and the Gauntlet, just another jutsu to hopefully be forgotten forever."
For a moment, the Raikage clenched and unclenched his fists in a silent fury. However, he seemed to reconsider his actions and emotions, and quieted down. "Perhaps... it shall die. You Leaf-nin are to stubborn to deal with anyways." A gave a nod to Kakashi as he turned to leave. "I am glad we managed to come together under a united flag for a time, but tomorrow we will be enemies again. The Land of Dunes affair has been harmful, yes, but it is not war. War will come when the days of the Five Great Nations end and the One Great Nation arises."
His eyes seemed to drill through Kakashi's back, into his heart. "When that happens, then these people will know war. Until then, I will allow celebration."
XXX
Naruto
He did not know what made him make his request. The feast had been an atmosphere of pleasant tidings, of joy and celebration. But there was the last, unfinished task at hand. He left the warmth of the party and asked one of the guards to take him into the coldness of the dungeon below. It was an odd request, and the guard hesitated, as outsiders were rarely allowed inside. But Naruto was well respected as an outsider who had done much for the village, and after some persuasion the guard escorted him down. The doors shut behind them, instantly silencing the sounds of celebration above their heads, sealing them off from the thrill of happiness, to be replaced with a sense of dread and sorrow as they descended.
The guard silently unlocked the door, a thick steel beast that guarded both entry and exit.
"I'll wait out here for you. Take as long as you need."
"Thanks."
The door shut after him, leaving him doused in torchlight. The prison was dark and mold crawled across the walls, the ground, the bars of the cells. The prison had housed multiple opponents of the daimyo over the years, and had never been attended. Several skeletons and rotting corpses littered the small cells.
One living being stirred, in the last cell on the left, with only the smallest niche of light reaching it. Naruto walked over to it, swallowing slightly. Inside, he felt the fox broil within him. The feeling had been becoming more pronounced lately, but the fox itself had not made an appearance him since Sudoar's death. They were back on unfriendly terms, and Naruto was fine with that. He would have preferred never have to speak to the demon inside again, but he knew the day would arise again they would have to talk again. The problem of their companionship had remained unsolved, but it did him some good that the fox had been willing to cooperate in his time of need.
"Still wrestling that demon inside, Naruto?"
The voice rattled through the iron bars, creepy, chilling his spine. The voice of a traitor, of a man who had once been a good person but had been twisted by his own hatred.
He did not know why he had come down to see him again. It had just felt necessary.
"Why have you come to see me?"
"I don't know. I just came."
"You're a terrible guest of honor, leaving your friends behind like that at the celebration," Captain Dalto tutted. "Tell me, Naruto, are you a changed person?"
Naruto shook his hand. Why did I come down here? I don't understand what I expected to get out of this. I could have had Sakura probably feed me again. "I don't understand what you mean. Changed?"
"They say that when two shinobi have met each other at their full strength, with the intent to kill each other, they can understand what they are thinking," Dalto said. "Did you not see what Sudoar thought? I would have thought it was quite familiar."
"I didn't see what he thought. There was nothing to feel except the need to kill him."
Dalto chuckled behind his iron guardians. "You're such a stupid fool."
Naruto would have throttled the bars, or maybe smashed the wall with a fist, if he coud. But the damage to his body was great, so instead he snarled, "And what do you know? You just sat back and watched! Kabuto was right; you're weak, you're pathetic! You abused my trust to get what you wanted, abused the trust of your whole village, for your selfish goal! That's what I could tell was in your mind, and that was without fighting!"
The disgraced captain put up his hands in mock fear. "Oh, no, please! Contain that demon inside you, before it breaks out!"
Naruto made to leave, his disgust for Dalto overpowering the curiosity of why he had bothered to come.
"You're telling me you did not recognize Sudoar's thoughts, his actions? Truly?"
The blonde genin paused. "No. What are you talking about, 'recognize?' What are you trying to say?"
"Your teammate, Sasuke. He's exhibited the same features as Sudoar did in the past," Dalto injected hazily. His voice was light, mysterious, as if he possessed forbidden knowledge and was withholding it from Naruto. "He is treading down a dark path."
Naruto walked up to the bars, looked hard inside. Dalto was showing further signs of weakness. His imprisonment in Bioto's realm had been real, and his starvation had been apparent. The guards had not seen any need to leave the prison in attendance; just being in it sucked the life out those put in it. Naruto thought with a chill he ought to have seen rats lurking, to devour the flesh of the fallen. But no other life glimmered in the darkness; it was as if the prison itself ate the flesh of its occupants. Dalto would not last very long in the dungeon, if the conditions continued.
"Sudoar was always coveting the power of the Gauntlet, to heighten his abilities. He believed that if he became strong enough, he could ascend to the likeness of a god and become a messiah to the nations, who would let him activate the Memory Jutsu." Dalto spoke hollowly, his voice looking to the past. "The idea of peacefully doing the justu was robbed of him as he forcefully stole the stars, but that desire for power remained. The goal was distorted but present, and he died because of it."
"What does this have to do with Sasuke?" Naruto said impatiently. "Tell me what you know!"
"Your agitation tells me my words are sounding familiar, yes? I know of the Uchiha Massacre; in Sasuke's eyes, I can see the desire for revenge. That is his goal."
"Wouldn't you want to avenge your fallen clanmates?" Naruto said dryly, but he instantly regretted the words as Dalto's face actually livened up, furious emotions building up.
"I tried to recreate my clan," Dalto's voice trembled. "And you ended that dream. Now my clan will be forever lost into history, as the Land of Iron tramples over their sacred name forever. Countless years of planning and acting. I spent my whole life with the burning passion for revenge, to rebuild. That was my goal." Dalto suddenly sucked in his words his eyes widened. He seemed to realize that he had been ranting, and he subsided and paled, slumping back down to the cold floor. "Now do you see what I am trying to tell you? Now I understand that all my life my goal was clouded in evil, that my actions were wrong as well. I am trying to do one good act to the one person I hold respect for in the end- Naruto, the boy who stopped me."
Had Dalto remained a truthful person, had he not betrayed Naruto and his village, Naruto might have felt grateful. But in this situation, the praise fell on deaf ears. "You're sick. How can you apologize, after everything you've done? It's... unforgivable."
"Like me and Sudoar, Sasuke is going after his goal with no care of what he has to do to accomplish it," Dalto said, dismissing Naruto's words with a whooping cough. "He does not care what it takes to achieve his goal, do you not see? He is me and Sudoar, men who stopped at nothing to achieve the power necessary to win. If you want that to happen to your friend, then stand aside, let him continue. He will grow dark, and he will betray you, just as I did."
"You're wrong!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke will never leave us! We're a team, we're best friends! There will never be any reason for him to leave us. We'll stay together, and Sakura and Kakashi sensei and I will help him accomplish his goal! Just you watch!"
Dalto coughed feebly, but a smile cracked acorss his face in the light. "I won't be around to watch anything very soon. But you must see the truth in my words. What I did was wrong; and now I repent as I swim in the waters of death. I know Sasuke's path because I watched it- don't be a fool!" Dalto shouted after him as Naruto turned to leave. He had had enough of this babbling, of words he did not want to hear. Sasuke was fine, he was loyal. Naruto would help Sasuke reach his goal; there was no need to pursue this "path" that Sudoar and Dalto had taken.
"THE CURSE MARK! THE UCHIHA MASSACRE! HE WILL SLIP IF THEY CLOUD HIS MIND, NARUTO! SAVE YOUR FRIEND, TO STOP HIM FROM BECOMING US! IF YOU VALUE YOU HIM, THEN PLEASE, LISTEN TO ME BEFORE HE-"
The last of his words were cut off as the steel door opened and closed. The guard gave a shocked look at the interior of the dungeon and at Naruto as he exited. The blonde genin did not give any word, simply slammed the door behind him.
"falls..." The ghostly wail followed him all the way back up to the party.
XXX
SASUKE
Sakura was standing up, talking with Heyuut and the Fifth. Kakashi and Naruto were absent. That left him, alone, at the table. Alone, just as he should have always been.
The Curse Mark was a burden, but a necessary one. Kakashi's seal was gone; it was to work only if Sasuke wanted it to.
And he wanted the Curse Mark. He wanted the power.
His predicament had never been clearer. The Reanimated had all gone back to their graves, but the stench of burning flesh had remained in the treasury room. She had been a strong opponent, one that had been on equal terms with Itachi. But he had not been able to beat someone at powerful as Sudoar, and he was definitely not as strong as Itachi.
Pure, stupid luck had let him best Cecilia, he was sure.
I've been playing this game for to long. This whole village is a sham. They've taught me nothing, all my skills and previous power came from myself. And now that I've taught myself everything possible, I've reached a blockade. I need more power, and if Konoha can't offer it, then I need to find another source...
He would not leave yet. There was still something that troubled him that required his attention back in Konoha. If he had been feeling risky, he might've even tried it tonight.
Naruto... how have you gotten so strong?
His idiot teammate, once the grandest fool in the Academy, once a deadbeat who should've ended up dead on his first mission, had beaten Sudoar all by himself.
And Sasuke couldn't do it. That troubled him. It was not that he had any doubt in his current abilities. It was one thing to crave more power, and another to crave power in addition to one's already great abilities. And Sasuke hadn't graduated at the top of his class on pure stupid luck.
No, Sasuke was strong. It was the possibility that Naruto was stronger.
That idiot can't have surpassed me... can he? The thought was dreadful. Part of Sasuke wanted to say no, that he was still on top and Naruto had just been experiencing the same luck.
But Naruto had defeated Gaara on his own. Naruto had killed Doto on his own. Naruto had beaten Aoi on his own. And now Naruto had beaten Sudoar. It was victory after victory for Naruto, with Sasuke losing against these same opponents, being drafted to defeat. His power was great, but Naruto's was greater-!
He smashed a fist into the table, and he felt the wood crack under its force. However, the din of the party was to great for the sound to be of any importance. He was, again, ignored and left alone with his thoughts.
I need to find out which of us is stronger. I need to satisfy this curiosity before I consider leaving. Naruto is the biggest wall for me to climb right now... if I can defeat him, all the better. But if I can't, then it is only more important for me to go. I must kill Itachi, and if I can't even kill- defeat- Naruto, what chance do I have?
The lively celebration continued, but it stayed away from the bubble of brooding darkness.
XXX
Bioto
There was of course a great amount of frustration to be had. Both Sudoar and Dalto had failed to play their part in his play and now the production had failed. The damage to his own body was unimportant, easily repairable once he got hold of Zetsu again, but until then he was immobilized, unable to carry out any action. He would be forced to remain out of the action for a number of months.
The failure the Dark Star Plot itself, however, was significant.
Now it's time to come back to the Eye of the Moon.
The last piece of the mask was in his last hand, and he did not recall why he had bothered to bring it with him. In frustration of his predicament, he crushed it in his hand, and a fine black powder trickled out...and with it fell his most recent false identity.
He could not risk using the same name again, now that his escape was clear to Konoha. They would be searching for anyone under that alias. He would again have to move on.
Not that he had any problem with that. Living in this world would end quite soon, and names would then be made pointless. But for the present time, it was wiser to let the Konoha authorities bumble around for a falsified name while he again plotted his course.
"Doesn't look to good right now, does it?"
He did not respond, simply looked into the empty abyss of the cave. He could feel their presence, did not to see them.
"Don't worry, Bioto, you still have us!"
Their obnoxious behavior was still a wonder to him, but he had gotten used to it. He called out into the darkness: "I'm going to need another arm."
There was quiet murmurs, no doubt the Zetsu arguing among themselves for who would be the unlucky subject. Eventually, one stepped forward.
He ripped off its arm easily, and he quickly slammed it into the stump of his dismembered arm. He did not feel any strange sensation, no odd feeling. It was the simple matter of being able to continue life. Whether he took from others to add to himself was no great consequence; in the end their sacrifices would be for the betterment of all of the world.
Satisfied the slightly dripping Zetsu arm was firmly attached to his body again, he stood up. He did not thank the Zetsu, but it gave a courteous bow nevertheless. He ignored it.
"Guruguru, what did you learn?"
The shadow of a shrug. Guruguru was definitely more outspoken than most of the Zetsu, except for the 'original'. He had come to like Guruguru overtime, and their bond was something above the norm he held with any other of the white freaks.
"The armies of Kumogarake and Konoha are returning to their native lands. It seems that there is general peace and stability in the Land of Dunes now." He could feel some disgruntlement in Guruguru's voice. "Not exactly how we wanted it to go, right?"
"The Dark Star Plot was a shortcut to the success of our plan," he replied carelessly. "The Eye of the Moon Plan had some diffiuclt qualities that will take a few years to complete. I tried to cut corners and advance us forward." He sniffed, felt the damaged half of his face thoughtfully. "But you are right; no matter how unimportant, it was still a failure. A pity."
"I take it Sudoar died?"
"Yes; he's no great loss. If anything his death removes a potential obstacle from our path. The destruction of the Gauntlet also ensures that it can't be used against us."
Guruguru sighed. "A shame... you're a powerful man, Bioto, don't get me wrong. But I was really looking forward to learning the wonders of how a powerful shinobi like that poops."
Bioto shook his head. "You have an unhealthy obsession with that."
"And you have an obsession with killing people! I'd say we're both pretty even on how strange our obsession are."
He put his face in his hands, suddenly desiring to be alone. Yes, the plan was insignificant, but he had been counting on its success. Many months had been put into orchestrating the Dark Star Plot, with no improvement upon the other. He was, for the moment, unsure of how to proceed.
"Hey, they'll know you're still alive at this point, though," Guruguru said impotently. "No more using that name, right?"
He nodded. He took his hands off his face, but he saw that his new arm was smeared in the palm; he was sweating.
Minato's child... he's growing quickly. And Kakashi...
No. Best not to think about that.
They may be problematic in the future... we'll just let time tell.
"Hey, since you like changing your name around so much, what about Tobi!"
The other Zetsu gave loud cries of agreement. Bioto was not as amused. "That name sounds like it's from a children's book. No."
"Well, I think it sounds better than both Bioto and Obito!" Guruguru suddenly came up next to him and placed what Obito assumed was a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was still unsure if the Zetsu were even capable of emotion. "And so what if it's from a children's book? Maybe that can be your personality! You can finally act happy and have fun for once!"
The thought was somewhat appealing. Such a distinct personality change would throw off any attempt of Konoha tracing him. He would be ridiculed from his behavior, which worked into keeping a low profile.
"I'm liking the sound of it, Guruguru. Good job."
"Great! And now that I've helped you, you help me!"
He looked at him curiously. "What do you need help with?"
"Tell me about the art of pooping!"
He sighed. "And once again, you're garbage. You're so confusing, Guruguru. One moment you have a brilliant idea, then next you're spitting out questions about literal crap. You're just one big, never-ending and repetitive pattern- just like your... face...?"
The thought dawned upon slowly. His coverage would be Guruguru: that confusing, annoying, outrageous fellow in the back of the room, hidden in the shadows, but when revealed, a complete fool. A disguise like that would hide his identity sufficiently and still allow him to work in and out of public society.
The perfect duplicate of the swirly Zetsu, just without the feces obsession.
He stood up. "Thanks for your help, Guruguru. All of you will now resume your spying duties."
The swirled face leaned back. "What did I do?"
"Just get to it."
They had gotten used to when that tone of voice arose. "Right." They slipped back into the ground and disappeared into the cave ground. In moments, he was all alone again, the way he always liked it.
One plan gone... another to rekindle.