I do not own Naruto. I'm going to try to follow what happened in the Manga as much as possible, however because of this you may notice a few differences and a bit of backtracking by me from what was written earlier (gotta love twists...)
On a different note - THANK YOU SO MUCH Hyourin-Kusabana! Honestly, I had lost my motivation/story line and your review did greatly help. At the bottom of the story I posted a few replies to you. :)
Please enjoy. And please review!
Thank you!
- Rain
Yumi had left Suna, no longer confident in her choices. However, she had already pre-decided her life, and one person who she met not even a year ago, couldn't change that.
She was fated, bound, or more grimly put, trapped. And finally Yumi was starting to see it as exactly that, a cage, a dividing line. She no longer was certain if her goal and life plan was something she truly was able to go through with anymore, if she could keep giving up all these things.
This choice she had made would keep her from so many other things. There were already sacrifices of course, and chance of death... and she had always been ok with that, or so she thought. But now there were these things- things she hadn't realized were applicable to her, that maybe she liked!
With each step she took, Yumi felt guilty. She could not run to meet those ahead nor could she announce she backed their vision anymore. Minawa Yumi felt as if she was doing something terrible, and she no longer knew what was true anymore.
Forcing herself to continue forward, Yumi kept walking. She had been summoned. She needed to return. No matter what she felt for those behind her, no matter what was to come, for him - she had already chosen. The choice was made. This was her burden, knowing there was danger and doing nothing.
Oh kami! If he died, it would be like she killed him wouldn't it?
Yumi broke out into a run. Not to get to the place she no longer wanted to go, but to keep all the guilt and worry at bay. If she had stuck to the original job, she wouldn't be having these feelings. She wouldn't have gotten sucked in. She wouldn't be so torn with what she was doing!
...
.
"Baki, Get all the ninja squad leaders present." Gaara spoke as he walked through the border patrol fortress. He was set up on the river, the corner point between the Land of Wind, Land of Sound, and Land of rivers.
"Kankuro, take the defense and medical groups and get them set up. Make sure they know the entire layout of this building. This will be where all injured are brought and where we will fall back to if forced. Make certain we have barricades for ALL types of attacks ready." Gaara looked up at his brother. This could not be like it was in Suna. He would not let it be like it was - relying on outsiders to save them. Outsiders who had come on their own.
"Got it." Kankuro disappeared with a nod. This gave him the perfect opportunity to survey the fortress himself. He too was not going to be forced to sit idly on the side this time. This time they would know what happens to those who mess with the Sand nin.
"Kazekage-sama. A letter from Temari in Konoha arrived - she addressed it to both of us, with my name underlined... It's about Yumi and I think you need to read it." Baki held out the letter. The girl, the woman the Kazekage was showing interest in, was now of deep suspicion to him. Temari had made many, MANY good points he had over looked. And suddenly Baki was feeling a concern for the Kazekage's safety...
"Okay, thank you. Set the meeting with the squad leaders in the northeast strategy room. We need to go over the patrol routes and teams." Gaara took the letter, trying not to let his mind linger to long on that name that reminded him that she was not here.
"Yes sir." Baki vanished and the letter was transported to his private and well guarded sleeping chamber. Except for select key positions, everyone else slept in bunks and only had a small square foot shelving for space.
Gaara kept his mind on the war about to come upon them. Although she was in the back of his mind. Where was she? What job was she on? Is she fighting? Will she be? Were all things he could not let himself wonder.
...
Ino sat with Choji. Shikamaru was still in Konoha with Temari. He was one of the ones forced to retire to stay with the village, as all the ninjas left, even the underground association moved to another (unknown) location of theirs outside of the village itself.
"What if this is all a trap to get us out of our villages?" She spoke aloud. Choji's head moved to look at her. They weren't in the camp lead by their Hokage, but the Kazekage at the point where the Land of Wind, Land of Sound, and Land of Rivers.
Karui who had been walking by at the same time, overhead...
"That's why the elder ninja, the mothers, the genin and a number of teachers were forced into retirement to support the village. But the Death God's better have mercy on their souls if they dare to attack our villages directly again." Karui's tone went cold after she answered the leaf ninja's question. She was not with the Hidden Village of the Clouds' section and her own Kage.
"We will not back down, these guys are going to get what's coming to them for sure! We will beat them back to their senseless selves for attacking our villages with cowardice terrorism!" Karui's temper sparked continuing in a new monolog - thinking on how her own village was spinelessly attacked by this group - thieving most their storage and food supplies and contaminated their water. Partial seals had been found, partial tracks - but their village was in turmoil after and panic. What was worse was their outer smaller villages were actually attacked and left in ruin (but luckily no one killed).
"What they did to you and Mist is unforgivable." Choji had heard of the stolen food and had started taking extra patrols around Konoha's supplies in his spare time. He couldn't imagine waking up to it all being GONE. Someone would be dead - many would be dead in his wake.
"I heard about Konoha - how your rivers were poisoned killing off fish, livestock and some crop." Karui felt a companionship with them at his statement.
"We were lucky to have caught it before it entered the farmland and village itself - but they also showed us gruesome images in every mirror in the village after the war was announced." Ino stated, glancing towards the red head.
"Same - we broke most of our mirrors in case they were spying." Her tone irate. She hadn't seen a mirror in nearly two weeks and had to do her hair with the sink - the a reflection from water.
"Covered ours. We had nin working on trying to trace it back to them. I don't know if they found anything." Ino informed the ally.
"Yeah." Karui sat down with them to join. Her normal team was broken up with Killer B on a special mission and Omoi with their Kage.
"So where's your teammate?" Ino leaned forward to speak to the new female.
"With our Kage. Since the war, he's been a right hand advisor while I assist Killer-B-sensei." Karui's eyes carefully looked over Ino and Choji. Ninja headbands had been found in one of the abandon enemy's location, but she knew these two from the war.
"Ino!" Kankuro's voice sounded before the cat-dressed painted-face man appeared before them. "You are to join the other medical nin - please follow me." He informed her promptly.
"Alright - Choji," Ino stood up calling to her teammate to join.
"No, just you." Kankuro clarified. "He and Karui will both be joining the patrol groups."
"Okay." Ino gave one last glance to Choji and the Cloud nin next to him. . .
Their team was completely broken up. . .
...
Sakura walked the halls of the Hokage's base camp. they were using a border patrol fortress as the main station and smaller camps for the various patrol squads. She and Naruto were both present in this group, except she, again, was not on the front lines - but head of their combat medical group.
She had made the call to have everyone's base line data collected. This was something she had learned from Suna's older medics during the plague work - when Yumi had volunteered to be observed. If it hadn't been for her baseline data, they would have never found some of the symptoms. And in this case, Sakura was planning on keeping a close watch out for poisons or impostures!
"SAKURA!" Naruto yelled in his loudest voice causing her to roll her eyes.
"Did you send a letter to Sasuke?" He caught up to her instantly. She felt her heart fall. That man, that love of hers... ugh! Always in and out.
"Yes, Naruto. However not all the groups have forgiven him yet..." Sakura spoke the truth. She still loved him, but did she truly forgive him? But, more importantly than that - would he come to assist?
"I've sent a note to every place I can think of!" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed he had no clue to where his friend was at a time like this.
"Naruto, Sakura" Hanare, the new leader of the Lock Village, greeted the two.
"Hanare-san" Sakura showed her respect, remembering her from all those years ago when she was a kid and the woman a ninja to gather Konoha secrets.
"Here - these seals will protect your memories and thoughts from intrusion." Hanare pulled out special Lock village seals giving them both to Sakura and Naruto.
"Thank you - Are you and Kakashi dating-Oomph!" Sakura's elbow ended up in Naruto's stomach - hard.
"How are your ninjas fairing?" Sakura asked much more politely.
"Good. I just hope we can be a benefit to the alliance." Hanare answered. "And with that, I must go -I'm to travel to the east to assist that patrol."
"Be safe!" Naruto called after her.
"Would you at least escort her? She's the leader of an alley village!" Sakura scolded him.
"Oh, right. Hanare-san!" Naruto turned on foot, grinning stupidly. "For our future relations when I'm Hokage, let me escort you!" His smile went ear to ear. Hokage-Naruto had a great ring to it.
"Sakura?" Jibachi of Iwa questioned if she had her name right.
"Yes?" Sakura answered, uncertain of his name at all.
"I'm part of the scouting squad. We brought back the list of plants you were wanting." He explained.
"Ah, yes. Thank you." She smiled back.
"May I ask what they are for?" He knew a number of them were poisonous.
"Preparations, just in case. In the ninja war, the enemy attacked medical directly..." She answered and yet gave no detail. The Hokage had decided, per letter from Shikamaru, to have interrogations for anyone wishing to join them after this point. She also wanted everyone ready to fight with every means available - what they had seen in Suna gave them a huge feeling of uncertainty.
"Ah. Be safe."
"You too - if anyone is injured, get them here." Sakura's voice held unquestionable authority.
"Yes-Ma'am!" He went to attention before bowing.
It really wasn't a question of if someone ended up injured... it was when.
...
"These people don't-ta kno' what-ta doing
dah duu dee dah duu dee
They think they-ya be intimidating but B be a coolin'
dah duu dee dah duu dee
E'ght tail attack like bop-bop boom bang
boo-bee-bop-bam-boo
They be squashed and run'n like a scam!"
Killer B's hands moved as he bopped up and down to his own rhythm. Dancing around the Cloud's post.
"Does he ever not..." Tenten felt a loss for words, rap was not something she could call that and it was NOT singing.
"Well - it's not that bad plus he's helped out us and Naruto..." Hinata tried to console Tenten who could feel her ear drums protesting the obnoxious noise.
"We need to go meet with Leader Shibuki." Shino finally spoke up. Kiba was with Rock Lee and Guy at the Rock Village post while he and Hinata with Tenten had been joined up to go here.
"He's the leader of the Hidden Village by a Waterfall - so why are we assigned to his group... None of us control genjutsus..." Hinata's voice went quiet at the end, uncertain if she should even ask.
" Unlike the ninja war where we were divided into our strengths, here we will be divided into mix groups since no one knows how the enemy will attack or where." Tenten answered before Shino could, sinking the male ninja into a depression.
"I would have thought we would have stuck to our own villages and areas then - since we have all practiced together..."
"Except not all villages are like ours - like the Hidden Village by a Waterfall... If their genjutsus are passed or defeated, they do not have another strong defense in place to protect themselves." Tenten answered again while a rain cloud started to form over Shino.
Tenten's eyes drifted towards the male ninja. Having worked mostly with RockLee, Guy, and the late Hyuga - she didn't know what was wrong with him.
"It's ok. He gets in a mood sometimes." Hinata noticed Tenten's look towards Shino.
"Oh. Well let's not disrupt our ability - and like you said, we need to get going." Tenten took a quick turn, (hoping Killer B would not be assigned nearby!).
"I don't know why our group had to get reformed." Shino muttered under his breath following along.
"Yeah." Hinata's heart went out towards Naruto - her boyfriend. Instantly causing a blush across her cheeks.
"Maybe we'll run into him in a few days." Shino answered her unspoken statement turning her face tomato-red.
"Y-eah" she squeaked out, gaining a look from Tenten who could hear the two's whispers...
...
...
"You read the letter?" Baki's voice a bit more harsh than Gaara wanted to hear.
"Yes, Advisor Baki." Gaara's own tone annoyed. The letter warned of Yumi - the person he was seeing, the person he had kissed... as a spy and enemy. It made a STRONG case against her.
"And?" He wanted to know the Kazekage's call. To have their own Kage tricked by the enemy was unacceptable and would put them all at risk.
"And what." Gaara rebutted. It was just a letter... They didn't know about the man who raised her, and how he had raised her - they didn't know about her ability. (But still... she had survived 8 times the plague, still she had not been attacked when moving through a frozen crowd, still she had arrived after the acid rain just in time for the attacks to stop... still...)
"What is your verdict?" His eyes were hard and sharp. Their own Kage - THE Kazekage, could not be compromised.
"We'll send a message out - all who join us after this date - Jieti-erito or not. Anyone, everyone must be interrogated. We will assume all outside of those of us here are enemy till we've proved it otherwise through our own testing." He announced, decided. She had never once seemed against interrogation, that he knew of.
"And your relationship with Yumi?" Baki asked, causing Gaara's eyes lock onto his.
The silence consumed the room as Gaara stared him down.
Baki knew that stare, but could not back down - would not back down. This was the look that made people question, everyone question... him - question.
"Kazekage-sama, I mean no disrespect, but given our situation..." He broke the silence speaking first.
Gaara's eyes cooled, everyone spoke with that stare, that silence.
"Kazekage." Baki repeated again.
"You are asking me to judge someone who isn't here to defend themselves." He answered. It wasn't like didn't have questions now too.
"That is part of the job of the Kazekage." Baki choose to remind him.
Kazekage. The job of Kazekage. The role of Kazekage. That new thing that overshadowed him. It use to be Demon, Monster, Murderer... Now, it was Kazekage...
"I know." He felt annoyed. Had he been targeted by her because of that title? Tricked? Was he going to dissolve his feelings for her for this title? Judge without trial? Yes...
"Send notice and message out. Yumi should be interrogated like anyone else who joins us. We'll send notification to her and the Jieti that our personal relationship must be cut. Since we have no concrete proof and to not risk insulting the Jieti-erito that she's a part of, we'll make it sound like it's simply due to needing to focus on defense and this war..." He answered finitely.
"Very smart. I'll draft up the messages to our own, and a separate one to Yumi and the Jieti." Baki bowed before leaving.
Gaara's hand slowly un-clenched from the tight, tight fist that he was not aware he had been making. Yumi, are you really my enemy?
Betrayed, Confused, Hurt.
It didn't matter... He was the Kazekage. Suna and the Hidden Villages came first. Their relationship, trick or not, was a risk he no longer could take. He was the Kazekage!
...
...
Yumi ran. Loose clothing whipping in the wind, shredded charcoal black hair pulled into a poor multi-length pony tail. She took a bit of energy, not enough to harm the life she was stealing it from but enough to keep her stockpile strong.
Less than 14 hours till the 2 weeks were up. Less than 14 hours - she could change her mind on her choice but she wasn't going to. This was her road despite him, in spite of him, because of him... she knew this was her path.
Minawa Yumi ran with speed unlike most, agility unlike most, and a sense of determination. The sand had changed to grass to rivers, to trees and prairies...
With a jump she landed, instantly her hands went up above her head, a sign of not attacking. A smirk entered her face as she recognized the man who appeared.
"You caught me first." Another Junshou of the Jieti informed her. "But I guess that should be expected of our number one ranked member." His voice was toxic at stating her position. Her vivid eyes gleamed at the challenge.
"Ikiryo, are you purposely waiting to make me seem like the enemy?" Yumi asked, eyes darting away from the defensive man in front of her to the hidden second placed Genjutsu user.
"I need to be thorough with you. Your lovely talent makes it difficult to use more intrusive procedures." Ikiryo appeared, hands holding a sign, eyes no longer human but a pattern unique to him.
"Heh." She brushed off the annoyed feeling that overcame her instantly. She disliked people hinting to her ability, in front of people she wasn't sure knew... Ikiryo knew that.
"She checks out." He finally released the jutsu calling off those on guard.
"Thank you." She put down her hands with a smile, glad to have passed. It would have been troublesome if she hadn't!
"There was some doubt if you would even be here - or if you'd be like our ex-Jinkun." Ikiryo stared intensely at the younger female, harshly judging her every micro-expression.
"Hn, glad to see they have faith in my conviction." She replied sarcastically annoyed. Hadn't she built a good reputation for them to trust!? Didn't they know!? Did they know?
"Well, you might be surprised who did leave to go join." Ikiryo responded, pleased that Yumi was blunt as ever.
"Who?" He caught her attention instantly.
"Our previous Jinkun, Tomohisa, Mizuchi, Basan, Gozu, Mezu, Kiro, Yuuko, and a few others..."
"Wow. Do we have a new Jinkun then?" Yumi made note of those names and for the people she did not know, she wanted to look up their strengths and abilities.
"Yes, and he wants to see you as soon as you arrived." Ikiryo noticed the eyes that shot over to meet his instantly. A summon like that was always something. "Rumor is, it's regarding a letter from the Kazekage."
The young woman's face went to a poker face. Ikiryo assumed it was to hide her feelings for the Kazekage - though that rumor and conformation of her dating him had already made it around the Jieti four times over...
Yumi's hand slowly curled into a fist which she squeezed tighter and tighter.
What letter? What did it say!? What did it tell the new Jinkun...
13 hours.
hyourin-kusabana -
As far as character's deaths go - I'm undecided. I will tell everyone with how the manga ended all those characters who were present in his forward type section, will stay alive to support the symmetry with Kishimoto's story.
And I do actually have an enemy group already figured out more or less and reason for their attacks - I just have a few more things to form up on them in my head before they fully reveal themselves and their story... Plus honestly, their "you can't find me" terrists attacks make it harder for the ninjas to defeat them... thus the main reason they haven't appeared yet.
Thank you for the advice on sticking with the ninjas. I like that and may even narrow the scope to those who I can keep in character best - but if someone really wants to see a character or believes that person should pop in, please let me know and I'll try... Though I'm throwing in the Jieti group there too, because from the ending you know that's where Yumi went. Next chapter, she'll find out what's in that letter and the Kazekage's decision - plus the 2 weeks will be up for sure.
Thank you again.
And thank you to everyone who reads this... Please review if you can. I'll try to respond to each. :)