I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades.
- Anonymous
Warning: SPOILERS. FOR THE SUMMIT AND WHATNOT. AND LANGUAGE...
Disclaimer: For whatever reason Kishimoto refuses to give me Naruto...
Dear Gaara,
How often does it storm in Suna?
How often do you see the streaks of lightning dancing across the sky and feel the cold rain pelting down? When the storm comes, is it always a big one or always a small one?
They say it's quiet before the storm.
Gaara, I have a feeling there's going to be a big storm coming up.
Worried,
Sakura
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
The next morning, I uncurled myself from my sleeping bag, yawning tiredly. Blinking my eyes open I glanced around. Naruto had somehow crawled out of his own sleeping bag, undoing it mostly in the process and curled himself up next to me. Sasuke was on my other side, as well as Itachi, both still in their sleeping bags but Sasuke had partially snaked out and curled up beside me.
I blinked my eyes sleepily and frowned upon seeing Jiraiya already up. He was across the room, by the front door of the wooden house Yamato made. He caught my eyes and beckoned me forward. I gave a small nod.
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and I gathered in a small circle in the center of the very bloodied clearing.
"We received word from the Raikage," Tsunade said. "Just as you said. The Kage meeting has been called, in the Land of Iron—just as you said."
I gave a small, tired nod.
"The first Kage meeting," Sasori mused.
"Called for because of the threat of the Akatsuki," Kakuzu snorted. "When nearly all of us are assumed dead."
"How stupid, yeah," Deidara said.
Tsunade gave a quiet snort. "I will be attending, but I do have a question for you. Who should I bring?"
I frowned and thought very carefully. "I personally would like to go. For your second person, I would suggest Shizune. She is your closest friend and is quite capable of taking care of herself in a fight as well."
Shizune gave a smile at my compliment and Tsunade nodded her head.
"But," I said. "I would have Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Sai, Itachi, Shino and Jiraiya follow behind the three of us a few days. Make a base at the edge of the mountain and prepare for the worse. I say this because originally Tobi confronted Naruto—merely to talk—and there was… another fight. I'm afraid if we leave Naruto and Sasuke here, he might very well come to Konoha and take advantage of its weekend state. But I don't want to leave the original group defenseless against Tobi."
Tsunade gave a sharp nod. "I do not think Shino will be necessary, unless you have a specific reason."
I frowned. "Just in case Bee escaped. I'm assuming he did, he's too clever, Shino is one of the best trackers, next to Kakashi and Kiba's Clan. But Kiba… well I'm afraid he might not control himself very well."
Tsunade nodded. "Shino will remain here then. If there's a need for a tracker then I'm sure Kakashi's contract will do."
I nodded my head. "So that means I can come?"
Tsunade gave me a smug smile. "Unless you don't want to."
I shook my head quickly. "I do!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya chuckled.
Jiraiya moved and ruffled my hair. "Alright. When do we set out?"
Tsunade cocked her head. "Later today. Jiraiya, you'll be in charge of gathering up the group Sakura mentioned and following behind us in the afternoon. Shizune, ready my things."
"Right, Tsunade-sama!"
Jiraiya gave a chuckle and nodded his head. "Not even a day after an invasion and already she has me working."
I gave Jiraiya a cheeky smile while Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Come on, kid, let's see if we can find some breakfast," Jiraiya said.
"While you're gathering them up," Tsunade added. "Go ahead and give the orders to start rebuilding Konoha."
Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively and slung an arm over my shoulder. I smiled happily and relaxed as he steered me away to find some food.
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
I was grinning anxiously as the three of us (not including my Akatsuki) began the long trip to the meeting, Tsunade decked out in her Hokage robe—though she left the robe itself hanging open and didn't bother to put her arms in the sleeves so really it just looked like a cape but…
Shizune walked on Tsunade's right side and I walked on her left.
"Finally, finally you guys are going to see the true identity of Tobi, so to speak," I chortled. "And you'll get to hear his amazingly smexy voice."
Tsunade shook her head and gave an amused snort. "Sakura, I have said it once, said it twice and I'll probably say it many more times but you are the strangest girl I've had the pleasure of meeting."
I winked. "You must feel honored."
Tsunade snorted again and Shizune gave a small chuckle.
Sasori rolled his eyes. "Strange. Demented. Insane. All are used to describe her."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're merely jealous of my artistic ability to poison people."
Before Sasori could rebuke, Deidara gave a big snort. "You don't know the meaning of art, yeah. Art is an explosion, a spur of the moment, as fleeting as life itself."
Sasori swung his gaze towards him. "Fool. Art is eternal, beauty that stands the test of time and dominates it."
"You just don't understand, Sasori-no-Danna," Deidara argued. "All of you don't know the real meaning of art, yeah."
"Deidara, just because no one understands you, doesn't make you an artist," I said.
Deidara glowered at me and Sasori gave a smirk.
Tsunade's chuckle, brought our attention towards her. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long trip."
Kakuzu smirked.
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
A little ways from the mountain, Konan and Nagato decided to join us.
"Hiya," I chirped upon seeing them.
Both of them glanced towards me. "We're on our way to a Kage meeting where Tobi's gonna announce the war and stuff. But the best part is, Gaara will be there!"
Sasori snorted. "You're other boy toy?"
I smiled at him. "Don't worry, you'll always be number one, Sasori-no-Danna."
"Of course I will be," Sasori said.
Hidan and Deidara snickered and Kakuzu rolled his eyes. Tsunade shot me and amused look and Shizune blushed brightly. Konan and Nagato watched us thoughtfully.
"Do you have a thing for red heads, yeah?" Deidara asked, though he was smirking.
I gave a mock frown. "No, I'm not flirting with Nagato…" I paused and glanced over at said red head. "Then again…" I flipped and fluffed up my hair a bit before giving an exaggerated wink towards said-red head. "How you doin'?"
My Akatsuki members—along with Tsunade—laughed at this, Nagato frowned and Konan raised an eyebrow.
"You are strange," Konan commented.
"And you're pretty, what's your point?" I asked her.
Konan gave me the barest hint of a smile. I looked over at Nagato.
"Naruto is traveling behind us," I said to him. "You're welcome to join him any time but before you go… mind if I ask what changed your mind?"
Nagato eyed me for a moment. "Itachi."
I blinked.
"Itachi?" Kakuzu asked incredulously.
"Itachi is a man of peace," Nagato monotoned. "He was convinced that you were true to your word, as was Jiraiya. He was persistent."
I blinked again. "Wow. I need to seriously thank him. I guess I'll like… buy him a life time supply of dango or something…"
"Now if I may inquire a question for you," Nagato said. At my cocked head, he continued. "Naruto spoke highly of you. I am curious to why that is, but my question is what is your view of peace?"
"World peace?" I guessed then frowned. "Oh, wow, you're asking the wrong girl honey. I don't… I don't really know what to think of it." I gave a sort of grunt. "I don't really and truly care to be perfectly honest. I have different goals."
At his silence I went on. "I want to protect the ones I love, that's all. I don't care about becoming a Kage or ANBU captain. I don't care if all the villages get into a hissy fit and starting having a pissing contest. I truly don't care about that stuff. I only want to protect my precious people and make them happy. That's all I really want."
"That's why," I continued. "I'm doing all of this. You, Konan, the Akatsuki, Shisho, Naruto… every one of them are my precious people. And I know that sounds insane because you've never met me, but it's the truth. Once you've walked in someone's shoes long enough and often enough it's kind of hard not to like them. Sorry if that's not the answer you're looking for, but it's the most honest answer I can give."
Nagato watched me thoughtfully for a moment before responding. "In some ways you remind me of my younger self. All I ever wanted was to protect Yahiko and Konan. I suppose I can see why Naruto thinks highly of you."
I blinked at him, finishing the rest of the sentence in my head. …but that doesn't mean I like you.
I glanced over at Sasori, who must have also finished the sentence in his head. He caught my glance and gave a sort of smirk/smile. I looked back around the rest of my Akatsuki who were also smirking and or smiling.
Finally, I looked back at Nagato. "That's okay. I still like you anyway."
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
Anxiously, I followed right beside Tsunade as she lead Shizune and I through the halls of the massive samurai fortress. It would seem we were one of the last ones here. Up the stairs, down the hall, through the doors…
Finally we entered the meeting room. I blinked in, noting how it's appearance hasn't changed in the slightest. There was a large oak semicircle desk with banners behind each seat. Each banner held a single kanji of each of the Elemental Nations—Fire, Wind, Water, etc. In front of each banner was a seat and in the seat were some of the Kage.
There was a small desk that sat in front of the semicircle and at that desk was Mifune, who had two of his bodyguards displaying. To Mifune's direct right was the Raikage, A. I couldn't see his bodgyuards, as they were hidden behind the banner in the dark, but I knew they were there. To Mifune's direct left was the Mizukage, Mei. Then there was an open seat, and then the Kazekage, Gaara sat in the middle seat. Then there was yet another empty seat in between Gaara and A.
I couldn't see Temari and Kankuro very well, but I knew they could see me. Not that it mattered. I already had my target locked on.
"Gaara-kun!" I squealed, drawing everyone's attention towards me.
Temari snorted loudly enough and I could hear Kankuro stifling a laugh. Gaara gave me a small smile, standing up from his spot as I literally, jumped across the table to glomp him.
Gaara gave a small smile as he hugged me back.
"Sakura," Tsunade said, amusement tinting her voice. "Were you really unable to control yourself?"
"Sorry!" I said.
"No you're not," Kakuzu said.
I smiled cheekily and looked around, still not fully pulling back from Gaara. "Sorry for that… interruption, everyone. I couldn't help myself."
Mei gave me a small, amused smirk, and A only glared… or stared… I couldn't really tell with him.
I looked at Mei. "You're very pretty."
"Thank you," Mei said, smiling.
Tsunade strode across the room, taking a seat in between Gaara and A. Shizune followed right behind her, ducking behind the banner and to her left.
Turning back to Gaara, my grin widened. "Hello."
"Hello," Gaara said. "I brought you something. I'll give it to you after the meeting."
I beamed and nodded my head, stepping back. I ducked behind the banner, catching Temari's eye and we exchanged a less than subtle but still pretty quiet high five before I moved to where I was supposed to be.
When I moved to my place, Ōnoki entered the room followed by his two bodyguards. He eyed the room with a very calculating eye before taking his seat.
"I am Mifune, our moderator," Mifune said once everyone was seated. "The Five Kage Summit Conference is called into order."
Almost intantly, the room lost it's relaxing feel to it—okay it was only relaxing and nonchalant to me but still—and the air became thick with tension.
"I shall speak first. Hear me," Gaara said, his voice kept neutral and his eyes kept flat.
"There's such a difference in Kage these days," Ōnoki said with a sneer. My eyes narrowed and I bristled on Gaara's half, tempted to send a wave of killer intent towards the old man. "To be a Kage at your age is quite an accomplishment, Kazekage. It seems your father trained you extremely well, except in the area of proper etiquette."
My glower darkened and I hadn't even realized I had taken a menacing step forward until Deidara put a hand on me. My eyes trailed back to him and he gave a snort.
"That old man has always been an ass, yeah," Deidara said, his own face twisted into a scowl at said man. "Forget him, he's not even worth becoming part of my art, hmm."
I gave a sort of smirk but kept my glare.
"You're probably right," Gaara said coolly. "It is the reason why I can be here as Kagekage."
Ōnoki laughed, though it held no merit to it. "You certain are cocky."
"Tsuchikage-donno, there's no need to make fun of him," Mei said smoothly, a slight scolding tone in her voice. "Continue, Kazekage-donno. "
"I am a former jinchūriki," Gaara said. "I was captured by the Akatsuki, they took my bijū and nearly killed me. So I consider the Akatsuki extremely dangerous. I sought the cooperations of the five Kage many times, but was ignored. Except by the Hokage. At a time when various lands have had their jinchūriki stolen the response by this group has been far too slow."
Ōnoki scoffed. "How can the Hidden Villages of the Five Great Nations serve as an example when they allow their jinchūriki to be taken? It's an embarrassment. It is common sense to resolve this in utmost secrecy. Seeking the help of other lands just because of that is nonsense!"
"This fool," Nagato muttered.
I shot him an agreeing look.
"Save face… Prestige… Such old-fashioned beliefs," Gaara droned.
"Old-fashioned beliefs aside, I will acknowledge that as the Mizukage, I have delayed action. However, having our bijū stolen is no cause for immediate fear. Controlling a bijū requires skill, knowledge and time."
I snorted quietly.
"The jinchūriki and the bijū must mature together and adapt to each other," Ōnoki said. "And still, controlling the bijū is difficult. It is not a simple task. Isn't that so, Kazekage-donno?"
That's it. I was kicking his ass. Screw the war, this bitch was going down.
Tsunade's eyes flickered in the direction of mine. "The only people who were capable of controlling the bijū were Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, Fourth Mizukage Yagura, and Killer Bee. But that does not mean—"
Tensing at the sudden wave of killer intent, I gripped my kunai at the same time Shizune did.
"Enough of this!" A roared, just as Shizune and I lurched out from our spot to appear in front of Tsunade—and me partially in front of Gaara—prepared to defend her (and Gaara of course) against any potential threat.
A slammed his fist into the desk, practically destroying his part of it.
I blinked around, noticing all the other bodyguards were prepared to pretty much maim each other at the first word.
I looked back at Tsunade and smirked, mouthing: Told you so.
Tsunade shook her head, stifling a chuckle.
Mifune gave a sigh. "This is a place of discussion. Please refrain from disruptive actions."
"Come on back, Sakura, Shizune," Tsunade said. I was amazed how despite how amused her eyes showed, her face held a steel to it.
"You too, Kankuro, Temari," Gaara said.
"Ao, Chojuro. I'm fine," Mei said.
Ōnoki only inclined his head.
A gave something akin to a pout and glare—how can someone that bad ass looking pout?—before pulling his fist out of the desk and sitting down.
The bodyguards quickly fell back into position.
"You know, for a second I thought you were going to kill that fucking old guy," Hidan said.
"She would have if given the chance," Sasori said.
"He would have a high bounty on his head," Kakuzu mused. "I wouldn't mind helping her. Split it thirty-seventy my way…"
"I'd do it for free," I muttered quietly.
"A hundred my way works too," Kakuzu went on, not missing a beat.
"Let us continue our discussion," Mifune said.
"Konoha, Iwa, Suna, Kiri, rogue shinobi from your villages make up the Akatsuki. And that is not all, from our investigations we know that among you, including your previous Kage, there are those who used the Akatsuki!"
Immediately, Tsunade tensed and my Akatsuki members glanced around.
"Shit, did they find out about us already?" Hidan asked.
"No," Sasori dismissed. "Impossible."
"Used them?" Gaara inquired, shock registering on his face.
"Looks like your boy toy won't be happy if he finds out about us, yeah," Deidara said with a smirk.
Sasori blinked and Hidan grinned widely. "But Sasori already knows."
Deidara flushed and flustered for a moment. "I—I thought it was the… the…"
Sasori shook his head and shot Deidara a withering glare. "Brat."
"I do not trust you," A growled. "I had no intention of even discussing this with you. But the reason I convened this summit is to question your loyalty!"
"What do you mean, 'used' the Akatsuki?" Gaara asked.
"You are the Kazekage yet you have not been informed?" A demanded. "Ask the elders back home! You used the Akatsuki in the past war!"
"The Great Nations are heading towards uniform stability," Ōnoki said. "They are moving from military expansion to military disarmament. As fear and the threat of war diminishes between the nations, Hidden Villages, which are the source of its military strength become costly hindrances. And yet carelessly downsizing the villages poses a risk. What if war suddenly breaks out? It would be a problem to depend on shinobi who have no experience in war. It would mean certain defeat!"
"And one way to reduce that risk is mercenary soldiers," Gaara said flatly. "Namely, the Akatsuki?"
"It takes effort and money to train skilled shinobi from your own village," Ōnoki droned. "But the Akatsuki, which makes war its livelihood, is made up of experience professionals. Furthermore, they can be hired for cheap. Best of all, they return exceptional results."
"Get serious, Tsuchikage!" A snarled. Ōnoki scoffed but A continued on. "Suna used the Akatsuki to destroy Konoha. I'm speaking of Orochimaru. It is not clear if he had broken away from the Akatsuki or not. But as a result, your father, the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Hokage died. And frankly, it's hard not to rule out the idea that this was someone's scheme."
A's eyes moved over to Tsunade. Her eyes narrowed.
"For your sake, I would hope you not implying I killed my own sensei for this damned spot," Tsunade growled.
A gave a small shake of his head. "Not you."
"Danzō," I whispered, loud enough for Tsunade to be hear—and probably Gaara and his bodyguards—but quiet enough not to carry over to A.
Tsunade gave a small frown, her scowl never wavering. "I assure you, we have taken care of our problem. Do not concern yourself with it… Raikage."
I stifled at her patronizing tone when she addressed his title. While it's true she was much older and more experienced than him, A was just simply someone you did not fuck with.
A's eyes narrowed before swinging towards Mei. "The most suspicious is Kiri. You Kiri do not conduct diplomacy. There are even rumors that the Akatsuki originated there!"
Mei's eyes trailed down sadly, her expression a mixture between solemn and melancholy. "Since we have come this far I will speak honestly. There were suspicions that someone was manipulating Yagura, our Fourth Mizukage. And there was a possibility that it was the Akatsuki. No one wanted this to get blown out of proportion."
"Each and every one of you—"
"Hold your tongue, Raikage," Ōnoki snapped. "Ultimate it is because your village disregarded the disarmament efforts and sought powerful ninjustu. We had no choice but to counter by hiring the Akatsuki!"
"What?!" A snarled, standing up.
"Before we argue too much, as I was saying before I was interrupted so long ago," Tsunade said. "I have good reason to believe the true leader of the Akatsuki is someone who goes by the name of Uchiha Madara."
Cue the frozen faces of shock along with the strangled gasps of some members of my Akatsuki.
"Are you sure of that?" Mei asked Tsunade.
"Hasn't he been dead for several decades?" Gaara inquired.
"He is right. He died a long time ago," Ōnoki said, but even I could see the slight unease and hesitation in him.
"Uchiha Madara commanded the bijū, many decades ago," Tsunade said. "If he is the leader the Akatsuki, we have reason to worry now. Furthermore, I am not yet made aware of all of the details yet, but I know enough to be concerned."
"Are you saying he's immortal?" A demanded.
Tsunade remained silent.
"To think…" Ōnoki trailed off for a moment. "He really was a monster."
A slumped in his chair.
After a pregnant pause of silence, Mifune cleared his throat. "I want to speak on behalf of the neutral nations. The leader of the Akatsuki was able to read the times well. Despite stabilization, nations have had private suspicions and the Akatsuki took advantage of that weakness to amass its power."
"What are you trying to say?!" A asked.
"Calm down," Mifune placated. "Turn calamity into good fortune. It is extremely rare for all five Kage to assemble. What do you say? Until the Akatsuki is eliminated, why not establish the world's first Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Hidden Villages?"
"An allied force?" A inquired.
Tsunade tilted her head. "We are in a state of urgency, I see no reason to go against such a plan."
"Going forward, we must determine a chain of command," Mifune said. "We must avoid any further confusion."
"So? Who will we choose to lead the allied forces?" Ōnoki asked, a sly smile on his face.
"Leaving that to you five will only result in arguments," Mifune said thinly. "So I ask that you respect the position of neutral nations and allow me to come up with a proposal to decide who among you five Kage is most suitable."
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Before you begin, I ask that all of you listen to what one of my closest advisors have to say. Sakura."
I smiled happily and jumped down to sit on the desk beside Tsunade. "Thanks Hokage-sama! Before I begin, Raikage-sama, may I inquire a question?"
A's eyes narrowed.
"It's just a quick question about Killer Bee-sama. When he fought the Akatsuki… I'm assuming it was Kisame-sama, did he lose a tentacle?"
A's eyes flickered wide for a moment before narrowing into slits. "And what if he did?"
"Ah, so he did," I concluded. "Oh okay then. He's alive, by the way."
A's eyes widened. "What?!"
"He used the fight as a diversion to escape," I told him. "He's currently talking to some rap master in the forest surrounding this very mountain. The Akatsuki probably figured out by now that he fooled them so they're probably going to send Kisame after him again and whatnot."
"Are you certain?" A demanded.
"Positive," I assured him. "Doesn't it sound like him any way?"
A frowned and shook his head, his face twisting into a glower. "Yes. It does."
I smiled. "Glad I could be of assistance then. If you want, I would be more than happy to take you straight to him after this meeting, with Hokage-sama's permission of course."
"You already have it," Tsunade said.
I nodded. "I know. But it's nice to double check and stuff. So… with that said, might I cast my vote to go towards Raikage-sama to be the leader?"
"You aren't going to suggest your own Hokage?" Ōnoki inquired, smiling slyly.
I shot him a glare. "Old man. Raikage-sama is the best one for the position. While I'm sure Hokage-sama would do just as well, Raikage-sama has the best experience. Not the most like you, old man, otherwise he'd be too strict and stubborn to properly lead us. Mizukage-sama would be a good choice as well however because of the suspicions originating around her village—and sorry about this—but it would be a bigger hassle to inspire loyalty among our people. Gaara, and please forgive me darling but, has the least experience with leading an alliance."
I shot him an apologetic look and he waved it off with a smile and a nod.
"Plus now that Raikage-sama isn't too worked up about Bee anymore, he's got a pretty clear head to lead," I added.
Mifune gave a small nod. I smiled again, but didn't move to from my seat at the desk. The show was staring soon and no one seemed to mind me here.
Except Ōnoki but I didn't care about him.
Raikage eyed me another moment before returning his gaze to Mifune.
"As I was saying," Mifune said. "The leader—"
The ground erupted in the center of the room and I lazily looked at it as White Zetsu wiggled his way up, smiling insanely.
"Hello!"
Immediately all the bodyguards—minus myself—jumped out from their spots and readied themselves in a defensive position.
"Now what?!" A snarled.
"Zetsu," I said. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"My, my, what is everyone doing here?" Zetsu crowded. "I hope I'm not interrupting—"
Before the blink of an eye, A had a single strong hand wrapped tightly around Zetsu's throat. "What the hell are you doing here, trash?!"
Zetsu only smiled as A tightened his hold. "If you don't answer me, I won't show mercy!"
Zetsu only laughed and A glared down at him furiously before snapping his neck.
"You didn't have to kill him," Mei said. "We could have taken and tortured him into revealing intel about the Akatsuki."
"No one in the Akatsuki talks. They are extremely loyal," Gaara said.
"I don't know… money talks," Kakuzu said.
"Greedy bastard," Hidan muttered.
"Hmm," I mused. "If Zetsu showed up, does that mean someone else will show up?"
"Only time will tell," Mei said. "Do we wait here or do we search?"
"Let them come to us," Tsunade said. "If we fought together it would increase our chances."
A snorted but sat back down.
I pulled out a deck of cards and turned to Tsunade, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. "Wanna play?"
Tsunade frowned thoughtfully. "Sakura, this is a very serious meeting. You cannot simply…" She then paused. "Ah, what the hell. Sure."
"I wouldn't mind joining," Temari said with a shrug.
Gaara shook his head.
I looked over to Mei and her bodyguards. "Wanna join?"
"What are you playing?" Mei asked.
"Go Fish," I said.
Mei frowned.
"Shisho said I'm not allowed to play any gambling games," I explained. "So it's either Go Fish or War."
"I'll play War," Mei said, turning to face Chojuro. "Care to join?"
"I-I'd love to, Mizukage-sama!" Chojuro exclaimed, his face bright red. Aww… a male Hinata…
I looked over to A and smiled. A snorted. "… Fine."
I smiled happily.
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
"What have we here?"
All of us paused in the middle of our game, glancing up from our cards to stare as Tobi ever so slowly materialized before us.
"Smexy voice-slash-Molester!" I exclaimed happily
Tobi glanced at me, his single visible eye locking with mine. I winked a thim. His eye narrowed. Immediately, everyone else tensed with narrowed eyes. Tobi appeared before us, appearing completely at ease yet very smug. It was incredibly awesome. Then he spoke in that even more awesome voice that I finally get to hear aside from my dreams.
Well. I didn't call him smexy voice for nothing.
"My name is Uchiha Madara," Tobi said. I snickered at this. It just seemed so... absurd when he said it and I knew the truth. His gaze quickly fell back on me.
"What the hell, yeah!" Deidara shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Tobi. "What the hell is that retard doing here?"
"What the fuck is up with his voice?" Hidan demanded.
Sasori and Kakuzu exchanged a look. Nagato and Konan merely watched impassively.
"I have something I want to explain to you all," Tobi said, "and once you comprehend it, I want to pose a question."
"What is it?" A growled.
"It's about my plan… Moon's Eye Plan."
"Tobi has a plan, hmm?" Deidara asked in disbelief.
A lunged forward, his entire body lit with blue electricity before his fist slammed where Tobi should have been. Naturally of course, he went right through Tobi and crashed into the wall behind him. Tobi stood perfectly still, completely unminding.
"Nothing planned by the Akatsuki is going to be good," A said. "Who knows what you're up to?"
"I all ask is that you listen to my explanation," Tobi said.
"Calm down, Raikage," Ōnoki said. "Let's hear him out and take it from there."
A gave a sort of grunt.
"Hi Tobi," I chirped.
Tobi glanced at me. "My name is Uchiha Madara."
"Yes. And my name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Tobi continued to stare at me another moment, debating on what to do. "You're very hard to contact alone."
"I know," I said. "My friends don't want me to be kidnapped though."
"I wouldn't kidnap you," Tobi purred. "I just want to talk."
I gazed up at him longingly. "You're making it very hard to stay loyal to Kisame-sama when you use that voice."
Tobi chuckled and I tried very, very, hard not to gush about it. Or squeal. Damn it, I was reverting back to my original Tobi fan girl self. I couldn't cheat on Kisame like that! Even though I don't think he particularly cared one or another (though I'd like to think that he did) it was the principal!
"Stop that," I scolded.
Tobi only tilted his head in a curious manner before he leapt back, jumping up to the high balcony and then promptly sitting down. But of course he sat down like a bad ass, not just regularly sitting down.
Heaven forbid Tobi did anything regularly.
"Now then, are you all ready to listen?" Tobi asked, deciding to move back to his original topic. "Originally I was planning on using Sasuke or Itachi to weaken or defeat you all to make you my hostages but that seems unlikely now. Pity."
"Pity indeed," I murmured, sighing again. Would it be so bad to be kidnapped by Tobi? His voice was just so smexy.
"Take us hostage? For what purpose?" Mei demanded, scowling.
"To smoothly implement the aforementioned Moon's Eye Plan."
"It's quite shocking to learn that Uchiha Madara is still alive, but why would a man of your skill resort to such a roundabout method?" Ōnoki asked. "Surely you have the strength to bring any plan into fruition."
"The injuries I sustained during my battle with the First Hokage Hashirama were too severe," Tobi replied smoothly. "I have no strength in me now. You could say I am merely a shell of my old self."
"Wait, wait, wait," Hidan said. "Does this mean that Tobi is the actual leader of Akatsuki? What the fucking hell?!"
"I don't believe it, yeah!" Deidara shouted. "This has to be a trick. There is no way Tobi could be the leader. He's too much of a retard, hmm."
"Idiots," Sasori muttered. "Are you truly so dense you deny the evidence when it stands before you?"
"What better way to disguise himself than to hide himself among us as the weakest link," Kakuzu said with narrowed eyes. "Genius but degrading."
"Is this a plan to restore yourself?" Temari asked.
"Hmm," Tobi hummed thoughtfully. "You could say that. But that's not all."
"What are you scheming?!" Mifune demanded. "Just what is the Moon's Eye Plan?!"
Tobi cocked his head and held up a single, slender finger. He paused. "All shall become one with me and result in a complete possession form that unites all."
"Become one? Unite all? What do you mean?" Ōnoki asked.
I could practically see Tobi's smirk. "The Uchiha have an ancient stone tablet that has been passed down through generations. It exists underground in Konoha. Upon it are written secrets, engraved by the Sage of Six Paths himself. It cannot be read unless you possess ocular powers. With the Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan, in that order, the contests become increasingly visible."
"You're story is unlikely. The Sage of Six Paths doesn't—"
"It's is the truth," Tobi interrupted Ōnoki . "He did exist and he left the stone tablet."
"Don't change the subject," A growled. "What does your plan have to do with the Sage of Six Paths?!"
"Do you know why he became a legendary figure and a godlike figure that is revered as a god of shinobi? There lies the link between my plan and this man."
"Uchiha Madara… you possess the Mangekyo Sharingan and among the Akatsuki there was one who possessed the Rinnegan. You know everything already, don't you?" Mei asked. "We're listening."
"He once saved the world from a certain monster," Tobi said. "Gaara, you also had one part of that monster sealed inside of you. That monster was the combination of every bijū in existence. Something that possessed the most powerful chakra. The Jūbi."
"Aren't there only nine bijū?" Temari asked.
"I just told you," Tobi replied. "It was the combination of all the bijū. Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, Nanbi, Hachibi, Kyūbi. The Jubi's chakra was simply divided up into nine bijū by the Sage of Six Paths."
"I don't like where this story is headed," Kankuro muttered. "Is that why the Akatsuki are gathering bijū?"
"The Sage of Six Paths developed a certain ninjustu in order to protect the world from the Jubi. Even today that ninjustu is still being secretly passed down. It is the Sealing Jutsu process for jinchūriki. Yes, the Sage of Six Paths was the Jubi's jinchūriki. In order to suppres it, he sealed the Jubi within his body. The Sage, who saved a world terrorized by the Jubi became a savior and won praise as a god. But if the Sage died, the powerful and demonic chakra of the Jubi would once again be released unto the world. Fearing this, at the time of his death, the Sage of Six Paths summoned every last ounce of his power to partition the Jubi's chakra into nine parts and scattered them across the world."
Tobi cocked his head. "Then he sealed the Jubi's body, now devoid of chakra and hurled it into the sky. And it became the moon."
"What a tall tale. As if a human could do such a thing."
"When he became jinchūriki of the Jubi, the Sage of Six Paths went beyond the realm of humans."
"I understand now that you seek that inhuman power," Mifune said. "by gathering the chakra of the nine, namely all, of the bijū. But what will you do with all that power?"
"Revive the Jubi," Tobi said. "And I will become the Jubi's jinchūriki. I will use its power to strengthen my ocular powers and activate a certain jutsu."
"What jutsu?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowed.
"A super genjutsu where I project my eyes off the moon," Tobi answered. "Infinite Tsukuyomi. I will cast a genjutsu on every human that walks the earth. And in that genjutsu, I will control all humans and unify the world. A world without hatred or war. Everything will become one with me, everything will be united. That is the Moon's Eye Plan."
"Stop joking around! I'm not handing the world over to you!" A snarled.
"Peace that exists only as an illusion is deception," Gaara said. "Peace is only meaningful when it is genuinely achieved in the real world."
"Like hell I'd let this pass," Tsunade said firmly.
"What would exist in such a world? There is no hope, no dreams! It's just an escape," Mei said.
"Unite the world, huh? But instead of sounding like you truly want such a thing, it only sounds like you want to make the world yours," Ōnoki said.
Tobi chuckled. "All this talk and yet what have you Five Kage accomplished? You of all people should know by now… there is no such thing as hope! To hope is the equivalent to giving up and it's the biggest deception of all. Turn over the remaining Hachibi and Kyūbi and cooperate with my plan. Or there will be war."
"War you say?" Gaara asked.
"So what…" A glanced at me. "… Sakura said was earlier was true. He… escaped." A paused for a moment before pure fury lit in his eyes. "That idiot! He used that chance to slip away and now he's actually having the time of his life! Unforgivable! He's going to my Iron Claw!"
"We will not hand over Uzumaki Naruto," Gaara said.
"I agree with him," Mei said.
"It goes without saying what I agree with," Tsunade said.
"There's no way I'll let him have my younger brother," A growled.
"I don't have the strength, but the bijū we've gathered so far do. You people have no chance of winning."
"We haven't given up hope," Gaara said.
"Very well. I hereby declare the start of the Fourth Great Shinobi War," Tobi said.
"Fourth Great Shinobi War?" Ōnoki asked incredulously. "Are you mad?"
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Tobi! I have a question for you."
Tobi swung his gaze towards me.
"So let me get this straight," I said. "You're going to start a war for world peace?"
Tobi stared at me.
"Sweetie," I said gently, "that is by far the most hypocritical thing I have ever heard. But it's okay, I still adore you."
Tsunade sighed.
My Akatsuki members—minus Nagato and Konan—did a very lovely face palm. Shizune shook her head along with Temari and Kankuro.
Gaara sighed as well.
"… Well then. The next time we meet will be on the battlefield, for most of you anyway. See you soon, Sa-ku-ra," Tobi purred, standing up. At the end of his sentence, he dematerialized and was soon out of sight.
When he was gone, Ōnoki dipped his head. "What do we do now?"
I blinked. Did no one catch the fact that he just specifically said he would specifically see me soon?
I had a very bad feeling about that. Or good feeling. I was a little torn at the moment. Did I want to be kidnapped by Tobi?
Oh God/Jashin/Pein/Kami what was wrong with me?
When none of my Akatsuki members said anything about that specific statement, I dismissed it. Either they were in too much shock over Tobi's reveal or I just misheard it and Tobi wasn't coming for me. That was probably it. Yeah.
"We have to form an Allied Shinobi Force," Gaara said. "It's the only way we can counter the power of seven bijū."
"Let's form this alliance and settle this once and for all," A said.
"We cannot allow our last two remaining bjuu to fall into his hands," Mei said. "I think it is imperative that our Allied Shinobi Forces find the two first and place them into hiding."
"However we cannot even imagine the power Madara wields with the seven he already has," Ōnoki said. "Furthermore, he may possess a certain jutsu or a trump card for using the bijū. Otherwise he wouldn't have come on so strong. Perhaps it would be wise for the Allied Shinobi Forces to plan on using the Hachibi and Kyūbi as military weapons too."
"Absolutely not," Tsunade said, just as Gaara said, "That cannot happen."
They exchanged a glance and Tsunade dipped her head for Gaara to continue. "This is also a war to protect those two. There is a reason why Madara is waging war with just seven bijū he has collected thus far. It is too difficult for Madara in his weakened state and Akatsuki members to capture the Hachibi and Kyūbi. Even if they had succeeded, he felt the risk was too great. That is why he may be hoping to lure the two to his side through the war. In any case, using the Hachibi and Kyūbi for battle is not a wise strategy."
"I agree," Tsuande said.
"As do I," Mei said.
"I also concur with the Kazekage," A said. "If we consider the worst-case scenario, it will be like offering the Hachibi or the Kyūbi on silver platters. And besides, the Hachibi is my younger brother and 'military strength' is a foreign concept to him. I can't predict what he'd do. He may just create more chaos on the battlefield!"
Tsunade snorted.
"Naruto would do the same," Gaara said.
"That's for sure," Kankuro said.
"I'll say," Temari chuckled.
I pouted. "He can be serious… at times… sometimes… rarely… ever… okay I see your point."
"I understand. Well then, Tsuchikage our aim will be to protect and confine the Hachibi and Kyūbi," Mei said.
"Well then. Sakura, was it?"
I smiled. "Yep?"
"You know where Killer Bee is?" A asked.
"I do!" I chirped. "He's learning from this sensei about… rapping or something. Want me to show you now?"
A nodded his head and bent down to undo my weights. Taking them off I handed them to Shizune, taking off my wrist weights as well. I turned to Gaara. "Naruto traveled a half day behind us and is probably set up at camp at the base. I'll head back there when I'm done with A."
Tsunade glanced at Gaara. "I'll be heading that way. Tsuchikage, Mizukage, you are both welcome to join us at the base. We can further discuss plans there once Sakura has returned with Raikage."
"Very well," Ōnoki said.
"I don't mind," Mei replied.
Gaara nodded his head towards me. "I will wait for you there, then."
I smiled and turned back to A, feeling extremely light from the lack of weights. "Ready to go, Raikage-sama?"
"Lead the way," A said, giving a feral grin.
I had a feeling Bee was going to be in biiiiig trouble.
Then I thought of Tobi.
I had a feeling I was going to be in biiiiig trouble.
( 。◕‿‿◕。)
Dear Sakura,
There are few storms in Suna, but when they come they are strong and large.
For a while, it has been nothing but quiet here. Far too quiet for far too long, I suppose, because I have the strangest feeling you are right.
A very large storm indeed.
Yours,
Gaara
Kukuku... Tobi's last statement to Sakura... is he coming for her? Or is he not?
Meeting Kurama will be popping up soon.
OH. OH. BEFORE I FORGET. I HAVE AMAZING NEW FAN ART. LINK ON PROFILE. GO CHECK IT OUT. :D Please? Or go look on my Deviantart accounts latest favorites or Saki-Hitsumi's gallery on Deviantart.
Thanks again for the fan art. :)
Anyway... there you guys go. Nice and long.
Answer: Dicentra. I find them to be absolutely beautiful. :3
Question: Favorite thing about Naruto? Least favorite thing about Naruto?
Reviews are love.
Before I forget... for those of you that are still reading this and aren't up to date on the manga, you might want to get up to date on the manga. Major spoilers in epilogue(s?), war and next chapter.
No more spoiler alerts after the next chapter. This is my warning. D; Sorry.
And 'course I'm a bro. *brofist fellow bros* :)
