Chapter 55: A New Lead
"Sunagakure is just up ahead everyone!" exclaimed Ryu as she began to lower her altitude. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari all looked up to see the Suna Wall appearing in the distance ahead of them. The sun was already starting to set along the horizon, but the Sand Siblings ignored this fact when they spotted pillars of smoke floating up to the sky from the village below.
"The Hokage Tower got the message that the other villages were attacked hours ago, and yet the pillars of smoke are still there," grumbled Kankuro as he shook his head. "This is getting bad. Amegakure is managing to make all these moves before any of the Five Great Villages can make three."
"They chose to attack the villages during the Kage meeting, and as soon as each Kage left their respective village, they attacked . . ." mumbled Temari as she brought a hand to her chin. "They must have inside agents somewhere in each of the villages; that's the only way I could explain how they pulled this off. However, considering the population of ninjas that each village has, it's going to take a while to figure out who's who."
"Uh . . . have you guys even thought of the idea that maybe Amegakure pulled those attacks to delay your reaction to the whole Izuka situation?" asked Ryu as she finally entered Suna airspace. "They could have also pulled off these attacks in order to buy themselves more time in order to gain control of Izuka herself."
"The thought has crossed my mind . . ." mumbled Temari as she shook her head. "Whatever the reason is, we can't let it stop us from getting Izuka out of the Land of Rain, preferably before she's made to turn against us."
"Gaara . . ." said Kankuro as he turned to his little brother. The redhead had been silent since they first left Konoha earlier in the day, and he remained silent now as he looked across his village, now marred with the stains of Amegakure's attack. "Are you alright little bro? You've been silent this whole entire trip."
"You're really asking that question when you know full well the reason why he's been so quiet?" Temari asked bluntly as she crossed her arms.
"What? Can't a brother show some concern for his younger sibling?" asked Kankuro as he raised an eyebrow.
"It's alright Kankuro . . ." Gaara said as he slowly turned to face his older siblings. ". . I just have a lot on my mind . . . that's all."
"That's understandable . . ." said Kankuro as he shook his head. "After what happened today, it's hard not to think about it."
"Yeah, you can say that again . . ." said Gaara as he slowly reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out Izuka's broken amulet, the cracked gem within the rosary of the amulet looking back at him as if it was a damaged glass eye. "Ryu, do you know what happens if Izuka doesn't wear her amulet?"
"I don't really know myself . . ." said Ryu as she shook her head. "Izuka told me that she's had the amulet ever since she was very young, before she entered the Leaf's ninja academy. . . If I remember correctly from what I've read throughout the years on the 10 tails, the only other jinchuriki Ryuna ever had gained her amulet the day she was born."
"The day she was born you say?" asked Temari as she raised an eyebrow.
"That's right . . . the day she was born, the baby that would soon become the first 10 tails jinchuriki gained her amulet after the sealing process was complete. It basically showed up on her neck out of thin air," explained Ryu as she landed on the roof of the Kazekage building. "From that piece of history alone, I think it's safe to say the same thing happened with Izuka too once Ryuna was sealed within her."
"Was there anything in the books and scrolls you read on what happened to the first 10 tails jinchuriki if her amulet ever came off her neck?" asked Kankuro as the three siblings jumped off her back and onto the ground.
"I have a really good, and long, memory . . ." said Ryu as she shrunk back into her smaller form. "None of the material I've read mentioned anything about the first 10 tails jinchuriki ever losing her amulet. She kept it with her all throughout her life."
"Okay . . . onto my next question: What do you think happens when the amulet of the 10 tails jinchuriki is no longer with the jinchuriki?" asked Temari as Ryu crawled onto her shoulders.
"I don't know . . ." said Ryu as she shook her head. "I've asked Izuka that same question plenty of times before, but she always stayed silent. . . I think she knows, but she just won't tell anyone else."
"Well if she had told you about it, then that would be some useful piece of info to know about," mumbled Kankuro as they spotted Baki and a few of the council members stepping onto the roof and approaching them. "If we know what happens when Izuka doesn't wear her amulet, we could at least be able to prepare ourselves for what could happen as a result."
"Prepare for what Kankuro?" asked Baki as he and the council members finally reached the siblings' position.
"For what could happen when Izuka isn't wearing her amulet," said Temari as she gestured to the damaged piece of jewelry that was still in Gaara's hands. "Two Amegakure ninja infiltrated Konoha during the Kage meeting. One of them had Izuka's amulet."
"That's not good . . ." mumbled Elder Mibiku as he shook his head. "Legend says that the amulet serves as a type of limiter for the 10 tails jinchuriki. It suppresses most of the 10 tails chakra in order to help make it more manageable for the jinchuriki. If the jinchuriki doesn't wear it, the chakra will soon go out of control."
"Will it still work if it's damaged?" asked Gaara as he looked down at the amulet in question.
"No . . . unfortunately, it will not . . ." said Mibiku as he shook his head. "The amulet is useless once it is damaged, and there is no known way to fix it."
"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking . . ." said Ryu as she jumped back into the conversation. "But how do you know this Elder Mibiku?"
"There is a certain section in the Forbidden Archives of the Suna Records Hall & Library that is devoted to scrolls and books that contain any and all info on the 10 tailed beast," explained Mibiku as his voice took on a scholarly tone. "Back when your father was alive, he put me in charge of collecting all that information due to the huge interest he had in the 10 tails at the time. . . The project was stopped after we signed the peace treaty with Konoha years back."
"When you were collecting all that info, did you manage to come across anything that pertains to what may happen if the amulet is removed from the jinchuriki?" Kankuro asked as he crossed his arms.
"I don't really remember it off the top of my head, but there were some scrolls that discussed the theories of what may happen if the amulet was removed or taken away," said Mibiku as he brought a hand to his chin. "That does call for some investigating. If you want I can look into it first thing tomorrow morning."
"Start tonight . . ." said Gaara as he finally jumped back into the conversation. "We're basically racing against the clock on this. We have a good hunch that Izuka isn't going to last much longer in Amegakure's reeducation program, so the more information we get, the more we can prepare for the situation when it arises."
"Yes my lord . . ." said Mibiku before he turned to Ryu. "Ryu, I'm going to need an assistant for this and since you are the one that has known Izuka the longest, I could really use your input on this."
"Sure . . . I'd love to help." said Ryu as she followed after Mibiku. Once those two were gone, Gaara turned his head to Baki and the remaining council members.
"Baki, find the rest of the Council. I'm calling for a meeting within the hour," said Gaara as he pocked Izuka's amulet. "We have much to discuss."
"Yes Gaara . . ." said Baki as he bowed his head. Gaara shook his head before leaving the roof, his two siblings following right behind him as they left the scene.
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