So…this was supposed to be "Of Beasts and Barriers," a combo of some Bijuu talk and breaking the Five Seals Barrier at the hideout, but…I wound up splitting it… (Ducks as tomatoes are thrown, gathers the good ones for pasta pomodoro)
Seriously! The amount of character study made possible here was impossible to resist! I'm also playing a little bit with the history of the Narutoverse. Character-wise, we're developing some earlier points, and setting up some plot threads for later.
Also, for the backstory lovers, we're about to see how Kaiya met Shisui!
A chapter title change is in order once more…
Chapter 51: Of Beasts and Backgrounds
"So they're already extracting the Shukaku?" Sakura asked as they jumped through the trees. She almost didn't want to ask the next question; she could guess the answer just by the urgency in the older team members' behaviors. "What happens if we don't get there before they finish?"
Not for the first time, Kaiya questioned the wisdom of her village in making the Tailed Beasts a taboo subject. She knew the answer because she'd been specifically researching them, but Sakura and Naruto, like most of Konoha, were purposely kept in the dark. Now they had to learn the truth under the worst sort of circumstances: when the life of a friend hung in the balance.
"If a Tailed Beast is taken from its host, the host dies," she explained, keeping her voice clinical and detached. It was the only way she could remain clear-headed.
Sakura gasped. She'd been hoping that the very possibility of extraction meant that Naruto might not have to live as an Akatsuki target. But if the only way to take out one of these demons also killed the person holding it…
"That's…sick!" she exclaimed, frustration on her friend's behalf bringing tears to her eyes. "Why would anyone seal them into people in the first place? What good would come of it?!"
"Konoha really doesn't tell its people much, do they?" Chiyo muttered. "I'm surprised that even a student of Tsunade wouldn't know about the nine Tailed Beasts."
Naruto had only half-listened after Kaiya revealed what extraction did. He was in shock. So there's no getting away from this thing, then, he realized, putting a hand over his stomach. Why didn't Nee-chan just say so?
When he heard Chiyo, though, Naruto snapped back to attention, glancing up in surprise. "Nine? There are nine of these?"
Kaiya felt a new spark of angry annoyance at Jiraiya. You could have at LEAST told him about the Bijuu, since he's CARRYING one, she growled at the man's mental image. "There are nine Tailed Beasts, yes. Most, if not all, are sealed inside people - the Jinchuriki."
"So, wait," Sakura called. "There are more Tailed Beasts, more Jinchuriki, and you're saying Akatsuki's after them all?" She remembered Kaiya telling her about the Kyuubi inside of Naruto, but they'd never had a chance to discuss the matter in further detail. The few resources Sakura had found in Konoha relating to Jinchuriki - all sneaked out of Tsunade's classified personal library - had only referenced the Nine-Tails. "That much power…what would they do with it?"
"We don't know," Kaiya admitted.
"Each of the Tailed Beasts has power beyond human comprehension," Chiyo added. "For many years, people tried to find a way to harness that power. Eventually, it was discovered that the Beasts could be safely sealed within living vessels who could then use that power. Countries vied for the chance to have control over a Tailed Beast; they were passed around as goodwill offerings among the Shinobi nations, and as insurance."
"Insurance?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"Mutually assured destruction," Kaiya said in a low voice. Her expression was dark. "Konoha was actually the first to have a Jinchuriki: Uzumaki Mito, wife of the First Hokage. Between her Fuinjutsu and the First's Wood Release, which could contain Bijuu chakra long enough to allow for sealing, they helped other nations create more Jinchuriki."
"The Bijuu were also dangerous to the villages they tended to haunt," Kakashi pointed out. "By creating Jinchuriki, the First Hokage was helping to eliminate a problem common to most of the early Shinobi nations. It wasn't just about creating weapons."
"Then he was an idealist," Kaiya shot back bitterly. "And I doubt that was his only intention. By helping them make their own Jinchuriki, the First showed the world that Konoha had access to powers that made the village virtually unconquerable. Sharing that particular method was a sign of good will, maybe, but it also armed other nations pretty equally. Hence, mutually assured destruction: You move against me, I move against you, both of us using a weapon of such devastating force that neither of us could come out on top."
Sakura's shock was quickly replaced with understanding, then righteous anger. She recalled how so many parents in the village had shunned Naruto. They just saw him as a weapon, didn't they? Her heart ached at the injustice of it all.
"So wars were fought often using Jinchuriki?!" she growled. "Then the people carrying the beasts-" She cut herself off, looking to her blond teammate as the horrific realization dawned on her. They were CREATED to die.
Kakashi, meanwhile, was troubled by Kaiya's remark about the First Hokage. She'd called the village founder an "idealist" like it was some sort of slur. When did she become so cynical?
He tried to turn the conversation back to more constructive topics. "Kaiya - you gave Gaara a lock seal before, right? An early model, but would it help now?"
Kaiya nodded. "As long as he was able to activate it, it might slow - oh, no…"
He looked at her sharply. "What is it?"
Now I know it was your lock seal we found on the Taki Jinchuriki…
"Gaara never reapplied it," she groaned. "He gave it to the Taki Jinchuriki, Fuu…and Akatsuki got her months ago…"
"Lock seal?" Chiyo mumbled inquisitively. "What is this lock seal?"
"It's something I came up with to try and help the Jinchuriki in case of forced extraction," Kaiya told her. It was need-to-know information, and at this point, Chiyo qualified as need-to-know. "About six months ago, I was in Suna as a Chunin Exam liaison. Well, that was the surface reason - I was actually checking on Gaara's Bijuu seal. We knew there was a chance of Akatsuki or Suna rebels attempting extraction. I made a lock seal to try and delay any of those attempts. The one I gave Gaara was just a draft, but it apparently helped. Thing is, it disappears after it's used - has to be reapplied, and Gaara's Ultimate Defense required special ink for application…I left him a copy, but…"
"What is it?" Kakashi pressed when she trailed off.
Kaiya's brow furrowed. "Itachi…in the genjutsu, he said that they'd found the lock seal on Fuu. Well, he didn't say 'Fuu,' he said 'the Taki Jinchuriki'…" Her eyes widened.
"So her name is Fuu…"
IS Fuu…
"She's alive," Kaiya whispered, pulse racing at the realization. "Fuu - the Jinchuriki from Takigakure! She's still alive! They haven't extracted from her yet!"
"Wait - Fuu?" Sakura's eyes grew in recognition. "A girl from Takigakure? I think she was at the Chunin Exams!"
"She was," Kaiya confirmed. "After the exams, Temari wrote to tell me that I should expect an invite from Taki to check her seal too, but it never came. Akatsuki got her."
"So why do you think she's still alive?" Kakashi called.
"Something else Itachi said," Kaiya answered, bewildered by how much the Uchiha had apparently 'slipped.' "And I quote: 'So her name is Fuu.'" When the others looked at her blankly, she nearly facepalmed. "Is - present tense!"
Kakashi got it. "If they'd already extracted her Bijuu, he'd have said was…you sure it wasn't just a mistake?"
Kaiya gave him an annoyed glare. "You knew the guy back then, too. How likely do you think a 'mistake' like that would be?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. She was right - Itachi was a prodigy, and always had a reason behind his actions and words…at least it had seemed that way at the time.
"Huh?" Naruto looked back at them. "What are you talking about? Nee-chan, how do you know that guy?"
Kaiya mentally swore again. She really didn't want to get into that with Naruto. "Not important right now - point is, Gaara doesn't have any extra defense left, Akatsuki knows I'm the one who developed the lock seal -"
"And they're going to be after you again for it," Kakashi continued, recalling what Itachi said before the fight started, and the 'precious assets' comment at the end. He frowned. Why would Itachi let so much slip? It's very unlike him…
She nodded. "Yeah, and we'll come back to that later - but you're missing something kinda big here! Fuu is alive! They haven't extracted her beast yet!"
Naruto clutched his head. "Stop for a second, dattebayo! You're all going too fast - there's another Jinchuriki? They got her already? What the heck is going on?!"
"What's important right now is that Gaara probably doesn't have any extra insurance," Kakashi said, cutting Kaiya off from responding. "We'll deal with a possible rescue for Fuu after we've accomplished this mission. Kaiya - would this have any effect on how Akatsuki is extracting, or why?"
Kaiya considered the question. Akatsuki had caught Fuu months ago, but there was a possibility she was alive. Yet they didn't wait to start extracting the One-Tail from Gaara. One Tail….
"It might," Kaiya mused. "If they're going in order…"
"Going in order would make no difference if they're making new Jinchuriki," Chiyo pointed out. "So you think they have another goal?"
Kaiya nodded. "Possibly. We considered whether creating Jinchuriki was their goal, but there are other methods for that which don't need so much preparation. Whatever method Akatsuki's using required time and resources to develop - at least three years, based on our intel, if not more. Maybe if they planned to seal them all into one person, that could be the explanation, but no human could contain that much power without exploding, I'd think."
"Then what else would they be attempting?" asked Chiyo.
"Well…there once was research being done on a 'holding cell' for Tailed Beast chakra," Kaiya explained, thinking back to her time in Uzushio. "Something that theoretically could hold the beasts in a stable way without the need for a living, human host. I think they were only looking into sealing one at a time, though. They never got to finish their research - the village doing it was destroyed. It's possible that Akatsuki figured out a way to do it…"
Sakura frowned. "What would it matter if they went in order or not?"
Kaiya thought for a moment. "Sealing all nine Bijuu in a single vessel would require powerful fuinjutsu, and it'd be an extremely delicate balancing act…maybe they need to go in order because of that, somehow? It's unprecedented - I need to see just what they're doing, get more information…"
"Well, that's why you're on this mission," Kakashi stated. "When we find them, you need to observe what you can, so that when we get back, you can work on this theory."
Suddenly, Kakashi felt a sharp pain shoot through his left eye. Damn…breaking into that genjutsu must have taxed the Sharingan more than I thought…He looked up and took stock of the rest of the team. Naruto, who'd been rushing ahead of the group before the fight, now lagged toward the middle, panting heavily. He's not used to that new jutsu yet, Kakashi noted. Sakura and Chiyo seemed okay, but they'd also slowed. Even Kaiya was sporting drooping eyes.
"We're stopping," he announced, earning astonished glances from the younger members.
"But Gaara-" Naruto protested.
"We've slowed down considerably compared to before," Kakashi said firmly. "A little rest now will get us there faster overall. And remember - we're of no use to Gaara if we arrive exhausted."
When they found a suitable area to set camp, Kaiya turned to Kakashi. "Barrier?" she asked, not meaning to sound as tired as she did.
"No need," he said in a low voice. "Your barrier needs a chakra source, and you're low from that genjutsu. We'll be fine with the old-fashioned method of keeping watch."
"Fine," she muttered. He was right, as usual: she had been worn out from the genjutsu. Only adrenaline had kept her going after that. "We're taking shifts, though."
"Are we, now?" Kakashi challenged with a raised brow.
"Yes, we are," she answered stubbornly. "I've got Uzumaki chakra - a little sleep and I'm good as new. But you need rest, too, Mr. Team Leader," she teased.
"Fine," he relented, not up for an argument. "But you're resting first. Go replenish that Uzumaki chakra." He 'poofed' away to scout the area before she could protest.
Kaiya grumbled but laid out her mat all the same. Sakura and Naruto had fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. She lay down and stared up at the stars through half-lidded eyes.
"Kaiya, is it?"
Kaiya looked up at the sound of Chiyo's crackling voice. She turned over to face the Suna advisor. "Yes?"
The old woman wore a thoughtful expression as she stared into the flames. "Your surname - it wouldn't happen to Uzumaki?"
She nodded. "It is."
"That figures," muttered Chiyo. "I've met Uzumakis, long ago, before their village was destroyed. You do have the markers."
Now it was Kaiya's turn to be surprised, then curious. "The hair, I'm guessing?"
"For a start," Chiyo confirmed. "Also the strong chakra, those chains…and you seem to be quite knowledgeable about fuinjutsu, at least in regards to the Bijuu."
"It's been my focus for the past couple years, because of the Akatsuki situation," Kaiya nodded. She scooted closer to Chiyo. "But…you knew Uzumaki clan members?"
The granny turned toward Kaiya and saw wide, inquisitive eyes staring at her expectantly. She sighed. "The Uzumaki and their village were allies of Konoha, so Suna had some run-ins with them occasionally. Whenever Konoha entered a war, Uzushio joined them, or at least lent a hand. It's part of what made many nations reticent to go against the Leaf."
Kaiya listened with rapt attention. She'd never met any other Uzumaki besides Naruto and Tsunade. There wasn't much information on the clan itself, and the few sources in circulation simply referenced their chakra, long lives, or fuinjutsu prowess. Even the Uzushio archives couldn't tell her what the clan was actually like.
"So…" Kaiya hesitated, but the curiosity burned. "What were they like?"
Chiyo's forehead wrinkled in surprise. "Your parents never told you anything about the clan?"
Kaiya looked down. "I…never really got to know them. They died with I was very young."
"I see…" Chiyo hummed. "Well, I never knew an Uzumaki personally, but one can tell a lot about a person by how they fight. The Uzumaki were savage."
Kaiya's eyes snapped back to the old woman. "Savage…? What do you mean?"
"Perhaps I should say 'ferocious,' or 'relentless.' Not in the sense of cruelty," Chiyo clarified, "but in how devastating their techniques could be. Within a sealing formula lie infinite possibilities. One can seal away energy, matter, even the very soul of a person or thing, then use it for another purpose. The Uzumaki continuously experimented with symbols and formulas. It was said that one person from Uzushiogakure no Sato could do the work of five, even ten researchers from elsewhere, as they required little rest, recovered quickly from wounds and illness, and lived such long lives." She gave Kaiya a sly grin. "Research tends to slow significantly when interrupted by death, after all."
The old woman turned back to the fire, her face growing serious once more. "In the Second Shinobi World War, the Uzumaki created some of the most devastating jutsu ever known. One such jutsu wiped an entire village clear off the map."
Kaiya's eyes widened. Could that be something in those scrolls I couldn't open? They made something that destructive?
"After that," Chiyo continued, "many villages came together, allied by a common goal: Destroy the village where such techniques originated, so they could no longer develop such incredible power."
Kaiya turned her own gaze back to the crackling campfire. She was in shock. This story contradicted so much of what she'd gleaned in the archives about the lost village.
"I always thought…they were innovators," Kaiya admitted softly. "Lovers of knowledge and balance, people who tried to solve problems of the world without unnecessary human sacrifice. The Jinchuriki seals…they were the ones looking for another method, one that wouldn't require humans…"
Chiyo regarded the young woman with eyes that had seen the nature of the world many times over. "It seems you have heard some things about them, then. Yes, they were innovators. Their fuinjutsu opened realms of possibility to the world previously unheard of. But do you know the basic foundations of fuinjutsu - indeed, of any ninjutsu?"
It was like reciting from the textbook at the Academy. "A jutsu cannot simply create matter or energy from nothing; it has to be molded from existing resources."
"Top marks," Chiyo commended dryly. "There is also an equal exchange that occurs. In order to spend energy in a jutsu, one must give up energy from themselves. In the most extreme cases, the exchange is the user's life, sometimes their soul." Kaiya nodded. She knew about this foundation as well - it was why techniques like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal were classified as forbidden. "The rumors were that the Uzumaki tried to develop ways to get around that foundation: to be able to create and use such jutsu without having to pay the high prices. Well, you can imagine how thrilled those rumors made the enemies of Konoha and Uzushio."
Kaiya could imagine, indeed. "'Those who are too strong are apt to be feared,'" she muttered. "Gaara said that, once."
"Did he, now?" Chiyo mused.
"He had personal experience in the matter," Kaiya said darkly. Actually…Kabuto said something similar…"they fear those who become too powerful…"
Chiyo gave a thoughtful hum. "Something else the Uzumaki were known for…it was said the lines of a seal formula spoke to them, that they could look at any seal and decipher not only its workings, but everything about the person who made it." She glanced to Kaiya. "You said you examined Gaara's seal. What did you make of it?"
"Wait - that's an Uzumaki thing?" Kaiya was astonished - she'd never thought much about why the lines of sealing formulas seemed to just…make sense to her. It had confused her on several occasions when others failed to see what she did. She'd just figured it was because she spent so much more time studying the field than most.
"Well, according to the rumors, it was," Chiyo conceded. "How true it was is anyone's guess."
Kaiya nodded and considered Chiyo's question. "That seal…I'd say whoever did it was very knowledgeable of fuinjutsu, at least in its practical application. The chakra control elements of the formula are technically perfect, which probably allowed Gaara to have such incredible and precise control over his sand. But the caster had no foresight when it came to the emotional aspects of the seal. There was a serious imbalance of power between Gaara and the Shukaku, and a lot of it stemmed from that formula."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'd bet it contributed to the insomnia and the emotional issues. I mean, obviously, having your own father order your assassination many times over didn't help matters, but that seal played a part in it, too. It set the stage on a biological level, so that environmental factors like being ostracized and constantly attacked had a foothold on his psyche going in. I'd say the person who made that seal thought only of the power of the weapon they hoped to create, rather than the person who'd have to bear it."
Chiyo listened to her quietly, stoically. "It seems the rumors were true, then. A true Uzumaki really can tell much from a few squiggly lines."
Kaiya glanced back to the woman. "You knew the caster?"
The granny's gaze had returned to the fire, unreadable. "In a manner of speaking."
Kaiya tossed and turned for a while after Chiyo had drifted off. There was nervous energy in her limbs; she needed to move in order to settle. I'll just circle the camp a few times…shouldn't go too far anyway…
She made her circles wider with each pass, putting some distance between her and the campfire. The night was cool but humid, the air close and chill. Frogs sent mating calls out into the dark; an owl hooted from a few trees away. Kaiya took a few shuffling jumps as though about to start a run, trying to shake out the tingling energy.
"Running away?"
Kaiya looked up. Kakashi was crouched in the tree just above her head. She sighed. "No, just kinda riled. Mind if I join you up there?"
He shrugged. "Suit yourself."
She hopped up and sat against the trunk with one leg dangling from the branch. They spent a few minutes in silence, listening to the sounds of nocturnal creatures and wind-shuffled leaves. It was…peaceful, even given the circumstances.
Kaiya gazed at Kakashi. He was still as a statue and vigilant, the only movement coming from the breeze ruffling his hair. The faint glow of the campfire highlighted the contours of his face, sharpening the angles of his jaw and cheek bones.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For what you did back there - pulling me out of that genjutsu."
He glanced at her with a raised brow. "It was nothing. I did what I had to."
She shook her head. "That was not nothing. And…how is your eye? Your Sharingan eye?"
He looked back out into the night. "Why do you ask?"
Kaiya scoffed. "I was there, you know - when you asked Itachi how much his eyesight has weakened. He was surprised. It's obviously something to do with the Sharingan. So: how is your eye?"
He smiled under the mask. "You picked up on that, did you? Well - don't worry about me. Go back to sleep."
"Kakashi."
"Kaiya."
"Don't try to fool me," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "I know you keep that eye covered because it constantly drains chakra if you don't. And if your eye is compromised, it could affect the mission."
"As could you not being completely alert because you refused to sleep," he countered with a pointed look of his own. "Go. I'll wake you for your shift - scout's honor!" He held up two fingers.
Kaiya gave him an annoyed glare, but hopped down from the tree and laid down on her bedroll. She drifted off, exhaustion finally overtaking her racing mind.
Kakashi sighed and resisted the urge to rub his covered eye. Kaiya was right - his Sharingan was starting to use more chakra than it used to, especially since he'd started developing the Mangekyou's abilities. He was aware of his limits with the jutsu, and with his own chakra. What worried him more right now was that Kaiya was once again a target for Akatsuki. Itachi's words were troubling on a few levels.
I see you've brought not one, but two of our targets for us…
You should take more care with Konoha's most precious assets in this war.
Two targets: Naruto and Kaiya. Precious assets in a war…what war? Yes, Akatsuki was certainly a threat, not just to Konoha but to the whole world if they were after the Bijuu…but it wasn't exactly a war. Kakashi had seen a war, fought in it, lost friends in it. This wasn't a war…yet.
Is there a war coming? And assets…Naruto, certainly. Kaiya…
They were targeting Kaiya not just because of a lock seal. Did they think she had the potential to stop Akatsuki's plans altogether? That Fuinjutsu would be key to defeating them? As she was now, Kaiya could certainly pose a threat - but most of her potential was still just that: potential, unrealized ability, untapped talent that still needed development to become true skill.
Kakashi looked down at the sleeping redhead. He could definitely believe in that potential. He'd seen it with his own eyes back when she performed the Evil Sealing Method on Sasuke. It was part of what drew him to Kaiya in the first place - a curiosity to see where she'd go. She was certainly a valuable asset to Konoha now…and she'd become precious to Kakashi.
He was certain that was how he'd been able to pull off the Sharingan trick with the genjutsu. Kakashi was used to considering things from an analytical, calculating mindset; part of what made him a "prodigy" was that he simply did the math when it came to figuring out jutsu. How much chakra, in what shape and form, directed in which way…Obito's Sharingan just made the process more streamlined. When he was younger, Kakashi never understood how emotions had any role in ninjutsu. They simply got in the way.
But seeing Kaiya trapped in a genjutsu, her biggest weakness, by Itachi, who had such strong, painful hold on her…There was no math once the eye contact was made, only raw, desperate need to get Kaiya away from the Uchiha, to release her from his hold. The intensity of that need was what pushed him into the illusion.
And Itachi knew this.
Kaiya was right about another thing: Although he couldn't claim to have known the prodigy well, Kakashi did believe that Itachi wasn't the type to do things without meaning. He'd always been one to choose his words carefully. Calling Naruto and Kaiya "precious" assets…Kakashi had a hard time believing that word choice was coincidence.
Kakashi kept his promise and woke Kaiya after a full sleep cycle. She took over his perch in the tree, fully alert and reenergized from the rest. Uzumaki chakra, she thought appreciatively. It had always been in her, but until her Uzushio trips, Kaiya never had an explanation for her stamina. She just took it for granted that she could train for days on end, research for several nights in a row, only needing naps now and then to keep herself going. Granted, even she had her limits - the longer she trained or worked, the longer she'd need to rest. A few times when she was younger, she'd pushed herself to exhaustion in order to master a technique, requiring her to sleep for as much as a few days to recover.
Yuuma approached the training grounds, eyebrows raised. "She's still at it?" he asked his former student. A breeze carried their voices to Kaiya, but she kept going through the obstacle course her tutor had set up to practice her precision.
Shisui nodded, a weary smile on his face. "She's been at it for almost three days straight. You should've warned me, Yuuma-sensei - I'd have brought a sleeping bag!"
Yuuma chuckled. "Yeah, her stamina really is something else - she's pretty relentless when she's focused on a problem." He watched his younger student darting around the field so fast that even when she stopped, she was just a red blur.
Shisui barked a laugh of his own. "Relentless, indeed. Soon, people will be calling her the 'second coming of the Yellow Flash,' instead of me. Hey, that could be her moniker - the Relentless Red Flash!"
"Heh, maybe…" Yuuma muttered. He called out to the redhead. "Kaiya! Time to rest - the final rounds start in a few days!"
She appeared in front of them. "Fine," she groaned, though she was a bit out of breath. "Guess you're right…I'll just grab something to eat first…" Her legs gave out as she spoke.
Yuuma caught her calmly. Shisui watched the girl with wide eyes. "Is she -?"
"Just exhausted," Yuuma answered, lifting her into his arms. "She's done this before in training. Pushes herself to the point of exhaustion, then sleeps it off for a few days. You'll see - the day of the exam, she'll be bouncing off the arena walls, quite literally!"
"Mmm…Shisui-san?" Kaiya muttered sleepily, eyes half-closed as she leaned into her teacher's chest. "Will you watch the match, tell me how I do?"
He reached over and ruffled her hair; she didn't have the energy to bat his hand away. "Wouldn't miss it, little speed-demon!" He gave her a wink. "And make sure you're up in time for the summer festival in a couple nights. I have it on good authority a certain, super-serious cousin of mine will be there, too!" Kaiya drifted off, too tired to retort.
A sharp pang of longing pierced Kaiya's chest. If Yuuma-sensei had been the father she'd always missed, Shisui had been another big brother. They hadn't known each other very long before his death, but she'd liked him from the minute they met.
Kaiya ran at top-speed toward the training grounds near the Uchiha compound. Her team had returned from a mission later than anticipated, and she was late for a session with Itachi. Kaiya had never been late before; she didn't want to jeopardize the chances of spending time with the boy who made her heart flutter with a simple glance.
Oh, shut up, she told herself. It's TRAINING. He's a FRIEND. And he probably doesn't think of you like that, anyway. Don't read more into it than there is! Even so, Kaiya increased her pace.
When she arrived at the target field, Itachi was already there - and so was someone else, another dark-haired boy. He looked to be a bit older, though it was hard to tell since he was moving so fast. The two were sparring. Kaiya paused at the edge of the field to watch.
Kaiya had never witnessed such effortless skill. Whoever this guy was, he was incredible - maybe even better than Itachi! Certainly faster; Kaiya couldn't help but envy the older boy's precision in his speed. There were no unnecessary movements; every action was measured and timed to perfection. Kaiya herself was fast, but her accuracy was lacking, causing her to move more than was often effective.
Her eyes widened when the boy seemed to disappear completely from view, only to wind up a meter behind Itachi almost instantaneously. Was that some sort of Space-Time ninjutsu? she wondered as the boy aimed a fireball at Itachi (which he deftly countered). Almost as soon as she finished the thought, the fight had concluded: the strange boy had Itachi pinned to the ground with a kunai to his throat.
This guy BEAT Itachi?
The boy smiled, stood, and gave Itachi a hand up. They spoke for a moment; Kaiya wondered if she should venture toward them, stay where she was, or just leave. The boy suddenly nodded in her direction, though, and Itachi turned as well. Before Kaiya could move, the strange boy had disappeared again.
"Enjoy the show?"
Kaiya jumped when she heard the voice right behind her. She spun around to see the same boy standing with an amused smile. He had to be an Uchiha, going by the black hair and eyes. "Um - I -" she sputtered.
He laughed. "No need to be shy! I'm sure my cousin would love to know that a pretty girl was here for him - wouldn't you, Itachi?"
"Cousin?" Kaiya muttered, turning back to see Itachi jogging toward them.
"Kaiya," Itachi greeted. "I wasn't sure you were coming…"
"Oh," Kaiya snapped out of her confused haze, remembering why she was here in the first place. "I'm so sorry, we got back late from a mission and had to report in, I could only leave a few minutes ago, I ran here as fast as I could -"
Itachi smiled and held up his hands for her to stop. "It's okay - I figured something like that had happened."
The boy walked around and put an arm around Itachi's shoulders. "Well? Aren't you going to introduce me to you lady friend, Itachi?"
Now it was Itachi's turn to sputter. "Shisui - she's - I -"
"Shisui?" Kaiya interjected. The two boys looked up. Her eyes were wide and inquiring. "Uchiha Shisui?"
Shisui grinned at her. "Last I checked."
Kaiya smiled widely. "That makes sense now!" The two just looked at her. "You're Shisui of the Body Flicker! So wait - was that body flicker you were using, or teleportation?"
"Body flicker," Shisui confirmed.
Kaiya pumped her fist in the air. "I KNEW it! Gorou owes me 50 ryo! We, um, had a bet going," she explained, suddenly embarrassed by her outburst. "Yuuma-sensei wouldn't tell us which it was -"
"Wait, are you on Yoshida Yuuma's team?" Now Shisui was smiling widely at her. Kaiya nodded. "No way! He was one of my first squad leaders - is he still having you guys do the hawk's nest mission?"
"Yup - first thing he made us do!"
"Big tree? Taller than the others?"
"Mm."
"Jeez, I'll bet it's even the same hawk - that thing must be ancient by now…"
Kaiya and Shisui continued rapid-firing questions and anecdotes excitedly while Itachi just stood by and watched, a look of bewilderment on his face.
Kaiya had to smile at the memory. It was hard not to smile when thinking of her former tutor - he'd always had a funny story or joke up his sleeve. It was what made his suicide so jarring. How could someone so…light-hearted wind up killing themselves?
After the massacre, one of the many rumors that seeped like poison through the village was that Itachi had killed Shisui himself. The reasons for this ranged from the mundane ("he's just a killer") to the conspiratorial ("Shisui suspected him all along, so he killed him") to the downright ridiculous ("There's some huge power the Uchiha can get by killing their own kind"). By the time those particular rumors reached her ears, Kaiya was already too deep in bone-numbing grief over Yuuma to care anymore. It was easy to just add Shisui to the pile of bodies Itachi had left behind.
Kaiya's mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown. She never did like easy answers; they felt too convenient and simple when reality was so complex. But Shisui's death wasn't something she could solve right now. Itachi's words from the genjutsu, on the other hand…they seemed to be knotted with meaning, despite their simplicity. Was that intentional on his part? It seemed possible, especially if he really had been the one to return her kunai that time. The flicker of hope Kaiya had felt the night before (was it really so short a time ago?) reignited.
It was nearly smothered by sheer confusion. If Itachi really had been trying to warn her…why? He was an Akatsuki member, an enemy of Konoha. Why would he be trying to help her at all, especially if she was one of their targets again?
Did he…still care for her?
Kaiya shut that thought down, as much as her entire being ached for it to be true. Besides, why would he torment her with that genjutsu if he did still care? He knew what Naruto was to her, and must have known that such an illusion would be unforgiveable.
She bit her lip, the sharp pain helping to focus her thoughts. To many questions, especially with the emotions they carried, would just cloud her thinking. She had to sort through the information, piece by piece.
Her name IS Fuu.
Present tense meant still living - probably. Still living meant no extraction - yet. Why wait? Could be a ritual, or an issue of chakra balance, if they had to go in order…
Wait.
If they DID have to go in order, and it DID take them this long to prepare, why bother going after Naruto THREE YEARS ago?
Kaiya's pulse raced along with her mind at the thought. Given the little information they had about the mercenary group, Akatsuki wouldn't have been ready to begin extracting Bijuu three years ago, when Itachi had returned to Konoha. However, they did capture Fuu ahead of time…why?
Kaiya thought of the intel that had arrived with the news of Fuu's disappearance. At the time, she'd been more focused on her anxiety over Naruto's absence, but the Anbu team did bring back more information from Taki. Fuu had been kept under close watch in Takigakure - the Chunin Exams were actually her first trip outside of her village. As the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, there would have been six other Bijuu captured and extracted before her; by the time Akatsuki got around to her, chances were the entire Shinobi world would be on high alert. Security would have tightened further. Even a group as presumably powerful as Akatsuki would have been hard-pressed to get past a whole village's defenses…and it would have been in their best interest to keep their actions quiet until they were truly ready.
They captured Fuu ahead of time because they KNEW she'd be harder to get later.
There was no word that they'd moved against other Jinchuriki until Gaara…They'd taken Fuu because it was convenient, but keeping her alive must be draining on their resources. The possibility of a rescue threatened exposure. Now that they had Gaara, they might try to move against other Jinchuriki faster, but until now, they hadn't wanted to risk being out in the open.
So again: Why come for Naruto three years ago?
The question was a dead end. Kaiya tried looking at it from another angle: What ELSE was happening at the time? Well, that one was easier, especially given Yuuma's lessons in infiltration: Konoha had been nearly destroyed by Orochimaru's attack. They'd been without a Hokage, weakened in numbers and resources, easier to penetrate. It would be the perfect time to send a recon team to gather intel.
But intel on what? Akatsuki apparently knew who Naruto was already. If Kaiya were to go with the assumption that they didn't need him at the time, then why else would Akatsuki have come? If anything, they'd compromised their position by sending a team to the village. They'd revealed a bit of their hand way ahead of time. And they'd sent Itachi…a former Anbu captain, who must have been well-trained in infiltration…why would Itachi have been so sloppy as to get caught? It should have easy for him to slip in and out of the village during the reconstruction, even with the sensing barrier still active. Team Recon had often been sent to towns for missions during festivals or right after a calamity because it was easier to blend in with the chaos. Plus, as a former Anbu captain, he would be intimately familiar with Konoha's defenses. Itachi didn't have to be noticed.
Did he CHOOSE to be noticed? Why?
All of this banked on Kaiya's assumption that Itachi had purposely returned some kunai to her pack. I could be reading too much into this, she reminded herself. Yuuma's lessons echoed in her mind. Stick to facts. Find evidence. Use logic, but don't go down roads based on assumptions alone…and don't let your own emotions color those assumptions.
Even so, Kaiya felt like she was on the brink of something potentially huge. That flicker of hope was threatening to burst into a full flame, fanned by a desire for more than just answers. Her slip in the Uchiha training field had come from the very depths of her soul. Kaiya missed Itachi terribly - or at least, she missed the Itachi she remembered. The one who'd pushed that illusion on her, of killing Naruto…that Itachi was harder to reconcile with. Even so, she had to try, even if it meant discovering that Itachi really had been a cold-hearted bastard all along. She'd find no peace if she didn't.
Kaiya tightened her fist as she looked out into the darkness. When the team returned to Konoha, she'd be redoubling her efforts to get answers on the Massacre - whatever Itachi was doing (or not doing), it all seemed to revolve around that night. The sooner she solved that mystery, the closer she'd get to solving the enigma that was Uchiha Itachi.
That was a lot of character development. Let's recap, shall we?
1. Team Kakashi now knows - or at least suspects - that Fuu is still alive. This means a rescue could happen. It also means - possibly - that whatever Akatsuki is doing with the Bijuu, it requires going in order. Further information will be needed. (Also see NEED SOME HELP below!)
2. Thanks to a long, eventful life, Chiyo is able to impart some information on the mysterious Uzumaki clan. "Relentless" and "ferocious"…sound familiar, anyone? ;)
3. Kaiya's noticed that Kakashi's Sharingan may be causing him trouble…and Kakashi's starting to notice a cynicism in Kaiya that worries him. But, he's more worried (of course) about the possible double meanings behind a certain Uchiha's words.
4. Oh hi, Shisui! Fancy seeing you in this fic! ^_^
5. Kaiya, you're so freakin' close! But of course, you won't be satisfied with any explanation that isn't backed up with SOME evidence. Just wait…
NEED SOME HELP, NARUTO-PHILES! I know Fuu wasn't the only Jinchuriki defeated by Akatsuki prior to Shippuden - there's a quick line by Deidara where he says "besides (Gaara) my colleagues have defeated TWO Jinchuriki." Who was the other one? I'm getting conflicting reports.
Next Time: Tug-of-War! We start to see Kaiya truly in action, as the team is faced with a tricky barrier…but someone else finds her style oddly familiar…
