Chapter 16

Note: For anyone curious, Chapter 23 is slated to be when the Chunin Exams officially start and the sand genin meet the leaf genin. Chapter 21 is when the Chunin Exam is mentioned to the sand sibs, though.

Onward!

Published 2020.02.02

The most notable news of the next year had to be the Uchiha Massacre. Of course, the how-tos and everything besides the basics weren't open to the public, but people in class chatted about how they heard that someone had killed most, if not all, of the infamous Konoha dojutsu wielding clan.

"That's terrible," Fuu said during lunch break. "An entire clan is a lot of people. Fuu-chan hopes that the killer is feeling sorry about what he did."

The most distinct thing about Fuu, besides her unique coloring, was her purity. She saw the good in everyone to the point where I doubted she'd be in a ninja mindset by the time we graduated.

"I bet he's just crazy," Kankuro replied in a mouthful of rice. "Not everyone can just murder a whole clan and then 'feel' regret."

My brother brought up a good point. While Itachi had his motives, he still had to be pretty messed up after the coup d'etat to feel any kind of emotion besides obsessive lust for future fratricide.

The topic then moved on to our school related activities and complaining about the amount of homework our classroom sensei expected for us to finish in one night. Sure, sure, a five page essay on the political history between the Land of Grass and the Land of Iron wasn't terrible workload, but factor in the several hours of training a day? Some days I could barely focus on the words in the textbooks.

Taijutsu wasn't a terribly necessary skill for someone with my ability, but I still enjoyed the exhilarating sensation of knuckles pounding against calloused skin and completing a perfect spin kick in mid air.

The little things.

Fuu learned her lesson all those months ago and always layered a shell of chakra over her wings as to not have to suffer an injury to the delicate membrane again. Therefore, her entire body now became fair game to an assortment of attacks. And Kankuro was going through his poison phase - where he tried concocting poisons of all types and building an immunity.

"Come on, just a few milliliters!" He begged, the swirling black poison in the syringe squirting ominously.

Temari stopped decimating the clay dummies on the other side of the training hall. "Kankuro, she's not a test subject!"

Fuu carefully flew out of reach of my brother's grabby hands. The last time he had chosen one of us jinchuriki as a test subject for his new poisons, we had been puking for three hours straight. Yes, the bijuu cured the adverse effects, but going through the motions of regurgitating the poison was absolute hell.

"No thank you. I'm fine with just fans..." I told him, inching farther away from the menacing glint in his eyes. He had started wearing kabuki battle make-up only a few days ago, similar to his puppets, which only served to add to his creepy factor.

"You sure?"

Really, practicing with my siblings and Fuu was fine and all, but it was difficult constantly dealing with children when our mental maturity still had a resounding gap. Before being introduced to them all, I was lonely, yes, but at least I hadn't hid anything from anyone (not there was anyone to hide from). But there were moments when the fact that they were just children became starkly apparent when I was dragged into socializing with each of them. With Kankuro, he kept screaming out the new venomous lizard species or whatever, Temari gossiped about things that seemed non-trivial, and Fuu just wanted to play dolls and make sand castles on the carpet of our shared room. There were enough guest rooms for her to have her own, but she preferred company and I didn't mind.

Except all other appropriate adults I could partake in a conversation with were the Kazekage's private forces, and they were all emotionally constipated from their intense training.

I wanted someone my age to talk to who didn't judge me for my outside appearance of some third year academy student. Someone who knew that I was more than just my age and my status, preferably.

So at the dinner table a scant few weeks later, I brought it up. Rasa was home that day, strangely enough. But well suited to my purposes.

"Kazekage-sama," I said, stopping the quiet lull of whispered conversation at the table. Usually dinners were rambunctious and involved more food on the table than in our mouths (much to ), but everyone was acting all strangely reserved and polite while the Kazekage was home early.

"Yes, daughter?" He answered, leaning forward the slightest. His tone and face were utterly blank.

"How many people are there that are like Fuu and I? I mean, with bijuu sealed inside them."

Of course I knew about all the jinchuriki, their general whereabouts, and probably more insider information than the best espionage agent. But I had noticed that none of the Suna officials actually officiated any formal knowledge with me, and it'd be horrible to have to explain to someone if I accidentally let something I wasn't supposed to know slip.

While I hadn't expected much more than a glare from my father, to everyone's surprised, he actually responded. "And what brings this on? Did the monster say anything to you?"

Shukaku stirred from his sleep at his mention, and I wanted curse my father out almost awakening the beast. He kept screaming all night long, and it was only during the day did I have any solace from his terror. The seal was breaking and my mind was becoming fuzzy from the hours upon hours I was missing. Taking short naps throughout the day wasn't sustainable.

"No, Kazekage-sama," I reassured. "But if one of your children are to become your successor, then don't you think we ought to gather more militant strength? Another wielder could train Fuu and I to our full potential while inspiring the citizens with respectful fear."

He stared carefully, his sharp eyes seemingly piercing right through my soul. Fuu nudged my foot under the table with her own - questioning, then. Didn't matter. This was something I wanted to see for myself. Whether Rasa would actually comply or not.

"There are nine of them. Called 'Jinchuriki,'" he finally said, and it felt as though I was releasing a breath I wasn't aware of holding.

Kankuro set down his spoon and peered curiously up at our father with more interest I'd ever seen him carry for him. "Do you know all their names?"

He went on, ignoring his son. "The First Hokage was supposed to distribute the beasts evenly, but that damned man only gave us that tanuki." And then he smiled using too many teeth at Fuu who was looking down at her twiddling fingers. "But now we're even again."

Shukaku grumbled loudly in his sleep, and I held my breath out of the fear that he could hear even that. But then he subsided and quieted once more, my heart wrecking up all jittery.

"Fuu-chan did not like Tanigakure," Fuu muttered. As with a room full of ninja, everyone heard her words but politely chose to ignore them. Except one, of course.

"It's a very good thing that you're with us in Wind Country," he said like the horrible shark he was.

"I wonder if any of the others want to come to live with us, too!" I beamed, smiling all too fake and saccharine at the Kazekage. He didn't even bat an eyelash, leaning back into his chair and nodding absently.

It was almost like we were being nice to each other for once.

Temari sent me a look that reminded me of the moment when a snake hisses and attacks you with its venomous fangs, but carefully constructed her face into something of casual politeness for our father. "Otou-sama, are there any jinchuriki that are looking for a new home?"

Defected from their home village, she implied. How obvious. She definitely could have worded that better.

But it definitely sent the message across, and our father adjourned from dinner not five minutes later for "important business."

Well, that went better than what I expected it to.

And when Fuu and I finally settled into bed that night, a thought kept niggling around the back of my mind. Could I or my father bring another jinchuriki to Wind Country? Would the gods strike me down with lightning out of karma if that ever happened? Could our country sustain its lengthy borders at the prospect of an extra powerhouse stored inside? So far, I hadn't heard any rumors of Fuu's true identity escaping anyone's lips, but it wasn't like I was about to spill "hey this new girl is actually from Takigakure oops" and doom her fate. I hadn't heard my father grumbling about any public outrage from Waterfall Country about missing their jinchuriki, so at least the knowledge of their missing bijuu hadn't gone out to all the nations.

Except for Fire Country. Damn those ROOT spies.

Spies.

I jerked out from the covers, wincing when Fuu mumbled and snuggled deeper into her blankets, then shifted into sand form and escaped quietly out under the bedroom door frame and shot straight down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front doors. I was a bullet, zipping through the bitter dark night and to my glass dome out in the barren desert.

I needed thinking room. I needed space.

The sand piled together and released my human form through gentle waves. I plopped straight down on my back and stared up at the thick ceiling.

"Spies," I repeated numbly to myself. "Why were there spies after Fuu?"

Did every jinchuriki have ROOT spies tailing them? Had any of them infiltrated Sunagakure? Was I being trailed by some Konoha rascal? Could one of those assassination attempts in my early childhood have actually been from some other affiliated ninja?

"Maybe they were just in the right place at the right time," I argued to myself. "Maybe you shouldn't look too deeply into it, Ai."

"Well, maybe you're just being a paranoid bitch or maybe I'm right, other-Ai."

Shukaku's ratchet of gross laughter shook me out of the stupor.

"Shut up," I said to no one in particular... Okay, maybe just to him.

He kept laughing and laughing and I clutched at my head, hoping that the irritating wave of panic would just leave. Overdosing on pain medicine had stopped working long ago, but I hadn't exactly looked for a cure to all Shukaku's damn noise and manipulative words after Chiyo's minor sealing correction. But it was fading - had been fading for the past few weeks now - and was almost unbearable.

I injected myself with half of Kankuro's earlier tincture in order to sleep.