Chapter Twenty: Manipulations

Gato was furious, to say the least as he leaned over his desk.

"You idiots!" snarled the businessman.

Deidara supposed he ought to be offended, but he wasn't threatened enough by Gato to be offended. "What?"

"Tazuna is still alive!" said Gato. "We just got word from some of my contacts that he and his ninja bodyguards gave you the slip! They're heading toward the bridge right now!" He glanced at his guards on either side. "I hired you people because you were the best of the best! And now you can't even kill a bunch of genin and one bridgebuilder!"

Sasori said nothing. Deidara shrugged, and Gato looked even more furious. "That's all you have to-"

"Deidera," said Sasori suddenly.

"Yeah, what is it, Sasori, my man?" asked Deidara.

"It appears we have not fulfilled our contract," said Sasori. Deidera wondered how long he was going to put up appearances. "As such, we will have to take matters into our own hands."

"What do we have in mind?" asked Deidara.

"Targeting Tazuna is a waste of time. It will require an elaborate engagement with the Leaf Ninja," said Sasori. "Given that they gave us the slip once, they will be more prepared now."

"So what do you suggest?" asked Deidara.

"Blow up the bridge," said Sasori flatly.

"Blow up the..." began Gato. "What about Tazuna?"

"If we destroy the bridge, Tazuna will not have the money to build another," said Sasori. "His efforts will have failed, and he will not even have the dignity of being a martyr. Far more effective than cutting down a determined family man.

"Take care of it, Deidara. Tonight."

"And what will you be doing?" asked Deidara.

"Preparing for the operation, of course," said Sasori.

"Now hold on a minute!" snarled Gato, who evidently couldn't read the room. "I'm in charge here, and I'll be able to charge people a toll for that bridge once it's complete! Tazuna is the problem!

"I want you to kill him! And those are my orders! Your job is to make it happen!"

Sasori went very still. It was about this point that Gato realized he had access to several hundred rough and ready men. None of who would be even slightly useful if Sasori decided to kill him. Sasori waited until Gato was about to retract the statement and then-

"...Take him," said Sasori.

Right on cue, the guard's eyes went empty. They surged forward and grabbed Gato from both sides, pulling him up over his chair. The businessman kicked, knocking his chair down as Sasori looked at him hard.

"What, let go of me! I'm your boss, you can't-" began Gato.

"Do you feel like the boss, runt?" asked Deidara.

"You know what'll happen!" said Gato to his men. "If you backstab me, there are contracts that'll get sent out with your name on them! You can't-"

"They can," said Sasori. "And now that I've used my jutsu on them, they are all too willing. Puppets are easy to use, once to understand the strings."

"What?" said Gato, who was dragged in front of Sasori.

"Your presence in the Land of Waves is important for our purposes," said Sasori, "but not the ones you think. And I'm tired of being kept waiting."

"You can't..." Gato tried to escape as out of Sasori's robe came a puppets hand. "I'm the one signing your paychecks!"

"True," said Deidara. "But let me ask you this? Does putting bills in an envelope require free will?"

Gato screamed for help and mercy before Sasori was done. He got neither, and no one heard a thing through the jutsu Sasori had placed this morning.

Team 7 set out the next morning for the bridge. Tazuna had apparently sent word of his presence, and they had to stay close around him as they walked. Sakura hadn't seen any sign of that Inari boy from before, but she had helped Tsunami make breakfast.

It was something she could do to help.

Soon enough, they came to the bridge, and it was very impressive if only half-complete. There was the shore far in the distance, and there were the workmen waiting.

"Well, here is the bridge, or what will eventually be the bridge," said Tazuna.

"What are you going to call it?" asked Naruto.

"Not really sure, to be honest," said Tazuna. "I've been so focused on building it, no one has had time for a name. Traditionally I'd call it the Tazuna bridge, but that would seem a bit egotistical. After all, the families of the Land of Waves contributed to it all over. It would be like I'm claiming credit for it.

"I'll think of a name if I live long enough to raise it.

"These are my men."

"Naruto, how are your shadow clones doing?" asked Kakashi-sensei, who had been very quiet.

"Oh pretty well, I've got them walking throughout the town in disguise. I'll see if anyone comes through," said Naruto.

Kakashi-sensei had been doing nothing but giving orders. He'd used to have occasional reassuring things to say to them, but now he seemed all business. It seemed to Sakura he was trying not to think about Tobi being Obito. Sakura imagined what it would be like to know Naruto had gone bad.

"Well, create some more and make these ones visible," said Kakashi. "I want you to have watchers out across the entire surrounding area."

"You got it!" said Naruto.

And he did so. As he did, Sakura looked at half a dozen workers. Then she looked at Tazuna. "Hey, um, Tazuna, doesn't this seem like relatively few people to build a bridge."

"Well, yes," said Tazuna. "Unfortunately, many people are scared to be openly working on it. Those here are largely from the countryside and don't have family in the cities.

So it's more difficult for Gato to go after them.

"It would be a lot easier with a dozen more people but-"

"Your wish is my command! How about two dozen!" said Naruto, who'd just sent out his shadow clones. He made even more of them, and they lined up, ready for work.

"...That shadow clone ability is quite handy," said Tazuna. "I'm surprised more ninja don't use it."

"Well, Naruto has practically limitless chakra," said Kakashi. "So he's able to use it far more than most people. Sasuke, I want you on bodyguard duty. Stay near Tazuna at all times and be prepared to protect him if anything happens. Keep a keen eye on everyone who gets anywhere near this place.

"I'm going to go have a look around."

"What for?" asked Sakura.

"I want to find where Gato is operating," said Kakashi. "If we were to remove him ahead of time, then no one would be paying the Akatsuki anymore.

"They might just book it. So I think I'll see if I can't remove these particular snakes head off the bat."

"But what if they attack while you're not here?" asked Sakura.

"It's a risk," admitted Kakashi. "But to be honest, Sakura, I think it's the best chance we have. If it comes to a direct fight, we're going to have a serious problem. Sasuke and

Naruto might be able to defeat Deidara, and I might be able to defeat Sasori.

"Still, it's a far longer shot than me cutting Gato's throat."

"What should I do?" asked Sakura suddenly, realizing he hadn't given her any instructions.

Kakashi shifted and seemed to be looking for something to do for her. "Try to make yourself helpful and keep practicing genjutsu breaking for now."

Sakura wasn't any use at all here, was she? She nodded. "...Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

And so everyone began to work, and Sakura sat on the sidelines. As she did, she practiced, but not in a way that would get underfoot. Or tried, anyway, several times she had to step aside for one person or another. This only made her feel miserable.

Naruto and Sasuke had been training nonstop while she was pouting and mocking Ino. Now she was way farther behind. And while they were learning all kinds of new powers, she was stuck working on basics. So they'd get even farther ahead of her than before, making things even more difficult.

Sakura felt like she could feel her whole life stretching out ahead of her. And most of it consisted of her sitting on the sidelines and talking to herself about how useless she was. She almost went to ask Sasuke for help, but what could he do for her anyway?

It was worth a shot.

Making her way up to Sasuke while he was standing at work, she stood and waited to be recognized. Wait, why was she waiting, just ask! Her inner self that she'd been crushing down a lot more lately pushed her."Um, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up. "Oh, Sakura. What is it?"

"That uh... that fire jutsu, you know," said Sakura. "Do you think you could teach it to me?"

Sasuke shifted. "It's not something you can teach easily. It took me weeks of nonstop training to master it. With your skill level, it would take a lot more than that. You're better off sticking to what Kakashi-sensei wants you to work on."

"Right," said Sakura, forcing a smile. "Sorry, I asked. I won't bother you anymore."

Sakura moved off.

'Idiot,' said Inner Sakura. 'Sasuke has better things to do than help you pick up the slack. You need to fix this on your own.'

There didn't seem to be a lot Sakura could do, though, other than trust Kakashi-sensei and be nicer to Naruto. Then a hand went to her shoulder, and she turned around.

"Excuse me, Sakura," said Tazuna.

"Yes?" asked Sakura, looking up.

"Could you go get me some supplies for my workers?" asked Tazuna, carrying some bags and a list. "It would be a huge help."

Well, it would be more help than standing here underfoot. "Oh, sure, what do you need."

"Here's a list. Some of them forgot lunch," said Tazuna.

Sakura took it and was just glad to have something useful to do.

'Yeah, you're really showing off your grocery-shopping jutsu there, girl.' said Inner Sakura, voice mocking.

Sakura ignored her, though there was something different about her other-self. "...Right, sure. I'll handle it."

Sakura had developed her inner self to defend against Ino if they ever sparred. She'd sort of visualized the person she didn't want to be and poured all her inner conflicts into them. Sometimes it was almost like the person was talking to her; other times, it was just a feeling. The trick was to create a sense that there was someone else in her head.
The idea had been that Ino would have to fight that person if she entered Sakura's mind. It had been stupid, just stupid.
It had almost gone away for a bit, but not it was back, and it was bitter and angry. Why?

'Oh, I don't know, maybe because everyone is treating me like a joke!' snapped Inner Sakura. 'So what if I lost to Tobi, everyone loses to Tobi! The guy has got to be Kage level!'

"They're not treating us like a joke," said Sakura. "We're just not as strong as Naruto and Sasuke."

'We're not as strong because Kakashi-sensei won't teach us anything!' shot back Inner Sakura. 'Naruto learns wind jutsu! Sasuke gets a chidori and training in his Sharingan! What did he teach us that he didn't teach them?!'

"We're learning to break genjutsu-"

'We're learning to stay out of the way and be a cheerleader!' replied Inner Sakura. 'Then again, being a cheerleader for Sasuke is all you ever wanted, isn't it? Wish granted!'

"Stop it!" said Sakura.

And then she realized she'd been talking to herself in the middle of the street. Looking around, she smiled nervously and moved on to the store. Within, she found a truly barren sight. It seemed like every shelf was nearly empty, and most of what was there were the worst kind of foods.

Even so, she managed to get most of the things on the list and began to head back. She hoped she didn't run into anyone who'd seen her before. To her surprise, however, there was a crowd of children gathered. In their center was a boy, perhaps fifteen to sixteen. He wore long brown robes and was holding a number of life-sized puppets by strings.

He moved his fingers with expert finesse. Sakura watched as dozens of different puppets moved around him in a dance. Many people cheered watching it, and she reflected that he was very, very skilled. They looked like real people dancing. They had personalities and finesse to their movements that was their own.

The boy himself had a mop of curly red hair and a serene expression on his face. A small smile flickered across his face as he worked.

"Excuse me, who is that boy?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, him," said a passerby. "That's Orassi. He came here a few days ago and started entertaining the kids with puppets. His expression, though, it never changes at all."

"Does he charge?" asked Sakura. He was really, really good.

"He accepts donations, though few people are able to pay in these times," said the passerby.
Sakura noticed the tray at his feet as the show came to an end. Quickly drawing out some money, she set it upon the tray. Very few other people did so, though they were probably short of coin. To Sakura's surprise, Orassi moved forward and nodded to her. "My thanks to you. May I know your name?"

Sakura wasn't used to people being that interested in her. Well, except Naruto, but his gaze wasn't as hard as Orassi's. "Oh, um, I'm Sakura Haruno. I'm a Leaf Ninja."

"Haruno?" asked Orassi. "That name is familiar, I believe the family was once part of the Sand."

"Right, we immigrated to the Leaf when the economy went down," said Sakura. "How did you know?"

Orassi smiled. "I used to live there as well, and I'm quite familiar with genealogy. Even without the name, however, your hair is a dead giveaway. The hue of sakura petals is one that is rarely seen beyond the realm of the Sand." He ran a black-gloved hand through a strand of her hair as wind blew through them.

Sakura found her mouth was a bit dry. She hadn't been this flustered in... well a long time. "So um, those puppets of yours are truly beautiful. I've never seen anything so lifelike."

"Thank you," said Orassi. "It takes a great deal of skill and effort to hollow them out without damaging the surface. One misstep and the base materials become unusable except as spare parts."

"Spare parts?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, sometimes a puppet may be damaged," said Orassi, unsummoning his puppets. "One does not want to replace them completely, so I use other elements. For instance, a limb may be replaced. A particular joint can be swapped out.

"After a certain amount of damage, however, it becomes unusable.

"I've yet to be able to create a truly eternal puppet."

Sakura shifted and remembered that Sasori was also a wielder of puppetmaster jutsu. What were the chances that two of them would be here at once? Then she remembered Sasori, that hunched over figure. He'd been far too short and squat, and his voice had been nothing like Orassi's. And why would Sasori have made a big show of using puppets anyway, it would be a dead giveaway. Besides, if Sasori wanted to take her as a hostage, he could literally have just punched her in the face.

Nobody here could have stopped her. And it wasn't like Sakura knew anything worthwhile to learn anyway.

"It sounds pretty complicated," said Sakura. "So, you're still in training?"

"No one who is wise ever stops training," said Sasori. "Life is much like puppetry, except with an infinite number of strings. Pull one, and you get a certain reaction, but pull too hard or often, and that reaction can damage it. You have to learn balance, to pull the strings in the right order and timing.

"And there is never enough time to learn them all.

"Only a fool, however, declares himself the master of their own craft. Once you do that, you assume you know everything and cease to develop."

"Listen, this is fascinating and all, but I need to get back to the bridge," said Sakura.

Orassi blinked. "The bridge that Tazuna is building, yes?"

"Yeah, that's it," said Sakura. "We're trying to help break Gato's hold on the Land of Waves."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you?" asked Orassi.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Why do you want to go there?"

"I have an interest in woodworking, and Tazuna is well-documented as a master of his craft," said Orassi. "It would be nice to see a Master in action."

"I thought you said one should never declare oneself a master," said Sakura.

"Of course not," said Orassi. "But others may do so in your stead. Who we are is largely determined by how others perceive us."

"Ah, right," said Sakura. "I don't think Tazuna would have a problem with that. Though I'll have to ask him before I let you near."

"Of course, I don't desire to be an inconvenience," said Orassi.

"It's no problem," said Sakura. It occurred to her that Orassi might be working for Sasori. If so, she could probably learn something about him. If she gave him a flat refusal, he might try to take her prisoner or something, so don't.

And so they began to walk. As they did, Sakura looked to him. "So, where did you learn those skills? The puppetmaster jutsu is a specialization of the Sand Village."

"It is," said Orassi. "I was taught a few particular techniques by my grandmother and became quite good at them. However, I am no longer employed by the Sand."

"Why not?" asked Sakura.

"There simply isn't as much work," admitted Orassi. "The Leaf Village has begun to pouch missions from the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind. He regards them as more reliable, and the Kazekage has been hard-pressed to find paying work.

"For my part, I've never enjoyed violence.

"My passion is for puppetry. I like to turn raw material into something that will endure the ages. But during my time working for the Kazekage, I was usually sent on dangerous missions. I fought many opponents, killed many, and lost friends, and nothing I did had any lasting value. And those I served treated me as a weapon.

"So, I left."

Wait what.

Sakura was... 90% sure you couldn't just walk out of a Hidden Village. "So, you're a rogue ninja?"

"Technically, yes," admitted Orassi. "In truth, however, there are countless rogue ninjas who slip between the cracks. They are not worth pursuing. You would not see my face in any of today's bingo books."

"Well, that's good to know," said Sakura. If Orassi had been some kind of enemy agent, he wouldn't have been so open about the fact.

"So tell me, Sakura, what is it that brought you out here?" asked Orassi. "You're a full-fledged ninja. Surely someone else could have gone for groceries?"

'Finally, some goddamn respect!' snapped Inner Sakura.

"You don't have to tell me if the mission is secret," said Orassi.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think Kakashi-sensei has much of a use for me," admitted Sakura. They made their way out of the main town. "Naruto and Sasuke are incredibly talented and powerful. Both have their own unique powers and are really good, I'm just...

"Well, I don't know any worthwhile skills. And no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to catch up to Naruto or Sasuke. And Kakashi-sensei has only been...

"Well, he keeps training me to break genjutsu, but I don't think Sasori or Deidara know any genjutsu! I read their stats, they're both weapon specialists!"

"Perhaps he does not want you to be injured," mused Orassi.

"What?" asked Sakura.

"Given that you are already weaker than Naruto and Sasuke, it may be his plan to keep you safe in battle," said Sasori. "Rather than for you to participate."

"Maybe, I just..." Sakura sighed. "I feel like I'm not any help at all."

As they went out of sight of town, there was a blur. A sort of moment where Sakura lost track of where she was. Then she and Orassi were walking. She had the feeling that she ought to part ways with him before she reached the bridge.

"You should ask him to teach you a jutsu," said Orassi.

"What? What kind?" asked Sakura, looking at Orassi with obvious attention.

"Whatever kind you desire," said Orassi. "Kakashi has a reputation for knowing many jutsu. If you asked him to teach you a specific one, perhaps one your comrades don't know, he might teach you."

"But shouldn't I wait for him to teach me things?" asked Sakura, wondering why she'd already taken his word to heart.

"Is there any harm that could come from asking?" asked Orassi.

"I guess not," said Sakura. "Thanks."

That settled it, Sakura had been way too passive so far. If she was going to become stronger, she needed to take a pro-active role in things. So she'd badged Kakashi-sensei to give her some kind of jutsu technique until he did.

Why did her head hurt?

'This guy is really nice. But kind of mysterious,' said Inner Sakura, who seemed different.

As they reached the settlement, Sakura began to become a little unsettled. Inner Sakura didn't usually change that quickly. She was the part of Sakura that Sakura didn't want to show to other people.

The thought process was disrupted when Naruto ran forward.

"Hey, Sakura, how's it going!" said Naruto.

His clones were working to continue building the bridge while the workmen tried to keep up.

"Oh, Naruto, this is Orassi, a puppetmaster," said Sakura, introducing her friend. Why did she regard Orassi as a friend now? "He wants to take a look at the bridge."

"Puppetmaster?" asked Naruto. "You're not one of those freaks who carves people up and uses their bodies to kill their enemies, are you?!"

"Naruto..." said Sakura, feeling very offended.

"I am somewhat eccentric, but I think you're being a bit harsh on me," said Orassi.

"I guess, I once read this scary comic book and had nightmares for weeks," said Naruto.

"I assure you, I'm not using anyone's body as automatons," said Orassi. "My puppets take far more work to control than that, to the point where they are almost an extension of myself. Though I haven't quite made it so yet."

At that point, Sasuke showed up, and Sakura quickly stepped away from Orassi. She didn't want Sasuke to feel like she was cheating on him or anything. Wait, cheating, since when she and Sasuke were in any kind of relationship?

"Sakura, Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Sasuke.

"Oh, this is Orassi," said Naruto. "He wants to look around."

"Sure, well, he can look around from over there. He's not going anywhere near the bridge," said Sasuke flatly.

"Oh come on, Sasuke, he's a really nice guy," said Sakura.

"Will, both of you, get a clue," said Sasuke. "We're bodyguarding someone the mob wants dead. We can't just let random people walk in and talk to him."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Think," said Sasuke. "You're Gato. You want to kill Tazuna, but the ninja guarding him have watchers all over the place. What do you do, other than go in guns a blazing?"

"Try to sneak in," said Naruto.

"Yeah, and what better way to sneak in, then do it in plain sight," said Sasuke. "Nobody is seeing Tazuna, who hasn't been vetted. No exceptions."

"Fine, whatever," said Naruto. "Sorry Orassi, we've kind of got some issues to deal with."

"It's quite alright," said Orassi. "My interest is more in the bridge itself, anyway. I did want to speak about Tazuna about its construction. But observing it being built is educational enough."

"So what's so interesting about the bridge?" asked Sakura, as Naruto and Sasuke headed off.

"Tazuna's bridges have a reputation for lasting years longer than others," said Orassi. "He is well known as a master builder. For one such as myself, whose interest lies in the construction of eternal monuments, it is a must-see."

"I thought you were a puppetmaster?" asked Sakura.

"I prefer to think of myself as an artist," said Orassi. "One whose creations serve a use beyond mere spectacle."

For a time, they watched, and Orassi told Sakura about the Sand Village and the various powers within it. It turned out that Rasa, the Head of the Sand Village, he turned his own son into a Jinchuuriki. There were other things they discussed. These were when no one else was in earshot, and Sakura had the feeling these were important.

But she couldn't quite remember them afterward.

When the day ended, Sakura could not quite remember when Orassi had left. However, she was suddenly seized by the urge to train. And train hard.

It was getting dark out now. Deidera waited in the darkness as his friend came back. It was really amazing how Sasori got into people's heads.

Speaking of which 'Orassi' appeared.

"So, how'd your date go?" asked Deidera.

"Master Tazuna is a true artist," said Orassi. "He has employed many techniques that would have ensured this bridge lasted lifetimes."

"Oh come on, Sasori, my man," said Deidara. "True art is transient; it only has meaning because it is finite. Blowing it up will make the memory that much more amazing.

"So uh, that Sakura girl..."

"What of her?" asked Sasori.

"Any plans?" asked Deidara.

"Several," said Sasori. "At the moment, she is a valuable source of information on the Leaf Jinchuuriki. I also pulled a few strings to get her to put aside her doubts and train obsessively.

"With proper motivation, she may become a worthwhile pursuit."

"Why?" asked Deidara. "Looking to make a new puppet?"

"Yes," said Sasori. "For that purpose, I will need adequate materials. And her hair is a rare color indeed, well worth the effort.

"Now, we need to make the arrangements for Gato's change of heart. We've kept Pain waiting long enough."