The Wanderers
Chapter 51 – A Meeting of Grave Importance
A/N: Okay, something I want to clarify. In the last chapter there was a fight between Naruto and Grace on the ship, during the Bonus Chapter. This wasn't meant to be a nerfing Naruto thing, he is improving, I just wanted him to fight a pirate. He has been improving, as has Hinata and everyone else.
A/N2: This chapter is a lot of dialogue, as you would expect.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be a few openly homosexual characters.
***Previously-On***
The Kazekage, Kankuro and Shikamaru left Suna for the mysterious meeting with the rest of the Kages in the Land of Plains. They encountered some small resistance on the way, but were the first ones to arrive. They consulted with their spy before entering the meeting place. The Mizukage arrived with Ao and Chojuro, taking her seat with a cautious attitude. The next arrival was the Raikage with his subordinate Darui and the Two-Tails container Yugito. The final one to arrive was Tsuchikage, who was angry that he was being brought away from the rebellion, having brought his granddaughter and the Four-Tails container, Roshi. They greeted each other tentatively before the meeting was interrupted by the organiser of the meeting, Neji and his bodyguards Kidomaru and Dosu. He passed each Kage a respective folder that contained sensitive information that he could use as leverage. Neji met with each Kage individually and gained their respect, and they agreed to designate him as the Otokage, a replacement for the destroyed Konoha. With his equal status established, the Kages began their meeting.
***End Summary***
Each of the Kages stared at the Otokage, figuring that as the convener of the meeting he had the most to say. For the first time since initiating his plans to convene the meeting of Kage, Neji felt humbled by the stares they were giving him. There was a mixture of frustration and suspicion, but they were all layered with respect, giving him hope that his plans might bear some fruit.
"I know this is a touch late, but thank you all for coming. I know some of you are sceptical of the threats that face us, but I am grateful that you have the foresight to discuss the issue formally."
"We have much to speak about in that regard," said Gaara, having established himself already as an ally to the Hyuuga, though he was wary of the shinobi's quick rise to power.
The Tsuchikage huffed and leaned back slightly in his chair, "I don't know about the rest of you, but my village doesn't have the time to deal with this threat of shadowy men killing your people. You have your enemies to fight, and we have ours."
"We are all aware of your failure to squash the rebellion in your country," said the Mizukage, not missing the chance to get a dig at the old Kage. "That kind of thing would never fly in Kirigakure."
"Ah, of course. Tell me, how is the tyrant doing?"
"Enough of this squabbling," yelled the Raikage, threatening to slam his fist into the table again. "Get to the point, boy."
Neji slowly stood up from his chair, glaring down the Raikage. "Don't call me boy, A. I have an equal right to be here." He breathed out slowly and looked around at the other Kage, "I do not expect the old grievances and arguments to disappear with this meeting, but I do expect you to listen to what I have to say."
With a flick of his wrist he produced four scrolls, tossing them to each of the Kages before walking into the middle of the room so that he could speak properly.
"This is all the information we currently have on the Quiraji, the enemy that is trying to destroy the shinobi world."
Each of the Kage opened the scrolls and examined the contents, surprised at the level of detail he had put into what he was giving them for free.
"This is quite impressive," said the Tsuchikage, holding the scroll between his hands. "But I fail to see how this involves Iwagakure."
"If you give me a moment, I will explain," said Neji with frustration. He took a long breath to calm himself, it was a careful balance of the truth and what he thought they would believe.
"As you all know, it has been four years since Konoha disappeared off the map. It was my home, and it is because of the Quiraji that that place is gone."
"You honestly expect us to believe that Konoha was destroyed by some shadowy organisation?" said the Tsuchikage suspiciously. "The amount of military might that would be required to take out Konoha without the rest of us noticing is astronomical."
"And yet, Konoha disappeared without our villages knowing how or why," said the Mizukage, wary of the spies that had been placed in the Hidden Leaf village when it had been destroyed.
"That's what I'm saying. He seems to be suggesting that they have that kind of power at their fingertips."
"They do," said Gaara. "Many of the survivors of Konoha reside currently in Sunagakure, and we have experienced the brunt of their forces."
Neji turned to the Raikage slowly, "Suna isn't the only one who has been attacked on masse by the Quiraji. Isn't that right, A?"
The Raikage glared at him angrily, but it was clear that he wasn't going to be able to keep it a secret anymore. He'd hidden it so that the other villages didn't sense an opportunity to attack Kumogakure while they were weak; however they had recovered enough of their forces for that not to be a problem.
That didn't mean he wasn't angry about being forced into revealing it.
"Fine, if you insist. Two years ago, an unknown force attacked my village. They were not from any village I recognised, and demonstrated abilities that were not of our world."
"That was the Quiraji," said Neji. "They have abilities specifically designed to take out shinobi, and they have numbers beyond what we can count."
Running his eyes over the scroll he was given, the Kazekage tapped at a specific number that had been bothering him. "Your estimation on their numbers is off, Otokage."
Neji turned to the younger Kage with a raised eyebrow, "How so?"
"Sunagakure has destroyed this many Quiraji soldiers on its own in the past year alone, so you can see how your estimation might be a bit off. Not only that, but you haven't taken into account the converted shinobi at all."
The Otokage tsked, he hadn't accounted for Gaara knowing so much about the enemy forces. "So it would seem."
"Converted shinobi? What are you talking about?" The Mizukage placed her hands together slowly, looking for a lie in the new Kage's eyes.
Seeing that it wasn't going to go as easily as he wanted it to, Neji made his way back to his chair and sat back down. "The Quiraji have a method that removes chakra from a shinobi's body and leaves them an empty shell that they can then control and use against us. We've seen it employed several times, though only on small scales. They are able to perform the same techniques as the shinobi could, but without chakra. I do not know how they do it, or why."
"The why is simple," pointed out the Tsuchikage, having seen a similar thing in his many years. "If we are forced to fight against our comrades, then we would be hesitant to attack them, while the enemy has free reign to strike."
The Kages all acknowledged the Tsuchikage's knowledge, though the Mizukage appeared slightly shaken at the prospect. Before Neji could speak again, Gaara leaned forward to take charge.
"There was a facility within the Land of Fire, where they are staging their campaign. The converted shinobi were being processed through this facility, which has been recently destroyed. While I cannot guarantee that they don't have similar ones elsewhere, the production of such shinobi should be lessened slightly."
"You found the converter? I'm impressed you were able to punch through the Quiraji's borders, we haven't had much success in that regard," said Neji with a satisfied smile. That put a major dampener on the Quiraji war effort, though they were still the threat he had come to warn them about.
Gaara nodded slowly, "I won't go into details, but there was a group that was determined enough to do it. They said that the Quiraji numbers were in the thousands, far more than the estimate you show here."
"Fair point, something to discuss at another point of the meeting. The main thing to take from this is that they are a threat that none of us should ignore."
"While that would be frightening, it sounds like this is more of a problem for those on the Quiraji's radar," said the Mizukage. "If they have that kind of power, why haven't other villages suffered the same fate?"
Neji turned to the red haired woman, "How naïve are you? Would you honestly disregard a threat merely because of your own ignorance?"
Mei slowly clenched her fingers together, her chakra spiking with her rising anger. "Just because you are a Kage, that doesn't mean you cannot be replaced, boy. You would do well to remember that."
"The point he is trying to make…" interjected the Kazekage, trying to calm her down, "…is that there is a reason why we are the only villages represented here." He turned to Neji, "Isn't that right?"
The Otokage nodded grimly, ignoring the angry glare he was being given by the Mizukage, "I extended invitations to each village that remained, and we are all that have survived to this point. Only one other village was able to reply, and it was made abundantly clear that they have no interest in doing anything but hiding."
"Which village is still around?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"Yukigakure," said Neji with a look of disgust. "They refused to even acknowledge the threat; they appear to be content at hiding in their mountains and keeping their heads under the dirt."
A huffed dramatically, "They were always cowards, even before their country went to hell."
"The shinobi of the snow are not our concern," pointed out the Tsuchikage. "If they don't wish to fight, then that is their prerogative."
Neji turned back to the Mizukage, "The point that I was trying to make, is that there are no other villages because of the Quiraji. They have no performed the same method as with Konoha, because I believe they cannot. Despite this, they have demonstrated a clear threat to our villages."
"Yes, you've made your point, Otokage. You must understand our concern with your information, particularly when two of our villages haven't had direct contact with these Quiraji you speak of."
"Exactly," indicated the Tsuchikage, glaring at the other Kage. "Iwagakure hasn't been attacked at all. These Quiraji don't seem interested in the Land of Earth."
The other Kage didn't appear to buy his declaration, and both Neji and Gaara were visibly angered by his ignorance.
"Is that so, Tsuchikage?" asked the Raikage. "And how did your Daimyo die again?"
The old man clenched his fists slowly, though it was clear he was trying to restrain himself. "The Daimyo was assassinated by rebels that were swiftly crushed. What has that got to do with what we are discussing?"
The Raikage looked over at the other Kage, with each of them acknowledging that the Raikage clearly knew something that the Tsuchikage would never admit to.
"This argument is pointless," said Gaara, hoping to bring them back on point. "Regardless of our own personal experience, we need to share as much information as possible, in case the Quiraji do come to your villages."
Both the Tsuchikage and Raikage stared at the Kazekage for a few moments before nodding reluctantly and sitting back down, recognising that any new information wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Thank you, Gaara." Neji indicated that they should look back at the scrolls he had given them. "My information sources have sacrificed much to get this, and I stand by its authenticity."
"The Quiraji have four leaders that command their forces, though we believe there is a shadow figure behind them that is pulling the strings. Each of the four leaders are beings of immense power, they can destroy entire armies on their own."
"What kind of names are these?" exclaimed the Tsuchikage, looking at the list in front of him. "Are they mocking us?"
The Kazekage shook his head, "They are likely meant to be symbols, aspects of destruction to inspire fear in their enemies. Shouri…Sensou…Kyoukou…Shikyo…"
"Sounds like actors in a bad play. Are we meant to be afraid of these people?"
Neji turned to the Tsuchikage, "Having fought with two of them personally, I can tell you they are terrifying opponents. They can dispel chakra attacks like they are nothing, and the other Kage can tell you how much damage these four have done. I have it on good information that the woman Shikyo destroyed Amegakure singlehandedly, without leaving any survivors."
Gaara stared at Neji for a few moments, recognising that the Otokage was likely protecting Konan and Kakashi, since it was clear that he knew far more than he would have expected him to know. He chose not to say anything; he still didn't know what Neji's final plan was.
However there was something he didn't have any intention on concealing.
"There are only three of the leaders remaining."
The four Kage all turned to him curiously.
"Shouri was killed two years ago, having been taken out by a survivor of Konoha." Gaara wasn't going to go into how he knew about that, but judging from the Raikage's reaction he knew that Itachi hadn't lied to him. Having the Uchiha as an ally to his village was one of the smarter moves he had done in the past few years.
Neji appeared surprised by the news, but hid it well as he regarded the others of the group, "While this is good news, the Quiraji are getting bolder. They have taken over the entirety of the Land of Fire, and have been pushing the borders of the other lands."
"What do we know of their true intentions? Are they here for land? Resources?"
"Our complete destruction," said the Otokage bluntly. "From our interrogations, they appear to have a personal grudge against us, one that is driving them to wage war on us."
He let that notion sink in with the Kages, waiting patiently to see what their responses would be.
After a minute of consideration, the Tsuchikage looked over to the meeting convener, "Have there been indications of the Quiraji attacking civilians?"
Neji shook his head, though it was the Kazekage that answered. "They do not specifically target civilian populations, and appear to have forced out civilians that have no relation to shinobi when they need the land, but make no mistake, they will destroy anyone they can connect to us."
"That isn't what I meant, but thank you nonetheless."
Neji stared at the old man with suspicion, but let the questions in his mind go for the time being.
"This is a lot to take in," said the Mizukage, slowly rubbing the sides of her forehead. It had been a long trip to the meeting place, and there were many things she needed to clarify before continuing.
The Tsuchikage nodded, "My back doesn't deal well with these kinds of settings, and we are clearly getting nowhere."
From behind his desk, Gaara sighed slowly, taking a glance at his subordinates above. "It would be in our best interests to convene for the night. An issue of this scale cannot be resolved with one day of discussion."
"Fine," said the Raikage with frustration. "I've had enough for the day anyway."
Seeing that it was the best thing for his meeting, Neji nodded in agreement and indicated to main door, "We will reconvene in the morning. If you have any needs, ask the attendants."
Without another word, he placed his hands in his sleeves and departed the room.
Outside the main meeting hall, Neji turned a corner to find his two subordinates standing in front of him. Kidomaru had the same grin he always had, while Dosu merely stared neutrally.
"That didn't go as expected."
"Actually, it was about how I figured," said Neji, indicating for them to continue down the corridor. "If it was that easy to persuade them, they wouldn't be the leaders of such powerful shinobi villages."
"It doesn't sound like you'll be able to convince them of the threat," observed Dosu quietly. He supported his leader, but he was a pragmatic shinobi at his core.
Neji nodded, turning another corner and placing a hand on a doorknob, "Having the Kazekage in the state of awareness he is currently in was unexpected, but it has been useful. An alliance with Sunagakure wouldn't be off the table, at least on a short term basis."
He turned slowly and stared at his six-armed subordinate, "Are the preparations complete?"
Kidomaru flexed two of his hands for a moment before nodding slowly, "We'll be ready, though not for some time. This is a risky plan, even for you, boss."
"I'll do whatever is necessary. Just tell Jin to be ready." He nodded to the two of them to go about their business, entering his room to consolidate his plans. He hadn't realised how much responsibility his position required until he had been the leader of the Sound for a few months, and now he was taking such monumental decisions like they were nothing.
This plan cannot fail; otherwise none of us will survive the coming war.
Shikamaru put out a cigarette on an ashtray in front of him before grinning as Neji took his seat opposite him. "I've seen some stunts in my time, but you certainly know how to make an entrance."
"Thanks. The planning took months."
"How long has it been? Two, three years?"
Neji nodded slowly, "About that. Feels like weeks though."
His old friend looked down at the Sunagakure folder on the table, "It seems like you've had your eye on us for some time. I thought our spy network was impressive, but yours seems to be off the charts."
"We worked hard on that." Neji grinned as his white eyes tracked along Shikamaru's hand to his golden ring. "Congratulations, by the way. She seems like a fine woman."
"You clearly don't know her well enough then," said Shikamaru with a tired grin, staring at his ring. Despite himself, he still couldn't keep an oddly placed smile from his face.
"Have you heard about the others?" he asked, figuring that Neji would have more information on their friends than he did.
Neji nodded grimly, "I heard about Asuma and Kurenai. I'm glad that their daughter is safe in your village. Konoha's legacy needs to live on."
"You haven't heard anything about Chouji then? We haven't been able to find him, and I fear the worst."
"I'm sorry, Shikamaru, I don't know where he is," said Neji sadly. "Tenten is in my village and is safe by the way."
Shikamaru took out a new cigarette and lit it, breathing in the smoke with a sigh, "That's good to hear; she dropped off my radar when her father was killed. I feared the worst."
Neji indicated to the cigarette in his friend's mouth with a frown, "Is that because of Asuma?"
Glancing at his own cigarette for a second, Shikamaru smiled slowly and leaned back on his chair, "No, though I'd be lying if I didn't say that I understand why he used to smoke so much. It was just the simple fact that it makes me feel very mellow, and you know me..."
"Anything to feel more relaxed," said Neji with a grin, it was comforting that his old friend hadn't changed that much. Neji hadn't been particularly close with that many people in their group besides his team and his cousin, but he had made sure to keep tabs on all the friends he knew about during his building of his spy network.
If they knew how we know all this, there would be blood, even from Shikamaru. Damn the things I've had to do to lead my village.
"Shino is dead," said Shikamaru bluntly, the look on Neji's face telling him that he wasn't aware of the quiet insect user's demise. "About two years ago."
Neji wasn't sure how to react to the news, there had been so much death that he had become quite jaded of late. "That's a shame. Any word on how he died, and who killed him?"
"The Quiraji, and it has already been taken care of. He died like a hero, apparently."
"There are no heroes in this war, Shikamaru, you know that. Only corpses."
The ex-Konoha shinobi nodded grimly, he knew that. As the spymaster and advisor to the Kazekage he had sent plenty of Suna shinobi to their deaths, and he hated every time he had to do it.
For nearly a minute they didn't say anything to each other, both remembering the companions that they had lost over the years. Neither of them were particularly emotional people, but they could respect what the other had lost.
"So..."
"I haven't heard anything about them," said Shikamaru, anticipating the Sound leader's question.
"I see..." Neji sighed and leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together. "I'm beginning to be really concerned about their whereabouts. I would have thought they would have made contact by now."
"Working on the assumption that they are still together, of course."
Despite having pure white eyes, Neji was still able to give his old companion an are-you-shitting-me look. Shikamaru put up his hands with a grin; he knew that was a stupid thing to say.
"I wonder if they are married yet..."
"I don't want to think about it," said Neji, even as the two of them glanced at the rings on their hands.
Shikamaru grinned, thinking of his own large scale wedding. The whole time he had been thinking that his father was laughing at him from his unmarked grave back at Konoha's crater.
"I guess a lot of stuff has changed, hasn't it?"
Neji nodded, standing up from his chair. He'd been watching Shikamaru's progress through his spy network, and was glad that the normally lazy shinobi had been working so hard lately.
"What are your goals here, Neji?" asked Shikamaru quickly, knowing that his old friend was a busy person these days. "You know that they won't work together in the way you want them to."
Neji stared at the Sunagakure shinobi for a moment before sighing and closing his eyes. "It's that attitude that we need to change. The old grudges are meaningless, and if the other villages don't understand the threat, we are all going to die."
He thought about his family back in Otogakure, and the plans he had set in motion in case he were to not return. "Even if I have to beat reality into them, I'm not going to watch my family die because of their stubbornness."
"You got kids?"
Neji nodded, reaching into his robe to produce a small picture, handing it to Shikamaru with a proud smile. "This is my wife, and my three children. Thankfully, they got their looks from her."
Shikamaru grinned as he looked at the happy-looking picture, with a strange smile on the Neji within the picture. It felt strangely natural, even in these crazy times.
"They are beautiful. Tell me about them."
"Out of everyone here, you were the last person I would expect to come see me."
The Raikage glared up at the large Sound symbol that hung in the main meeting hall, "The last Kage meeting I attended was the one after the end of the Third Shinobi War. Things were very different back then."
The Tsuchikage stared up at the large man, wondering what he was planning. "Of course they are. Every village had suffered terribly back then, and the meeting was required so that we could reach an amicable agreement." He watched as the Raikage turned around to look at him, "If I recall, you were the least trusting out of all of the Kage, and the most reluctant."
"We are shinobi!" yelled the Raikage, uncaring that it was the middle of the night. "If I wanted to discuss politics, I would have sent the Daimyo or some pencil pusher. This meeting is a complete waste of time."
The old Kage thought about it for a time before nodding slowly, "The standard of Kage has clearly fallen in the past decades. The Hokage brought all of us to the table by virtue of strength, not by deception. This 'Otokage' has not gained any favour from Iwagakure for his actions."
"So you also believe that the Otokage has ulterior motivations?"
"Ulterior? I doubt it. However his actions are suspicious if nothing else." The Raikage leaned his back on one of the tables and crossed his arms with a deep frown. "Kumogakure has encountered the Quiraji before, and they are nothing like the monsters that he makes them out to be."
"So when your land was invaded and your shinobi forced to fight at your village, by weaklings?" The Tsuchikage was unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice, and it had the desired effect.
"The battle was less than favourable, but Kumogakure had no issue repelling their soldiers. I don't know about the Kazekage's story, but we can defeat these people easily."
The Tsuchikage rubbed at the back of his neck as the Raikage finished his rant. He didn't quite believe him, but someone as volatile as the Raikage had to be treated carefully. "I don't doubt that. So why did you ask to meet me here then? To me, all of you are not my concern."
"The two of us are the only ones who have experience leading in a war, yet all the information appears to be in the hands of the children, ones barely out of their diapers." The Raikage clenched his fists at the memory of the new Otokage challenging him, he couldn't deny that he would be a dangerous opponent to fight, which in turn made him even angrier.
Looking around at the dark room, the Tsuchikage found his head shaking without a particular reason for it. "This meeting was a waste of time from the start. Each shinobi village has the strength to repel these kinds of people, and yet he brings us in like he expects us to join our forces. Would he even know what to do with that kind of military strength?"
"It doesn't matter; I wouldn't let my shinobi work for someone like that. If they are fighting the enemy, let them. Kumogakure never needed help in the past, and we've already proven we can defeat them once."
Though without the Uchiha's interference, it could have been much worse. If the Kazekage knows about Shouri's death, then it's likely that the Uchiha survived his capture and is residing in his village. With a Hyuuga in charge of Otogakure, we won't be getting a Byakugan, but a Sharingan would be mighty useful.
Onoki slowly floated up so that he wasn't putting any weight on his back, it had been playing up more and more lately. "Iwagakure doesn't have the time to fight the Kazekage and Otokage's enemies. When we created the shinobi villages we said we would protect the people, but the people of our land are ungrateful bastards, tenacious and all."
"Your rebellion is your own problem," said the Raikage quickly. "That's not why I wanted to speak with you. I don't trust anyone here, but you know what it is like to be in a war. Information is power, and I don't like the fact that that Hyuuga brat holds all the cards."
"What are you suggesting, A? As with you, I have no interest in alliances. The Kazekage is too young to know anything about fighting a war, yet he seems to be speaking like a proper general. Come a few years, he sounds like someone who would become quite a problem."
"And the Mizukage is shrouded in mystery," said the Raikage. "She says nothing about her own village, and keeps her distance from every conflict. Out of everyone here, she is the most suspicious."
"Are you going to get to the point, or am I going to die of old age beforehand?"
The large man glared at him angrily, but let it go. "Even if the Quiraji are as terrible as the Hyuuga seems to indicate, our would-be allies could be far more dangerous to us than they ever could."
"In this, I have to agree. I do not weep for Konoha's demise as some of the others seem to; they were the shiftiest village while remaining magnanimous. However you would be mistaken if you believe that I would trust someone like you."
The Raikage had to nod in agreement. The old man still had an aura of power about him; he wasn't intimidated by his presence at all. "And Kumogakure still hasn't forgiven you for what happened with my father. I'm not here to propose an alliance, Tsuchikage."
He indicated to the Sound symbol behind him with a clenched fist, "If this child wants to play like a Kage, he needs to know what it is like to be at our level."
Ever the careful shinobi, the Tsuchikage understood what the usually blunt man was getting at. "Considering what the Otokage has on us and our villages, his spy network must be immense."
The Raikage nodded, indicating to the room around them, "I have allies he doesn't know about, so I am not considered of him finding us out. What I don't have, is the specialty items that they have been requesting."
"I'm not going to confirm anything A, but I know that I cannot give you any funds. Iwagakure is a rich country, but we are not bottomless, particularly considering the absurd rebellion we are fighting."
The Raikage sighed with a loud grunt, "Then you are useless to me. I knew that coming to you with this was a bad idea."
He turned to leave, but the Tsuchikage floated around to confront the Raikage directly. "Now, don't be hasty. There may be an arrangement that we can come to."
His compatriot was suspicious; the old man was a hard nut to crack at the best of times. "State your case then."
"One of the leaders of the rebellion against my village is from the Hyuuga's old village. And I know that he has something that you would definitely want to get your hands on."
The Raikage visibly hesitated; it was as if the Tsuchikage had read his mind. "An Uchiha? And you haven't made efforts to take him for yourself?"
"The boy is slippery, I'll give him that." The Tsuchikage resisted the urge to spit at the ground in disgust. "He's one of the reasons we haven't been able to complete destroy them yet."
"You sound like you have no interest in the Sharingan then."
"If you can help us take out the Uchiha, you are welcome to the red eyes." The Tsuchikage considered it for a moment before nodding to himself. "You do that, I'll assist in whatever endeavour you engage in, though this is not an alliance."
The Raikage wasted no time in indicating his approval, "There are too many ears here for us to make any plans, but once the deal is done I will send a representative. There is too much for me to gain by staying here to risk it all now."
"I wonder about that. You brought one of your best weapons here, I'm curious at what you intend to do here."
"And bringing the Four-Tails wasn't a similar move by you? The Otokage knew that we would all be flexing our muscle, and there is something he isn't telling us about this meeting."
The Tsuchikage agreed, it felt strange agreeing with someone he had been trying to take out for a number of years, but they had common enemies. "If he wanted to take us out, he would have done so long ago. Children like him enjoy pretending to play leader, but when it comes down to it he will crack and won't know what to do."
"Hmm, I wonder." The Raikage moved past the floating Tsuchikage and wrenched the main doors open and left the main meeting hall, leaving the Iwagakure leader to his thoughts.
The old man hovered for a few moments before looking around at the symbols on the walls.
Things used to be simpler, even in war times. Even when I fought the old Uchiha clan, I never had this feeling in my gut. Perhaps the boy is right, and we are facing our destruction.
Staring at the rocks that symbolised his village, Onoki wasn't sure what to believe. His granddaughter had been pestering him for years to give up his post to either her father or herself, and it wasn't the first time that he had started to consider it.
I won't rest until Cascading Flow is destroyed though. Once they are done, perhaps I will retire.
"Thank you for seeing me." Gaara closed the door behind himself and bowed respectfully to the woman whose room he was intruding in.
The Mizukage smiled warmly at her guest and indicated for him to take a seat. The temperature in her room was set just slightly above normal, but as a resident of a desert country it didn't bother Gaara one bit. He could do without the humidity though.
"Is there something you want to discuss that couldn't be said among the others?"
Gaara nodded, placing his gourd on the ground and taking his seat. "I wanted to speak to you one to one, since you were expressing doubts about the Quiraji threat."
"It is hard to believe that bogeymen are coming to get us, without any direct evidence on our part."
"Didn't you encounter a man who called himself Rock Lee, and a woman called Haruno Sakura about two years ago?"
The Mizukage didn't have to think about it, she knew what Gaara was talking about immediately. She had been part of the force that had discovered the taijutsu master in the middle of the corpse covered battlefield.
"Yes, he left quite the impression." She still remembered the breakout the two of them had staged when they had captured them. The only reason she hadn't sent a search party after them was the determined look in his eyes when he had fled. "What has that got to do with this?"
"I have worked with Rock Lee for some time now, and he gave me a detailed report on your encounter." Gaara pulled out a scroll and placed it on the table between them, giving no indication as to what was contained within. "Is it true that you have been training shinobi in secret to combat the Quiraji? That you have dozens of shinobi specifically working towards fighting their leaders?"
The Mizukage watched his expression carefully, not being able to read anything in the stoic Tailed Beast container. She sighed and reached down to grasp a glass of wine that she had put on the table. She knew that Gaara did not drink that particular vintage, though it was part of the power play between the two of them as leaders.
"So he did see the training facility during their escape. We were afraid of as much."
Gaara didn't change his facial expression, but a part of him was curious as to her motivation for acknowledging the intelligence. He kept that to himself however.
"For the misgivings you proclaimed earlier, that seems like an odd precaution to take, though I cannot fault it."
"As a Kage, I swore to keep my village safe and secure, against any possible threats." She took a sip from her wine, licking her lips before placing it back on the table, with her lipstick mark just barely visible. "Why didn't you mention this during the meeting?"
Gaara leaned forward in his chair, wary of how careful he had to be with his wording.
"The Otokage had information on all of us, information that could not have been gleaned from normal means. If he did not bring it up before, then he does not know. However I hold the same level of protectiveness of my village that you do."
"I think I see what you are talking about, Kazekage-sama."
The Mizukage tapped twice on the table, causing the door to open behind Gaara. The Kazekage didn't move an inch as her Byakugan-using bodyguard stepped inside with a nod of respect.
"Is there something you need, madam?"
Mei gave him a single-eyed glare at his called her that, but had to remind herself that there was a time and a place for admonishment. "Bring the fifth scroll from my bag. Tell Mazu that he is to return to Kirigakure and enact the third law."
Ao nodded and glared at the back of the Kazekage's head for a second before leaving the two leaders to their discussion.
"What are you proposing, Sabaku no Gaara?"
"Sunagakure is on the front line of the war between our kind and the Quiraji. If you have a special kind of training that can keep us safe, that is more important than anything this meeting will achieve."
"So, you don't believe an alliance can be formed then?" The Mizukage was keeping her tone neutral, but Gaara could tell that she wasn't judging him for coming to such a conclusion.
He shook his head slightly, "I believe this meeting to be a formality. A pretext for sharing information and informing us about the threat. While the Otokage may have a master plan, he doesn't have all the solutions. We have to take matters into our own hands."
Mei smiled slowly, "You continue to impressive me with your foresight. I happen to agree with you."
After a minute Ao returned to the room, delicately carrying a light blue scroll in his hands. He walked around and placed it in front of the Mizukage, nodding to her again before whispering a few things in her ear before departing the room.
Taking a moment to finish her drink, the Mizukage picked up the scroll. "What do you offer in exchange? This is quite a risk I would be taking, giving this information to you. While it couldn't be used to harm Kirigakure, the sharing of training information could be considered the most sensitive of topics."
Gaara nodded, he agreed that he was asking for a lot. However he didn't come to the meeting without a plan of his own. "I understand that the Land of Water has been struggling under the food shortages. Were you aware that the Land of Stone is currently going through the same problem?"
"I am," said the Mizukage, her single eye focusing on his face at the mention of the suffering her country had been through in the past few years. "If it weren't for our large fishing trade, we would be starving."
"This has been done all over the world by the Quiraji. Specifically by the leader, Kyoukou. He has been killing our production and starving out the smaller villages." Gaara reached forward and slowly opened the scroll he had placed on the table, revealing its contents to his compatriot.
"What is that?" asked the Mizukage, leaning forward to look at what he was showing her.
"Sunagakure exists in a desert, so we don't have it easy when it comes to feeding our people. There are methods that we have developed to create our own food, one that has rendered us immune from the economy tampering of the Quiraji."
Gaara stared at her directly, remembering the information he had on Mei Terumi and how she responded to directness.
"I will make these advances available to you, and the facilities required, in exchange for your training methods."
The Mizukage didn't make a motion, considering the proposal put in front of her. She could recognise the value in the exchange, yet she was hesitant to relinquish the techniques they had developed.
"Would it not make sense for me to share the knowledge with each village represented here? Surely the information would be beneficial to all." She hadn't opened her own scroll, but she noted with interest that he hadn't closed his, allowing her to absorb the little bit of information he was offering to her for free.
"Unlike some of the other villages, Sunagakure has no interest in personal power. We are facing the Quiraji threat head on, and even if we defeat them completely, I believe that shinobi villages should be able to work together, rather than apart."
For a moment, Mei believed that he was speaking naively, but once she saw the look in his eyes she realised that the Kazekage was doing something else entirely.
"Do not think this means an alliance between our villages. Kirigakure has little interest in such things at this time."
Gaara nodded, he was disappointed but he hid that fact well. "We will also provide the technology to create these foodstuffs, in ways that don't give any indications to the other villages. There may be a time when we aren't fighting each other for domination of the land; I would like to think that this threat would have brought us together."
The Mizukage breathed out slowly, she understood his concerns. "The old grudges of the world are hard to forget, as you saw earlier. Our hatred of each other is almost the same as the hatred the Quiraji hold for us. While I am a more progressive Kage than my predecessor, if you do anything to threaten my village I won't hesitate to melt you into the ground."
"I could say the same, but I'd be wasting my words." Gaara pushed the scroll towards his compatriot, standing up and placing a hand on his gourd. "An old friend of mine once said that he believed there would be a time when there would be no hatred in the world, where we don't have to be afraid of each other."
The Mizukage stood up as well, picking up the scroll she was given before handing her own to the Kazekage. "On any other day, I would say that your friend was a naïve fool, but this whole situation is unprecedented."
Gaara accepted her scroll with a nod, "That it is. If there is nothing else you wish to speak on, then I will retire to my quarters for the evening."
As he reached for the door, the Mizukage let out a long breath, "Whoever survives this war will be the ruler of the shinobi world, you know this don't you, Kazekage?"
The Sunagakure leader turned his head slightly to look just past his sand gourd, "I have no ambition for that, Mizukage. Even if this war takes away my life, I will protect my people from the Quiraji. And from you."
While he left the room, the Mizukage smiled slowly and licked her lips.
Not bad kid. You'll go far as a leader.
Neji slowly sat in his chair, watching as the other Kage filed into the meeting hall. Each of the four Kage had a particular face on as they took their seats, while their bodyguards stood above them and kept an eye on the meeting.
He didn't need to use his Byakugan to be able to read their faces, though to their credit they were harder to read then most people.
The Mizukage didn't say a word as she sat down, but she did send him a seemingly warm smile, looking at him directly with her green eye.
Her disposition is less rigid than before. Judging by the looks on her subordinates' faces, she is likely more open to the possibility of the threat. I'm still not comfortable with her man holding a Byakugan, but Ukon says he can render it useless so I can't complain too much.
To the right of the Mizukage sat the Kazekage, his youthful appearance showing none of the battle experience and scars he had accumulated.
Gaara appears to be on our side, and I trust Shikamaru's judgement, but his village's rapid increase in military strength is rather concerning. If he were to target our village, I couldn't guarantee that we could defeat him, particularly with his One-Tails. Though knowing him, he has little interest in personal power so far.
Beside Neji was the Tsuchikage, sitting with the same frustrated look he had been wearing for the past day. He continued to appear self-satisfied, while his two bodyguards appeared almost comically uninterested in the rest of the meeting, though Neji could hardly make that claim considering his own bodyguards.
He is an unknown factor in this meeting. He's made his disinterest in the cause clear, and it seems that Cascading Flow's rebellion is costing us. Perhaps Tayuya is right; they may be a threat to us. I should see if I can speak to Sasuke personally.
Looking to the Raikage, Neji could feel a greater sense of violence from the large man, though his instincts told him that it was more likely the Raikage was putting on a show rather than actually being angry.
I feel like he is the most malleable, judging by the information we have on him. His actions earlier seem in character, though I don't like the lack of reasonability coming from him. He may be volatile, but the Raikage is as determined as anyone to protect his people, even if the threats aren't really there.
He looked over at Dosu and Kidomaru, making sure that they were in position in case things got out of hand. There were only a few bodyguards that he thought were beyond their level, but Neji hoped it didn't come to that.
"So, who would like to go first?" asked the Kazekage slowly, recognising that everyone was there.
"I have a question for the room," said Neji, looking over at the Kages' faces. "I expect cooperation in this area. What is the current status of the Tailed Beasts? As the only leader of a shinobi village without such a being, I would like to know how your villages plan on using them against our enemies."
The moment he brought up the Tailed Beasts, each of the Kages had an obvious reaction, though some weren't as he had expected. Both the Raikage and Tsuchikage took a cautionary glance at their respective bodyguards before scowling and turning back to the Otokage. The Kazekage's hands clenched tightly, but only when he had mentioned the Tailed Beasts being used as weapons. However the Mizukage had the most obvious reaction, as her eyes focused inwards and bit her lip angrily.
Before the other Kage could say anything, Gaara slowly rose from his seat. "Despite my own misgivings, I can understand why the Otokage would be interested in such a subject. I do not believe that the Quiraji are aware of their presence, but they are not weapons like kunai or shuriken to be hurled at our enemies without thought."
"The Tailed Beasts are weapons, Kazekage, you should know that. They have been used in previous wars, and if you believe these people are such a threat, you know what you have to do." The Raikage didn't waste any time in raising his voice to the young leader, though Gaara had no interest in hearing it.
"You would sacrifice your own brother? All of us are aware of Killer Bee's status as the Eight-Tails, and you even brought the Two-Tails here as a show of strength." Gaara could feel himself getting angry at the large man, though Shukaku's voice egging him on wasn't helping. "As the container of the One-Tails, I can tell you that they cannot be controlled. If the Quiraji get their hands on us, it will be the end of our world."
Neji watched the argument with interest, he knew that Gaara would never agree to use the Tailed Beasts as weapons unless absolutely necessary. He looked up at one of the Tsuchikage's bodyguards, noticing that despite being a subject of discussion the red haired man seemed quite disinterested.
"The Tailed Beasts cannot be controlled, everyone knows this." The Tsuchikage glared over at the Mizukage, "Isn't that right, Mizukage?"
"What the hell is that meant to mean?" snapped the red haired woman. "I don't want to hear that coming from you! Iwagakure and Kumogakure have a stranglehold on the power of the Tailed Beasts for years."
"Because they have two Tailed Beasts as opposed to your one?" inquired Neji.
The Mizukage's body was tense in frustration as she indicated to the Tsuchikage's bodyguard, "The Four and Five-Tails were exploited heavily in the previous war, and the Tsuchikage has shown a complete disregard for the lives he is responsible for."
"Arguing about this won't solve anything," said Gaara, having calmed himself down. "There are three Tailed Beasts that are unaccounted for, and this should be a concern for all of us."
"The Kazekage has a point," said the Raikage, sitting himself back down.
"Which ones are missing?" asked the Mizukage, appearing more controlled than before.
"The Six and Seven-Tails are missing; we should assume they are dead since the Village of Water and the Village of Waterfalls were both destroyed by the Quiraji,"
Neji frowned upon hearing the Kazekage's statement. They clearly didn't know that it was his village that had destroyed the Village of Water, but he didn't recall there being any Tailed Beast container involved during the attack.
It must have abandoned the village when it realised how corrupt and pathetic they had become. Regardless, if they knew of what we did, my plans would be ruined.
"Just because the villages are gone, doesn't mean the Tailed Beasts are gone," said Onoki. "If a container dies, the Tailed Beast resurrects in another part of the world. If nothing else, they could be useful for our villages."
"What of the Nine-Tails? You did not mention him earlier," observed the Mizukage.
Both Gaara and Neji tensed at that, though the Kazekage didn't waste any time in standing up and regarding the room. "I am friends with the Nine-Tails; he will come when he is needed. Though we do not know where he is, I trust in his ability to come to our aid if necessary."
"Naruto was always a stubborn bastard," said Neji, unable to keep a small grin from his usually stoic face. "The Nine-Tails is not our concern at this time. If the Quiraji are to be fought, we need to pool our resources to secure the other Tailed Beasts so that they can't be used against us."
From his seat, the Raikage glared at him sharply, "Just because you are a Kage, doesn't mean you can order us around. You speak out of turn, boy."
Neji slowly stood up from his seat and clenched his fists, "That is the last time you call me boy, A. I have the same rank as you, and I didn't have to be born into my position, I earned it."
"Arguing will get us nowhere," said Gaara, though he could see that his words were wasted on the two of them. "The Quiraji are the real threat."
"So you keep saying, but mere words won't convince us that we need to concentrate on these 'anti-shinobi' phantoms." The Tsuchikage sighed and crossed his arms across his chest, "If you want to fight these Quiraji, then you can do it on your own. Iwagakure will take no part in it."
"Neither will Kumogakure," said the Raikage, sitting back down. "If Otogakure and Sunagakure want to throw their lives away, then that is their prerogative."
Watching their reactions, the Mizukage sighed and leaned forward towards her hat on the desk, "I don't see how we can ignore this kind of threat, but the Tsuchikage and the Raikage have fair points. Unless we are attacked directly, I cannot willingly dedicate resources to combating the threat while we have other things to concern ourselves with."
"How naïve are you people?" yelled Gaara, glaring at the three Kage uncharacteristically. "This is our homes we are talking about, our people! If we don't cooperate, we will all die!"
While the other Kages argued, Neji watched calmly, the meeting had gotten completely out of hand. Their personalities were too different; there was only so much he could do.
The bodyguards above kept a close eye on the meeting and their compatriots, knowing that they had to keep their opinions about the matters to themselves.
Above the Otokage, Kidomaru's hands twitched oddly as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensation. Beside him, Dosu noticed his companion's action and tried to listen for what was causing the disturbance.
It didn't take him long to find it, and at the same time Kidomaru became aware of it as well.
The two of them immediately jumped down to behind the Otokage, causing the rest of the Kages to flinch in surprise.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the Raikage; they had established strict rules on their bodyguards interfering with the meeting.
Neji ignored him and turned his head slightly. "Are they here?" he asked at a whisper.
His subordinates both nodded grimly.
"Within a few minutes, sir," said Kidomaru. "They've broken through the first level of webs."
Neji nodded grimly, "Dosu?"
"Several hundred, I can't keep track. But..."
"I understand," interrupted Neji, giving them a signal to take their original positions. He stood up from his seat and gave the other Kage a serious look.
"What is going on?" asked Gaara, wary that the Otokage had been concealing many things since the start of the meeting.
"The second reason for my convening this meeting is rapidly approaching. It seems that we are still at an impasse however."
"I'm more concerned over this second reason you speak of," said the Mizukage, already giving her two bodyguards a wilful stare to prepare themselves. She could see Ao activating his Byakugan, and barely a moment later he turned to Chojuro and began whispering what he had seen.
Neji looked up at the tall ceiling, revealing his hands from within his robe and placing them upwards. "Unfortunately I will have to cut this meeting short."
Each of the Kage stood up slowly, as the ground began to shake violently beneath them. The bodyguards above immediately jumped down to protect their leaders, though the Otogakure shinobi took places on either side of the room.
Neji gathered a large amount of chakra in his hands and activated his regular Byakugan, adjusting his hand positions.
"What the hell is going on?" demanded the Raikage, slamming his hand into the table and causing it to splinter and crack.
The Otokage ignored him, concentrating on getting the positioning correct.
"Hakke: Kuuhekishou!" (Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Wall Palm)
Two bursts of air exploded out of his hands, as the ceiling cracked and collapsed, causing the large chunks of rocks to fall away harmlessly from the people within the room.
Everyone in the room jumped, but they had no time to react as a massive metal spike came crashing through the opening in the high ceiling and slammed into the centre of the room, as if it had been hurled a great distance at them.
Neji put down his hands and breathed out slightly, he'd been able to redirect it enough to prevent anyone being struck by it, but the first strike had begun.
"You knew that was coming, didn't you?" asked the Mizukage, accusingly. "That's why you set up the meeting place here."
"We can discuss this another time," said Neji, already moving towards the door with his robe moving with his legs in a fluttering motion.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Come on you shinobi dogs!"
"Looks like she came herself," said Kidomaru dryly, flexing his six hands in anticipation as the other Kages organised themselves to join Neji as he walked to the front.
Still concentrating on gathering information on the enemy with his acute hearing, Dosu followed the two of them to the front lobby area. "The breathing of the enemy soldiers is sporadic, sir. Something is wrong with them."
Neji took a step outside with his hands within his sleeves, his two bodyguards standing beside him. After a few moments the other Kage and their bodyguards joined him, having released the gravity of the situation.
Gaara had removed the cap off of his gourd and stood stoically while Kankuro stood with his Sasori puppet prepared for battle and Shikamaru stood with his arms crossed, his cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a deep frown on his face.
Having ignored the door and bashed his way through the wall to get to the outside, the Raikage threw off his robe and activated his lightning armour with a furious look on his face. Quickly following her leader, Yugito Nii stood on the ground on all fours, her hands stretched out into long claws. Behind the two of them strode Darui with his oddly shaped sword on his shoulder.
Moving with a subtle grace, the Mizukage looked over the enemy force with a suspicious gaze, her red hair shifting slightly in the soft wind. Her two bodyguards stood on either side of her, with Ao clasping his hands together in a handseal while Chojuro had his bandaged sword in hand.
Even as the most apprehensive person in the meeting, the Tsuchikage floated out to the front with a huff, acknowledging that this was an enemy of significant threat. Behind him his granddaughter grinned in anticipation, her hands already having activated a ninjutsu. Standing next to the hovering Tsuchikage was Roshi, cracking his neck and glaring at the other Kage and their bodyguards.
"That's quite a few soldiers," observed the Mizukage quietly.
Wearing a full set of red scaled armour, the scientist of the Quiraji stood at the head of an army of hundreds of converted shinobi, each having come from one of the four original Shinobi Countries.
She had no weapon on hand, but Neji could tell even as he deactivated his Byakugan to avoid the effect of looking at her with the doujutsu active, she was the most dangerous one in the army.
Sensou looked over the five Kages with an arrogant smile, her hands sitting on her hips at a strut.
"It would appear that the information was correct. All the leaders of the shinobi world, in one location."
She licked her lips slowly, as the converted shinobi around her began forming handseals.
"How convenient…"
Author's Note:
I'm sorry this chapter is coming so late, I've been swamped with assignments and sightseeing in Japan lately. If this chapter feels rushed, I'm sorry about that too, it's been difficult to find time to write lately. With that in mind, I'm not going to be able to publish the next chapter for a few weeks, meaning I'm taking a short break. Chapter 52 should be out first or second week next month. It'll be worth the wait, trust me. Much actions and fun times to be had.
I know that Utakata was technically from Kirigakure in the anime, but I don't like that idea just because he uses bubbles. That's why I put him in the Village of Water.
Please review and tell me what you think. I try to take each review into account, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.