The Wanderers
Chapter 54 – Licking the Wounds
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, death scenes wouldn't take a dozen chapters.
***Previously-On***
With the Otogakure army mopping up the remainder of the Quiraji army, their leader's retreat was prevented by Neji's old companion Rock Lee, who had finally found the woman he'd been hunting for nearly two years. Having spent nearly all his time training for this one battle, Lee proved he was more than a match for the red armoured leader, his ability to use physical energy exceeding that of his Quiraji opponent. Figuring out how strong her physical energy shield was, Lee initially fought her with his staff before resorting to using Gai's old nunchaku, though he quickly abandoned those when he realised that he wasn't going to be able to defeat her with technique alone. To that end, Lee took a risk and consumed an entire bottle of alcohol and fought her using his natural ability at Drunken Boxing. Even with his immense speed and unpredictable techniques, Lee was only able to drive her back; he wasn't able to defeat her. After hitting his head on the ground, Lee sobered up and decided that he had only one option left to him. Activating a strange new technique that caused him to turn flush red and his skin to smoke, he broke through her red armour and shattered her confidence. She tried to communicate with her leader, but it became clear that she had been abandoned by her organisation. In a final strike, Lee destroyed her body and killed her with his own hands.
***End Summary***
The moment Lee's unconscious body hit the ground, Neji was yelling at medics to go to his old companion's aid even as he rushed forward to make sure that their enemy was really dead.
Judging from the massive hole in her chest and the fact that he didn't feel the draining feeling he had felt earlier when he had been fighting her, Neji determined that meant she was really dead.
He looked over at Lee's face as two of his best medics worked on healing the taijutsu master.
You did what I could not. Am I ever going to catch up to you, Lee?
Despite the situation, he couldn't help but chuckle strangely to himself. It was the complete opposite of how they used to be back when they were Genin at Konoha, but Neji had no problem with that.
He was thankful Lee had come. Otherwise he wouldn't have only just a hand.
"Is he dead?" asked Gaara, having just arrived at the scene with Shikamaru and Kankuro in tow.
"He looks pretty dead," observed the Tsuchikage, keeping an eye on the Otogakure medics that were healing his granddaughter's injury. It would scar horribly and he doubted she would be able to use that eye again, but he couldn't concentrate on that at the moment.
One of the Otogakure medics looked up at the group gathering around them. "Every bone in his body is broken, and dozens of his blood vessels had ruptured."
The other medic smirked as she looked at her leader, "He'll be fine."
Neji stood up slowly with a breath of relief, turning around to see the Raikage pulling back a fist to slam into his face. He saw the blow coming a mile away, but he figured that it was justified and he took the blow straight on.
Both Dosu and Kidomaru immediately had their weapons at the Raikage's throat, while Yugito and Darui moved to attack them in response.
Before they could get into place however, a massive wall of sand held them back, also pushing away the two Otogakure shinobi from the Raikage.
"There has been enough fighting for one day," said Gaara, his sand slowly pouring back into his gourd. He was the only shinobi on the battlefield that didn't have a scratch on him, though that was due to his fighting style than anything else.
"Stand down, Kidomaru, Dosu," came Neji's voice as he picked himself up from the ground. The blow hurt like hell, but Neji wasn't going to let that risk all they had suffered to achieve here.
He took several steps forward and confronted the furious-looking Raikage face on, "Is speaking with your fists all that you can do, A?"
"Why don't you explain why you brought an army to a summit of leaders, or how the leader of the enemy force seemed to know that we were here?!"
"I leaked information about the summit to her, that's how," said Neji brazenly. "It was meant to be a trap for her, one that worked rather well as you can see."
He turned to Jin, who could tell what was coming next by the frown on his face. "And if the army had arrived when they were meant to, it would have gone much better."
At the side of the group of Kages, the Mizukage let out a slow laugh, turning her green-eyed gaze onto the Raikage, "He's got you, A. That's a risky ploy you were playing Hyuuga, you are lucky it paid off. You should have warned us that the enemy was coming."
"Luck had little to do with it. If you know your enemies' disposition you can make any battle turn to your favour."
The Tsuchikage let out a huff, he would never admit it but the boy sounded more like a proper leader than he had expected. "So what now? It would seem you have achieved your goals."
Neji moved his gaze across the faces of the four shinobi leaders, "You've all seen the face of the enemy now. I hope now you understand the gravity of the situation. We need to work together if we are to survive. It'll only get worse from here on."
It was only brief, but Neji caught a quick glance that was shared between the Raikage and the Tsuchikage before they both turned back to look at the one-handed Otogakure leader.
"There is much we need to look into," said Onoki, watching his granddaughter slowly stand up with a terrified look on her face, she knew how she now looked. "While we are still at war with the rebels in the Land of Stone, Iwagakure has no interest in fighting on another front. You'll see no help from us."
It was only for a split second, but the Kazekage found himself unable to hear anything that was being said. There was a loud ringing in his ears, one that caused him to frown and try and find the source, though it was clear that the others couldn't hear it whatsoever.
It was brief, but Gaara could have sworn that the red-haired Tailed Beast container and the blonde woman from Kumogakure had reacted the same way.
Eventually the ringing stopped, though there was a dull tone that stuck in his head, one that he suspected wouldn't go away easily. He turned his attention back to the discussion at hand, knowing that he had to focus on what came next.
Neji sighed on hearing the Tsuchikage's proclamation, though he knew that was coming. He could see on the Raikage's face that he was thinking the same thing, so when the large man turned around and stormed off he gave the signals for no-one to stop him.
Darui followed after his leader without a word, while Yugito seemed to be unsettled by the sound she had heard, she followed them as well, staring at her bruised hands with a sigh.
The Kazekage watched the Raikage and his contingent leave the summit, turning back the Otogakure with his same neutral expression, "I will take Rock Lee back to Sunagakure once your team is done healing him. Our facilities are the best in the world, and his companions will want to look after him."
Neji wanted to argue, but he knew that Lee would be safer there than he would be in Otogakure, at least for the next little while. "As you say, that would be best. It would appear that we will not have unity until more villages have been destroyed by the Quiraji."
The Tsuchikage frowned at the Hyuuga's statement, "You've made your point, Otokage. Be careful not to press the issue. You are still new to leading, and you still have much to learn."
He turned to the red haired shinobi at his side, "We are returning to the village."
Roshi shrugged and reached down to help Kurotsuchi to her feet before they left the summit without another word. He didn't seem as bothered by the sound as Gaara and Yugito had been, though he was hiding the fact that it appeared he was arguing with himself silently.
The three Kages remaining looked at each other for a few moments before Neji turned to Jin and gave him a stern look.
Jin got the message quickly and began barking orders to the Otogakure shinobi around them, the army quickly dispersing from the area.
"I will take my force back to the village now; today's events have changed a lot." Neji nodded his respect to the smiling Mizukage before turning his gaze to the Kazekage.
"Look after him, Gaara. If we are to defeat the Quiraji, we'll need Lee's strength again."
The Otogakure medics stepped back from Lee's unconscious body, while a pair of Jounin picked up the disembodied corpse of the Quiraji leader and carried it between the two of them.
"I will be in touch," said Neji to Gaara, knowing the Kazekage would be his best ally in the war to come. The sand-user was too wary to put anything on paper, but they both knew what they had to do.
Gaara nodded slowly, watching as Neji and his army slowly made their way away from the area.
"Well, I guess that is that," said the Mizukage, rubbing her hands together as if she had just finished a meal and was cleaning her hands. "This has been an interesting day, hasn't it?"
The Kazekage stared at her suspiciously, though he could both see the looks her bodyguards were even worse. The Mizukage maintained her amused look, even as she turned and indicated for her two bodyguards to follow her back.
oOoOoOo
The Sunagakure contingent watched as the Mizukage and her two bodyguards finally departed the battlefield. Gaara had their taijutsu companion suspended in a small cocoon of sand slightly above the ground, he'd been healed as much as possible but Gaara still wanted to take him back to Suna to see his head doctor.
He wasn't sure what to do about Sakura, with the knowledge that she had been the most effective assassin the enemy had used. Shikamaru assured him that she wasn't a threat now, but Gaara was cautious by nature and wasn't going to rule anything out until he had made his own judgement.
"We going to go back now?" asked Shikamaru, rubbing at the back of his neck sorely. "I could use a bath."
Gaara turned his head slightly, "Matsuri…"
The female ANBU appeared kneeling behind the Kazekage, "Yes?"
Kankuro jumped when he saw her appear, he had forgotten she was around. "Matsuri! Why didn't you help us in the battle?"
"I received no such orders. I made sure Gaara-sama was safe without revealing my presence."
"Leave her be, Kankuro," said Shikamaru, flicking his finished cigarette onto the grass nearby. "She was under strict instructions to only come out if Gaara or I said so."
Gaara turned around and regarded his subordinate with his usual stoic gaze, "Matsuri, good work in maintaining your position. It is good that my sister's recommendation for your ascension to the ANBU was not in vain."
Matsuri didn't say a word, but any keen observer could see a slight reddening of her cheeks at the compliment.
"Were you able to get any additional information from the summit?" asked Shikamaru.
Matsuri reached into her kunai pocket and produced a small scroll, "I thought Gaara-sama would be interested in the other Tailed Beasts at the summit, so I spied on them as much as I could throughout the fight."
"Good work," said Shikamaru, taking the scroll and placing it in his pocket. "Are we done here?"
Gaara motioned with his hand for Matsuri to get up off her feet, which the young girl complied with quickly. "I have a new mission for you, Matsuri. Are you capable?"
"Of course!" said the girl quickly. "What would you like me to do?"
Gaara indicated to the area that the final group had disappeared into. "I want you to follow the Mizukage and her bodyguards, all the way back to Kirigakure."
Matsuri grinned slowly, causing the three of them to be suddenly reminded of someone in particular. She punched one gloved hand into the other, "Sounds like fun. Do you want me to stay within Kirigakure and spy on them there too?"
"Are you able to do that? Their spy detection is top notch," said Kankuro, wondering why Gaara would send someone like her to Kirigakure in the first place.
Matsuri puffed her chest out and grinned, "Of course. I've never been detected."
"Concentrate on the Mizukage herself. Anything that goes against our current intelligence on her will be the highest priority." Gaara reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.
To her credit she didn't jump or faint, but Matsuri practically froze in place at the touch.
"If you feel you are in danger, I want you to pull out and return home. Do not take any unnecessary risks, Matsuri. We need your strength for the battles to come."
The ANBU shinobi nodded with a warm smile, "Yes sir, Gaara-sama!"
Gaara let go of her shoulder and nodded, indicating she should get going. Matsuri took a step back and gave the Kazekage an outrageous wink before waving her hand across her body, disappearing into the wind.
For a few moments nothing happened, though Gaara jumped slightly and turned around with a frown, before turning back to his bodyguards and calming himself down. "We should return to Suna. There is much to do."
Shikamaru turned around and lit another cigarette, keeping the smile from his face. Just like him and his wife, he had no doubt that something would eventually happen between the two of them, Matsuri was getting more brazen by the moment.
I'll bet Temari has been giving her tips as well. Damn that woman, let things happen in their own time.
Gaara weaved his hands and began to create a sand platform to carry them home. It was still a long journey, and Gaara had much he needed to consider before he made changes to his plans. He hadn't mentioned the sound to anyone else, but he'd judged that the Tailed Beast containers from Iwagakure and Kumogakure had both heard it as well.
The summit had changed everything.
Neji kicked open the door to his office and turned to Kidomaru who was standing at the open door with a curious look on his face.
"I like to make dramatic entrances," he said, anticipating his question. "Help Jin get the army fed before they are redeployed. I want the scouting lines to be back in place as soon as possible."
Kidomaru smirked and leaned on the doorframe, "Not one to let them to take a break, are you?"
The Otokage thought about it as he placed his tattered Kage hat on his desk with his right hand. "One night, then back to work. We're at war, we can't afford niceties."
His six-armed subordinate shrugged before scratching the back of his head with one of his hands, "I guess I'll go see the missus then. Might not get the chance to do so again for a while."
"Oh, tell Tenten I want to see her at her earliest convenience."
Kidomaru gave his leader a sarcastic salute and left the doorframe, leaving the Hyuuga leader to his thoughts.
Neji took a long breath and used his hand to pull back the sleeve on his other arm, staring at the red stump that had been his prize for the risks he had taken.
I suppose that's the burden of being a leader. I should suffer the consequences so that my men don't. I should feel lucky all she took was a hand; she had the opportunity to take my head.
He found himself staring out of his window at the village he had created from the ground up. It made him swell with pride at seeing how many people lived in his village, he could understand why Naruto always went on and on about being Hokage.
It's ironic. I would go on and on about fate and how I had no chance to escape my cage, and yet I've now created a village like he would have wanted to do.
A knock on his door brought him out of his nostalgic stupor, turning to see Sakon standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Something I can help you with?"
Sakon glared at the Sound leader for a moment before uncrossing his arms, "Since you guys just came back, I figured you'd probably want Ukon and I back to work."
Neji grinned with a tired expression, "There are times I forget how efficient all of you get."
His subordinate shrugged and entered the office, "You certainly don't make the mistake that Orochimaru did."
"And what was that?"
Sakon walked forward and placed his hand out in a fist that sat an inch away from Neji's chest.
"He only treated us like pieces on a chess board. Not like you."
Neji looked down at the gloved fist; he knew he had nothing to fear from the Otogakure shinobi in front of him. He'd garnered him and his brother's trust over the years, as he had with every shinobi under his command.
"And how do I treat you?"
Sakon withdrew his fist and stared out at the village through his window, "Like people."
The Otogakure moved around his desk and sat down in his comfortable chair, nearly falling as he forgot he normally used his left hand to steady himself.
Looking over his desk, it was clear his wife had been busy during his absence.
I wonder if that magazine is still in my desk…
Deciding to check at a later time, Neji turned back to his subordinate, "Unfortunately, I have work for your brother and you. I assume your pieces are still in place?"
The twin shinobi nodded with a grin, "They'll never disappear unless we die. It's whether we pay attention to them or not that makes the difference."
Pulling across a piece of paper and a pen, Neji quickly wrote a list of names with numbers beside them before turning it around and passing it across the desk. He wanted to fold it, but doing so with one hand would have proven fairly difficult.
"I want you to prioritise the top numbers, but all of them are very important, particularly in the next few days. Record everything you hear and I want reports every three hours."
Sakon took the list; hiding his surprise at the prioritised names he had been given. He looked down the names quickly before turning it back to Neji and pointing to the top name.
"This one's difficult to maintain, he has the same eyes as you. He tends not to reveal much in speech either, very cautious."
"Ah, that one. I wanted to ask you something about him actually. How much influence do you have on your pieces from this distance?"
Sakon thought about it with his eyes unfocused. Neji knew this meant he was speaking to his brother; they shared a strange connection that was on such a deep level that Neji would never quite know about.
After a moment his subordinate turned back to him with a malicious smile, "If one of us concentrates on our piece, we can exhibit some measure of control beyond eavesdropping. Why?"
Neji leaned forward on his desk with his remaining arm, "I want one of you to slowly destroy his Byakugan. Do it over a span of weeks, make it seem like his body is rejecting it."
"It'll probably kill him," said Sakon, trying to convey that that wasn't really a problem for him or his brother.
Neji could almost his father turning in the small grave he had placed him in, though he knew that it was something that had to be done. "I am well aware."
The Otogakure ANBU shinobi took the list back and left the room without another word.
Neji figured it wouldn't be long until another person would come into his office demanding something, and while he knew he had a million things to do all he wanted to do was lie down with his wife and sleep.
After a minute of frantic searching and ultimately soul-crushing disappointment, Neji got up from his desk and walked towards the door.
As if walking out of a picture frame, his wife slowly came into view. His face lit up upon seeing her, and he didn't even get a chance to see her expression in return as she ran straight into him and gripped him in the tightest hug they'd ever shared.
For nearly two minutes neither of them said a word, they both waited until they broke the hug to actually enjoy each other's faces.
"Hey…"
Yuko cut him off by pressing a finger on his lips as she threaded a hand through his right hand. "Don't say anything. I heard about what happened from Tayuya. You are taking the rest of the day off, and I'm going to look after you."
Neji was so tired he had no interest in protesting whatsoever.
oOoOoOo
Letting out a long sigh as he stepped into the bath, Neji could feel all the muscles in his body call out like they had never healed properly. He was careful not to place his stump in the water; it had to be treated carefully so that it didn't get infected.
He sighed again when he looked at where his left hand used to be.
I guess I can't fight like I used to. Sensou said that she wasn't the strongest Quiraji soldier…I was completely outclassed by her as well. She had no reason to lie besides to scare us, and I can't even fight normally anymore.
He kept feeling like his hand was still there, and even though he knew it was only a phantom memory it was still playing with his head.
I have far too much work to do…and not enough time to do it in.
The bathroom in his apartment didn't have a window for him to look out, but Neji could easily imagine the village around his apartment and the shinobi that were connecting with their families in the same way he was.
The attack on the summit was only the first step. Sensou's death probably slowed them down a fair bit, but they have other big guns that they are yet to reveal, I'm sure of it.
The hammer blow will come soon…and we can't rely on unity with the other villages. We have to focus on defence.
"Feeling any better?"
Neji turned to see his wife standing in the bathroom with a towel around her middle. Her silver hair had gotten longer after giving birth, but Neji could have sworn she was actually glowing.
"A little bit. There is a lot to do…"
Yuko dropped her towel to the ground and slipped into the bath behind her husband, threading her hands up his back as she began to massage his shoulders.
"Well, for tonight, you are mine to look after."
Neji smiled slowly and sighed in pleasure as she hit all the sensitive spots on his back. "Thanks, Yuko. It's nice to come home to a loving family."
Yuko kissed the back of his neck and leaned her head onto his back, "Of course. We know you work hard, and the children will understand when they are older."
The Otokage sighed again, he knew he was missing out on the first few years of his children's lives by virtue of how much work it took to be the leader of the village.
I should set up leaders of certain sections so that I can concentrate my efforts.
"It'll be over in about a year…give or take."
"What will be?" asked Yuko.
"This conflict. Either their side or ours will make a move soon and only one will survive."
"Well, for the time being…"
Neji jumped at the contact, but relaxed immediately at the sound of her breathing into his ear.
oOoOoOo
"Please close the door behind you, and activate the wards," said Neji, looking at the Otogakure shinobi standing in front of him. He hadn't been able to sleep much the previous night, but he was grateful that he was able to put his plans in place so quickly.
"I've gathered you all here today to discuss the plans I have for the village. This doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the council, and I am looking to change the way this village is run."
"Did the summit battle really change that much?" asked Jin, he could see how serious Neji had become just from his eyes.
"You didn't see what we saw," said Dosu. "They have some serious firepower on their side."
Neji tapped his hand on the table to get their attention. "The village has prospered since its inception, and while we have been doing well, we are not prepared for the war that is about to come."
"So it will be war then?" Jiroubou crossed his arms over his chest, "We aren't ready."
"He's right. We have strong people, but nothing to fight a proper war with," said Jin grimly.
"That's why I brought you all here. The eight of you are the leading shinobi of our village, and as such I am going to have you make our people as prepared as possible."
He turned to Sakon quickly, "I'm counting you and your brother as one, just so you know."
The twin shinobi shrugged, "He's busy at the moment, but I know Ukon would agree that is fine. We only really work together anyway."
"For the next little while I will be spending my time in the village, building us as a power base and making sure we are prepared." He indicated to the largest shinobi in the room. "Jiroubou, you built a large portion of this village with your bare hands. With that in mind, I've decided that you are the best person to head up our defence. You are to shore up the defences of the village, including traps and ensuring that the village is capable of withstanding a siege."
"I'll need people to help with traps, but that should be no problem," said the large Sound Four member. "We could make a wall underneath the village, so that we could quickly raise it in case of attack."
Neji nodded, it was a good plan. He knew from speaking to them that Orochimaru only used the Sound Four as his personal assassins and bodyguards, without paying any attention to their other skills and their actual interests.
He turned his gaze to the next shinobi, "Which brings me to our next point. There are a number of things we have to prepare for, combat-wise. Jin, you are well respected among everyone in the village, and your knowledge of techniques is more expansive than any other Jounin."
"So you want me to do training?" asked Jin. "I can't say I'm the best teacher in the world."
Neji shook his head quickly, "It isn't just that. There are certain types of techniques that work on the Quiraji forces and those that do not. I want you to investigate the techniques to be used against the normal soldiers, including their Red Guard. I will tell you some of the details about their leaders, but we need to be as prepared as possible."
Jin sighed, but nodded in acknowledgement. "The missus will love this. She's been on my case about getting out of the field for months now."
"In the same field, I want someone to work on developing weapons against the enemy." Neji turned to Dosu, who seemed to already know that it was his field. "Dosu, your cannons were effective against them during the battle, and I want to expand that field. If chakra doesn't work, then we have other options available to us."
The large shinobi nodded without a word, he had figured that was coming.
"You should work with Tenten on this; she seems to enjoy making weapons of more and more absurd proportions."
At the end of the line of Otogakure shinobi, Kidomaru let out a short laugh, "Yeah, she's been ranting about it since I got back."
The others in the group laughed, the relationship between him and the armourer was notorious for making no logical sense to any of them, yet they somehow worked.
"Next up is the problem we face with the prisoners we collected from the battle. I know I'm focusing a lot on our immediate enemy, but if we don't I believe we won't survive."
He turned to the music-using shinobi beside Kidomaru, "Tayuya, I'm making you the head of interrogation. I don't care how you do it, but I want you to get any information you can out of those prisoners, and any we capture from here on."
"I guess I knew that was going to bloody happen. You know how frigging shitty those prisoners get?" Tayuya went to spit onto the ground, but remembered the earful she had gotten from Neji's wife the last time she'd done that and stopped herself. "Still, it isn't like I have anything better to do."
"Good." Neji reached into one of the drawers on his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, indicating to one of his subordinates to come forward to his desk. "I've made a deal with the Kazekage to support his efforts in attacking the Quiraji front lines, and I want you and this team of people to be a part of that."
Zaku took a look at the sheet before groaning loudly, "I have no issue with the desert, but this team is going to be a pain in the ass to work with."
"Nevertheless, this needs to be done. There is too much to be gained from doing this." A smirk came across his face, "Besides, we need to show up the Sunagakure shinobi. We still have a lot to prove to the other villages."
The air-user nodded and stepped back into line, placing the list in his pocket. "We'll make you proud."
Neji took a moment to stare at the Jounin's face, trying to work out how he had garnered such loyalty from him. It had been bothering him for a while, but there was nothing he could do except press forward.
I guess some people are content to serve. Granted I never thought I would be a good leader until I started doing it.
"Kin, I would like to use your infiltration expertise to spy on the other villages."
The young girl nodded without changing her expression. Since she was getting better at using genjutsu based on sound, she had been able to infiltrate many of the villages without being seen, and her team had given Neji much of the information he'd used to blackmail his way to becoming the Otokage.
"Similar to what you were doing before, but I want you to concentrate on Kirigakure for the moment."
"Any particular reason?" asked Kin, keeping her tone neutral.
On the other side of the Otogakure shinobi, Dosu leaned forward to look at his former teammate, "I overheard a conversation between the Mizukage and the Kazekage discussing some anti-Quiraji training methods they have created."
"Getting these training methods is the utmost priority, so I'm making you the head of the infiltration division. This way I know it will get done."
She gave him a wink that was entirely inappropriate for the occasion, and even without seeing he could feel his wife staring at him from the side, as if waiting for a response.
Instead Neji turned to his best source of information of the shinobi in front of him. "Ignoring the task we spoke about earlier, I'm looking to create an offensive force to take the fight to the enemy. I know you've been missing from the front lines, and that is exactly where I am putting the two of you."
Sakon grinned widely, "It's been too long. Do I have the freedom to form my own teams?"
"Within reason, yes. Your job will be simple. Do as much damage as possible, with the least loss of life. Understand?"
The grey-haired shinobi cracked his hands loudly, "Sounds fun. Alright, I'm in."
"Good. Remember all of you are leaders of Otogakure, our people will be looking up to you."
He picked up a set of files with his right hand and tapped them on his desk in an attempt to straighten them. "So don't mess up. You are all dismissed, except for Kidomaru."
The Otogakure shinobi all nodded and departed from the room, they all knew that it only got harder from here. Eventually there was only Kidomaru, Neji and his wife remaining.
"Is there anything I can get you?" asked Yuko, knowing that the two of them were likely wanting to talk privately.
Neji looked up at his wife with a warm smile, "If you could bring the kids in in five minutes that would be good. It's been too long since I've seen them."
The silver-haired woman nodded with a smile and made her way out of the room. Despite their arranged marriage, Neji found himself watching her leave intently.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something…" said Kidomaru with a sly look on his face.
Neji shook himself out of it quickly, "It's nothing. Just remembering what I'm fighting for, that's all."
"I gather you have some kind of secretive pain-in-the-ass task you need me to do that requires the others not knowing about it."
"In a manner of speaking." Neji flicked a scroll at the spider-like shinobi, who caught it without effort.
Kidomaru frowned as he opened it up, seeing a list of names and details beside them. "What is this?"
"I've been thinking about doing this for a long time. That's a list of everyone that'll be working for you, and their current position. Besides the people who were previously in this room, you'll have free reign to reorganise to something that you feel would be more efficient. Anything dramatic will need my approval, of course."
His subordinate frowned as he looked through the scroll, though it slowly turned into a smirk as he realised how much power he was being given.
"You know I might just screw around and treat it like a game, right?"
"Somehow I doubt that, Kidomaru. We've worked together a long time; I've figured you out pretty well. Do you accept?"
Kidomaru grinned and rolled up the scroll, noting that would need to destroy it at some point. That kind of information would be too damaging outside of the village.
He reached out his top right hand towards the Otokage. "Anyone ever tell you that you are scary as hell sometimes?"
"I'll take that as a compliment. As the head of the ANBU, the only person you will answer to is myself. If any of the others give you any crap, sort it out yourself."
The new ANBU leader nodded quietly, recognising that he had a lot of work to do.
"You are dismissed."
"This whole situation is absurd," ranted the Tsuchikage, walking around the round desk in his office and placing his hat on its hook. "Brats like the two of them thinking they can call the shots."
Standing at the doorway, Roshi scoffed and scratched at his red beard, "They are young, it is to be expected that they would be that arrogant."
The Tsuchikage shook his head as he took his seat in his comfortable chair, "But as much as I hate to admit it, that Hyuuga boy made several good points. Those people seemed to be trouble, at the worst time too."
He indicated to the map on his desk, where much of it was covered in red flags. "That damn woman and her army are on our doorstep, and we have no way of stopping her either. How could it have come to this?"
Roshi paid no attention to the ramblings of the old man; his focus was somewhere else entirely.
"Are you listening to me?" demanded the Tsuchikage.
"Not particularly. Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Roshi shook his head slowly and turned around, "It's…nothing. The damn monkey won't shut up it would seem."
"Well get yourself under control. Kurotsuchi won't be field ready for weeks, and we are hard-pressed as it is."
The red-haired shinobi frowned as he stared up at the ceiling. The sound had been getting louder and louder since they had returned, and his occupant had made several good points about their situation.
"I have to see him," he said bluntly, cutting off the Tsuchikage mid-sentence.
The Tsuchikage rose from his seat with a furious look on his face, "Absolutely not! I don't know what you are planning, but I give you too much freedom to let you waste it on a psychopath like him."
The red-haired Tailed Beast container huffed and stepped forward to face the Tsuchikage head on.
"I wasn't asking. There is something going on here beyond normal shinobi, and your petty arguments with Cascading Flow."
"Petty?! She's brought the country into open revolt against us, and you call that petty?!"
Roshi pointed a finger at the Tsuchikage accusingly, "Because of how you mistreated the people!"
He could see Onoki moving to argue back, but the sound in Roshi's head tripled in volume and he could no longer even hear the old man talking.
"I'm going down to the Pit. There is nothing you can do to stop me."
Onoki watched the Tailed Beast container walk out of his office with a strange look on his face. He could only shake his head and sit back down in his seat.
If he wasn't so necessary to the war effort, I wouldn't have to put up with his crap. He'll probably leave the village again, and come back just in the nick of time.
Though he couldn't figure out what Roshi could possibly want with that man.
oOoOoOo
"Open the cell."
The guard of the prison block stared up at the intimidating red haired shinobi, "I can't do that, sir. We have strict orders to not let the traitor out."
Roshi looked down at him for a moment before pulling back a hand and slamming him into the wall. He reached down and took the keys off the shinobi's belt and opened the main gate, closing it behind him before walking through the dark halls.
Since the war with Cascading Flow, the Tsuchikage had cleared out most of the prison and reinstated many of the shinobi locked within, though most of them had been killed in some of the offenses the village had conducted against the rebels.
However there was still one prisoner remaining with the Iwagakure prison, one that Roshi had put in there himself.
Within the nearly pitch-black cell block, there was one cell that was separated from the rest behind bars that blocked chakra.
Roshi stopped just in front of the dark cell, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"I can hear you breathing…"
The Four-Tailed container shuddered at the ominous-sounding voice coming from the cell. He'd known the prisoner for some time, but the man had always been a bit wrong.
"You know why I'm here?"
Even in the dark, Roshi could see the shape of the prisoner within, slowly standing up from the single seat within the cell and walking forward several steps.
"I heard the call, though I find it amusing that you would respond as well. The stubborn old man has become desperate indeed."
A light suddenly came on within the cell, illuminating the prisoner in a column of light. He had been allowed to keep his red plated armour and furnace on his back, in addition to his large frame and massive height he cut an imposing figure even within his cell.
"I do not represent the Tsuchikage. That old man is too preoccupied with his own problems; this is something between the two of us."
The prisoner's brown eyes looked down on the red-haired Tailed Beast container, "Do we now? And what would inspire you to do such a thing? This place has been abandoned for weeks, yet the first visitor I receive is the one who put me here. Odd timing you have."
"If it was up to me, I would let you rot in here for what you did, Han. However my occupant informs me that you are necessary, and there is no other way about it."
"Amusing that you have come so far. If I were a lesser man, I would make you beg." The armoured prisoner cocked his head slightly, "Am I to be your prisoner during this little journey? Shall I walk with hands cuffed and request permission to eat, sleep and urinate?"
Roshi breathed out slowly, he hadn't changed since he'd been imprisoned. "The village has gone to hell, and I have no interest in pandering to your sick desires. We get out of here and you can do as you please so long as you swear to never return to the Land of Stone."
Han let out a slow laugh, one that echoed throughout the empty prison block, made twice as creepy by the fact that his captor couldn't see his mouth covered by his armour.
He reached out with both of his hands, grasping the bars softly as steam slowly surrounded his body. Within seconds the bars melted under his grip and Han took a step out of his cell to stand two heads taller than Roshi.
"And who would stop me? You?"
Roshi refused to take a step back, even though every part of him was screaming to create more distance between him and the twisted container of the Five-Tails.
"You could have broken out at any point. What had been stopping you?"
Han slowly placed his right hand into his shirt as steam slowly emerged from the furnace on his back.
"I had no interest to."
Roshi watched as the ex-prisoner slowly walked through the empty cell block towards the entrance, without a trace of emotion in his movements whatsoever.
Those were chakra-blocking bars, and he destroyed them like they were nothing. I always knew he was wrong in the head, but his power seems to have grown since I brought him here.
The Tailed Beast container knew he was going to regret releasing Han back into the world, but the Four-Tails refused to shut up about all of them needing to go together.
You better be right about this, stupid monkey. He's too dangerous to be left alone for too long.
As he came to the entrance he could see Han staring at the unconscious body of the prison guard. He had to hold back from running forward and stopping Han from attacking the man, but he quickly saw Han turning his gaze back towards the entrance and slowly walk towards the sunlight.
The old man is going to kill me for this.
Yugito kneeled down on the ground and took a short sniff. She didn't want to do what the Raikage had demanded of her, but Yugito was a loyal shinobi, even though some of the Raikage's decisions were becoming more and more questionable.
"You are wasting time, Yugito…"
The blonde shinobi sighed, "I know, I know. I'll find him first, and then figure out what we should do from there."
Her prey wasn't the most subtle of shinobi, but judging from the way he had left the village and the distance he had covered in that short amount of time, something was clearly on his mind.
She shook her head to bring herself back to reality and stood back up, rubbing her hands free of the dirt she had picked up. It was clear where the trail led to, though it was a little bit too easy.
"Are you really going to bring him back to the village?"
"Give me a good reason not to, Matatabi. I have my orders."
"Orders aren't everything, Yugito. There are things more important than your loyalty to A."
Yugito ignored the Tailed Beast's voice in her head and began to move through the forest once more. She made a good point, but the blonde shinobi was still conflicted.
First of all, she had to catch him.
oOoOoOo
Two days later Yugito nearly ran straight into her target on the outskirts of a quarry. She found the dark skinned man sitting on a large rock with his arms crossed over his chest, fast asleep.
Yugito sighed and jumped forward to stand in front of the rapping shinobi, taking a large breath and pulling her head back.
In a burst of chakra she let out a screech that was deafening to everything around her, though it only served to cause her target to sniff slightly as he groaned and slowly woke up.
Behind his pair of oval sunglasses, Killer Bee stared at the woman who woke him up with a tired look, "Oh, Yugito? Finally caught up, did you?"
"You were expecting me?"
The Eight-Tails container sighed and stretched his arms as he hopped off his rock, "You heard the call too, didn't you? While you and brother were off playing diplomat, something happened."
The blonde shinobi could hear him talking, but she was struggling to understand what he was saying. For once in his life, Killer Bee wasn't speaking in rap.
That could only mean he was serious about what was happening.
"It's just a ringing, Bee. Nothing to flee the village and pursue on your own like you did. I'm under strict orders to bring you back."
Bee laughed and put his hands on the back of his head, "My brother cares that much? Or does he just want his precious Eight-Tails back?"
"You know that isn't true, Killer Bee. A only worries about your safety, that's all." Even as she was saying it, Yugito was finding her own words rather hollow. "Look, will you come back to the village or not?"
The tall shinobi shook his head and placed a hand towards the swords on his back, "I made my choice, Yugito. You would be wise not to stop me."
She stared at his serious expression for a moment before letting out a long sigh and walking past him to sit on the rock he'd been sleeping on.
"How did I know you were going to say that…"
Bee relaxed his hand slightly, he hadn't been expecting her to resist more than that. Clearly something had happened at the Kage summit to change Yugito's demeanour.
"What are you going to do then?" he asked quietly.
Yugito sighed again, "I was told to bring you back to the village; however he was not specific on timing. If we have to take a detour…then so be it."
Killer Bee grinned and watched as Yugito stood up from his rock and slapped him on the shoulder, "Let's get going, you pain in the ass."
The tall Tailed Beast container watched as she started to walk in the direction the sound was telling them to go. He went to look at her backside, until he remembered the last time she had caught him staring at her.
His back still hadn't fully healed from that time.
"You coming or what?" demanded Yugito, waving for him to hurry up.
Killer Bee nodded quickly, he didn't want to upset her any further.
It wasn't really a proper place of seclusion, but the green-haired girl sat under the fierce waterfall with a small grin on her face.
"Something on your mind?" asked the elderly man sitting beside her. He wore nothing but a towel around his waist, and by the red marks on his shoulders he could tell that the water was doing him good.
The young woman shook her head slightly, "Nothing I'd be willing to share, master."
"So it's to do with that boy again, is it? Honestly Fu, you'll never be able to complete your training if you don't learn to keep it in your pants."
Fu looked over at her folded up clothing on a nearby rock for a few moments before turning to her companion, "I wear a skirt, I find it hard to contain myself at times. A girl has needs."
The old man huffed and shut his eyes, clasping his weathered hands together. "Whatever you say."
Taking a moment before standing up and letting the water slam into her body, Fu let out a long satisfied sigh before stretching her arms above her head.
Her master eyed her through a barely open eye for a moment before shaking his head and shutting his eyes again. "I've told you a number of times that you shouldn't walk around like that. The townsfolk talk about you, you know."
"Oh?" purred Fu, letting the water run down one of her dark arms onto her master's head. "You didn't complain when I sat down. Do you not like looking at my body?"
"Hmph…harlot…" he muttered under his breath.
Fu barked out a laugh and ran her hands through her wet hair, "Love you too, master."
She slowly made her way to her clothes and flicked her hands, drying herself in an instant with a quick wind technique that didn't require a seal. Looking up at the sky she could tell it wouldn't be long now.
"Storm's coming…" she muttered as she slipped into her clothes.
"The world is coming to a head. A great conflict is upon us." Her master slowly stood up within the waterfall, his dark eyes firmly on the town that sat at the end of the valley the two of them were in. "It won't be long before we are sucked into it as well."
Fu fastened a button on her white skirt before shrugging and stretching her legs on the riverbank. "That's hardly our problem. I have no interest in fighting a war."
She went to turn to ask her master something, but a sound caused her to turn her head as if seeking it out in the middle of nowhere.
"Still hearing the sound?" asked her master as he stepped out of the waterfall and began to dry himself off.
Fu nodded slowly with a solemn look on her face, "It's getting louder. I don't know what it is, but I think it's important."
Throwing his towel over his shoulder, the old man nodded grimly in acknowledgement and moved past her towards the path back to the village. "Put on your shirt before you come back, Fu."
Fu stared at his scarred back for a few moments before looking down at herself, realising that she had put everything from her waist down on, but nothing else. With a childish cry of amusement that would have been more appropriate for someone half her age, Fu picked up her stack of remaining clothes and ran after her master grinning.
oOoOoOo
The next morning Fu opened her eyes with a long sigh, she hated waking up from deep sleeps at these kinds of times. She turned her orange eyes to the cause of her having to wake up so early.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" asked the naked back she found herself staring at, its muscles bunching back and forth with each movement of his arms.
Fu simply chuckled and reached out to pinch his backside before slipping back under the covers and pretending she was fast asleep.
The young man jumped slightly and turned around with a wide smile on his face, looking down at her 'sleeping' visage carefully. "I guess I did. Sorry about that."
"Perhaps you should make up for it," said Fu, still acting like she was meant to be asleep.
He chuckled for a moment before reaching down and lightly pressing his lips onto hers. "Perhaps I will. Another time though, I need to be at the mill in ten minutes."
Fu gave him a slight pout before turning on her side, "That's not nearly enough time. You're no fun."
He went to kiss her again in apology, but Fu shot up in the bed and unfocused her eyes, staring straight into one of the walls of his house.
"Is…is something wrong?" he stuttered, he'd never seen her look so serious before.
For a long time Fu didn't say anything in response, but eventually she regained her composure and turned back to the concerned young man.
"It's…I'm fine. Just a headache, that's all."
The young man frowned slightly in confusion, but pecked her on the forehead and disappeared into the next room to retrieve his clothes, leaving Fu to her thoughts.
She collected her knees around her chest and sighed, letting the blanket fall off her chest.
We can't ignore it anymore, can we?
"I guess not," came the response in her head. "We knew from the first time we heard it."
Fu bit at her lip as she thought about it. I wanted to lead a normal life, one that didn't involve any fighting.
"We can't always choose our battles, Fu. But we can choose who we can and can't save."
The dark-skinned Tailed Beast container rolled her eyes at her occupant's statement and rolled out of the bed, she couldn't mope about forever. She'd have to talk to her master about it before she came to any proper decision.
Half an hour later Fu stood on the roof of the young man's apartment, looking out at the slowly rising sun on the horizon. "We never had this view in the village…"
"We certainly have been lucky."
Fu nodded slowly, though her cheery disposition darkened as she saw a few figures walking towards the village in front of the rising sun. "Maybe not so lucky after all…"
In a leap that was only possible with chakra, Fu powered her way through the air towards the front of town. She wasn't at all surprised to see her master standing at the entrance in his full blacksmithing getup.
"A bit overdressed for receiving villagers, aren't you?" she asked cheerfully, landing at his side.
The old man didn't respond to her, staring out across the grassland as the three figures came into view. It was difficult to tell at first, but Fu could see that the middle figure was a young man wearing bright white armour that looked more appropriate to the stage than on the battlefield, with enough regalia to shame a king.
However she was far more fascinated by the pair of lions at the warrior's sides, remarking at how large the beasts were compared to how large they are normally.
"Get out of here, Fu."
The Tailed Beast container turned to her master with a suspicious look, "I know you've been trying to get rid of me for a while, but I'm not leaving just because we have some visitors."
Her master reached over and grabbed at the red cloth around her neck, "Fu, that's the same one that destroyed the village. He might look different, but I'll never forget that feeling."
Fu turned to the white armoured warrior with wide eyes; now that he mentioned it he did appear familiar. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of her face, "We…we should flee…right?"
"Fu, you need to go. I will hold him back, and try and take him down. But you have to live."
"No! I won't just leave you to die!" Fu grabbed at his hands on her red cloth, "You are the only one I have left! You can't just leave me!"
The old man smiled sadly at her panicked features, letting go of her and turning to face the front before taking a step forward, "I'm an old man, Fu. My time has come, I'm done running."
He turned his head slightly to look at her fearful face, "And you will never be alone."
Fu shook her head constantly, even as six large insect wings sprouted from her back. "I don't want to keep running…"
"We know where we need to go, Fu."
Her master gave her a shove before clapping his hands together and the earth beneath them began to shake and split apart. "No more talk, Fu. You were a pain in the ass, but you have to live."
Fu's occupant took control and she flew up into the sky, making it so that her occupant couldn't look at the battle about to take place.
I'm never doing this again, Choumei. Why do I have to keep fleeing from the people taking my friends?
"You never liked the people of the village to begin with Fu…but I understand what you mean."
Her insect wings flapped thousands of times as she flew through the air faster than the birds she passed by.
Where are you taking me?
Sitting alone in the middle of the lake, Utakata gave the brush one final tap before setting it on his tile and leaning back on his chair. "I think that's about it."
"The blue of the sky on the right corner is off."
Utakata frowned and leaned forward to examine where his Tailed Beast was indicating. "I can't quite see what you are talking about."
"You should be able to see it, Utakata. It isn't too hard."
"Sure, says the slug…"
He placed an arm into his robe as he stood up from his seat, leaving his painting for the moment as he looked onto the landscape he'd been painting. It was a bit dry for his taste, but it was secluded and that's what he liked about it.
He clutched at his temple painfully, he'd had a headache for over a week now and it was driving him insane. It sat just out of his ability to heal, and there was a strange ringing as well.
Utakata let out a sigh; it had been over two years since he had left the village and the lack of human contact was starting to get to him.
"You shouldn't think like that. You have me."
The Tailed Beast container rolled his eyes as he sat on the edge of the cliff he'd been painting on.
"And who do you think is the cause of these problems?"
"That isn't fair, and you know it. I didn't have a choice either you know."
Even though he was talking to the beast within him, Utakata raised his hands up in defeat. "I know, I know."
Seeing as his head wasn't getting any better, Utakata decided to leave the painting to another time. It wasn't as if he was lacking in time. He reached into his open robe and pulled out a long flute. It was one of the things he had taught himself over the years, and one of the few things that had kept him sane.
The soft music slowly drifted through the valley, allowing Utakata to immerse himself completely in a world beyond the one he had been forced to live in.
"You can't hide forever, Utakata. You can't ignore the call."
I'll do as I please. I have no love for the shinobi world, and if it falls I won't shed any tears.
He finished his flute song and placed it on his knees, noticing that the sound in his head had gotten a little bit louder. Looking around the area, he noticed that steam had begun to emerge from underneath his body.
The Tailed Beast container merely groaned and waited it out; he knew what was going to happen.
oOoOoOo
His inner mindscape hadn't changed since the last time he had entered it, though it was strange for the Six-Tails to draw him in without his permission. Their relationship was fairly decent, though Utakata knew that he it had been getting more and more impatient lately.
The world around him was a steamy wasteland, one that looked to be completely unfit for human life to exist within.
However, Utakata had no reason to fear the background setting within his mindscape. He'd used it to perfect techniques before, and yet there was something about the landscape that felt a bit strange.
Pulling out his bubble blower, Utakata created a small bubble and collected his robe under his feet before hoping onto the bubble and letting it carry him up into the steam covered air.
After a few dozen feet he came to second level of the mindscape, the steam barely affecting him at all. "Thank you for coming," came a quiet male voice from the distance.
Utakata stared at the large white figure that took up much of the background, "You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter. It isn't like you to do this…Saiken."
The white background shifted slightly as slime slowly ran down its skin. Eventually a slug's head came to the same eye level as Utakata, while six stubby tails emerged behind it.
"So you do remember my name…"
"It isn't something I would forget easily," said Utakata dryly, twirling his bubble blower in his fingers.
For several moments neither of them said anything, though the air was anything but tense.
It took him a while to realise, but Utakata felt like something had been different since coming to the mindscape. He could see the slug-beast's eyes staring at him without emotion, something that had always gotten on Utakata's nerves.
Utakata frowned, it had finally dawned on him what was different.
"The buzzing has disappeared…"
Saiken bobbed its head slightly, "There is a good reason for that. Do you know what it is?"
"I have no idea, except that it's been bugging me for weeks."
"Let me show you." The outer tails of his companion fluctuated momentarily, and in that second the buzzing returned at an almost ear-piercing level.
Utakata gasped and clutched at his ears painfully, "What the hell is that? Make it stop!"
"I can't, Utakata. That's the point. What you are hearing now, is how I've been hearing it."
On top of his bubble, Utakata struggled to stand up, focusing his gaze on his companion. "So, you've been blocking it? That's nice of you."
"The signal isn't for you, Utakata. The fact that you've heard anything is a testament to how important the sender considers it."
"Sender?" Saiken wasn't known for cryptic speech, but having known him for so long he was able to tell the difference in the monster-slug's demeanour.
And he sounded particularly concerned, which was something that in turn worried Utakata.
Saiken indicated with its head to a lower part of the mindscape, to where there was a strange figure clouded in shadow. All Utakata could see was a mouth moving, but again all he could hear was the loud buzzing.
"Is there any way to get the message properly?"
The slug reared its head back to face its companion in a pose that could only be described as sarcastic.
Once again Utakata was forced to put his hands up in submission, while Saiken concentrated its efforts back on the message. After a few minutes it nodded to itself and spat a large globe of acid onto the shadowy figure. As it cleared the figure didn't look it had changed, but the buzzing had disappeared immediately.
"…and it is because of this we need…"
The strange voice cut back to the buzzing, causing Utakata to turn to Saiken with a deep frown.
"I'm waiting for it to finish before it starts again. It seems to be a looping message."
Utakata understood and bore with the sound until it cut out and he paid careful attention as the message played again.
"It is clear that we face destruction at the hands of our old enemy, one that has come back to kill us and everything he left us…"
"Who is he?" asked Utakata quietly, though he was quickly silenced by a sound from the slug that had the same effect as if he had tsked.
"…and it is because of this, we need a time of unity. We Tailed Beasts were once one, and while we do not possess the power to be so again, we have the strength to influence the war. Not only for the survival of shinobi, but also for our own survival, as they would no doubt seek revenge for our part in the war."
Who are they speaking about? What enemy?
"I am calling for all of us to gather at a single point, so that we discuss the issue. If your container is against this, you must convince them. We do not have time for petty argument. Follow this sound and you will find me. Together, brothers and sisters, we shall survive."
This makes no sense…
"It is clear that we face…"
"And on, and on, and on it goes," said Saiken, slamming a slimy tail into the figure and causing it to dissipate. "Do you understand?"
Utakata frowned; there were too many things he didn't understand. "This is a message for all the Tailed Beasts, not just you, right?"
Saiken nodded slowly, "While there are some that are more stubborn than others, they will all come."
The bubble-user sighed and sat down on top of his bubble, placing his bubble blower back into his robe and looking up at the slug, "Give me one good reason."
"You aren't doing anything with your life, Utakata. You cannot live a life without other people, and the people who are still alive are strong enough that your presence won't hurt them."
"That isn't a good reason, Saiken." Utakata's expression was neutral, but his hand gripped at his robe tightly upon remembering when he had left the Village of Water.
"Then how about the fact that if you don't I will tear myself out of your body and go there myself."
Utakata thought about it for a moment, Saiken had the strength to do that, though doing so would eventually kill them both, and the slug would have to wait a number of years to regenerate.
He sighed loudly, it didn't sound like anything he wanted to be a part of, but it had become clear he had no choice.
"How long will it take us to get there?"
"From where you currently are? A week, perhaps more."
Utakata nodded slowly before jumping off his bubble and wrenching himself out of the mindscape, opening his eyes to find that the landscape he'd been painting had turned black with the night.
That'll be enough time for you to tell me all about this enemy, and why this thing believes we are on the verge of extinction.
"Is there any reason we are walking into the village?" complained Kankuro, as the front of the village slowly came into view. "I thought the point of flying was so we didn't take as long as we would walking."
"You don't understand symbols, do you Kankuro?" said Shikamaru.
The puppet user stared at the smoking shinobi with a confused look, "What are you talking about?"
Shikamaru didn't respond, but instead he indicated to the cliffs that protected the village's entrance.
Quickly enough, the roars of the shinobi that had come to greet them echoed throughout the desert, so loud that it was practically deafening.
Gaara made no comment as they walked closer to the entrance, though he felt proud that he was wearing his Kazekage robe and hat as he was.
The crowd of shinobi cheered even louder as they came to the threshold of the village, the three of them walking quietly while the sand cocoon containing Lee floated behind them. The Suna shinobi appeared confused as to why it appeared he was carrying a body in the sand, but since he hadn't been part of the group that had left they were just happy that their leader hadn't been hurt.
As he saw the crowd part at the entrance, Shikamaru swore under his breath and put out his cigarette into the sand. He removed his backpack and passed it to Gaara, who took it without a word.
"What are you doing?" asked a still confused Kankuro.
"Just preparing myself…"
Gaara took several steps back, and Kankuro saw that it would probably be wise for him to do the same.
Silhouetted at the opening leading to the entrance of the village was a single figure with its arms crossed over its chest. The wind that constantly blew around the village made its hair flare up, and it laid its eyes on its target quickly.
Even in a braced stance designed to mitigate charging damage, Shikamaru was still completely destroyed as the figure slammed into him at an ungodly pace and sent his body skidded back into the sand in front of the village.
Kankuro grinned at the scene, and even Gaara struggled to keep a slight smirk from his face as Shikamaru groaned under the weight of his pregnant wife. They hadn't been gone more than a few weeks, but a small stomach had begun to emerge on the usually well-built Jounin, though it didn't seem to stop her as she held his wrists and sat on top of him like he was a rundown gazelle.
Temari's bright eyes stared down at her defeated husband, "Hi."
"I can see you are doing well," said Shikamaru at a dull tone.
"Is that how you greet your wife?" asked Temari with a shocked expression.
Shikamaru struggled to wave his hands under her tight grip, "You have me at a disadvantage here."
His blonde wife looked up at the Suna shinobi looking at them. "What the hell are you staring at?"
The shinobi all shuffled away uncomfortably, leaving the two of them in front of the Suna village. Gaara and Kankuro had entered the village already, with the Kazekage aiming to drop off Lee to the hospital and have a few words with Sakura before going back to his office.
Temari nodded to herself upon seeing them leave and turned back to her husband. Almost immediately her expression changed and she buried her face into his chest.
Her grip lessened as he could feel her sobbing into his shirt. Without changing his normal expression, Shikamaru pulled his hands up and around her back.
"I was so worried…"
"It's alright, I'm here now. I'm sorry for being gone so long."
oOoOoOo
A week later, Gaara sat at his desk rubbing his temples lightly. It had been years since he'd been unable to sleep; he'd forgotten how debilitating it was.
Within his head he could hear Shukaku raging about, ranting unintelligibly in deafeningly loud tones.
A knock on the door caused him to stare up at his door and attempt to filter out the raging of his Tailed Beast. "Come in."
His top advisor walked into the office with a large stack of papers in his hands. Shikamaru nodded his acknowledgement of his leader and placed the papers on his desk. He wasn't sure why Gaara had been giving him more work than usual, but it kept him in the office and for the moment that was fine by him.
"Still not sleeping?"
Gaara sighed and shook his head, immediately regretting that he had done so. "He just won't shut up. It's getting worse."
"Well I just came back from talking with Sakura. I'm glad you've allowed her to stay. It means a lot for her and the rest of us too."
"She doesn't represent a threat to the village anymore. While she will be watched, her inability to use chakra anymore allows me to grant her such an amnesty."
Shikamaru looked over at the Kazekage hat and robes that had been sitting on the wall since they had come back from the summit. "Are you sure about this? You only just came back."
Gaara slowly stood up from his seat, "It would appear I have no choice. I'm in no condition to lead like this."
"It's probably a trap, you know. Even though none of you transformed, they probably know of your strengths."
His leader didn't say anything in response; he knew Shikamaru was probably right.
"There will be questions," said Shikamaru grimly, feeling the urge to light up another cigarette.
The Kazekage looked over at his hat and robes for a moment before sighing and picking up his gourd with one hand. "When they ask, you will tell them I am training for the next fight. The villagers trust you as one of their own; they know your judgement is the same as if it were coming from me."
"It's still a lot of power to be giving me." Shikamaru sighed and stared out into the night, "You know I had no ambition for leadership whatsoever. I just wanted to settle down with a nice quiet girl…"
"Marrying my sister sort of goes against those plans…"
Shikamaru chuckled and pulled out a cigarette, "Don't remind me. I'm not allowed to smoke in the house anymore because it's bad for the baby."
"Yes…well…good luck with that." Gaara put out his hand and Shikamaru took it reluctantly. "I am grateful for your assistance, Shikamaru. I hope that I'll be able to bring back some good news."
"Knowing him, he'll show up."
Shikamaru watched the Kazekage leave his office without another word, closing the door behind him.
I hope you find what you are looking for. The Quiraji won't retaliate for a while, but I know you aren't taking a break either.
oOoOoOo
Gaara didn't waste any time flying out of the village under the cover of night. He wasn't too sure where he was going, and the possibility that it was a trap wasn't negligible, but something within him told him that it was important that he went.
Will you be there too, Naruto? It's clear something is calling us Tailed Beast containers together, and while they said the Nine-Tails was killed, I find that hard to believe.
Leaving the village behind him, Gaara couldn't shake the feeling that something might happen to it while he was gone. With one of their most important leaders dead, it was unlikely that they would be able to muster a counterattack so quickly, and Sunagakure wouldn't be there first target.
Otogakure huh? Will you be able to weather the next few months? This war isn't going to be easy on any of us.
While he watched the landscape beneath him move quickly by, Gaara let out a long breath and concentrated on the strange sound. Considering how much Shukaku was complaining, he judged it to be very important, though he knew Shikamaru had a good point.
It probably is a trap.
Author's Note:
If anyone couldn't guess, I've taken some liberties with Han's character. Since he's one of the Tailed Beasts that had been given basically zero character development, I thought it might be interesting to have him be like…I don't know…Hannibal Lector. It'll be more developed in the next chapter, as with all the Tailed Beasts.
Just a warning, next weekend I'm going to be in a different state and won't be able to do any writing. So the next chapter will most likely be delayed by a few days. Sorry about that.
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.