Chapter 3
A solemn nod. Eyes shining with determination and thought.
"I see. So you are saying that there are ghosts and ghouls and goblins that will come out tonight, yes?"
Gaara glared at his green-clad friend.
"No. I said nothing of the sort."
"Lee," Neji interjected, "Gaara was saying that the kage see a real possibility of the revival of the dead happening tonight. As impossible as it sounds, this is a serious matter."
Lee again nodded seriously. Neji regarded him with narrowed eyes and terse lips that threatened to curl into (even more of) a frown.
Behind the three, Temari, Kankuro, and Tenten strolled down the street, chattering about the possible events to come.
"It's hard to believe," Tenten admitted.
"I'm not sure I believe it either," Temari replied.
Ahead of them, they saw Neji grab Lee by his shoulders and shake him, ignoring the protests of the victim in question.
"Seems the same goes for Lee," Kankuro surmised.
"Well, what can you —"
Tenten's gaze darted to her right.
"Oh! Sorry, this is our stop. Lee! Neji!"
Her friends turned toward her, with Neji then taking notice of her gaze.
The Hyuga released his rival.
"It seems we are here. Sorry, but we still have some things to take care of."
He turned to Gaara.
"If I don't see you tonight, be assured that I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
The man then turned and entered the building behind him.
Lee bowed to Gaara.
"I am sorry! Like Neji said, we must continue preparing for tonight. But I look forward to seeing you then! And I will be the scariest shinobi there — ow! Tenten, why —"
"Give it a rest, Lee!"
She grabbed the energetic teen and began pushing him through the doorway.
"Sorry about all this. See you guys tonight!"
And with that she vanished into the building.
Kankuro sighed.
"That kid's way too energetic."
"He's still a weirdo, I see," Temari remarked.
"Let's go."
Gaara resumed walking, his siblings quickly following.
"Are we headed in anywhere particular, or…"
Kankuro rested his arms behind his head and idly looked about. Shoppers milled around the sidewalks, the asphalt streets devoid of traffic. Storefronts displayed wares and drew customers' eyes with works of festive paper mache and cardboard.
The older boy stopped, his siblings continuing a few steps before noticing his absence.
"Hey, Gaara, we should get a pumpkin. I heard there's a carving contest tonight."
Kankuro knelt before a display of orange fruits, varied in size.
Gaara crossed his arms.
"I get the feeling you're taking tonight's events too lightly."
Temari frowned.
"How did you know about the contest if you didn't even know about the festival in the first place?"
The hooded boy was unperturbed by their comments, smirking as he lifted a small pumpkin.
"Once you mentioned it, I saw the flyers all over the place."
Temari huffed.
"Put it down. We have work to do," Gaara instructed.
Before Kankuro could reply or heed his brother's orders, the sound of a dainty bell jangled in their ears, and a door to their left opened.
"Welcome! How can I help… you…"
Ino's smile faded and her eyes widened. The trio stared blankly back in similar surprise.
"Gaara?"
The siblings turned around to see Shikamaru and Choji, the latter carrying a cardboard box.
The duo passed them and approached Ino.
"Here's the stuff you asked for," Choji said.
Ino nodded.
"Thanks. You can set it down inside."
As Choji did as he was told, Shikamaru eyed the siblings warily.
"What brings you to this part of town? You didn't strike me as the flower type."
Kankuro grinned and tossed the pie pumpkin he held in the air before catching it one-handedly.
"It's Halloween, y'know?"
Temari smirked.
"And you didn't strike me as the type of guy who could be bothered to care what we're doing."
Laughter met the genius's ears as his two friends snickered at him.
The siblings could see his inner mind mouthing, "What a drag."
"We're checking the town in light of intel I received," Gaara stated. "We've already talked with Naruto, and then Lee."
The three friends mimicked Sakura and Naruto's earlier confusion.
"According to the Kage Communications Network, tonight the dead will rise."
Mouths gaped, but irked by prior experiences, Gaara carried on.
"It is not in accordance with Halloween traditions. It has nothing to do with costumes or pranks. This is a real threat that the kage believe could come to fruition."
While Choji and Ino remained in a wordless stupor, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
"That's bad."
Gaara nodded.
"I'm afraid I can't give you any more info than that. That's all we know for now. Have you happened to see anything unusual?"
The slacker's eyes widened and he turned to his friends, who had similar expressions of realization.
"That guy!" Ino exclaimed.
"His eyes!" Choji added.
"Please explain."
Shikamaru grew grim.
"Earlier, a group of three in black cloaks stopped to ask for directions to the hotel. A man with orange hair, a woman with blue hair, and a redheaded man with ringed eyes."
Gaara absorbed the information with weight, and Temari put a hand to her hip.
"Ringed eyes? Like Gaara's?"
Shikamaru shook his head.
"No. Like rings on his eyeballs. Like a ripple in the water."
Kankuro grimaced.
"Ew."
Urgently, Gaara turned to his siblings.
"This is no time for disgust. Let's find him."
Curt nods.
"Right!"
The trio hurried off, leaving Shikamaru and his friends tense at the storefront.
Coos of awe.
"It's huge."
"It's a waste."
A reserved smile.
"Whatever it is, should we go in there meanwhile?"
The man and woman turned to their companion in surprise. The tan building a block away looked down on them in anticipation.
"In the government tower? I didn't know you had a sense of humor," Konan retorted.
Nagato smiled, cuing laughter from his friend.
"You've been in a really good mood lately, Nagato. What's up?"
Nagato crossed his arms.
"Just trying to lighten the mood before tonight."
Yahiko responded. Nagato smiled and nodded, but caught Konan's watchful gaze out of the corner of his eye. He narrowed his eyes and turned back to the spiky-haired man.
"Let's continue looking around the city."
A serious facade covered Yahiko's face.
"You're right. We don't have any time to lose."
The trio continued strolling around town, pointing out landmarks, predicting traffic flows, and noting routes of escape.
"Whoa."
Blocks away from the large government building stood another tower, slimmer in size and tripled in height. The needle-like building jutted into the sky, cutting a modern look against the sky's blue backdrop. Toward its top, the needle widened. A sparkle in the sky keyed them in to the floor-length windows that surrounded its circumference.
"That should be Sky Tower," Konan observed, eyes still glued to the striking building. "It's a five-star restaurant."
"Five-star…" Yahiko repeated, eyes on the building, but focused far off.
A gurgling sound snapped attention down below.
Stares fell upon Yahiko, who too, looked down at his grumbling stomach.
"Restaurant, more like," Nagato chimed.
The other man frowned stubbornly.
"I'm fine!"
"Do we have any change?"
"Hey!"
Yahiko's protests were ignored as Konan consulted Nagato.
The redhead smiled.
"Don't worry about it. You two keep looking around. We passed a market street back there. I'll buy something to eat."
Yahiko frowned.
"Sorry for the trouble."
With a wave, Nagato dismissed his worries and headed off.
A clattering and a thud. The body fell supine before him, glassy eyes dead set on his feet.
"This is…"
"A collectible, you could say. Or would you prefer… an incentive?"
A grunt of recognition. He crossed his stitch-marked arms.
"And tonight, you claim he will —"
The masked man nodded.
"You'll see for yourself. About cost, you can take whatever you want. In the dream world, money will have no relevance. Unless you desire it, that is."
Beneath his face mask, the man smirked.
"Interesting. You've captured my interest."
The masked man turned around, his deal completed.
"Good. I've heard a party isn't complete without a zombie. Or a few."
Gaara looked left. Right. He turned around and sighed.
"Where is Kankuro?" He asked, facing over his shoulder to address his sister.
The girl mimicked his actions.
"Gaara!"
"Oh, there he is," Temari observed.
The hooded teen ran across the street, darting from seemingly nowhere.
"Gaara! Bad news!"
A furrowed brow.
"What is it?"
"Did you find the ringed man?" Temari asked.
Kankuro shook his head.
"No. Look at the TV."
Glancing around, the siblings saw zero screens before them. Kankuro hastily gestured at them to follow him.
Rounding a corner, they met a storefront lined with box television sets, the channels all tuned to various news stations. But one story dominated them all.
The siblings' eyes widened, glued to the screens.
"Deidara… escaped?"
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