Author's Note: I have the feeling that readers were expecting this chapter more than any other. Can't imagine why. Anyway, enjoy:
Chapter 60:
Calm Skies
or
Time to counterattack
Forests of the Land of Fire
"Well, do you plan on using my power yet? Because frankly, I can't see how the situation can get any worse," the Seven Tails deadpanned. "And not even my luck is going to be enough to get you out of this."
"Shut up already!" Fu shouted out loud.
Despite not wanting to admit it, the situation was dire. Kakuzu managed to take her down from the sky with a powerful long range attack involving both fire and wind. Once down, one of the first things the Akatsuki did was to rip her wings out of her back. While they would regrow after a good night of sleep, she was now deprived of her greatest asset for survival.
It was then when his goons moved for the kill.
She was now in the middle of a thick forest, cornered against a cluster of trees, with no escape route. If she was at her best, she could easily crush them, but so far, she only managed to keep them at bay. She was too weakened to offer proper resistance.
She noticed an Iwa missing-nin making several hand seals.
"Earth Release: Rock Crusher!"
A shadow alerted Fu of the three giant boulders that suddenly appeared above her, before gravity pulled them down.
"They're probably expecting me to dodge them, and another one will attack me while I'm vulnerable," Fu thought, as her muscles tensed while she prepared to counterattack. "They're in for a surprise then!"
Even if she could no longer fly, the Taki kunoichi shot into the sky with a mighty leap, shattering an incoming boulder with a powerful punch, and another one with her other punch. She then spun mid air, and kicked the last boulder back to the Iwa nin.
"Shit!" the Iwa missing-nin cursed, as he ran away before being crushed by his own attack.
While Fu was busy, a Konoha missing-nin made hand seals on his own in order to capitalize Fu's predicament.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
A volley of fireballs flew towards Fu as she fell to the ground. Of course, that didn't mean that the Taki jinchuriki was helpless in the slightest, as her hands quickly formed several hand seals in return.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Fu expelled a massive amount of water from her mouth, which formed a circular wall around her, successfully absorbing the volley of fireballs flying at her, resulting in a cloud of smoke that blinded both sides from each other.ç
"Good, this steam curtain should give me a few seconds to breathe," Fu thought.
"I know I'm being repetitive, but you could-" the Seven Tails piped in.
"Shut up! I'm not using your power! I know what happens when I do! Sure, I could defeat these guys easily, and even the Akatsuki as well! But then what? I couldn't stop you from going on a rampage!" Fu angrily replied. "I'm not letting innocents die because of you!"
"At the cost of your own life? How heroic. Too bad you aren't only putting your life on the line," the Tailed Beast dryly replied. "And if you haven't noticed, these guys are merely wearing you down. The Akatsuki is still watching from afar. And once you're weak enough, he'll move and end this fight in one hit."
"Oh, he's going to need more than just one hit if he wants to-"
"Everybody, attack at once! Even if we can't see her, she's still there!" one of the missing nin shouted. "I can hear her somewhere inside the cloud, rambling about something!"
"You...you weren't speaking out loud when you were talking to me, right?" the incredulous Seven Tails asked. "RIGHT!?"
Fu laughed awkwardly. "...perhaps?"
"How did you last this long it's beyond me. Next time I hear Gyuki complaining about his human, and I'm going to suggest a trade and see how-"
The Tailed Beast's rambling was interrupted by a volley of fireballs, watery missiles, rocks, kunai and shuriken appearing from the cloud of steam, flying directly at her.
"OH SHIT!" Fu yelled as her hands scrambled to form the correct right seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Fu blew a massive gust of wind that was able to push back the kunai and shuriken, and even dispelled the water attacks. However, not only it failed to stop the stone projectiles, but it magnified the power of the fireballs coming at her.
"This is going to hurt," Fu whimpered.
"YOU DON'T SAY!?" The Seven Tails sarcastically replied.
The rocks and fireballs found their mark, resulting in a massive explosion that hurled Fu into the air, as well as taking down several of the trees behind the jinchuriki. The mint haired girl fell back to the ground with a loud thud, as Kakuzu's thugs cheered in victory. Fu, however, managed to summon enough strength to get back on her feet, if barely.
Perched on a tree branch, Kakuzu was looking the ongoing fight, carefully analyzing Fu's strengths and weaknesses. His information already stated that the girl was powerful beyond belief, but it wasn't until he saw Fu's extraordinary resistance and toughness that he understood the whole extent of it.
"It doesn't matter now. After a whole day of flying, then fighting for so many hours, she can barely stand. There's no reason to drag this any longer," Kakuzu decided, as he jumped from the tree branch, and landed on the ground below. "Everybody, stand back. I'll deal the final blow. I can't risk you lot accidentally killing her."
The others nodded, and followed Kakuzu's instructions, while he dangerously came closer to claim his prize. Fu tried to back away, but she tripped, and fell flat on her butt.
"So this is it...it's too late to use your power?" Fu weakly asked, as feelings of primal fear and desperation crawled on her back.
"Girl, even I'm amazed at how much luck I can bring," the Seven Tails cryptically answered.
"Uh, what do you-?" Fu was about to ask, before several whistles could be heard.
Multiple arrows made of chakra rained upon Kakuzu, which was forced to stop, and take a few steps back.
"What the...?" the Akatsuki wondered aloud, before a loud, sharp whirring noise filled the air.
"Wind Release: Cyclone Vortex!"
A massive tornado came from above, catching the Akatsuki off guard, and violently hurling him against a tree, which was instantly snapped in two. Amazingly, the Akatsuki didn't appear too hurt by such a brutal onslaught, and got back on his feet without much difficulty.
Several ninja landed around her in a protective formation. It took her a few seconds, but she ended up realizing who they were.
"Alright, hunt's over, you jackasses! So scram unless you want to get your butts kicked!" Kiba shouted, with Akamaru barking in agreement.
"Yeah, if you want to get your dirty hands on her, you'll have to go through us first!" Tamaki added, as three blades appeared on both of her gauntlets with a 'snikt' sound.
The missing-nin snarled at the newcomers, as they cautiously stepped back.
"You sounded like you were having a good time hurting my girlfriend," Shino coldly said, as he spread his arms. Swarms of beetles emerged from both his sleeves. "Let's see if you're that bold now that the numbers are more even."
"Alright, we'll leave hand to hand combat to you three, we'll cover you from behind," Haku said, as he and Hinata tensed their chakra bows, producing another arrow each, which was pointed at Kakuzu.
"Guys...you came!" Fu squealed, trying to hold back her tears. "Lucky Seven is really worthy of her name!"
"Thank goodness we reached her in time. A few seconds late, and Akatsuki would have claimed another jinchuriki," Naruto said, sighing in relief. His expression then turned sharp with determination the moment his golden eyes rested on Kakuzu. "So, you want to see if you can finish the job? Please say yes."
"Whoa!" Hinata said in shock, almost taking a step back.
"Hinata-hime? What's wrong?" Naruto asked his girlfriend.
"That Akatsuki...I don't know what's with him, but his chakra system and his organs...they look like nothing I've seen before!" Hinata replied in shock and even some horror, unable to tear her sight apart from Kakuzu.
"Explain," Kakashi instructed.
"His body...is a jumbled mess of multiple organs, held together by some sort of wires. I'm seeing several hearts...and his chakra network looks like several networks intermingled together...is he even human?" Hinata wondered aloud.
"You have a keen eye, girl," Kakuzu mentioned. "You look like a Hyuga, but that's definitely not a Byakugan. What are those eyes?"
"It's a long story. One I'm not keen on sharing with a mortal enemy," Hinata harshly replied, as she fixed a hard stare on the Akatsuki. First Sasori, and now this man. Where did Akatsuki find these inhuman freaks?
"Kakuzu-sama, what do we do?" a missing-nin from Kumo asked, his fearful tone clearly indicating he wasn't expecting such huge opposition.
Kakuzu reviewed his options. Even if he fought with all he had, sacrificed both his hired thugs and even some of his hearts to retrieve the girl, the odds weren't that good. Among this group of Konoha ninjas, he only recognized Kakashi Hatake, somebody skilled enough to give him a hard time, and the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. Then there was the Hyuga with the weird eyes, which gave the Taki missing-nin very bad vibes. The other four looked unremarkable, but underestimating them would be a mostly unwise thing to do.
He also noticed the blond's appearance. Their data stated that the Fox's jinchuriki had blue eyes, yet his were golden. And those markings around his eyes, could that be...senjutsu? If that was the case, he was seriously outmatched. Even with Hidan at his side, it would be a battle really hard to win.
"You win this round, jinchuriki," Kakuzu conceded. "But know this: your village is pretty much in our hands now. You have three days to come to us peacefully. For each passing day past that limit that you fail to show up, we will kill ten Takigakure inhabitants, ninja or civilian. For your people's sake, I hope we do meet again soon. Everybody, fall back!"
The hired missing-nin were relieved that their leader had chosen to retreat to fight another day. Almost in unison, they all leaped away, and disappeared among the trees, followed by Kakuzu.
"Fu!" the Chunin of the Animal Squad shouted, as they rushed to hug her.
"Guys, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Fu gushed, as tears fell down her cheeks.
"You're hurt. Let me heal you," Shino offered, as he placed a hand on one of her visible wounds, which started to glow with a green light.
"Fu, that Akatsuki said that your village was his. Can you explain what did he mean?" Kakashi asked, shedding his usual nonchalant tone for a far more serious one.
Fu nodded, and as Shino healed her, she told the Konoha ninja about Takigakure's attack, how those two Akatsuki and their army had pretty much crushed what resistance they had put up, mostly to get their hands on her and extract her Tailed Beast. She wasn't sure if Shibuki was still alive, but she hoped for the best.
"Akatsuki is far more powerful than we feared if they were able to take down a ninja village with such ease and celerity," Haku grimly noted. He remembered far too well the massive efforts the Kiri rebellion had to make in order to have a chance at conquering the city.
"It would be in any other village's case, but in Takigakure, not so much," Shino interjected.
"Huh? Why do you say that, Shino?" Naruto asked.
"Takigakure is one of the least populated ninja villages," it was Fu who replied. "And as such, most of our ninjas are always out doing missions in order to bring money to the village. That means that we don't have that many people protecting the village in case of attack."
"If that's the case, how is that your village hasn't been invaded before?" Haku asked.
"Because our village is actually hidden. Every way to enter the village is a fiercely guarded secret," Fu mentioned.
"It's true. Not even I have been considered trustworthy enough to be made privy of such secrets. Whenever I came to the village, I was told to put on a bag on my head as a ninja lead me both inside and outside," Shino explained.
"Wait, then how do your potential clients can ask for missions, if they can't even enter the village?" Kiba asked.
"We do have several outposts on nearby towns that take mission requests which are then sent to the village for their approval," Fu explained. "It may sound bothersome, but Takigakure has a pretty high rate of S-Rank missions successfully completed."
As Fu finished her brief explanation of how her village worked, Shino had also finished healing her.
"Okay, I healed most of your injuries, but it would be better if you were checked at a hospital, just in case. Can you stand up?" the Aburame heir asked.
"Yeah, thank you," Fu replied, as she got back on her feet. Then, almost all Konoha ninja minus Shino and Kakashi flinched and gasped. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Just...WHAT THE HELL DO THEY FEED YOU!?" Naruto screamed.
While Naruto's reaction might seem exaggerated, it was far from unwarranted. Everybody remembered Fu as the short, scrawny girl whose massive strength was deceptive. It wasn't the case anymore.
Fu had grown. A lot. Now that she was standing up, they could see she pretty much towered above all her Konoha friends, standing a full head taller, and even had a few centimeters on Kakashi. And that was far from her only change. Her previous scrawny build had vanished, replaced by a far more muscular one, and while not as curvaceous as Hinata or even Tamaki, she still retained a feminine figure. Her affinity for extremely revealing white clothes remained the same, though.
"Wow, now that I get a better look at you guys...you got so short!" Fu observed, almost giggling. "I thought it was just Shino, but it seems that you Konoha guys need to eat more greens!"
"Sorry to interrupt this moment, but we need to take Fu back to Konoha. You can talk and do some catch up later," Kakashi interjected.
Nobody could deny the truth in those words, as they all nodded, and headed towards Konoha.
…
Takigakure, a few hours later
Hidan took a deep breath, and exhaled, moaning a little. He was in such good mood. He didn't remember when was the last time he witnessed such a blood spilling of this scale, and he was going to savor every second of it, make sure the sight of the corpses everywhere, burning buildings and overall wanton destruction would be burned into his retinas for the rest of his life.
Jashin-sama was happy, he could feel it in his heart. He had ample opportunity to use his Curse jutsu with powerful ninjas, the kind of sacrifice his god valued the most. In turn, Hidan's strength had multiplied, and would remain at that level in the foreseeable future.
The Takigakure defenders had surrendered already; those who were alive were on their knees with their arms on the back of their heads. Who would have guessed that taking over a village was so easy?
"Hidan-sama?" one of his cultists asked, as he walked towards him. "The village is now secured. Those who refused to surrender have been killed or managed to escape."
"Good. You did a good service to Jashin-sama, acolyte. You should feel proud," Hidan praised the cultist.
"Thank you," the acolyte said, making a slight bow. "What shall we do with the prisoners? Should we sacrifice them?"
"Tempting, but for the time being, let's keep them alive. I'd like to have some stock for the future," Hidan instructed. "Besides, I know for a fact that Kakuzu would get mad as shit if I decided to do something like that without asking him first, and I don't want my good mood to be ruined by one of his fucking dressing downs. Lock them down somewhere safe."
"As you wish, Hidan-sama," the acolyte replied, as he went to communicate Hidan's instructions to the rest of their forces.
At that moment, a group of ninjas entered the village. Everybody was startled for a bit, but relaxed upon realizing that they were part of their own forces, lead by the other Akatsuki.
"Speaking of the devil, he took his sweet time to get his sorry ass back," Hidan said, as he walked towards his partner. "Oi, Kakuzu!"
Kakuzu didn't greet Hidan. The Jashin high priest noticed that Kakuzu looked dour. Well, dourer than usual, since that mask made the Taki missing-nin a bit hard to read. The fact that he didn't appear to have the jinchuriki with him probably had something to do with it. He was holding something in one of his hands.
"Hey, why the long face?" Hidan asked in an irritatingly teasing tone. "No jinchuriki? Did she escape you, uh? Hehe!"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at Hidan, and clenched his fists. But refrained himself from attacking.
"Yes, the jinchuriki escaped, regrettably so. She was somehow able to call for reinforcements from another village," Kakuzu told his partner. He then took a look at the ravaged village. "It seems like things have gone well since my absence."
"They would have gone better if you did your job and caught the fucking girl," Hidan needled him, before deciding to ask about the item Kakuzu was carrying. "What the hell is that?"
Kakuzu showed Hidan what appeared to be a pair or rather large insect wings. "I managed to tear her wings apart. Though I admit I don't know if she can regrow them."
"Hehe, you did brought something of the jinchuriki after all. Too bad that shit's worthless," Hidan laughed. Upon seeing Kakuzu's scowl, he decided to change the topic. "But yeah, the village is pretty much ours now. I ordered all our prisoners to be locked up. It is okay with you?"
"Yes, you did good," Kakuzu nodded. "Even if the jinchuriki escaped from our grip, we still have this village and a good chunk of its inhabitants under our control. She will return, sooner rather than later."
"You know she won't return alone, right?" Hidan told him.
"I'm aware of the possibility. In fact, I already met some of the ninjas that she'll probably bring with her in an effort to take the village back," Kakuzu replied.
"And what are we going to do then? Should we ask help from Akatsuki?" Hidan asked.
Kakuzu shook his head. "No. She will make the mistake of thinking that we care about keeping this village. We'll use that for our advantage. Is the Takigakure leader alive?"
"Nobody touched him since you ordered it. How is more money going to solve anything?" Hidan asked, rolling his eyes.
"I wasn't talking about the bounty. Well, not yet. I noticed that the girl was quite attached to him. Listen, Hidan, this is what we're going to do..."
…
Konoha, a few hours later
The sun was starting to set when the group of eight finally arrived at Konoha. Exhaustion started to wash over their bodies, as they finally allowed themselves to relax, knowing that, for the time being, danger had finally passed.
"I think it's too late to give the Hokage the report of our mission, so we'll give it to him tomorrow," Kakashi decided, before his eye rested on Fu. "Now, I think that the first thing to do is to send you to the hospital to check that you're okay, or get you fixed if there's something that's not."
"I feel fine," Fu happily replied. "I really don't need to go."
"It's better not to take any chances. Come on, I'll walk you there," Shino offered.
Fu let out a defeated sigh, and slouched childishly. "Okaaaaay..."
"As for you, Naruto, the moment you see Hokage-sama, you should tell him of what had transpired in Taki. We're going to take decisive actions against the threat of the Akatsuki," Kakashi told the blond.
Naruto nodded in return. "I was planning to. Thankfully Taki is an ally of Konoha, so this won't be seen as meddling into another village's affair."
"Technically speaking, that's not the case anymore," Haku interjected. Upon seeing Naruto's confused stare, he elaborated. "Just like how Kiri's old alliances were nullified when Mei took over, Taki is now under Akatsuki's control. Their alliance with Konoha is void until the previous regime is reinstated."
"Even then, I doubt any village will take us attacking a village occupied by Akatsuki as a pretext for war," Naruto replied. "If they do, they'd be pledging their support to the organization."
"A fair point. But there's still much to discuss before we decide what to do," Kakashi replied. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. Now try to get some rest all of you."
And the silver haired Jonin Body Flickered away, leaving a poof of smoke behind.
"Let's better do what Kakashi-sensei said. After running so fast toward Taki, and then back to Konoha, I'm kind of tired," Kiba mentioned. Akamaru yawned emphatically.
"Then it's a good thing we didn't have to fight, or else you'd be so exhausted, you wouldn't have been of any help," Tamaki sneered, giggling a little.
"Even asleep, I sure can be of more help that you at your best," Kiba fired back. "Come on Akamaru, let's go home."
Tamaki just stuck her tongue at the Inuzuka, before she let put a yawn. "I think I'll go home as well. See you later, guys."
With Tamaki gone, the Assault Squad was left alone.
"You know, sometimes I wonder when those two are going to get together," Hinata commented, letting out a giggle.
"I know, right? Their constant bickering is starting to get stale," Haku added.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked his teammates.
"Kiba-kun and Tamaki-san," Hinata replied.
"Those two? Getting together?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "But they are constantly arguing!"
"Yeah. But deep down, they do care a lot for each other. They're simply afraid of confronting their mutual feelings," Hinata explained. "When they met, their animosity was genuine, but as soon as they got to know each other better, those feelings changed. They're simply too stubborn to admit it."
"None of the couples I know ever behave that way," Naruto pointed out.
"Maybe not at the beginning, but some started out that way. They won't argue as much once they move past that childish phase," Haku added as well.
"Well, I'm so glad that Hinata-hime and I were never that way. Otherwise, it would have suck," Naruto said.
"Just like how not all persons are the same, not all couples are the same either. We did start out as friends, but that doesn't necessarily apply to everybody," Hinata told him. "Anyway, I think I'm heading home. I have to apologize to Hanabi-chan for leaving in the middle of her fight. I also have to ask her how did it go."
"Oh damn, the Chunin Exams! I totally forgot about that!" Naruto sheepishly admitted. "I better do the same with Hagane and Kaida. Maybe I should buy them something just in case."
"Your little siblings seem to demand a lot from you," Haku observed. "I'm kind of worried about the time Seiichi-kun grows up."
After that, the three members of the Assault Squad went their separate ways.
…
The next day, just like with their own Chunin Exams, the promotion ceremony took place in front of the Hokage's Tower. So far, only one team was found worthy of being promoted to Chunin, and to no one's surprise, it was that composed by Hanabi, Hagane and Kaida. The three of them were proudly standing in the podium, holding their diplomas and flak jackets.
"Despite their youth and relative lack of experience, these girls and boy have proven in front of everybody that they're more than deserving of the Chunin rank! Let's give them the congratulations they deserve!"
The public loudly cheered and clapped, as the newly minted Chunin smiled and waved at them. before they finally stepped down and joined the crowd, heading towards their respective families. Hikari, Hinata, and a group of other Hyugas were expecting Hanabi.
"Look mother, Chunin on my first try, just like nee-chan!" Hanabi proudly announced.
"In fact, you managed to become Chunin a year younger than I was," Hinata pointed out, smiling. "Then again, of the two of us, you're the one with the most talent, Hanabi-chan."
Hanabi crossed her arms, and frowned. "Yeah, sure. I know you only said that to make me feel better. You don't have to. I'm not a baby, you know? I'm aware of how strong you are, even before the Tenseigan."
"But Hanabi-chan, for mother and I you'll always be our baby," Hinata said, giggling.
Hanabi stuck her tongue at her sister, before she went to show her trophies to the rest of the Hyugas gathered there. Hinata, meanwhile, shook her head.
"Hanabi-chan's so blinded by her admiration towards me, that she can't see how much farther than me is she going to go," Hinata said.
"No matter how much stronger than you Hanabi becomes, she'll never stop kissing the ground you walk. You're an amazing big sister, Hinata," Hikari praised her, making Hinata to blush a little.
"Well...I try," Hinata sheepishly replied.
"Especially after you passed her half of your Six Paths Chakra so she could awaken a Tenseigan as well," Hikari recalled. "She will never forget such a gesture, no matter what."
"I felt it was the right thing to do. I meant everything I said when you appointed me as the new clan head," Hinata firmly replied.
"By the way, how is the training with the Tenseigan going?" Hikari asked.
"Slowly, but we're progressing," Hinata replied. "We're still having some trouble with the flight, though."
"Flight is a very rare ability, so you won't find many teachers," Hikari pointed out. "As far as I know, there's a jutsu used in Iwa that allows one to fly by making reducing your weight. However, it's a fiercely guarded secret that's only taught from one Tsuchikage to the next. There may be another jutsu that allows one to fly, but I don't know any other."
"Wait...I do know somebody who can fly," Hinata's lips formed a smile. "In fact, we rescued and brought her to the village not long ago. I think she'll be more than happy to lend Hanabi-chan and I a hand."
Meanwhile, Hagane and Kaida were showing their diploma and flak jackets to their parents (Jiraiya was now among the crowd), Shizune, Shisui, their kids, and finally Naruto.
"It's a pity you had to go on that mission, Naruto-niisan, if you could had seen us," Kaida said.
"All Chunin Exam matches are recorded. I'm sure Naruto will be able to see you once Hokage-sama gives us a tape of it," Shizune pointed out.
"In fact, why don't I ask dad about it now? That way, we can see your matches tonight all together," Naruto suggested with a smile, as he looked at Jiraiya.
"Sure, I'll ask for a copy of the tapes. Being Hokage, there shouldn't be any problem," Jiraiya said with a shrug.
"That would be great!" Kaida agreed, nodding fervently.
"Alright then, it's settled," Naruto replied. "Say, dad, why don't you go to the tower to get the tape, and since we're at it, we discuss the Taki job more thoroughly?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. Now that the Chunin Exams are finally over, I can spend more time and resources on working on the Akatsuki threat. Come on, let's go."
After bidding Tsunade, Shizune and all the kids a "see you later", Naruto and Jiraiya headed to the tower, while the rest went back to their respective homes.
…
Hokage's Tower, Ten Minutes Later
Naruto thought that Jiraiya would take him to his office, but was surprised to see that they actually headed for the council room. There, three people were already waiting: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Rasa, and Mei Terumi.
"Kazekage-dono, Mizukage-dono, sorry for making you stay longer than you intended, but there's an important issue that needs to be addressed, and think it's to your interest," Jiraiya began, sounding ominous. "We got recent news that Takigakure has been invaded and taken over by the Akatsuki."
Both his fellow Kages and his predecessor Hokage reacted immediately. Shock was more evident in Rasa and Mei's faces, while Sarutobi merely frowned.
"C-Come again?" Mei asked, almost choking.
"That's...unbelievable..." Rasa added. "I know Akatsuki is powerful, but to think that they can topple a ninja village like that..."
"If I remember correctly, Takigakure had a jinchuriki. The only of the minor villages to have one," Hiruzen recalled. "What has been of them? Do Akatsuki have yet another Tailed Beast?"
"Thankfully no," it was Naruto who replied. "Fu, the jinchuriki, managed to contact me through the link of our Tailed Beasts, and we could save her before it was too late. She's now in Konoha, under our protection."
"If Akatsuki knows that, then this village is also a target for them," Mei somberly noted.
"Konoha's might is much greater than Taki. If they plan to attack our village, they're in for a nasty surprise," Jiraiya firmly stated, angry at the notion of Akatsuki daring to do such a thing.
"I wouldn't be so confident. Akatsuki is growing bolder with each passing day. If they can take down a village, even a minor one, I wouldn't assume they can't do the same with our villages," Rasa noted.
"The difference is that while Suna and Kiri don't have jinchuriki anymore, Konoha now houses two," Mei added.
"It's not the same," Naruto interceded. "Takigakure has a very low number of ninjas compared to our villages, and thus their defense force is much smaller as well. To compensate, their defenses rely mostly on their secret entrances. If somebody finds out about those entrances, well, getting an invading force into the village wouldn't be that hard."
"Even then, it would be wise if we reinforce our own defenses, just in case Akatsuki does dare to attack us," Hiruzen noted. Jiraiya nodded in return.
"Anyway, you can imagine the reason for which I requested your presence here," Jiraiya said. "We can't allow a village, now matter how small, to remain under Akatsuki's control. Konoha is coordinating a counter-attack with those Taki ninjas who escaped the invasion with their lives, or those who were away on missions while the invasion happened. I'd like for Suna and Kiri to lend us a hand, if possible."
A deafening silence fell upon the council room. Rasa was the first one to break it with a heavy sigh, before opening his mouth to speak.
"In another time I would have declined," Rasa admitted. "My loyalty is to Suna and Suna only, but given what Akatsuki did to us, and that if it wasn't for Konoha, my son would be dead, I think I can't decline such requests."
"Think that, by helping us weaken Akatsuki, you'll be protecting Suna from their threat," Hiruzen told Rasa.
Rasa, however, let out a snort. "Akatsuki already took what they wanted from Suna. I seriously doubt that they'll come after us again."
"That's an unwise line of thought, Kazekage-dono. After all, what do you think it will be of Suna, as well as pretty much every ninja village, once Akatsuki fulfill their goal and capture all Tailed Beasts?" Hiruzen asked.
Rasa's face lost all color upon thinking in such scenario. He gulped uneasily. "You make a fair point, Sarutobi-san. Suna will help you in your fight against this threat."
"I'm glad to hear that," Jiraiya said, as he turned his sight on the pregnant Mizukage. "How about you, Mizukage?"
"Given how much Konoha has done for Kiri, I have even less reason than the Kazekage to turn down such request," Mei admitted, smiling. "Not to mention, Sarutobi-san's words hold a lot of truth. We can't let this issue snowball to a point beyond no return. Though keep in mind that, due the distance between our villages, moving Kiri ninjas all the way to Taki might take us a considerable amount of time. When is the counterattack due?"
"As soon as possible. Probably in less than a week's time. We already have a strategy to draw the Akatsuki out of the village, making the counterattack easier," Jiraiya stated.
Mei pondered the Hokage's words. "Very well then. Even if I can't promise that my forces will arrive in time, I'll also send help in the form of food, medicine and other supplies for Taki once the Akatsuki have been ousted and they begin rebuilding."
"Very well, thanks a lot for both your help, Kazekage-dono, Mizukage-dono," Jiraiya said, as both he, Hiruzen and Naruto bowed before them.
"Alright. In that case, I should better return to Suna and prepare our forces for the operation," Rasa stated.
"And I'll do the same as well," Mei replied.
"Alright. Then we can consider this meeting finished. I presume you'd want to return to your home villages as soon as possible," Jiraiya correctly sensed. "I'll start planning the counter-attack with my councilors immediately. I'll send you a toad messenger once we're ready to strike.
The other two Kage nodded, before they stood up and left the room.
…
Training Ground 8
Hinata and Hanabi were standing in front of Fu. The green haired jinchuriki's smile was wider than usual. She cleared her throat before she started to speak.
"Hello, and welcome to Fu's Fantastic Flight lessons! My name is Fu, but you may call me...Fu-sensei, hehe," the bubbly girl giggled. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Hinata and Hanabi looked at each other awkwardly, before a pair of Tenseigan rested on Fu again.
"Okay...what do we do first, Fu-sensei?"
"Let's start with some warm up exercises!" Fu brightly stated, as her two insect-like wings protruded from her back. "First, deploy your wings!"
Once again, the two Hyuga sisters stared at each other awkwardly, until Hanabi raised her hand.
"Yes, mini-Hinata?" Fu asked.
"My name is Hanabi," the annoyed Hyuga youth corrected. "And...we don't have wings."
Fu reacted as if she had a bucket of cold water splashed at her. "Say what?"
"What Hanabi said. We don't have wings," Hinata repeated.
"Then how can you fly?" Fu asked, almost indignant.
"We don't know, we just...can?" Hinata unsurely said.
Then, to prove her words were true, both Hinata and Hanabi's feet stopped touching the grassy ground, as the two sisters elevated about half a meter above it. Fu opened her eyes very wide as her iris shrunk. She then came closer to the floating sisters, and carefully inspected them.
"Amazing..." Fu said in almost a whisper. "You two are clearly floating..." she moved to inspect their backs. "...but you have no visible wings. This is unbelievable!"
"Can you still teach us how to fly?" Hanabi asked.
"Sure!" Fu cheerfully said, her previous amazement vanishing as if it was never there to begin with. "Though your lack of wings threw me off. I'll have to restart my teaching plan from scratch...oh well, improvising is always more fun!"
Hanabi leaned towards Hinata. "Nee-chan, do you think that this girl is qualified to teach us?" the younger sister asked.
"She may look a bit loopy, but Fu-sensei is a very strong kunoichi, and a Jonin. I'm sure we're in good hands," Hinata reassured Hanabi.
"Okay, first of all we should- OH MY GOD, A SQUIRREL!" Fu yelled, as she started chasing the rodent. "Come here, squirrel! I want you to become my pet!"
"...she's the only one who knows how to fly, so she'll have to do," Hinata said, letting out a defeated sigh.
…
Takigakure
On a safe room protected against potential spies, Kakuzu and Hidan were in front of an astral projection of the Akatsuki leader, and that unnamed woman that was always by his side.
"So, you managed to take over your former village, but the jinchuriki escaped, am I right?" the leader asked. Kakuzu's silence was all the answer he needed. "Disappointing."
"Oh come on, we took over a fucking village, give us some slack!" Hidan protested, throwing his hands in the air. "How is this different from what you guys did with Hanzo?"
"Because the world at large thinks that Hanzo is still alive and in charge of Amegakure, and thus nobody suspects that our village is under Akatsuki's control," the woman harshly replied. "On the other hand, you embarked on open warfare. Upon seeing what we can do, the other villages will watch out for us."
"You talk as if that didn't happen already," Kakuzu replied. "Everybody knows our involvement in the Kirigakure Civil War, as well as the village's previous state. Not to mention the ruckus caused by the abduction of the Kazekage's son. Han's capture was easy to hide due his self-imposed isolation, but we won't be able to do the same with the other jinchuriki. Besides, I promised that I'd increase Akatsuki's resources, and I brought a whole village."
"The jinchuriki is more valuable than any village, Kakuzu," the leader replied, fixing a hard stare on him. "Do not let your love for money deviate from what should be your mission. I really hope you have a plan to capture her."
"I do. I told her that for every day that passes before she surrenders to us, we'll start killing her fellow villagers in small groups," Kakuzu mentioned. "Hidan here is more than happy to carry such threat."
Hidan nodded fervently. "So many sacrifices for Jashin-sama...I can't believe we didn't do this before."
"I already anticipated that she'll bring reinforcements to Konoha in an attempt to retake the village. When she appears, taking advantage of the chaos of the ensuing battle, Hidan and I will isolate her and capture her," Kakuzu explained.
"You seem to be really confident in your plan," the woman noted.
"Aren't you afraid of losing the village while you're capturing the jinchuriki?" the leader asked.
"You yourself stated that the village comes second to the jinchuriki. And even if such thing happen, the other villages will think that Akatsuki is weaker than they thought and that there's nothing to be afraid of, prompting them to lower their guard, and making catching future jinchuriki all the easier," Kakuzu explained.
There was a moment of tense silence as the leader pondered Kakuzu's words. He seemed to agreed, as his head moved in a nodding gesture.
"Very well. Given that you two proved to be competent in the past, I'll leave it to you two to fix the mistake you made. I hope to hear from you two soon," the leader omniously said, as he and his female partner's projections disappeared.
Kakuzu exited the safe room, followed by Hidan. The two thugs guarding it stood to attention when their boss walked past them, but quickly relaxed and went to do something else once the new leader of Takigakure no longer required their services. After that, the two Akatsuki exited the building they were in, which was Shibuki's old residence.
"Man, what a dress down leader-sama gave us," Hidan said, sounding amused, as he shook his head. "Are you sure that that bitch is coming back? If I were Konoha, I'd lock the jinchuriki up somewhere safe, toss the key into a river, and kill everybody who knew about her."
"Yes, that would be the wisest thing to do," Kakuzu would never imagined he'd indirectly call the religious fanatic 'wise'. "But given the way Konoha manages its jinchuriki, it won't be the case. She'll want to take part in the counterattack, she will argue that her strength and power are needed to beat us, and those Konoha fools, following feelings over reason, will let her. Then, we will capture her and let this wretched village burn to the ground."
"Leader-sama did make a good point there. Things didn't go according to the plan the last time. Why are you confident they will go now?" Hidan asked.
"The jinchuriki being able to call for help from Konoha being so far from the village was something I would have never foreseen. This time, however, will be different. Now it's our enemies' turn to move," Kakuzu answered. "I had much time to study both Konoha and its current Hokage. I know what they will do. If our goal was to keep this village, then I'd worry. But snatching the jinchuriki will be easy if you do what I say."
"We are always doing what you fucking say," Hidan dryly replied, rolling his eyes.
"Because I'm the one with the most experience. Even if it wasn't the case, I'm also the one with the most common sense," Kakuzu coldly replied, narrowing his eyes at his silver haired partner.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Your plan sounded all nice and shit, but how are we going to isolate the jinchuriki from the rest of the attack force?" Hidan questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Because I doubt that they be willing to leave her alone."
"I'm counting on that. That's where the previous leader of this village, Shibuki, comes to play. When I fought the two of them, I noticed they were pretty close. While they don't look to be related, they treated each other as if they were family. " Kakuzu stated.
"How the fuck does he have to do with this? Do you plan to use him as a hostage or something?" Hidan asked.
"Yes. I'm not going to force the jinchuriki to trade his life for hers, since I know such thing won't work. However, she will more than likely try to free him. But most of the forces will be preoccupied with taking the village back. So we'll take Shibuki away from the battle, to a battleground far away from the village, and we'll make sure no reinforcements can reach her," Kakuzu explained.
"Even then, if she's as retarded as to take the bait, she won't come alone," Hidan pointed out.
"No, she won't. But we should be more than able to deal with any rabble she's assigned as an escort," Kakuzu replied. He then handed Hidan something. "Take this."
Hidan looked at the item puzzled. "What the hell is this?"
Kakuzu explained Hidan what the item in question was.
"I see. But I don't think I'll need it. As long as Jashin-sama is with me, my enemies will never know victory," Hidan boasted.
"I don't doubt that. But keep it with you just in case," Kakuzu said in a warning tone. "Now, one last thing: the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails, a loud mouthed brat, will be more than likely one of the jinchuriki of the Seven Tails' escorts. He's a powerful master of Senjutsu, but I doubt he'll be able to bypass your immortality. I need you to deal with him, but I need you not to kill him either."
Hidan rolled his eyes, and snorted in annoyance. "I'm starting to get sick of this no killing rule..."
"The rule is just for the jinchuriki. You can go broke for the rest for all that I care," Kakuzu dismissively replied.
"In that case, I better prepare some worthy sacrifices to appease Jashin-sama beforehand," Hidan decided.
"Do as you wish. I'm going to prepare the village for the imminent attack, as well as the battlefield where we'll capture at least one jinchuriki," Kakuzu said, before he and his partner went their own ways.
Author's Note: Fu did survive this encounter. I can already hear all your collective gasps of relief.
Though it's not that she came out of this unscratched. Her home village now belongs to Akatsuki, and the man she loved like an older brother is now their prisoner, and they plan to use him as bait for her. And while Fu might enjoy some peace in the next chapter, soon she'll have to address Kakuzu's threat and head to Takigakure in order to help her people.
Thanks to grimlock987 for betareading this chapter.
Not much else to say here. Just tell me your thoughts on this chapter in a review, since reviews make me really, really, really happy.