Sakura holds the scalpel steadily over the dead grotesque pink multi-tentacled brain-creature strapped to the examination table. Ino stood on the other side with medical gloves just like Sakura. Both girls kept their focus upon the creature despite their own look of disgust clearly written in their eyes.
"What-is this thing?"
Ino words shook with unknown fear. The creature was horrible looking and gave off an eerie and disturbing vibe, that made her stomach churn almost making her gag. But she held down, focusing back upon the creature carefully moving and studying the tentacle that Sakura cut off. The smell of the Kraang was ratcheted already, but once Sakura started to dissect the creature and its oozing yellowish fluids started to gush out, the horrible smell only increased. Garbage smelled better than this, even throw up that has been sitting in the hot sun for hours. The fumes where just ghastly and toxic, they couldn't take. Even with cover their mouths and noses with their arm. The girls began to start gagging, and had to rush out the room shutting the door behind them to conceal the smell. Two jonin who where post there by Ao hurry to their side.
"Are you two alright?"
Both girls hunched over gasping and gagging for air. While trying to not vomit from the stench in which they inhaled. It would seem they had been poison by the jonins prospective, which made them panic unsure what to do. If anything happen on their watch with two of the Hokage's pupils, this would not go over well with the Mizukage who was tiredly to make amends with the other villages. What could they do?
Gasping deeply once more, Sakura manages to breath again normally. Wiping her sweaty brow she regains her composure a few seconds Ino follows behind her, coughing hard before her breathing turned back to normal. She gags just a bit, shivering with disgust.
"Are you ok?"Sakura checks her best, who nods her head that she was alright.
Ino eyes looks sharply back to the concealed room."If we're going to finish this,"she stands to her feet helping Sakura up."Then we have to get properly geared."
Sakura nods in agreement."Yeah, one thing is for sure their blood is toxic. We have to be careful, these...whatever they are."Turning to the jonins."We're going to need some masks, filter masks and some extra hands about three, a couple.."
She gives them a list of what they would need to do this dissection to the best of their abilities. After she finishes, the jonins goes off to get what was needed. They watch the man rush up the stairs. An unsettling sigh escapes Ino, prompting Sakura to look at her troubled friend.
"What's wrong?"
Ino seem to be contemplating something with a deep worry. She looks back at the room for a couple of seconds, snapping out of it when Sakura asks her again what was bothering her.
"I was just thinking..."she starts, turning back around to her friend."About May."
Hearing the name Sakura eyes drop."I hope she's alright too."
Ino shakes her head."That's not what I mean, what I mean is...May when she saw that thing. Did you see the recognizable fear in her eyes?"
"What do you mean?"
"It look like May knew that thing in there."
"I don't think she knows it, maybe it was overwhelming for her." Sakura chuckles in disbelief."I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a shock to me too."
"It was for me too, but she was consumed with fear. Like some sort of horrible memory came back, I mean it could be my imagination. Then again, she almost took out Chojuro and she didn't realize it. Until the Mizukage touched her, bringing her back out of whatever her mind was lost in. I'm telling you Sakura, I have this feeling May knows them. She has too. Did you ever go over her notes back in the village."
"Yeah, why?"
"What is mutagen?"
"Well, May defined it as a substance that changes the DNA structure of another. It makes perfect sense, from what we've seen."
"Yeah I know that."
"Then what are you getting at?"Sakura tone becomes slightly confrontational.
Ino looks to her friend concerned, from the pouch attached to her hip she opens it taking out a folded piece of paper and hands it to Sakura. Sakura looks at it for a second before taking it and slowly unfolds it reading it, her eyes couldn't believe what was on the paper. Looking to Ino who look verified what she was reading to be true.
"How did you come by this?"She asked astonished, handing it back to Ino.
Taking it back, Ino briefly skims over the paper with heavy eyes."I went through her notes, and I noticed something amiss with them. Not sure what it was, so I asked Shikamaru if he knew. But he was baffled too, so I went to the village's Cryptanalysis team, Shiho took a look at May's notes and managed to piece it together. Well, what I think it's all of it. She's been making extra notes in her notes. That thing in there, is called a Kraang and that stuff...that green stuff is mutagen. A substance from a place called Dimension X, it mutates others in hideous creatures."
"It does explain why those shinobis look so disfigured. It's from the mutagen, we know it's doing something to their cellular structure. I've seen someone look in so much pain, and that thing in there.."Sakura looks towards the room."Is called a Kraang, what the heck is a Kraang? And where did it come from? What is a Dimension X? Is that where this Kraang came from, and if so how many came here? Why are they here?"
Ino shrugs her shoulders."I don't know, that was all that could be decoded. Like I said before, I think May knows who these are just like those creatures that attacked the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, and when they came to Konohagakure. They knew May and she must know them because she had the same look in her eyes with the Kraang."
"You don't think May would be part of it?" Sakura assumes."She couldn't be...she's to honest..."she locks uncertain eyes with Ino, wanting any sort of clarification. But she could tell her friend was just as uncertain. Leaving an unpleasant taste with them both.
Kakashi meet up with Baki and Ao, to do some scouting in the area that the creature was found in. The water remained still and unmoving, besides the small current waves that brushed up against the land.
"You said it came from the water?"Kakashi studies one particular area.
"Yes, though how it came was interesting."
"What do you mean?"The grey hair shinobi looks at the man.
The disbelief look crossed on Ao face, told Kakashi the man was still baffled. Gesturing for him to follow, Ao leads him just a couple of feet further down edge of the village."What it came in, I don't think anyone in this world has seen it. That little thing was floating around in some sort of small hoovering metal device. There was a couple of them, but we only managed to get the one. Here."
Standing to the side after removing the disguise that hide the Kraang's Floater, a small flight devices with enough room and size to fight just about one of them. Taking caution with this thing, had to admit to himself. Never had seen something like this before, the tech was far advanced than anything he had come across or knew. It was interesting, something definitely to report back to the Hokage about this. That thing and its transportation caused more questions for the man, questions he felt he had an answer to, while at the same time wondered if these questions would be answered. One thing for sure, he knew these things had a connection to Rahzor and his group. Which trickled to the only source he had available, May.
Everything pointed right back to her, which could be consider a good thing, then again not. Thinking back to what he heard her mumble under her breath how she would fix everything. Made him wonder what was it, that she wanted to fix? Despite him being chosen to do this mission, he was given another one by the elders. One he was surprised the Hokage didn't object to, to gather or find any sort of proof if May had any involvement with this new threat to the world. Though he wondered where this sudden superstition came about, the elders would not disclose such information for him, only telling him to follow through and report should he find anything.
From what he felt, it seem like they wanted to incriminate her for these sudden threat. A threat and danger to this world that just so happened started when she came onto the scene. As a shinobi for his village, it was his duty to do as he is told to protect them despite his own personal feelings against it, just like Tsunade's own personal feelings against the matter.
"I forgot to mention, that when those creatures came. Some sort of fishface looking man or creature was with them. He managed to allude capture. I've never seen something like that before, it had mechanical legs and talked like a human. We don't know what it was here for or what it did. But one thing for sure it seem like those flying things where nothing but a diversion. Luckily someone managed to stop it, before it could do anything so we hope."Ao informs both men.
"Can you show us wh-"Kakashi starts only to be interrupted by Baki.
"Thank you, but I've seen enough."he tells them."On orders from my Kazekage, if anything seems to start becoming unsettling with this investigation. I must escort May back to the village."
His sudden words of depature was unexpected."Why?"Ao suspiciously asks.
Baki face remained straight despite his eyes wavering with questions of uncertain. Ao could sense it off the man, he felt something was not right. Feeling the need to press the matter he held his tongue and instead let the man leave and head back to the village. Taking mental note upon his sudden behavior of departure.
Back in Sunagkaure after hours upon hours of deep thought, and pestering by Katio. Natsuki finally knew what she needed to do. It was the only way, the only way to stop it before it was going to happen. She just hope that the Kazekage would listen to her, if not she had other means of taking matters into her own hands. Which was the first idea she wanted to do, but because Katio was such a worm and afraid of getting his hands dirty also breaking the law. This was the most logical and proper way, as Kaito told her, to go about doing this. Reaching the building of Gaara's office, she let's herself in and waste no time hurrying to where the young lord might be.
Checking the council room, surprisingly she didn't find him in there. So the only other logical place she could think of was his office, wasting no time she hurries to his office. Despite being in good conditions, she hated climbing these stairs. Never the less, she did so anyway. This was important, very important and despite going against her own code for asking for help and preferring to take matters in her own hand. She guess something this was alright to asks for assistance, or how she saw it just extras to get involved. Her eyes spot the door finally, sighing to herself mentally reaching out for the handle. Getting ready to open it, when the door itself opens for the person to come out. Her eyes stare widely at them, her heart skipped a couple of beats a cold sweat overcomes her. Her throat became dryer than the desert and tighter than her clenched teeth, something shot through her body, paralyzing her from any sort of movement.
What she had in her mind faded away, feeling their eyes upon them. They where not Gaara's his eyes felt different. These eyes where masked their dark and cold nature, yet burned her with a threatening silence of obedience. Which her body compelled too.
"Natsuki."Gaara calls to her, snapping the young girl back to reality. She looks up at him, he saw the split second of fear in her eyes. Though not at him, it fear of something else. Which concerned him, he was about to see what was wrong but Ryouta was urging him to follow for this sudden urgent and pressing matter.
"Lord Kazekage, please. You must come quickly."Ryouta manages to get Gaara away from Natsuki.
"Yes, of course."Gaara begins to follow the older man, stopping for a second turning back to the girl."We can talk later."
All Natsuki did was just nod her head, not even looking at Gaara. Yes, he knew something wasn't right with her normally she would scuff at him disrespectfully or have some sort of comment behind what he says. Not this sudden display of obedience, this fearful sense of obedience. Listening to their footsteps become more distant, Natsuki finally came to. Realizing what just happened, looking to find Gaara's office empty. She waste no time and rushes after him.
Reaching back outside, she looks around frantically for him noticing some of the villagers running in one direction. Hearing something about the Kazekage and this strange girl that was found just outside the village. Knowing now which way Gaara was, she follows the coward pushing her way through.
Finally reaching the area where mostly everyone was surrounding, pushing her way through the thickness of the crowd hearing others gasp and murmuring. Caring less about their speech, knowing she was getting closer hearing Gaara's commanding voice. Telling someone to rush whoever it was the hospital for immediate care, while telling someone else to send word to Baki in Kiri for May. With one last push, Natsuki manages to get through just fine seeing Gaara in the open she gets ready to call to him. Stopping at the sight of the person was being carried off.
Shocked to see them, knowing well she had seen them before and often hearing May talk about this person with either Kaito or to herself. To find them here, she couldn't believe her eyes. Though a normal response would be to be happy about this, but was the exact opposite. Inside her stomach churned and knotted, something wasn't sitting right at all about this person. They made her uneasy, feeling those same eyes on her she looks to Ryouta glaring at her hard. Her eyes locked with his and trembled with fear, fear which he saw made her cower and tighten her mouth shut and looks away. Just as Gaara spots her and calls to the girl, she melts her way back into the crowd.