Hello, everyone. Here's hoping you've all had a good summer and have been enjoying the fall. I apologize for not posting this chapter sooner, but I had a lot of things to do in the last couple of months. The cliffhanger hanger from last chapter gets resolved here and the Kazekage Rescue Mission begins in earnest, so I hope you all enjoy!

I do not own anything.


Poisonous Dove & Maelstrom Fox

Chapter 27 - Unearthed from the Sands


Anyone who knew her title of "World's First Poisoner" might have ventured a guess that Semiramis was no stranger to torture. Matter of fact, they'd have assumed she might have had a fondness for it.

Those assumptions weren't entirely wrong.

Personally, Semiramis didn't see herself as an extreme sadist. Make no mistake, she enjoyed causing great agony to others by using her poisons, but even she had her limits, and her standards. Of course, when those standards weren't an issue, she could find herself enjoying every grunt and scream of pain that come from her target's lips, provided they could still talk. For interrogations, she always made sure they could still talk. After all, if they couldn't then what was the point? Interrogations required control on the part of the interrogator. Luckily, Semiramis had that in spades.

Not that her target or her…associate knew that. Part of a good interrogation was playing on the uncertainty of the target; from that uncertainty came fear that could force out the information that was needed. Looking at her target, she had a feeling that she was close to getting that info out of him, a thought that actually made her a little sad.

Yoshikatsu Futagawa looked absolutely dreadful and Semiramis was proud of it. Luring him in had been easy, and hearing him scream in agony as her poison raced through his body had been delightful. His bravado had lasted a little while longer than she'd expected but it'd crumbled in time just as she predicted it would. Watching it do so had been a treat. Casting a glance to her brunette accomplice, she concluded that it was perhaps for the best Matsuri hadn't been there to see it. From the looks of her, she'd have had a hard time watching it. That said, she was holding it together watching him writhe in agony from the venom coursing through his system. Semiramis was willing to guess it was because of her feelings for the Kazekage.

"Yoshikatsu," the girl began, stepping forward. Though there was a slight tremble in her, she still held together. "Talk."

Spitting out a pint of blood mixed with poison, the jonin looked at her. His gaze was a cross between disgust and respect. Surely he too knew that the girl before him wasn't the strongest when it comes to willpower, but she'd found strength now. Not to mention she stood alongside the woman torturing him as an accomplice. They both knew that if things went sour, the consequences would be innumerous. The fact that she was willing to accept that had seemingly earned the womanizer's respect.

"As I'm sure you're both aware by now, there is yet another conspiracy targeting the Fifth Kazekage." He spoke rather plainly. It was actually a little astounding - a minute ago he'd been begging for the sweet release of death. Now, he seemed more than content to still be amongst the living. Of course, that was because Semiramis had toned down the severity of the venom ravaging his body.

At her simple command that could be reversed and put him right back on the edge, or push him over it. "Yes, we're aware. It seems this village tries awfully hard to get its leaders killed despite bemoaning how they so often die in office. Something of a contradiction don't you think?"

"It's not like we want our Kazekages to keep on dying. That said, we've…urgh, recognized a pattern. Weak Kaze-"

"Don't you dare imply that Lord Gaara is weak! He's the strongest ninja in the entire village! Even in the entire Land of Wind!" Matsuri thundered. Stepping forward, she grabbed the ninja by the scruff of his shirt and glared at him with pure fury burning in her gaze. "He's strong! He's smart! He's capable! He's…he's kind! What more could we want in a Kazekage!?"

"How about one that doesn't get captured by some criminal lackey in the dead of night?" Drily retorted the older shinobi.

"From what I gathered, this same Kazekage you're disparaging quite literally saved the village, lifting a wall of sand over it and saving the lot of you." The words hit home almost immediately. As much of a critic as this man was to the Fifth Kazekage, he wasn't completely heartless. Or perhaps there was more to him than met the eye. His gaze lingered on Semiramis', guilt lacing his features for just a few seconds before looking away. "From what I have heard, Gaara of the Sand is the type who would put himself between you and one of those bombs. He wouldn't expect a thank you, as being a leader is often a thankless job. It's why whelps like you aren't cut out for it." His guilt quickly transformed into anger as he glared at her. "Would you rather have had him let that bomb drop and blow you all to oblivion in favor of killing the enemy?"

Yoshikatsu immediately looked away from her, shame fastening its grip around him. This was what Semiramis expected. Hypocrisy often went hand-in-hand with conspirators like this, not to mention wannabe rulers. It was no surprise if they ever got into power things fell to chaotic ruin fast.

"…He could have beaten that bastard." Eventually grounded out the captured man.

"Yes, he could have. One blast of his Tailed Beast Bomb and I'm sure victory would have been his. However, the damage to the village would have been immense, more so than I believe he was willing to bear." At the sound of a Tailed Beast's iconic technique, she was once again the recipient of a sudden stare. Semiramis kept on talking through it. "Ultimately, the Fifth Kazekage chose to value your lives over his own and that of slaying the enemy. I see that amounts to little though."

"He gave his life for us." Came the clipped, reluctant response. "We…we must mov-"

"He's still alive!" Matsuri shouted. Semiramis had concerns that she might get too emotional for this; she still did, but she was actually enjoying watching the seemingly quiet girl explode with emotions. No doubt it was love, but she could see genuine loyalty to the One-Tailed Host. "He's still alive because…because…there's no way that Lord Gaara would die so easily!"

"If anything, he's likely still alive because the Tailed Beast inside of him. If he were to die so would it, and since the Akatsuki's goals are capturing Jinchūriki instead of killing them, I'd wager it's a little early to write him off." Explained the Assassin. Brief as it was, she saw the way Yoshikatsu's body tensed up. It was quite informative to her. "Ah, so that's it. Can't say that I wouldn't consider the possibility. I am a practical and pragmatic woman myself."

"What? What are you talking about?" Matsuri questioned.

She flinched like so many others as her coppery eyes fell upon her. "While killing Gaara would mean killing the One-Tail, it's more likely that isn't the Akatsuki's goal. Like the rest of the Tailed Beasts, the Shukaku is a powerful entity. Such an entity would make for quite a mighty weapon if it were to be tamed. Especially if it were let loose here on the Hidden Sand Village, composed primarily of sand." At her explanation, Matsuri's eyes widened in shocked horror. As she opened her mouth to speak, Semiramis cut her off. "I have my doubts that the Fifth Kazekage would willing turn on this village, but we are not talking about willingness. Not to mention what was put within him can likely be pulled out of him, making the Kazekage's willingness to comply a nonissue." Looking back to the battered nobleman, she cocked her head to the side. "Is that about right?"

First, he spit some blood out. "Down to the last detail. You seem to be as smart as you are beautiful."

Semiramis gave him an amused chuckle while Matsuri looked back at him with a glare. "That…that still doesn't explain everything. Yes, it's a possibility the Shukaku could be removed from Lord Gaara, but shouldn't that be an incentive for us to try harder to save him?"

"In theory, yes, it would, but I understand your Sand folk hasn't survived this long by being idealists." The black-haired woman spoke up. "At least part of this is a contingency plan, you conspirators anticipating the possibility that you may have to fight your own Tailed Beast. From what I gather in the past, it always fell to the Kazekages to do so, including Gaara's father who would stop him by using his own golden sand." Yoshikatsu said nothing, only looking into Semiramis' eyes and slowly nodding. "I see. Well, like I said, I am a pragmatic woman so I can understand the logic. That which protects you may also kill you should it turn on you. It is wise to have a contingency plan." She felt Matsuri's eyes back upon her, but Semiramis ignored her and stepped forward. Leaning in close, she put the fear of the almighty into the bound ninja as she glared at him. "But this isn't just about that. Oh no, there's also no small amount of greed involved in this."

Yet again, Yoshikatsu's body tensed, telling her what she needed to know.

"Something stronger than the Shukaku."

"Ah, so you know of it, Matsuri?"

Without looking back at her, she could sense the girl's apprehension. This wasn't what she wanted to talk about, but this whole situation was forcing them all into uncomfortable places. "Stories, rumors, legends. Experimentation into forbidden jutsu, especially those involving puppets. A couple of years back there was the incident with the Shirogane Clan."

"The greatest puppeteers in the Land of Wind. I learned about it from Naruto himself. The clan's strongest puppet, the Master Puppet, possessed power comparable to that of the Tailed Beasts, provided it was fueled by the Spirit Orbs. Which at the end of the conflict were drained of all of their power." With every word, Yoshikatsu looked more and more like he'd have preferred the agony of poison. He could have simply bitten his tongue off, but fear had paralyzed him. Fear of the woman before him. Fear of what she'd do to him if he tried - she wasn't letting him go without having her questions answered. "As I said, on our way here, Team Seven was attacked by a colossal puppet that was resistant to even my poisons. It put up quite a fight. I believe that only someone of the Shirogane Clan's prowess could have created such a thing. Either that or-"

"All the old war puppets were put into storage." Came the brunette's voice.

"And I imagine that the village's upper echelon must have had access to said storage…or overseen their apparent disposal." The ancient queen deduced. Rather correctly given the flinching that her captive did. "I imagine that same echelon thought amongst themselves what would happen if a creature stronger than the One-Tail could be created, not to mention one that was controllable. Or shall I say, under their control."

Stepping back, she watched her analysis leave silence in its wake. Matsuri had her mouth agape in naked shock; her expression was almost dead opposite of Yoshikatsu's silent affirmation. His red-tinged eyes looked between the two women, eventually settling on Semiramis. The two engaged in a stare-down that seemingly shook the apartment. Watching from the sidelines was Matsuri, the kunoichi able to count every fast-paced beat of her heart. She knew that she'd just been made privy to top-secret information, information that could get her killed. At the same time, she knew it was also information that her superiors, Gaara's allies, needed to know. The Fifth Kazekage himself certainly needed to know about it.

Once this was over with, they all likely would. Yoshikatsu seemed to realize that as he hung his head low, obscuring his vision from both of them.

"It's for the good of the village." He solemnly declared.

"Yes, I'm sure that's what the lot of you have told me. Ordinarily, I wouldn't care to pride any further." Reaching out with a delicate finger, she tipped his head up. He froze, fear clenching at his heart as he stared into the serpentine orbs of the Assassin. "But you lot tried to kill me and my comrades on our way here, to help rescue your current leader. Apparently, this 'for the good of the village' includes leaving its current Kazekage for dead. I can't imagine that'd go overall well with the populace, whom I'm guessing you aren't interested in getting the opinion of."

"They wouldn't understand." Yoshikatsu growled.

"Or they wouldn't want it, they wouldn't want your leadership." Semiramis corrected. His left eye twitched, and she knew it wasn't from any lingering pain. "In case it wasn't clear, allow me to clarify it here and now. This conspiracy is ending."

"You don't have any right!" Suddenly shouted the jonin.

"Perhaps not, but I have my reasons, including the mayhem your plotting will reek on the Leaf Village should your little silent coup proceed. The Leaf is quite happy with Gaara's reign as are the common people, aren't they, Matsuri?"

"She's hardly a worthy candidate to judge." Yoshikatsu snapped.

Matsuri glared at him. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I am. I know way more than a snob like you does, and I can say Lord Gaara's reign has the people backing it." The two Sand shinobi held one's glare, neither backing down. Balling her fists, Matsuri inhaled through her nose. Though young, she looked several years older; upon opening her eyes, they held an admirable hardness that wouldn't be shaken by anything Yoshikatsu had to said. In that hardness, her resistance to him and his cabal was made clear. "We're stopping this."

"How, pray tell, do you plan on doing that?"

"Why are you speaking as if she will be alone?" Called the otherworldly woman. Yoshikatsu was seemingly doing his best to avoid looking at her. The answer was obvious, and it was painful. Giggling, the Assassin stepped forward and lightly caressed her captive's left cheek with her finger. On contact with her sharpened nail, he flinched - he knew it was just as dangerous as a kunai, especially a poison-dipped one. "We still have more questions, Yoshikatsu Futagawa, and we're going to have them answered." His exhausted face twisted into a sneer that lacked much of its bite. He knew perfectly well that there was no getting out of this. The more he tried, the more pain he was going to experience. "The war puppet that Team Seven encountered on our way here, where did it come from? Was it really a relic or was it a new invention?"

Yoshikatsu's sneer broke into prolonged groan as his head fell. Once again, he ran headlong into the wall of defeat and sunk into the lake of submission. Within it swam a serpent that had relished in ravaging him. He had no power to shake it loose nor free himself from the drowning waters.

"A little bit of both. The…urgh, puppet that attacked you all was one of our prototypes. A refitted with newer technology after sitting in storage for the past two decades." Came the nobleman's voice. As he lifted his head, he was biting his cheek, perhaps as a substitute for biting his tongue. Semiramis had been right to guess that he wasn't the type who'd die for this conspiracy, he was too fond of himself for that. She looked into his eyes and motioned for him to continue explaining himself. "Almost a year ago…we…came across a secret puppet production factory. It used to belong to the Shirogane Clan, but after their last attempted insurrection, it was abandoned. In it were quite a few war puppets who were ultimately left to rust beneath the sands."

"Until you lot decided they could still be of use, though not by the village's puppet corps. Oh no, you wanted them for yourselves." Semiramis sniped.

"In that factory did you…did you…did you find any plans to build a new Master Puppet?"

"Excellent question, Matsuri. Granted, from what I understand in order for such a construct to be functional, it requires the Spirit Orbs. Which according to what I heard were destroyed." Her nail dug deep into Yoshikatsu's skin. Not enough to break skin, but with just a smidgen more pressure it would, and when it did pure agony would follow. "Unless…someone were to have discovered how to create new Spirit Orbs. Oh, such a discovery would undoubtedly be revolutionary. I'm sure more wondrous weapons than puppets could be created, but I understand ninja puppetry is a tradition in this village."

"You…you guys…you've found out how to do that?" Matsuri gasped. "Wait, if you knew how to do that then why didn't you tell anyone!?"

"Silly girl, this is a criminal conspiracy to overthrow the current government." Semiramis jokingly called. "An assassin doesn't tell their intended victim they've just discovered a new brand of poison or a fancy dagger to do the deed." Turning her focus back to their captive, Semiramis applied a small amount of her power to her nail. Yoshikatsu squirmed in his seat. "If indeed new Spirit Orbs are being constructed, how so?"

Though he hissed in pain Yoshikatsu didn't cry out. "We…gah, there's no new Master Puppet, but…you're onto something about the Spirit Orbs. They were created almost a century ago, just a little around the formation of the Five Ninja Villages. The…senjutsu knowledge regarding them was-"

"Senjutsu?" Semiramis immediately snapped.

Yoshikatsu met her eye. "Ahhh…so you know of it. Quite a learned woman, aren't you?"

She caught Matsuri's aside glance. She wanted answers and Semiramis would probably give her some, but for now, they had to stay on task. Refocusing her attention on Yoshikatsu, she began dragging her nail downward. As always, her control was precise as not to allow an accidentally poisoning.

The captive got the hint and took several deep breaths in preparation for his continued speaking. "While we…can't quite manufacture ones of the same scale and type as the previous five, smaller ones are a different story. They make for great power sources, especially when the puppet in question has been upgraded by master weaponsmiths."

"Ahh, so craftsmen and mystics, a classical combination." Only after speaking, she's aware of how she'd slipped back into some "home world" terminology. Semiramis ignored the confusion of her word choice had stirred in her captive. "So, manufacturing an army of superpowered puppets to both defend the village as well as take complete control of it. Is that it?" A silent nod answered, or rather affirmed, her statement. "Who is the leader? Some great puppeteer, correct? All your earlier talk about a strong Kazekage has left me all but certain that there's a contender for the Kage hat. This same contender I'm guessing is a major member of your little conspiracy."

"You do know there are some things that even I don't know, right?"

The Dual-Classed Servant smiled without joy or humor. "It's a possibility, but I'm willing to wager that you know much. After all, you've already given away so much. I refuse to believe you are deaf to the whisperings of a Sixth Kazekage candidate." For humor's sake, she looked back at Matsuri. Her face was a mask of contained anger. Semiramis couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at it. She obviously didn't want to hear the phrase "Sixth Kazekage", and Semiramis imagined she wasn't alone. Unfortunately, the longer Gaara was in the Akatsuki's grasp, the worse talk of such would likely become. It might potentially even reach Gaara's supporters who must face cold fast instead of optimistically holding out hope.

"…You know there's a few shinobi of capable caliber to Gaara, especially without that…demon sealed inside of him." Growled out the jonin.

"Names, Yoshikatsu. Speak them now while you are able to before I'm forced to make you scream them." Semiramis declared with a cold glint in her eyes.

"Naritatsu Fukuhara, it's him, isn't it? Or at least he's one of the conspirators, isn't he?" Semiramis looked from Yoshikatsu to Matsuri, this time asking her for an explanation, albeit more kindly. "He's a puppet master, one of the village's best alongside Kankuro. He primarily uses a single puppet, a powerful dragon-shaped one that's been passed down through the village, the Retsugumo. According to legend, it's based on a legendary dragon that once soared the skies above the village before disappearing into the heavens."

"How…interesting." In her world, dragons stood at the top of Phantasmal Beasts, and she'd learned that more or less was true here. Giant beasts of great power existed, demons existed, and she was certain that dragons existed as well. Semiramis felt a knot beginning to form in her stomach. "Matsuri, does this…draconic puppet have any peculiar features? Like say a relic of some sort from this supposed dragon?"

"W-W-Well, it's said that a scale of the dragon was used in its construction. It would explain how it's managed to survive for hundreds of years relatively without rust." There was a sudden pause as her eyes went upward in a contemplative stare. "Well, there's also another rumor that the wood it was made came from a sacred oasis. Which was also visited by a dragon."

"I do remember eastern dragons are associated with rain and water, so perhaps there's some commonality there." The black-haired woman briefly noted. "Hmm, come to think of it, Jiraiya mentioned something about fighting a superpowered puppet during the Konoha Crush."

"That old Toad Sage. Urgh, I hear he's a pervert but he's still one of the legendary Sannin. He was able to defeat Naritatsu. Afterward, he diligently trained himself so that he wouldn't lose in battle to him again." Yoshikatsu gave a slightly humorous laugh at the end of his statement. "A shame, the Toad Sage's brat is in the village, isn't he? Naritatsu would love to take a crack at the student, maybe even-"

"Complete his humiliation by losing to the student after losing to the parent almost three years ago." Semiramis finished for him. Her captive's words would have been a boost to Jiraiya's ego, and a challenge Naruto would have no doubt risen to. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it wasn't going to be happening. Not if she had anything to say about it. "I'm afraid that Naruto will have more important things to do than your little coup, such as rescuing the Fifth Kazekage."

"And what? You're going to…stay back? Not interested in getting involved in a battle royal of beasts and criminals? You don't seem like the type." Yoshikatsu sneered.

"You're right, ordinarily, I wouldn't get involved in such a scuffle. It's beneath me…or at least such a thing would normally be. Let's say things have changed, and I have an interest in this battle royal of such…unclothe individuals. And as with every battle, I'm going to ensure that I win. That means winning on all fronts." Finally, her nail broke the skin, albeit there was little poison in it. Expectedly, Yoshikatsu winced, but not as badly as he would have if she'd poisoned her nail even more. "As I said, this little conspiracy ends now, or rather it will have ended by the time Naruto Uzumaki returns with the Kazekage. Provided any of you are alive, it will be the latter to decide your ultimate fates."

"You're speaking as if you plan on leaving us alive to face that. You're a sadistic woman who we've clearly angered, why not do the deed yourself?"

She laughed at the half-hearted attempt at goading her. It was pathetic but cute. "Oh, believe me, whatever punishment the Kazekage inflicts on you would be a blessing compared to what I'd do! Surely you know that by now, Yoshikatsu!" Reacting to his half-hearted grin mixed with a sweaty grimace, Semiramis threw back her head in greater laughter. "O~hohohohohohohoho! Well…I suppose perhaps you are deserving of some credit, Yoshikatsu. You know this is the end for you and not even your father will be able to save you. In fact, I imagine Councilman Futagawa will be sharing a cellblock with you. Or perhaps…Matsuri, can criminals be exiled to the desert to wander the sands until the desert takes them?"

"That used to be a punishment until the Third Kazekage ended it." She answered. "However…rumor goes that it can be revived if agreed upon by the current Kazekage and the council. Only the most severe crimes are deserving of that fate." Like before, she'd caught on fast and was playing along. Or perhaps not. Semiramis wouldn't have been surprised if after all this the girl was genuinely open to the idea of these traitors being sentenced to die beneath their home's sun and atop its hot sand. At the moment, she was certainly up for seeing the lot of them thrown in jail. "We're going to go to the council with this."

"I'm assuming you know how much chaos this'll generate." Spat the older shinobi.

"Don't you dare lecture me about that! You're taking advantage of an attack on the village to push your favorite to be the new Kazekage!" Shout back the kunoichi. Her anger had apparently reached its apex as she reached forward and grabbed Yoshikatsu by the scruff of his shirt, lifting him up so they were eye level. Matsuri's burned with fury while Yoshikatsu's remained stubbornly defiant. "If there's anyone in the wrong here, it's you guys! Even without bringing up Lord Gaara, your family's been planning a coup! After all the time it took for the village to stabilize, you guys are ready to throw it all away!"

"We'd be doing this to help the village! Naritatsu would be a better Kazekage than that demonic-!"

Time was of the essence is what Semiramis would tell herself for a while, the real reason wouldn't become apparent for some time. Or rather, she'd deny it. Regardless, it was true, time was of the essence. While this interrogation was going on, who knows what was happening to the Fifth Kazekage. Not to mention the conspiracy against him was steadily moving along. If they were going to act to counter either of these threats, it had to be now. That was the pragmatic and logical reason for why she jabbed her hand between Matsuri and Yoshikatsu. And perhaps why she refrained from injecting a touch of poison into the latter so he could once more feel the agony of his body burning from the inside out.

"Enough! Matsuri, we're going to bring him in but we're going to have to be a tad…discrete about it. After all, we sadly can't take him back to the Kazekage's tower in the open."

"Oh no, I'm sure that cell you two are picturing me in will be kept warm by the both of you." Snidely called the soon-to-be criminal.

"Luckily, I have a way to move him." Her remark naturally drew the attention of both Sand shinobi. Yoshikatsu tensed up as he had no idea how this movement was to be done. For all he knew, it was going to be…unpleasant for him. Semiramis shot him an aside smirk, confirming he was right to worry. "Matsuri, here, take this." With just a speak of magecraft, she manifested a dove's white feather and handed it to her. "Present it to Naruto and tell him we'll be along shortly, and that it's urgent."

She took the feather and examined it inside and out for any out of the ordinary features. Her eyes settled on simply staring at it, no doubt due to her sensing the mystical energy coursing through it. To anyone with even a lick of paranormal senses, the feather gave off a certain feeling that was undeniable. After nodding at her, she began to head toward the door. Once she was outside there was little doubt the girl would likely sprint all the way back to the Kazekage's Tower; she'd be there in minutes.

"Is he really worth it?" Yoshikatsu called just as she turned the knob and cracked the door open. He didn't seem intent on shouting to grab attention, just Matsuri's. Semiramis watched him with keen interest. He'd realized that there was no way out of this so he'd forgone any attempts at trying to rattle them, or rather, he'd given up on trying to rattle Matsuri. His target turned back and glared at him. Yoshikatsu returned her glare. "He has killed numerous people, not for the village's sake but for his own bloodlust. I never liked that about him."

Matsuri's fists tightened as did her face. Semiramis looked at her, silently ordering her to leave now. This wasn't a conversation that needed to be had, especially now. To the queen's surprise, the kunoichi met her eyes and shook her head in defiance. She was going to answer their captive's inquiry, rather she liked it or not.

"Nobody liked it, Yoshikatsu. Killing for that reason is…wrong. But that isn't Lord Gaara anymore. He can't change the past anymore than the rest of us can, but we can shape the future. He's been shaping his and the village's. It's a future that I believe in, a future I believe is best for the village…and for him." Just like before, there was only calm resolution in her words. It was a surprise that it was calm instead of fiery as she would have expected. Turning around, she fully faced the captive jonin. "He's worth it a hundred times over, and I'll do whatever I have to in order to bring him home. Even…if it means going up against the Akatsuki myself."

Yoshikatsu gave a sudden mocking laugh. "How admirable, truly. Here's the next question…would you go this far even if he chooses someone else over you?"

"Yes." Matsuri immediately answered. Yoshikatsu's eyes weren't the only ones to widen, Semiramis' did as well. "So long as he's alive…so long as he's happy…that's enough for me to be happy too."

With those words, the brunette turned about and walked out the door. Semiramis stared at it for what felt like several long minutes.

That girl…she may have the makings of a wife in her yet. Perhaps I should put a word in for her. The demigoddess remarked. Once again, another shinobi of this world of ninja had earned her respect. Slowly, she turned back to the man who she'd spent the last several minutes torturing for information. It was just the two of them now…but it wouldn't be for long. He was going to be repeating his story to an audience.

And amongst them was going to be a fellow Jinchūriki who probably wasn't going to be all too happy to hear about this plot. Naruto may have made inroads into keeping his cool but the right amount and kind of pressure could set him off. A pity since his punches could hurt.

"Now then, let's get going, Young Lord Yoshikatsu. The Sand Village's safety is in jeopardy." The Assassin cheerily declared. Her captive squirmed in his chains, no doubt wishing that death would claim immediately claim him. It could after Semiramis was finished with him.

=≡▷-ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ-◁≡=⊳

Naruto effortlessly caught the screaming ninja that was dropped from the sky onto the roof. Upon catching him, he quickly examined him; it only took a few short glances to see that Semiramis had worked him over. Just as with those before him, the blond felt a little sorry for the man. No doubt there'd been times he'd have taken just dying as living was pure agony.

He may have gotten his wish in time after he'd told them all what was afoot in the Hidden Sand Village.

Humans…always warring with each other, always scheming. You never change. Heh, sometimes it's a surprise you haven't wiped each other out completely. Chuckled the Nine-Tailed Fox as Yoshikatsu Futagawa explained himself. By the end of it, Naruto wanted to lift his head back and scream. What? You didn't seriously think becoming Kazekage meant the end of it, did you? The persecution, the glares, the hateful thoughts, and the doubts. They never end because people don't change.

I'd say you're wrong, fuzzball. Just look around us. He solemnly replied.

Yoshikatsu's words had created an uproar amongst the Sand Village Council. One teeming with outrage as the desk was slammed over, particularly by Baki and Temari. To say the jonin were livid was like saying the desert was dry.

"Bastards! Of all the times they choose now to do a stunt like this! And for what, their petty rule!?"

"I'm going to that bastard's home! You hear me, I'm going there and I'm going to drag him and the rest of his goons out!"

Amazingly, Kakashi was doing his best to quiet things, or at least get everyone to focus. That wasn't easy considering the situation had now undoubtedly been complicated. Not only was Gaara missing but there was a conspiracy to replace him as Kazekage. Or overthrow him. The latter one stuck with Naruto as it caused an uncomfortable rumble in his gut that made him feel sick. At some point he realized he was tightening his fists so much that they were on the verge of bleeding. Unflexing them just left him wanting to tighten them again, and use them to smash into something. He supposed he was in the same boat as Temari and Baki - angry enough that he wanted to hit something, or someone. Hard.

Yoshikatsu Futagawa was a good candidate. Semiramis' chains had remained fastened around him, the barbs, easily able to dig into his skin once they constricted. Their intrusion would hurt, but more so would be the poison they carried. Naruto remembered that Semiramis' poison could paralyze just as much as it could kill. That'd be a good thing to have when it came to rounding up the conspirators. In thinking that, Naruto realized he had an idea of how things were probably going to play out.

Locking eyes with his Servant, he saw that she'd came to the same conclusion as well. They stared at one another while the council room rose and fell with shouts, accusations, and plans.

"Enough!" Baki roared, slamming his hand against the table harder than he had before. Silence fell over the room as his eye glanced around the room, meeting those of all occupants. Including the Leaf Ninja who'd arrived to help. He settled on Kakashi, who much like the genin and the Servant, held each other's gazes. Both of them were practical, pragmatic, and capable men, neither were used to making tough decisions…or using all the resources available. "It goes without saying we can't let this stand. Regardless of the state of Gaara's life, we cannot allow this coup to take place, especially since it includes unauthorized weapons manufacturing. At the same time, we cannot allow the Akatsuki to make off with Gaara."

"Quite a dilemma…but I do not believe we have the ability to accomplish both." Spoke the gray-haired woman that had attacked Kakashi earlier.

Naruto already knew what she was thinking, and he took glee in shooting her down. "Yeah, you do, granny. We'll go after Gaara, and Semi-chan can stay here to help you weed out the plotters."

Baki looked at Semiramis, the two sharing a short nod. "Team Seven will head out to rescue the Kazekage, Semiramis meanwhile will remain here in the village to help us put an end to this plot."

The old kunoichi looked at the Assyrian woman. Both women, both poisoners, were having another one of their silent stare-downs. It brought the temperature of the room down several dozen levels, it didn't feel like they were in a desert; more like they were in a tundra.

"So…I'm to be sent away and the fate of the village left in the hands of this…stranger? For that matter, we're putting our hands in the fate of these strangers from the Hidden Leaf?" She slowly declared. While the statement wasn't dripping with malice, it was clear she had little to no faith in Naruto and his comrades.

It was a stark contrast to the majority of the Sand ninja in the room.

"Lady Chiyo, your hesitation is understandable, but these are hardly strangers. These are amongst the best ninja the Leaf Village has to offer." Baki softly countered.

"Oh, well, forgive me for not thinking so. I'm still a little iffy on that."

At least she didn't mock the village. Naruto drily remarked. If he were in her position, he'd have gone straight for that low jab.

So would I. Semiramis asserted, having been privy to his thoughts.

Wow, the three of us actually agreeing on something. Came the deep, bestial voice of the Nine Tails.

Naruto did think that such a thing was funny. Even funnier was how he'd gotten used to having two other voices in his head.

"Semiramis," Called the leading Sand ninja. "These chains of yours can restrain multiple targets, correct?"

"Why yes, especially those of…let's say weak constitution. Once bound, there's no way they'll be able to escape. You'll be able to do with them as you see fit." She nonchalantly answered. Naruto knew she'd just as willing kill them herself as she would let the Sand Village handle them. Given what the black-haired woman was capable of…maybe standing trial for an attempted coup was the better option. Then again, Naruto had a feeling that these guys weren't going to go down without a fight. It wasn't going to be one he would be a part of though, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Then we know what the plan is." Spoke up the Copy Ninja. "Team Seven along with Lady Chiyo will head out to rescue the Kazekage while Semiramis stays here to help put an end to this conspiracy. Both sides will stay in contact with each other so that we're all aware of what's going on."

"…If the Kazekage is rescued but return to the Sand Village is…ill-advised, take him to the Leaf Village." Baki's words sent a quiet shock through the rest of the room. He remained composed in his seat, looking straight at Kakashi. Again, both men came to a taciturn understanding. They were running over all the possibilities, including the less savory ones.

The ones that Naruto had no intention of letting happen. No matter what.

Evidentially those that knew him personally looked at him for confirmation. Temari and Matsuri both looked straight at him while Baki spoke. He felt both paralyzed and energized by their stares. Naruto felt himself stand up straighter and look back at both of them, nodding in confirmation of their hopes. He was going to bring back Gaara, and come what may, he was going to make sure the Sand Village was safe, even if he had to fight it out alongside him.

Just can't keep your nose out of other people's business, can you? Remember the last time you tried a stupid stunt like this. I had to heal a hole in your chest.

This won't be like then, Nine Tails. Naruto confidently retorted back. It won't.

It'd be a shame though. All that hard work…and it amounts to nothing but sand blowing in the wind. Cackled the multi-tailed demon.

After a while, he looked back at Granny Chiyo. Not so surprisingly, she still looked skeptical of the plan, but she knew she was outvoted on the matter. Her old withered eyes looked across the room, and everyone in it. Old they were, but dull and lacking they definitely weren't. Naruto didn't shiver or flinch when they fell on him. She'd sized him up multiple times, especially since he was quite vocal about rescuing Gaara for seemingly no ulterior motive beyond friendship.

"It was her. She was the one who oversaw the sealing of the Shukaku into Gaara." Temari had told him when she'd pulled him aside for a quick explanation. "She did it under our father's orders. She did it…she did it to protect the village, Naruto. A lot of things have been done for the sake of the Sand Village, a lot of things that we…might not be as proud of as we come off as."

Those words had taken on an interesting meaning after the last ten minutes. Yoshikatsu had been silently fervent in insisting on this insane plot was for the good of the village. Temari had looked ready to smack him over the head with her fan…or use her Wind Scythe Jutsu to dismember him inside the room. "For the good of the village" didn't exactly sit too well when it was a loved one being written off as the cost. He wouldn't have blamed her if she did, and Naruto was pretty sure few others would have either, especially Matsuri.

"Naruto. Naruto."

"Huh, w-what's up, Sakura?"

Her gaze told him the answer before her words did. "I was wondering how you're holding up hearing all this. Our mission hasn't changed, at least not yet."

"I know, we've still got to find Gaara and rescue him. Then get him back here. No worries at all though! Semi-chan will definitely have things wrapped up by the time we get back."

Her eyebrows rose in astonishment. "You really think she'll be able to handle this on her own?" Before he could answer, she flicked her eyes toward the Servant's direction, then looked back at him. "Well, she did figure this out before we did. Hell, she even went looking forward to it. She's way better at subterfuge than we are, except for maybe Kakashi-sensei."

"Heheh, yeah. Semiramis is seriously good at it, though she's also pretty tough in a straight up fight. Trust me, we can leave things here to her. We just gotta go get Gaara back."

"Yep." Answered the whisker-faced blond with a happy grin. "No problem for us, right?"

"Yeah," the medical ninja affirmed, a small but confident smile on her face. "We can do it. Just try to get a good night's sleep." His face fell in a childish pout. Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Geez, am I going to have to give you a sedative or something to help you get through the night?"

Got to sleep, and don't you even think of worrying about me. I'm an Assassin. I move under the cover of darkness. Sounded the spiritual entity that he was magically bound to.

Naruto gave her a humorous laugh. Yeah, I know, but I also know how much you love your beauty sleep.

From across the room, the black-haired woman glared at him. Not that it amounted to much like the last several dozen times. Even Sakura, who caught the glare, saw nothing but humorous annoyance in it. She was quite familiar with it as she'd given it to Naruto plenty of times. The same went for Kakashi, who kept a modicum of attention on the pointy-eared womaned.

The Jinchūriki's smile fell as another thought crossed his mind, or rather an old one reentered it. "Hey, Sakura…if by any chance we run into…Itachi since we know it's the Akatsuki-"

"Our priority is Gaara." She firmly stated.

Naruto knew he was being hypocritical. He wanted to make sure Sakura would stay on mission…but he knew that he'd too have trouble with that himself.

Thinking that the brother who orphaned Sasuke and mentally tortured him would know his whereabouts? Definitely one of your top ten stupidest ideas. Then again, let's say by some fluke you captured him, you could dangle him as bait to lure the Uchiha brat back to the village. Hehehe…then again, that'd probably just make him ANGRIER at you.

They very well could have kept on going there, but Naruto knew that probably wouldn't end well. He was thinking about a scenario that would likely end in disaster for all of them, especially Gaara. His silence was taken as a victory by the Nine-Tails, whose deep laughter rang in his head. He tried not to let it get to him, if he did then he'd get questions about it. For only a second, he looked in Semiramis' direction; thankfully she hadn't been paying attention, she was instead immersed in the arrests she was going to be making. From what he heard, it was going to be in the morning when everyone was supposedly getting out of bed.

Sighing, he realized that maybe getting to sleep tonight was going to be easier than he thought. Sometimes the more his mind was weighed down by things, the easier it was to sleep.


"N-Naruto, do you have a minute?"

"Sure thing, Matsuri. It's about Gaara, isn't it?" It hadn't been easy, but he and Gaara had talked a little from time to time, not to mention Kankuro and Temari had sent him some letters about how things had been going in the Sand Village. Amongst those letters had been Matsuri, the girl who'd gone from being afraid of Gaara to being one of his most ardent supporters. That certainly held true considering that she'd been there as Semiramis tortured this coup plot out of a village jonin. Hearing that story had impressed him as it had almost everyone else, including Temari and Granny Chiyo.

She was also the one who told the young brunette that she should spend the night writing her will just as much as preparing herself for the morning. Personally, Naruto wondered if she was trying to scare her but he had a feeling that she was trying to help her. She'd helped uncover a conspiracy to overthrow the government. He'd been on both sides of such things and knew how close to death it put one. But there were some things that were worth it.

Quite a turnaround for a girl who'd been too terrified to come within five feet of Gaara.

"Yeah, it…it is. And it's about…this." To his surprise, she held up a rope dart. He faintly remembered something about how it was the weapon she'd practiced with, and that practice had led her to get close to Gaara. Naruto had seen a couple during his training trip. They were tricky weapons, but with the right amount of skill, they were pretty useful. The one that Matsuri held in her hands couldn't just be useful, it could be downright deadly.

Chuckling, he stepped forward and held his hands out. In a flash of mystical light, his Kitsuneken appeared in both his hands. Matsuri expectedly jumped at the sight of them. They were undoubtedly the bigger and badder version of the weapon she held in her hands. "Yeah, Semi-chan made a weapon for me too. It's a skill of hers called Item Construction, granted it only works with poison."

"Well, this thing's poisonous alright. She…she created it for me after the meeting finished up; she told me that I was going to need it." Matsuri explained. "I, um…this thing's pretty deadly, isn't it?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Naruto reached forward and gently took the blade, examining the foreign writing that ran along the blade. He recognized it as being that of Semiramis' native homeland. "Yep, this thing will be an awesome weapon for you! Just, uh, be careful with it. Getting hit by it will definitely sting."

"Yeah, I saw the poison dripping from it eat a hole in the ground. Semiramis tapped me on the shoulder and…I don't know what she did-"

"Enchant you, and probably this thing too so it's bound to you. Semiramis always works fast." The rope dart's design wasn't as complicated as his blades, no doubt because Semiramis forged it fast. The meeting had only ended almost twenty minutes ago, but apparently that was enough time for Semiramis to make this crude but effective poisonous rope dart. It was the type of weapon that undoubtedly went well with poison - one quick strike and it was game over. "I know you're going to need your sleep, but Matsuri, it's for the best you train with this thing a little bit. Can you levitate it using your chakra yet?"

Stepping back, she closed her eyes and focused. In doing so, the rope dart began to move on its own, only slightly though. It was a far cry from how Semiramis manipulated her chains, and how Naruto manipulated his own Kitsuneken. That said, he personally knew that live practice was a great way to gain experience.

She nodded in acceptance of her words. It was still almost three hours from midnight; for shinobi like them that meant there was still some time left to get some training in. Matsuri was going to do exactly that. "I…I know this is probably redundant to ask but…"

Flipping one of his short swords into an upside-down position, he held out his knuckle. "I'll bring him back, I promise. And when I do, he'll definitely want to see that new weapon of yours." His words caused a blush to spread over her cheeks. Huh, guess she really wants to see him again. Well, like I said, she'll have something to show him. "Matsuri, just make sure you're there to greet him when we all come back. He's going to want to see a lot of familiar faces. Oh, and he'll probably want to hear about how you helped bust a criminal conspiracy!"

Still wearing burning cheeks, she pushed her fist out and bumped it against his. "R-R-Right, just…um, do your best! Gaara said he wants to see you become Hokage!"

"Oh, that day's coming! There's no way that I'm ever going to lose out to him! Just you wait, one day you'll be watching a meeting between the two of us, fellow Kage! And fellow Jinchūriki!" He proudly boasted. Even with the news he heard, something about those classifications, side by side, continued to light a fire within him. It burned hot, no doubt symbolizing how his dream had remained unchanged even with this latest news.

As usual, his thoughts didn't go unnoticed. Just as they had from the day he was born, they had a silent observer. Said observer was quiet until an hour later, when he was dressed in his pajamas and beneath the covers of his bed. He was content to finally close his eyes and rest, but the observer wasn't ready to let him have that, not yet.

It'll happen to you one day. Came the deep and menacing voice of the Leaf's sole Tailed Beast. This was also the creature with perhaps the highest body count of Konoha ninja, and proudly so. His container didn't physically move, yet his spirit shook thanks to the booming of the fox's voice. Even if you become Hokage, there'll be a plot just like with the One Tail's host. No, not a plot, multiple plots. This one is just the latest he's facing. There's surely going to be more in the future. You may not always be there to bail him out.

In the apparent darkness of the room, Naruto was sure he looked like he was sleeping. Thanks to his inner demon he was anything but. Like he'd said with Sakura, there was a chance he was going to struggle to get to sleep. This conversation unfolding now had been one of the reasons why he suspected he might not to get to sleep as quickly as he'd wanted. His inner demon might have planned to keep him up all night with his prodding.

Naruto felt his hands tighten against the sheets. He inhaled, careful not to attract much attention from his teammates. You're right that I won't always be there, but I won't have to be. Gaara's been through this before, and he's came out still holding the Kage hat, and still respected by the village. The village that once feared him.

A bestial snarl came from the fox. But not all of them.

No, not all of them…but enough that the whole village is worried about him. Enough that when we bring him back, they'll probably be parading in the street for him. He chuckled at how the fox gave a dismissive snort. Minor as it was, Naruto could tell that he'd gotten underneath his skin. As much as he'd have liked to keep on going, he really did need to get some sleep. Not only did he know he'd need his rest, but verbal sparring with his inner demon sometimes left him feeling exhausted. Realizing that made him laugh. Thanks for helping me get to sleep faster, fuzzball.

Screw you! Roared the demonic voice in the dead of night. A parade!? Hah! That'll be a perfect chance for an assassination attempt.

Not with Semiramis doing her thing. Oh, and I know…I know that being Kage doesn't mean that everyone is going to like you. There's always going to be dissent. I learned that from Old Man Third and Grandma. Growing up for him had been hard. He heard a lot of things that most kids should never have to hear, often insults directed at him. Then there were the insults directed at the few people who cared about him, people whose kindness Naruto cherished more so than all the good in the world. There'd been times he wanted to shut those people up, but more often than not he'd restrained himself. That hadn't always been the case though.

As far as he was concerned, the Third Hokage had been his grandfather, always looking out for him and caring for him as best he could while running the village. Naruto knew he definitely didn't make that task easy for him. Looking back, it was something he felt a little embarrassed about. Most importantly, he knew that the Third was doing his best with everything he had to deal with. That didn't make him immune to criticism; the same with his second successor, who faced more than a hefty about of skepticism even with her background.

Some things were reasonable like Tsunade's gambling habits and her laziness. Naruto himself had been skeptical over them, especially since he'd seen them up close and personal. That said, they were pieces of a greater whole that he had utter faith in.

After those sensible things were the unseasonable things, like old fashioned misogyny. The first female Hokage, it was inevitable that there would be pushback to the thought. Naruto had seen and heard it in-between missions and just casually hanging out. It always left him feeling angry, sometimes it took others around him to soothe that anger.

There's always going to be people who doubt you, but what matters is that you keep on going. Not to mention having a majority of the people on your side, a majority that know who you are and what you're fighting for. The Uzumaki quietly yet passionately affirmed.

His statement left a deep silence in its place. Naruto was tempted to say the conversation between him and the fox had just ended, but his intuition told him it hadn't. He could still somehow sense the fox's continued presence.

Of all the idiots…I had to be stuck in you. Came the confirmation of his intuition. Naruto gave another quiet laugh. Don't you dare get yourself killed. I'm not dying for that fucking tanuki.

Woah, a little harsh, don't you think? Didn't you say you were going to hold this over his head? Another snarl came through, causing Naruto to laugh again, this time louder. In doing so he caused a slight stirring from his teammates. To hide himself, he pretended to yawn while rolling over. Hey, Nine Tails, all you Tailed-

I'm not talking about this! Just shut your mouth and go to sleep! Tomorrow…rgggh, just don't screw up! That tanuki already did, and I refuse to have the same happen to me! With that, Naruto finally felt the disappearance of the fox from his conscious mind. He had a feeling he wouldn't be hearing from him until something big happened. That was just fine by him. Not only could he use the peace and quiet…he was happy for the encouragement.

Finally, the blond closed his eyes and found sleep. Blissful, quiet sleep. He could only pray that his redhaired counterpart and friend could hold out until he awoke, and hopefully when they knew where he was. Once they did, Naruto was going to be there, even if he had to cross an entire country in a single day to do it.

=≡▷-ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ-◁≡=⊳

Early Morning…

Once more, the Sand Village's unique geography granted it some astounding sights. The massive rocky walls that surrounded it somehow enhanced the beauty of the sunrise. Watching it reminded Semiramis of watching the sun rise above the mountains of her homelands. Such a sight was mundane yet had a certain charm to it that even she could bask in.

Beyond the walls lay the rest of the Land of West, a harsh desert that Team Seven had crossed to get here. Within minutes, they'd be crossing it again. Based on what she'd heard, they were heading for the Land of Rivers, the near exact opposite of their current destination.

When Naruto called in to tell her of their location, she'd received word from her own little tracking spell. She knew for absolute certain where the poisoner who'd injured Kankuro was, and it aligned with the location Kakashi's ninja hounds had discovered.

Semiramis had her own plan, after dealing with the conspirators she would take Spirit Form and then rematerialize by her Master's side. She didn't know who these Akatsuki were, but she was confident that Naruto could face them. If she were at his side then there was absolutely no hope for these outlaw ninja. They were going to die…after she'd interrogated them.

She was going to be doing a lot of binding, something that actually tickled her fancy a little. Before the Akatsuki though would likely be the anti-Kazekage conspirators. Here in the early hours of the morning, a team of jonin were being moved into position to arrest them. First up was the ancient and honored Futagawa Clan. Well, by noon, they would no longer be considered honored. They wouldn't be alone in losing that status.

There were a few other clans and families that were going to be joining them, not to mention a handful of ninja. Jiraiya had told her that captured and disgraced shinobi were made to give up their headbands, some of them were supposedly melted down. Some incoming ninja didn't want hand-me-downs from criminals.

Semiramis silently moved with the task force, unseen by all but her presence felt by her allies. A couple looked up at her, including Matsuri. She was the least nervous among them. Ironic as she knew better than most what she was capable of, or at least she had a fraction of an idea. If all went well, she wouldn't see anymore. If not then…well…Semiramis would show her and her compatriots that their unease around her wasn't unfounded.

As with Konoha, there was a district for the village's wealthier and upper-class residents. In the morning sun, the buildings seemed to glow like polished gold, no doubt a design choice that was literal. Semiramis also noticed family insignias and names painted onto the sides of the buildings; rather direct, but they assured that visitors knew exactly whose home they were passing or on their way to. While all of them were the same square or even circular design, Semiramis had a feeling that the interiors were different. Like every home, they'd been stylized to fit the owner's tastes. Being the homes of ninja, they were also likely booby trapped. For that reason, a handful of puppets were being sent in first.

She watched from the shadows as the first raid was carried out, the home's occupants dragged out shocked and terrified at what was going on. Their feelings increased as Semiramis silently materialized atop the building and sent a paralysis-inducing chain to cut their hands. They immediately groaned and even screamed in pain.

The raid moved on, the next target being the Futagawa home. This was undoubtedly the one that Semiramis was the most worried about, her and the others.

Keeping Yoshikatsu overnight had been a risky move, one that they could very easily come to regret. Even if the jonin had a reputation for…philandering well into the morning, there was always the risk of something going wrong. Granted Semiramis had been extremely careful in moving him. She'd enjoyed hearing his panicked wailing as he was dropped near a hundred feet to the rooftop. Since the drop-off, he'd been kept in a secure cell; for all intents and purposes, he'd been temporarily erased from existence.

She didn't like to admit it, but there was a possibility that such a thing had been noticed. Ultimately, she was going to find out in the next ten seconds.

Her chains floated around her like live serpents. At the slightest hint of movement they'd snap, covering hundreds of feet in a single breath. A familiar sense of anxiety bubbled up within her. Semiramis felt her fingers involuntarily twitching in anticipation. Her pointed ears twitched as the door opened, suddenly her sharpened hearing seemed more of a burden than a boon. She especially hated hearing the obvious creaking of the puppet disguised as a sand ninja.

Ninja puppetry was a rather interesting art, but there was also something just a little…unnerving about it. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if any in the Sand Village had tried to take the art further. There was only so much wood and metal could do, even when enhanced by chakra.

Two puppets entered the household, and at their signal, the rest of the ninja barged in as well. That was Semiramis' signal as well. She materialized on the ground and she moved through the door alongside the Sand ninja. Each of them dispersed into black blurs that moved through the manor. She took a quick inhalation, smelling sweet scented aromas no doubt coming from various rooms. They were fairly pleasant; it would be a shame to mar them with blood or poison.

Listening to the commotion from the hallway she heard the manor's servants responding with panic and alarm. Then there were the Futagawas themselves.

Yoshimitsu Futagawa was the head of the family and a member of the village council. Though retired from active duty, he still supposedly had enough skills that he could pose a problem. But not as much as his firstborn son, Yoshisada.

Between the two, the older sibling was the pride of the family. An elite jonin who was counted amongst the Sand Village's best. Semiramis had a feeling that-

Boom!

With muted interest she watched an entire portion of the ceiling collapse, creating a pile of debris to her left. Two Sand ninja were atop of it, groaning in clear pain. Sensing a buildup of chakra, Semiramis quickly used her chain to pull them away as a new blast of wind barreled into the ground. Throwing up her arms to shield herself from the dusty debris, she concluded that the stealth portion of this mission was officially over with. Looking back up, she traced the chakra buildup to a figure above on the rooftop. Thrusting her right arm out, she launched one of her chains toward it, having it barrel through the ceiling and upper levels. To her astonishment, her chain was reflected by a sphere of wind.

"Okay, I'll try a little harder." The Assyrian woman whispered. Her finger bent then extended, with it her chain launched itself back at the ninja, this time piercing his wind barrier. He managed to dodge the chain just before it hit him. A commendable feat, but not one that was going to be repeated.

Or it wouldn't have been if her attention hadn't been drawn elsewhere.

Ka-boom!

There was definitely some heat to that explosion. Semiramis looked straight to her right, watching the walls and pillars collapse from the force of the blast. She felt a slight concern as that was the side of the home where Matsuri had gone.

Semiramis wasn't the type to call out to someone in alarm, at least if that person wasn't Naruto…or Jiraiya. Still, she felt a sprout of worry for the brunette who she'd seemingly taken under her wing on the last day.

She inwardly cursed herself as concern won out.

"Matsuri!" Semiramis called as she dashed through the hole and the fire. "Matsuri, are you alright!?" Fortunately, she spotted her modified rope dart around her, shielding her just as she and Naruto did with their weapons.

It unwrapped revealing her slightly singed but unharmed form. "I-I'm fine! I'm-oh no, C-C-Captain D-D-Daijirō!"

Pieces of a stonewall crumbled, having served its purpose in protecting the veteran Sand ninja. He looked back and smiled in relief seeing that his younger counterpart was alright. His smile faded as he looked up to peek above it to see the source who'd launched the fireball at them.

She could see the resemblance between Yoshikatsu and his sister. Both of them held the same fierceness that marked them as more than just pretty faces. Their black eyes held the same ferocity that she found something slightly admirable in. In this case though, they held nothing but contempt for all of them. Especially Semiramis.

"What have you done to my brother!?" Yuika Futagawa barked in a voice contrasting the flames around them.

Semiramis chuckled. "He and I had a talk yesterday, he had quite a lot to tell me over drinks. Don't worry, he had nothing but interesting things to say about you, Yuika-san." Her words provoked an immediate response - hand signs that were weaved lightning-fast.

The fireball was almost as big as Jiraiya's. She'd seen his fire-based jutsu utterly incinerate boulders, and those weren't even his strongest jutsu. While she was confident this woman wasn't anywhere near as powerful as him, she knew better than to take any chances. Semiramis also knew that if things escalated then people were going to get caught in the crossfire.

"Water Style-Water Bomb Jutsu!" Learning ninjutsu, and genjutsu, had been entertaining. Beneath that entertainment though, she knew it could be useful; like for times like now. She watched as the approaching fire met with the blast of water, creating a burst of steam that filled the entire room. "Matsuri, now!" She called amidst the elemental clash.

Snapping back to attention, she threw her rope dart out, willing it to go where she wanted it to via her chakra. She saw it move through the steam just like her own chains, though not as fast. Regardless, it was fast enough. Yuika saw it coming too. Semiramis saw a kunai whipped out and used to deflect the blade, though it came at the cost of the weapon. She groaned as it fizzled and cracked, poison eating away it.

"Earth Style-Stone Binding!" Shouted the Sand jonin, slamming his palm into the ground and sending for the restraints that would bind the now rogue ninja.

Again, the female Futagawa showed her strength in countering the earthen jutsu. While weaving the hand signs, she spun about in a circle. At the end of it she expelled fire, her movement creating a spinning whirlwind of fire that incinerated the moving earth. The whirlwind lifted her up into the air, and kept on going, plowing through the ceiling.

"H-Hey! Hold on a second! You're not getting away!" Matsuri shouted. After twirling it, she launched her rope dart again. It left a chakra-laced trail as it crossed the air, penetrating the flames and wrapping around the girl's leg. "W-W-Waaaah!" She shouted as she was lifted upward.

"Go, get the rest of them! I'll look after her!" Semiramis impulsively shouted at Sand jonin before she goes after Masturi and Yuika. Damnit. Her inner self snarled in response. She'd already said it and the nod of confirmation had been given, so there was no point in trying to double back. Besides, she'd given the girl a modified weapon and she was going to ensure it was used properly.

It was easy for her to jump up and follow after them. Matsuri was still holding onto the rope, which was still fastened around Yuika's ankle.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Looking up, Semiramis saw the circle of black ink followed by the puff of smoke. From it emerged two dark brown wings that furiously beat against the air. She recognized the avian shape against the morning sky. Like many summoning animals, the bird, the hawk, was five times bigger than normal - large enough to carry a human being across its back. It was also large enough and powerful enough to create a powerful gale with a flap of its wings. Said gale served as an amplifier for another powerful fire jutsu.

Immediately looking at Matsuri, she realized she had to protect the girl, and that's exactly what she did. Throwing her arm out, she wrapped her in a protective layer of chains and pulled her down. Semiramis herself jumped away and shielded herself. Her fish-like scales were warmed by the heat of the attack, which demolished a good chunk of the manor's right wing. She supposed now that they'd been discovered the Futagawas had no more use for their luxurious home. Perhaps destruction was better than it falling into the hands of the government and being redistributed to another party.

"M-M-M-Miss Semiramis!" Called out the brunette, still wrapped in her protective chain cocoon.

"Still here. Hold on, we're going for a little…flight." Unwrapping them, she grabbed Matsuri's arm and dragged her out into the flaming hole. Not paying any heed to the flames around her, she summoned one of her doves and had it take them up. The morning sun had continued its rise, casting its rays across Suna. The failed infiltration of the Futagawa's home had no doubt stirred up the locals. It was entirely possible some of them were panicking at the possibility of another attack on their village. "If you can, grab her with your rope dart."

The kunoichi was startled. She'd been awake, but the past five minutes had no doubt jolted all of her senses, sending them into overdrive. Heart racing, she looked down in awe at the buildings beneath them as they flew after their target. It took two calls of her name for the brunette to properly respond, and get herself ready. But then-

"Hold it, you bitch! You're not getting away that easily!"

Semiramis blinked before she looked back at the brown-haired girl for an explanation. "T-T-Temari and Yuika are-were-sorta friends and rivals. T-There was always a bit of a rivalry between their families but this has…probably intensified things."

Nodding, Semiramis looked over to see Temari riding her fan. She was aware that it could be used for flight, having seen it herself. Now she was seeing it used in anger, as well as seeing the sand jonin herself using it in such. Her face was the darkest she'd ever seen it. Her fan was whirled back then launched forward, sending a dark gray funnel cloud toward the fleeing Yuika. Her avian mount sensed the attack coming and evaded it. The evasion gave Semiramis an opening that she knew not to waste. Holding out her hand, she manifested a spell circle that released a concentrated beam of purple energy. Again, the bird evaded the attack, but yet again, its evasion left it seemingly open.

Dropping the magic circle, she switched to a chain attack, swiping at it with the intent of catching one of the wings.

Boom! Boom!

Pieces of her chain fell to the ground. Semiramis retracted it with a modicum of surprise on her face.

"Those are some powerful shurikens." Mumbled her passenger.

"Agreed. It seems that this conspiracy has indeed found some capable blacksmiths." Unknown to the young girl, the Assassin was smiling. If serpents could grin then that was undoubtedly her. "Hang on, we're going to get a little up close!" She heard Matsuri gasp in alarm as she commanded her dove to fly in close. Her mount was reluctant to get so close, but obeyed her nonetheless. Semiramis stretched her hand out, coating her arm in liquid venom that would tear through flesh and armor alike.

By sheer chance, she and Temari ended up attacking at once. The blonde with her wind blades and she with her poison. They came from both sides, putting the pressure on the runaway kunoichi.

Her response was rather admirable though. She jumped off the back of her summoned hawk, who she also dismissed. Semiramis saw some blood from the beast seconds before it dispersed in a cloud of smoke. Her focus was ultimately on Yuika though; she wasn't alone in focusing on her as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Matsuri's rope dart shoot out and tie itself around Yuika's left leg. It didn't stop her from weaving a set of hand signs. In time Semiramis would come to find out that she couldn't stop it.

Semiramis grabbed onto the rope, intending on using her superhuman strength to pull it. Surprisingly, her hand wasn't the only one to latch onto it.

"Oh, I'm not letting you have all the fun. She owes me." Temari snarled in explanation.

"Fine then. Just leave enough of her for us to interro-"

Sudden, that was the word to describe what happened next. It was a simple one description that could have been used to describe some…spectacular things in her new life. The Heroic Spirit reckoned that the sudden shifting of time and space could be added to that list.

Her dove bucked and swerved, just as panicky as her, and her compatriots. Frantic, they all looked around; the females' jaws all dropped as they saw greenery instead of varying shades of sandy brown. Lots of greenery.

"Shāpuken!"

"Everyone, move, now!" Temari shouted.

Semiramis was about to command her dove to evade when she sensed the threat coming in close to her, dangerously close. The white gleam of the projectile slash made her blood run cold. Logical instinct dedicated her next actions. She jumped and watched as one of her beloved birds was cut in two. The sight was painful but she quickly looked away, quietly promising to make the one responsible pay. She didn't have to look far as another projected slash was coming her way, several.

They were met by the wind blades formed by Temari's fan. Bursts of fierce winds blew across the sky as the two attacks collided. Semiramis felt some strands of her hair being cut by the intense blowback. While it died down, she focused her vision on the origin of the slashes, which led her to look down at the ground. She saw greenery, grass, fresh, bright green grass.

We're in an oasis! The black-haired woman realized. Her vision focused on the woman beside Yuika Futagawa.

A Sand ninja as her tan flake jack and headband indicated. Her dark blue hair was loose and flowed down to the mid of her back in a curled-up ponytail. Most noticeable though were the scars, one that scratched from her left side chin up to her eye. The other was a diagonal cut across her right cheek, smaller yet it also added to the warrior image the woman projected. Her orange eyes blazed with violent fury, and chakra. Her right arm was stretched back, blue swirls of chakra gathering around it. A sudden white gleam greeted Semiramis' eyes, then the arm swung forward. From it came a crescent-shaped chakra blade that moved with the speed of lightning.

It was easily large enough to bisect a building, meaning that the newcomer wasn't fooling around. She was trying to kill them all in a single blow.

But they weren't going to go down easy.

"You haven't beaten me before, Chinatsu, and you're sure as hell not going to beat me today!" Temari shouted, having been amassing chakra within her fan. "Wind Style-Azure Dragon Slash!" Around her manifested the ethereal form a serpentine dragon, the specter disappeared into her blazing fan, which was swung with immense force. The air shook with the roar of a dragon while being condensed into a glimmering blue slash that collided with the silver crescent beam.

Semiramis had thrown her arm out to put a shield around Matsuri, who was helplessly falling to the ground alongside her. In this battle of blades, they were spectators, for the moment anyway. Second by second the ground grew closer. Seeing it, Semiramis righted herself and landed on her feet. As for Matsuri, well…that's what the barrier was for. The young girl yelped as the shield took the brunt of the fall, bouncing like a rubber ball with her inside it.

Turning her attention back to the blade clash, she watched the two attacks struggle against one another, whipping up a fierce storm around them. It whipped at the numerous trees around them, some of them even being sliced apart from the clashing attacks.

BOOM!

Neither triumphed, but to the two kunoichi that simply meant they had to try harder. First to strike was the blue-haired woman on the ground. She launched herself toward Temari, her arms stretched back then thrown forward as she reached her target in seconds. To her credit, Temari held firm, even deflecting the blow with her folded-up fan. She quickly proved to be as adaptable with its folded form as she was with its unfolded form. The black metal continuously clashed with the opposing kunoichi's arms. In those clashes, Semiramis realized something - she was hearing metal clashing against metal. And the blue-haired woman wasn't holding a kunai or a blade. Her arms were the blades.

"Transmuting one's flesh into weaponry. Crude but effective." The Servant murmured.

"T-T-That technique. T-That's the Sumitani Clan's technique." Came Matsuri's astonished and even sorrowful voice. She met Semiramis' sorrowful eyes and nodded in confirmation of an explanation. "They're both a ninja clan and a blacksmithing clan, and one of the oldest families in the village. The First Kazekage brought them into the fold, especially for their blacksmithing skills."

"And that includes knowing how to turn their flesh into weaponry, correct?" The Servant deduced.

Matsuri nodded. "I-I think it's related to some old kekkei genkai turning chakra into metal. Whatever it is, when they change their bodies into metal, they're insanely strong!"

"Yes, I can see that." Both combatants were now on the ground, and still going at it. As much as Temari was holding her own, she needed to get some distance between her and her opponent. Her fan was made for blasting opponents at a distance, not being used as a blunt instrument. Flexing her fingers, she began to channel mana through her arm. If she could get a good shot off then they could-she sensed it. "Matsuri! Jump!"

Without hesitation, she obeyed her, jumping to the right as she did. The forested ground beneath them erupted as a towering figure emerged from it. Semiramis immediately recognized it.

"Ohhh, fortune smiles upon me. I finally get the chance to destroy this powerful but wretched toy!" Shouted the black-haired Servant, her dark and malicious grin spreading further to her cheeks. The snake puppet was just as she remembered it; massive, imposing, and looking ready for a fight. It seemingly recognized her too as the gold-sprinkled serpent roared a challenge to her. "Yes, let's finish what we started the other day, I've been looking forward to it!" Filled with excitement, she launched her chains forward, the poison-coated spear ends speeding toward the ninja puppet.

Its eyes flashed gold at the incoming attacks. The puppet's mouth stretched open in another roar, but this time the sound was a hundred times greater, and sharper.

SSSSSSCCCCCEEEEECCCHHH!

"Gyyyaaaaaahhh!"

"Aaarrgggghh!"

The once-focused poisonous chains lost their power, falling to the ground as their wielder focused on covering her ears. Her companion was doing the same, as well as the third member of their little group. So too was her opponent, albeit she seemed to have prepared for it.

SLAASH!

"T-T-Temari!"

Biting through the pain, Semiramis turned around and saw the spray of blood. Panic was quickly bottle-capped as she saw the wound wasn't too deep, but it was undoubtedly going to be a problem if left untreated. Which was a major problem since Sakura was by now on her way to the Land of Rivers with the rest of Team Seven. And they were Ashur knew where.

We underestimated them. The Assyrian queen growled in her mind, a ship out in stormy waters. She wanted to scream in frustration, but she knew it would be drowned out by the sonic roar of the ninja puppet before her. Did Yoshikatsu know about that sonic attack or did he somehow keep it from us!? Damnit all! Damn him! Damn that bastard to the pits of hell! She could have sworn her pointed ears were beginning to bleed! "D-D-Damnit! I-I-I swear I will kill you all!" The Assassin found herself shouting.

It could have been her imagination but she could have sworn the snake puppet was laughing. By the end of this, she'd be the one laughing, over it and its controller.

Regardless of her future plans, the present continued on. The snake puppet ceased its roaring and moved. Just as it had before, it moved with great speed, speed that belayed its colossal size. With her ears still ringing she watched it move toward the blue-haired woman. She jumped onto it as it sped away into the trees and bushes. Both were large enough that the building-sized construct could disappear without leaving much of a trace. That also meant it was going to be hard to track. Which would likely come about after they knew where the hell they were.

While her ears recovered, Semiramis looked around. This is…a massive oasis. Certainly not normal. Some landscapes in this world were truly absurd, yet that also gave them a particular sense of wonder. Her nose wrinkled as she caught the scent of fresh water. Then she felt heat, smoldering, sweat-inducing heat.

Alarm rising within her, she looked skyward to see multiple fireballs approaching them. They were at least thirty feet away and closing in fast, but Semiramis felt like they were already upon them, burning her skin to a crisp.

Even as her eyes went wide, her body was instinctively moving. Two chains shot out, each encircling one of her companions. Her feet moved toward a set of bushes. In no time at all she had them both beside her, her hands spread out in conjuring a barrier spell to protect them. Temari and Matsuri's shocked cries were lost to the explosion that ensued as the fireballs hit the earth. Her barrier's effectiveness was put to the test as it alone withstood the burst of fire and heat that consumed everything in the blast radius and beyond. Semiramis actually felt the heat through her shield even as it held.

"Well damn, seems like these traitors won't mind burning this oasis up if it means killing us." Temari grunted in annoyance. "That was one powerful attack. Nice save, Semiramis."

"I'm just glad that I caught it in time." She really was. Without a medical ninja around, if any of them took serious injuries, they were in deep trouble. The explosion faded leaving smoke and cinders in its wake. Before them lay a thirty-foot crater of scorched earth, not one blade of grass remained, the ground itself had been blackened. Flames remained on the trees and around the edges of the crater, still burning.

Semiramis looked up at the blue sky. "Matsuri, stay here and tend to Temari's wound as best you can. I'm going to get a bird's eye view of the area."

"Wow, you've definitely taken change of this unlikely team." The blonde kunoichi jokingly remarked despite she's wincing in pain.

"Why of course I have, I'm undoubtedly the most fitted to lead." She grinned at the slight frown Temari shot her, but the blonde conceded. Either she felt she was right or she wasn't in the mood to argument. At her command, another dove appeared and took her high up.

What she saw reminded her that she was in a desert just in case she was beginning to forget that. At over a hundred feet in the air, she saw the desert stretching out like the waters of the sea. Opposite of it was the greenery of the oasis, which stretched a good mile or from her current location. Looking in that direction, the Servant noticed a shimmer in her vision, especially the divide between the oasis and the desert.

"A barrier." Semiramis immediately deduced. "So this must be their stronghold." Turning around, her statement was further confirmed. Intermixed with the trees were the rocky ridges. The biggest was almost two miles from their current location, a giant C-shaped mass of rock that stood out amongst the plants and vegetation. Some of it seemed to be crawling up the ridge. "I guess that'll be our destination once-!"

The mass of chakra came in fast like any projectile attack worth it's salt. Lightning was a suitable comparison for it, and because of that Semiramis dismissed her dove and simply dropped a hundred feet to the ground. Her heels hit the ground with a loud thud! As she did the chakra blast impacted the ground, shaking it.

"We need to move." Temari declared, having gotten to her feet. Her wound had been closed up but the gash in her black kimono remained. "Did you see where that attack came from?"

"I might have, but as you said, we have to move! The enemy knows our location!" No sooner had she spoken did she feel a shiver race up her spine. Something was coming their way. "Go! Now!"

Within the next breath the three women were running, their feet pounding across the grass. It shook as explosions went off behind them. Their former hiding spot was under bombardment by an enemy they couldn't counterattack. Nothing angered Semiramis more so than that, but she knew to keep her irritation in check. A time would come.

Once they stopped running…

Once they were able to get their bearings…

Once they were able to locate their enemies and get within striking range…

The time would come…and when it did, Semiramis would relish exacting some revenge on them.

Naruto, it seems that we're both going to have some stories to tell each other the next time we meet up. Heh, I'll be looking forward to hearing of your victory…and you better relish hearing of mine. Confidently thought the Assyrian woman. Her assumption was a fact that she was going to ensure happened, and she was absolutely certain that her Master would hold up his end.


As you can see, Semiramis is going to have her own little adventure while Naruto and company deal with the Akatsuki, and those aren't going to be the only conflicts in this version of the Kazekage Rescue Arc.

Resentment is one of those things that takes some time to evaporate, and for some people it either takes a really long time…or it never does. As I laid out last chapter, Gaara's kidnapping as opened the door for a "subtle" coup attempt that everyone wants to take care of as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, the "quiet" part has gone out the window. Pretty ironic for a bunch of ninjas and an Assassin, huh? Then again, I always loved the bombastic nature of the series, especially when a supposedly simple plan went sideways. That's what happened here on Semiramis' end, and it's going to play out over the next chapter along with Team Seven's rescue mission. Which I promise you all is going to have its own surprises that deviate from canon.

Since this chapter I brought up, I'll come out and say that some of the events of the movies and games have happened in this story. The second Chronicles game was amongst my favorites so I decided to incorporate some of it into this story, especially since I want to dive a little more into the Sand Village's past. That's going to continue next chapter as I show the rest of the faces of the conspirators, and bring the first half of this arc to a close. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for the wait! Until next time!