Author's Notes: Time for another chapter. Not as swiftly as I'd hoped perhaps, but its going. Anway, time to go through the return from Ying's perspective. There are some new characters here, including my third major Kage character (Cloud, Mist, and now Stone). Readers of Behind Killer's Eyes may note some similarities between the Tsuchikage who appeared there and this character. While not a deliberate imitation, I am drawing somewhat on my use of Stone village in that story for this one.

Thanks for reviewers and an answer or two:

Meggido: actually, Ying doesn't really save any time, since what she did is closest to making microfilm of something. It still has to be rather time-consumingly extracted.

Hamstertai: Yeah, poison in the kill jars, usually cyanide based to (nasty stuff). I am trying to emphasize Shino from the entomology perspective, as a student of entomology myselft

Chapter 5 – Stirring the Kiln

(Iwa (hidden stone village) four days later)

The Tsuchikage was an old man. It was patently obvious to anyone who saw him, even when he was merely sitting behind his desk as he was now. His face was wrinkled and lined with the creases of a long and difficult life, his body bent and crinkled, bones creaking with every motion. He no longer had anything but wisps of dark black hair on his scalp beneath the concealing cap of his office. Veins stood out for all to see on his grizzled hands, hands that hardly seemed capable of holding the fine writing brush the Tsuchikage now held. Anyone beholding the body of this man would have determined he was in the very last stages of life.

Yet there was a different story told in the eyes of the aged ninja. Those eyes remained sharp and icy, crystalline with a penetrating vision. Behind that gaze was a mammoth store of experience and wisdom, all the things a ninja of such tremendous age accumulated. Age might have taken much of the power of the Tsuchikage's body, but it had left his mind untouched, as if it did not dare to probe the cavernous expanse of a ninja who had lived through multiple ages of his kind.

As always when she saw the Tsuchikage, Ling Ying wondered how old the leader of her village really was. He was only the second man to hold the rank of Tsuchikage, a rank he had held for longer than most ninja had been alive. None of the young ninja of Ying's generation knew the truth of the Tsuchikage's age or origins. It was known only that he was older than the 3rd Hokage of the Leaf had been. Most suspected the Tsuchikage was in his late seventies, it seemed the safest guess, but some wondered if he might have lived even longer than that. Could he have surpassed eighty years of age? Might he then be even so old that the Hidden Village of Stone had not yet been founded when he was born? Ying did not know, and she had never found anyone who would tell her. Even the one who sat next to her now, her wise master, Yuki Shojin, claimed to know nothing of the Tsuchikage's age or origins. Indeed, he had urged his pupil to never ask such questions, for the Tsuchikage's past was not a topic the wise delved, not since the purges.

Indeed, all Kages save the Hokage had once borne the power of a bloodline limit, yet now only the Tsuchikage remained of that breed. He was the last Kage with a bloodline power, and likewise the last of his clan, for the rest of his relatives had been destroyed in Stone's own purges, purges this man had not worked to stop. It was impossible to delve behind those crystalline eyes to see what this ancient man thought of those dark days, or how he had managed to continue afterwards.

Ying and her master sat before the Tsuchikage in uncomfortable chairs for many long minutes, forced to remain silent and unmoving while he studied a scroll on his desk, occasionally making the slightest of marks with his writing brush. The scroll he held was the one Ying had painstakingly retrieved, now decoded and recopied with her master's aid. The Tsuchikage studied it intently, only the occasional swift motion of his hand or the gravelly clearing of his throat revealed him as a living man.

While the leader of her village engaged in his analysis Ying recalled her mission, and what had happened afterwards. She had been reprimanded of course, by the Tsuchikage himself, but not so harshly as she might have expected. Instead, the scroll had been decoded with great speed for something she had believed to be of only middling importance. The young lady wondered what she might have done to bring back the real scroll of course. She had run through the battle with the strange leaf ninja in her mind hundreds of times even before she reached the ship that returned her to stone, but had found no answers. No matter what options she might consider there seemed to be no way she could be assured of victory. Indeed, again and again Ying was confronted with the awful image of the Leaf ninja spitted on her scythe even as his insect servants consumed her flesh. That wretched image, for she considered insects to be elegant creatures and had no desire that they should be the instrument of her death, confirmed to Ying that she had made the right decision, at least mostly. There was no way to be sure, her own knowledge of herself was of course incomplete, and so she was left wondering if she had done her duty in the correct manner. It had not made for a pleasant past few days, her own dark thoughts piled onto the recriminations of the Tsuchikage and her master. Ying had not expected the summons this morning, only her second day back in Stone, to bring her before the Tsuchikage again. She had no idea what the purpose of this meeting was, and it worried her greatly, a dark cold pit building slowly in her stomach every time the Tsuchikage made a mark on the scroll.

At last the old ninja leader raised his eyes from the scroll and put down his writing brush. He cleared his voice with a loud, mucus-laden sound, and looked with a fierce gaze to the two before him. "So, to make absolutely certain," he began, his voice guttural and gruff, ground beneath the weight of age. "We are sure the Leaf has a copy of this scroll?"

When her master did not answer immediately Ying realized she was being called to speak. "Yes," she said hesitantly. "Lord Tsuchikage, unless the Leaf ninja failed to return to Konoha due to some mishap, but I doubt this greatly."

"No, that is unlikely, not if he was able to fight you evenly," the old man returned. "We must assume the Leaf has a copy of the scroll, and no doubt they decoded it with reasonable ease, just as we did. Ah," he sighed deeply, exhaling with a slow and measured force. "This is indeed a serious complication, but also a great opportunity."

The other two ninja stayed silent, unsure how to take the remark.

"Now, Ling Ying," the Tsuchikage's potent gaze razorred in upon her as a jutting crag. "You say this Leaf ninja used bugs and wore sunglasses correct?"

"Yes Lord Tsuchikage," Ying answered, trying to suppress the nervousness threatening to spill out from her deep recesses.

"So, it was a member of the Aburame clan," the Tsuchikage rubbed his chin with a wrinkled, dry hand. "Given the age you reported it must be the young member of the clan who just recently became a chunin. Yes, that makes the most sense. Most interesting…" he appeared to think carefully for a moment. "Master Shojin?" he queried the other man for the first time.

"Yes Lord Tsuchikage?" Shojin replied in his usually steady and sage-like voice.

"Your student, she has a knowledge of insects to match that of any in our village, am I correct?" it could hardly have been called a question, for the Tsuchikage clearly knew the answer, as he had to all questions he had so far asked. Yet, Ying and her master were easily manipulated by his voice and words, and even the experienced Shojin leaped to provide every answer he could.

"Certainly none of my other students has displayed quite the interest in insects Ying has, and I do not believe any other ninja in the village has made a study of such creatures, aside from the Kamzuruchi clan that is, but their time is long past, and I hold all their secrets in any case." Shojin answered clearly, but felt obligated to add. "Of course, my own knowledge does still outstrip her somewhat even in the study of insects."

"As it ought, since she remains under your tutelage," the Tsuchikage remarked offhandedly. "Still, if her knowledge is good enough, and considering that she was responsible for the initial encounter I suppose she is the best candidate."

Now Ying could contain her nervousness no longer, and words tumbled free from her, laden with anxious concern. "Candidate for what?" then she gasped, and dropped her head in shame. "My sincerest apologies, Lord Tsuchikage."

"Be calm young one," he replied easily. "Of course you are curious; you need only a little more control. Since you have asked though, I shall answer you." He reached down and picked up the scroll, his long and wrinkled left index finger pointing to a single name. "This man here, Nozu Hidemoto, is listed as a missing-nin from Grass country. He is only a genin, but was a veteran and quite skilled for his rank. Most importantly, he appears to have performed over a dozen missions for various of our careful banker's business partners, all within the boundaries of Clay country. Now, an interesting fact, almost all the missions within clay country listed here, and there are many, were performed not by the close by Leaf or Cloud ninja, but by missing-nins or ninja from the various village-less clans in the country. Most importantly, not a single Leaf or Cloud ninja above the rank of genin has performed a mission for any of the country's most important businessmen in almost nine months. If we recall what happened nine months ago…" here Tsuchikage left the fact hang, knowing that by this time almost every ninja in the five countries and beyond knew that Orochimaru's renegades and the Sand ninja had attacked the Leaf during the chunin exam there. "It is indeed a very interesting puzzle, do you not think so?"

Both other ninja nodded.

"Yes, most interesting, so we need more information, this scroll provides only an outline, and details are required," Tsuchikage looked Ying up and down. "Ling Ying, you are about to be given a mission more important than anything you have ever done before, a mission that you will complete without the aid of any ninja from Stone. Therefore," those crystalline eyes bored into Ying, and she felt the weight of the Tsuchikage's powerful mind weighing down upon her, searching into her soul and ripping out all her innermost secrets. "I must ask you once again. Are you fully loyal to this village?"

Thus was the heart of the matter revealed, the dark burden Ying had labored under all her life as a ninja. Now she thought only that her answer was worthless, that no matter what she said the Tsuchikage had already made his decision. Of course, there could only be one answer, and it was the answer she held deep in her heart, an answer she had always felt ought to be enough when given honestly, yet never seemed to satisfy. "Of course, Lord Tsuchikage, I will always be loyal to this village, it is my home, and I am a Stone ninja," Ying answered as she always had, resentful, but understanding the cause. She knew well that it was a suspicion she must bear all her life, and her resentment of it was simply something that must be ignored and not allowed to grow. After all, she knew deep down that it did not at all outweigh all the good that had come to her in the Stone village.

"Excellent," Tsuchikage seemed quite pleased with Ying's speech, though his gaze did not move; it remained piercing deep inside her eyes. "Then I will give you the mission to find this ninja, Nozu Hidemoto. He will surely be in the clay country somewhere. In one hour I will have a scroll drafted with a sketch of this man and all we know about him, you will come and pick it up and then leave immediately. I will give you a charter to take a ship back to Clay country on the early morning tide. So, you will need to prepare quickly. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage," Ying answered firmly, her quick voice injected with resolve. "But what am I to do with this man once I find him?"

"Ah, yes, that is important isn't it?" though age obscured it the Tsuchikage seemed to chuckle silently. "It will perhaps depend. You will be required to use your best judgment. The information I desire is everything Hidemoto knows regarding the operation of missing-nins and local clans in the Clay Country. However, you are not an interrogator, so I will not ask such things of you. Actually, I think you are free to offer Hidemoto a place among the ninja of Stone Village. Failing that attempt to capture him and bring him back to be interrogated. If that is impossible then I will give you a scroll to use. Read it in Hidemoto's presence and he will be compelled by a rather powerful genjutsu to reveal that which he knows. In that case you will have to copy information very quickly, so it is not the most preferable method, but he is certainly not a strong enough ninja to resist the technique. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course," Ying answered.

"Good, then you are dismissed, come back in an hour, prepared to leave the village," the Tsuchikage ordered.

Ying nodded, and left her seat to hurry out.

As she reached the door, the Tsuchikage spoke again, his voice stopping her easily, even though it was not directed anywhere specific. "Oh, and if the Leaf ninja are involved feel free to work with them. Indeed if that young Aburame boy is the one they send, I encourage it. The mission will likely be easier with another to aid you. Whatever the Leaf want allow them to have, just make sure we get the information. Above all, do not fight with them unless attacked directly."

"As you command, Lord Tsuchikage," Ying answered, though her words held clear puzzlement. Yet she said nothing more, and hurried out.

"Why are you sending Ying to work with the Leaf ninja?" Yuki Shojin asked the Tsuchikage after his student had left and a chunin had been sent to prepare the necessary scrolls.

"Are you suspicious?" the old ninja asked with a chuckle.

"Not precisely," Shojin replied, his voice perfectly calm as it always was, a cultivated practice of many years. "I am simply somewhat concerned for my pupil."

"So are all good teachers," the Tsuchikage answered simply enough. "Do not worry overmuch, I suspect that one can handle herself, or I would not have sent her on this mission."

"Still, I cannot grasp what you are trying to achieve by sending her to work with the Leaf. They are not our allies, and indeed might be enemies soon enough," Shojin was a smart man, and known well in the village for his wisdom. Nor was he young, to be awed by the Tsuchikage's age as so many ninja were. Regardless of all this he could not grasp the many schemes of his lord, a man who had led one of the great shinobi countries for almost as long as he himself had lived.

"That's why I'm the Tsuchikage," the leader of the hidden village of stone smiled, his face wrinkling darkly. "It is the mind that matters to the one who sits in this post. Let the other countries have their young geniuses to rule them, I will outlast them yet."

"I wonder then," Shojin remarked as if musing to himself alone. "Will you tell me of this scheme then?"

"Oh, indeed," the Tsuchikage chuckled like shifting gravel again. "Yes, but you will have to guess why I have chosen to tell you."

"Of course."

"Indeed, well then," Tsuchikage stood, supporting himself on his short staff as he walked over to a detailed map that hung on the wall. With a delicate touch for a man of such age as he his hand passed smoothly over the fabric of that map, tracing a line from the Village of Stone down through the Grass country and to the Village of Leaf. "Old enemies, the Leaf, indeed. They stopped the ambitions of our lord not so long ago. I remember that much easily, even if many others have forgotten." Memory seemed to swirl about the Tsuchikage to Shojin, recalling that time in the past, a decade and a half gone, to a brutal war, a war he had also fought in, the last war with Konoha, the last time Stone had exerted great strength against any enemy. The power of the Tsuchikage's recollection was immense and clear as crystal, a mastery of history that formed one of the great sources of his wisdom. "They stopped us then, yes," he went on. "It was a simple thing, really, who could have anticipated that one, the Yondaime Hokage, the Yellow Flash, would be so pivotal. Still, it was a mistake, to forget how much single individuals change this world of the ninja. Yet, I have outlasted that Hokage, and even the older one, Sarutobi, my old adversary, a man who could see the wheels of this world turn just so well as I."

The Tsuchikage moved his hand again, moving it up upon the map's soft fabric, tracing the border with the small Country of Field, the home of the Sound ninja. "Such foolish passions the Leaf ninja of your generation have Shojin. That Orochimaru, trying to conquer death, ha!" the Tsuchikage's words grew dark and there was a ponderous anger behind them. "Does he think he can outlast even that which brings down the greatest heights of the world? So foolish."

"But it could be said he did us a service," Shojin interjected, echoing without any opinion of his own the feeling of many Stone ninja.

"A service?" Tsuchikage laughed bitterly. "Oh indeed, he has vaulted our village into a much greater position now. Our borders are now guarded only by weakened countries whose leaders are no match for their forebears. It does indeed benefit us, and if Orochimaru had perished in his little aborted coup it would be a bright world indeed for our country. As things stand, however, it is far more complicated. There are too many dangerous unknowns remaining, too many loose ends yet to be tied before we can thank Orochimaru as he is sent off to Hell." The Tsuchikage tapped the Field Country's place on the map, and then moved over to the neighboring Clay Country. "So many little puzzles, all swirling about the Leaf. Perhaps the country will fall, but then perhaps it will not. Alliance would be foolish, the Leaf's chances are not good in the coming struggle, but there is no need not to cover all bases don't you think? A smaller, more personal bond may serve us well if the Leaf does indeed survive, and if not?" here the Tsuchikage smiled darkly, and Shojin thought he detected a vicious amusement in his leader's eyes. "Well, the Aburame clan is sensible and resilient by all accounts. If Konoha should fall I think they are among those likely to survive, and would that not be of benefit as well?"

"It seems you are set up to win either way," Shojin remarked, not surprised at all.

"Something I have learned in all my years as Tsuchikage, the best plans are the ones where no matter what happens you can see no way that you would be worsened, only benefits," his smile stretched wide, a crag in the mountainous expanse of the Tsuchikage's aged face. "With your student's help this shall be one of those plans."

The Tsuchikage's hand moved back across his map, to come to rest upon Stone Village once more. "Yes, if one makes the proper moves to open the rest of the game becomes so much easier."

Insect Stuff: Nothing about insects here, but I'll make a comment about the recent anime fillers. Those hit me kind of at a bad time (I would have written this rather differently if I'd known they were going to create a group of insect masters in Stone). I've inserted a small comment in this chapter to allow me to more or less disregard those events, which is kind of too bad, because it seems like an interesting group.