A/N: I know I tend to "jump around" perspectives a lot. It's just that there's a lot to cover after the three year time skip. My apologies in advance if things seem "unfocused" in that regard.
XXX
A strange pair walked across the desert, a light wave of sand sweeping across the land from the warm winds. Of the two, one was tall and lanky, walking as a normal man should with normal tracks left behind from his feet. The other, heavyset and with an extreme hunch, his feet cutting a line through the sand as if there was a heavy weight hanging from his torso.
"Well well, look at this," Deidara said as Sunagakure appeared in the horizon; the village sitting within' a canyon-esqe fissure within the Earth. The two men looked over it from atop a hill they ascended, "feeling nostalgic yet, Sasori?" he asked his partner.
"Piss off, Deidara," Sasori growled, voice unimaginably hoarse and gravelly, as if the man had been gargling rocks every morning his whole life. "This dustbowl means nothing to me. The sooner we snatch Shukaku, the better."
"Ever the man in a hurry." Deidara said with a chuckle, the two traversed down the hill, "So be it."
Little did the two know, a bird circled the skies miles high above them.
Through a pair of binoculars, a pale skinned young man looked down on the two Akatsuki members, and the trails they left behind in the sand below. He estimated that the pair was merely 15 miles away from the Sand village.
Sai lowered the binoculars, the paint-formed falcon he rode atop doing a complete 180, before immediately flying back to the Leaf. Danzo will want to know the Akatsuki have begun to move.
The bird gave a very lifelike caw that echoed throughout the desert, one the men on ground ignored.
The two missing nin kept advancing towards Sunagakure, the two men quickly coming up on a rather strange sight.
A smooth wall of sand, almost 50 meters high in length encircled the village. The top of the wall curved slightly inward, almost as if it would enclose over the village like a dome.
"Heh, a wall of sand." Deidara said as he got up close to the wall. The blonde haired man held his hand just inches from the wall, the tongue in his palm lightly grazing the surface, "They built this for the Artificial Humans, didn't they? Tsk, pathetic." he shook his head, "All this for a couple of overrated troublemaking-"
"No." Sasori said, interrupting Deidara, "Not the Artificial Humans," the blonde looked back at him, "for us."
Deidara grinned, "All this preparation then… for me. Now that makes me feel good." he looked up at the wall's smooth surface, "Hm, looks like we won't be climbing this surface. We'll wait for the fall of the sun and the soaring of the moon." he looked up at the sky, "What do you say, Sasori?"
"..."
"And so we'll wait."
The sounds of shifting grains not far from them brought the two men's attention to their left.
A Suna ninja stood before the two rogue nin. Strangely, the nin showed the two nuke-nin no form of aggression... before he took a knee in front of them.
"Whenever you are ready, the passage into the village has been made clear for you, Lord Sasori." the Sand-nin mole said to his brainwashing master.
"The status of security?" Sasori asked.
"Code yellow." the nin said, "They are aware that there will be intruders. It's only a matter of when they'll encounter them."
"The amount of guards active?"
"An average of 40, all spread at vantage points throughout the village." the mole said, "The ones closest to the entrance are your biggest problem.
"Red, yellow, green; 40, 50, 100. Security status makes no difference." Deidara said, hand reaching into a support pouch at his waist. He held up a little clay bird, "My art will do its work all the same."
XXX
(Konohagakure: One Year Ago...)
Within a secure room near the edge of the Leaf Village, a toddler sat alone in a room, happily bouncing a blue ball in its chubby hands. This toddler was a girl, barely a year old, having picked up traits from her parents. Her father's natural blue eyes and exotic hair, though hers was of a more purple shade instead of a lavender, the darker hair tone she gained from her mom.
Silence filled the room, something that slowly ate away at the child with each passing hour...
The toddler dropped the rubber ball, letting it bounce and roll away from her. Her blue eyes looked around the room at her other toys. Standing up, she walked over to one of her animals, a stuffed monkey that was nearly the same size as her. She smiled at the monkey, always amused by the goofy expression stitched into its face. The little girl squeezed the stuffed animal, a light squeak coming from it that resembled the sounds its real life equivalent would make.
She looked at the tail that hung from its backside, a similar tail hanging from hers as well...
Hugging the stuffed animal tight, she felt a sense of companionship with it... whatever creature it was apparently being similar to her.
Her eyes looked towards the window of the room, noticing the outside had darkened.
Holding the stuffed monkey, she sauntered on over to the small window built high up into the room's wall, her purple tail dragging along the floor behind her. The window was too high for her to view on her feet, so with a skill that came almost naturally, she floated up almost 9 feet off the floor, the toddler now able to look out the window into the outside.
She hadn't yet gotten the opportunity to see the outside world in person. Only able to see it from whatever shield of glass was in front of her eyes. She'd been able to see people and other creatures on the other side of the glass, casually walking around without a care in the world.
Obviously, she'd never understand why she couldn't be out there with them.
The toddler frowned sadly, her eyes slowly going from the village below, to the skies above.
She saw millions of white crystals hanging in the air. The tiny ones were pretty... but none of them as pretty as the giant one that looked like a dinner plate-
Her blue eyes widened… her body going completely still as her small arms dropped to her sides…
The stuffed monkey dropped to the floor.
Thu-Thump… Thu-Thump… Thu-Thump
Her eyes turned pale as her simple mind went completely blank.
Her heart rate increased, the organ pounding in her small chest like a drum. Her insides grew warm, heating up until they burned in response to the hastening pumping of blood. The young girl's body began to convulse with her heartbeat as if something was trying to burst out of her. Her hair flared up, defying gravity as her eyes became completely clouded in white, body bulging and expanding. Her small petite form began to take on a very muscular form as her clothing was torn from her growing size. Her eyes becoming bloodthirsty red as her teeth sharpened into fangs, and hair began to sprout all over her like a coat of fur.
One of the building researchers, an older man in charge of caring for the child walked into the room, a plate full of soft food in his hands. That quickly changed when he looked inside.
The man dropped the plate on his floor when he got an eyeful of an ever growing monster taking shape in the room, its shadow casting quickly over the mortified scientist.
Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru sat within' the Konoha jonin lounge, the three geniuses sitting with nothing to say to the other. Another Jonin sat in a chair at the edge of the room, a gray parka hood covering his head. His sharp fingernails scratched the Inuzuka fang symbols into the wood coffee table next to him. His predatory eyes showed the lasting effects of the soldier pill he popped on an earlier mission.
A roar suddenly tore through the air, bringing every Konoha nin in the lounge to the balcony outside.
To their horror, they saw a tailed… something standing at the edge of the village.
"Wh… What the hell is that!?" Shikamaru said, the Nara's eyes widening in just as much shock as the others.
The great ape let out a roar from hell, the screams and cries of terror from the Leaf populace echoing through the night as everyone fled from the monster. The Ape swung its fists, knocking over and crushing nearby buildings.
Leaf shinobi from all over the village leaped across rooftops and flew through the skies in order to reach the beast, some quickly preparing jutsu while others prepared summons.
"Fire-Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Several shinobi shouted as they spewed fireball's from their gullets. The balls of fire hit the ape, making it stumble back as it growled in anger, its fur singed and smoking with embers.
It swung its tail, knocking away several ninjas along with their bird summons on impact.
Several older jonin quickly got flashbacks of another monster making an appearance over 15 years ago.
A massive furry hand picked up the top half of a destroyed apartment building, before chucking it at a large group of shinobi bounding across buildings to reach the monster.
The thrown debris smashed into the ninja, several of them getting crushed under the apartment building while others managed to fly off to the side to dodge.
A few genin shinobi who foolishly tried to get in close were crushed under the beast's massive foot.
Another several ninja were swatted away by the beast's backhand, sending them into buildings or skidding along the streets. The large primate unleashed another roar that echoed like thunder as it tore down more village structures.
Danzo stood from the rooftop of the Hokage building, the screams and sounds of chaos waking him from his slumber. When he got a good look at what was bringing his village into chaos; a massive ape that would fit perfectly within' any Kaiju movie's universe; Danzo was put into a sort of trance. Perfectly balanced feelings of awe and fear overcoming the Elder.
"In… Incredible…" the elder breathed as the beast roared. Danzo looked down into the streets, noticing the shinobi guiding the civilians into several marked buildings; the buildings leading down into the underground shelters.
He made a simple transformation jutsu, before slipping in with the crowd.
One jonin stood upon a pile of rubble, hand quickly shifting through handsigns before he held his right hand out towards the ape. A stream of wood branches slithered from his arm like snakes, wrapping and coiling around the apes ankles.
The jonin stumbled forward as the ape thrashed around, but he just barely managed to hold his ground.
The ape beat its chest before letting out another roar, this one just as monstrous, only this time, a wave of black smoke bathed out into the village, flooding the streets and buildings.
"Dammit! I can't see anything!" Shikamaru grunted as he put his hand in front of his nose and mouth. The entire area was completely blacked out with smog, the other shinobi in the area stopping in place as they broke out into a fit of coughs.
Neji covered his nose and mouth, the Hyuga prodigy as well as the other nearby shinobi hearing the sounds of the monsters rampage, but being unable to see it. Neji activated his byakugan, the prodigy being able to see the coils of all shinobi in the area. He saw the massive coils of the behemoths, a chill rolling down Neji's spine when he saw the power it put out.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan, the dojutsu allowing him enough sight to see through the smoke, somewhat. He obviously couldn't see clearly, but he could make out major shapes.
He felt a hand land on his shoulder, Neji's.
The Hyuga pointed to the beast's backside, the prodigy noticing a large clump of coils where the tail met the rear, and then spreading out like tree roots throughout the beasts body. The tail shined brighter than the other coils, almost like a giant beaming glow stick. That was a big enough hint for Neji, "The tail, Sasuke. Go for the tail!"
Sasuke charged up a chidori, the Uchiha survivor flying off the ground to tear off the ape's tail.
He landed on the ground, the beast's massive appendage flopping down behind him.
Sasuke looked back, the ape quickly shrinking down as the smoke slowly wafted away.
The shinobi in the area closed in as the beast continued to shrink and shrink. They prepared to make a final killing strike, until the ape reverted into a confused, frightened… and nude toddler.
"What the hell…" Sasuke thought, not expecting this in the slightest.
One of the other jonin leaped down from a rooftop, willing to end this threat, child or not.
Before they could, a trio of ROOT nin appeared in front of the little one.
"You will stand down!" said one of them, the other in the trio grabbing the toddler and shushining out, leaving people baffled at what had occurred.
The incident was surprisingly quick. There were several shinobi deaths, but thankfully, no civilians. Injuries, were in the dozens while the village had suffered quite a few large damages. Stores, roads and buildings were wrecked during the attack as a few street blocks would need massive repairs.
Shinobi and civilians alike had quickly gone to demand answers, something Danzo already had in case things turned out of hand. Though he had to admit, he wasn't expecting a foul up to occur the way it did. Nevertheless, he'd been adept at covering his own ass.
Experimental ninjutsu gone wrong. Tests of methods to combat the Androids having gone out of hand. Artificial jinchuriki being the source of it all.
With the knowledge that there were other bijuu, specifically in the form of an ape roaming their world, it wasn't too far off. And, with the populace so desperate for a solution to the Android threat, they were willing to buy it.
The child had been returned to Danzo and taken to a different complex given that the previous one had been completely totalled. He stood behind a one way window looking at the now sleeping and freshly clothed child. There were over a dozen ROOT nin surrounding her in case she transformed again.
Behind him was the mother of said child glaring at the back of his head with a look of contempt given what had just occurred. Needless to say she was not happy to hear how her child for whatever reason, had turned into a giant ape monster and gone on a rampage. The village which had only recently been fixed after the war with Suna and Oto two years prior was now once again damaged. Not only that but a few of their ROOT personnel had been killed when the complex was wrecked and buried under rubble.
"What... the hell... just happened?" Hattori asked as she eyed the now sleeping toddler.
"...I'm not sure." the Elder said.
"What else is new these days." the young woman said earning a look from Danzo for her jab. Nevertheless she continued her complaints. "You produced a bloodline from one of the toughest people alive without doing proper research first?" the young woman asked.
"I don't recall Trunks Briefs ever having a tail." the Elder said, "Or exhibiting a transformation besides super saiyan. These are factors that no amount of research could have calculated."
"Well maybe if you didn't toss him out, you would've been able to learn more about his heritage and prevent this disaster from happening." Hattori said through gritted teeth.
Danzo's lone eye narrowed as his displeasure became more noticeable at her attitude. "Don't be idiotic. He wouldn't divulge that information on his own accord. Also, need I remind you his banishment has so far proven successful in keeping the Leaf out of the Androids gaze."
"Whatever..." Hattori remarked, shaking her head before getting back on subject. "So you treated an ultra powerful kid from another dimension like breeding stock..." The woman said, "Without knowing the full extent of his bloodline and the repercussions that would come from lack of insight?"
Danzo's lip twitched, "All this means is that there was more to Trunks than I originally thought. While this child is young, we can properly study it and learn the full extent of its abilities."
"And if she turns into a monster again?"
"The tail." Danzo said, "When the beast lost its tail, the child reverted back to normal. As we study it, we can certainly find a way to weaponize the beast itself. This animalistic transformation, as well as the super saiyan transformation will serve as great weapons for the village."
"For the village, for the village, for the village." Hattori said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm starting to think you use the village as a crutch for some of the imbelic things you do."
"Sometimes misfortunes are wrought in pursuit of the greater good. All that has been done has been for the Leaf's benefit. I have nothing to gain."
"So far, the things you've done have only gotten people killed and made the village lose most of it's best personnel." Shimura held her hand to the toddler, "And now, you have a kid that's practically a monster you know little about, and a lot of explaining you're gonna have to do to the people of the village and the Fire Daimyo."
"I can handle the fallout. You can criticise as much as you please child, but until you're put in a position of power, you simply won't understand. Until you're given power, you are simply to sit and do as asked." Danzo said.
Hattori's eyes narrowed, "All I ever do is what you ask…"
"And would that be a problem?" Danzo asked, "When your parents passed, I swore to them and myself that you would be taken care of, and that I would make you a fine kunoichi in their honor. If you feel as though I'm ineffective, do tell. You won't have to endure these... trials, any longer."
"...no." Hattori said as her eyes lowered.
(Konohagakure: Today)
"Absolutely incredible!" A konoha scientist said as he studied a sample of the child's blood. "I've never seen anything like this!"
"Uh-huh." Hattori said boredly, the young woman leaning against a wall in the research room, her arms folded over her chest.
The scientist observed the particles of blood between the child's, and a normal human being.
"Having kept her samples on ice, it seems as if her blood cell's show a high resilience to elemental trauma,"
"Cool."
"An ability to adapt to different environments,"
"Interesting."
"And a compatibility with any blood cells! Regardless of type!"
"Fascinating." she said with a roll of her eyes.
"I mean, just look at this!" the scientist said excitedly as he took the two petri dishes with blood to a Bunsen burner. "The way a human being's blood reacts to fire and high temperatures, it boils and coagulates within seconds." he put the quarter saiyans blood up to the fire, "Hers… doesn't boil, doesn't coagulate."
"I know you can't tell, but I'm totally not falling asleep over here."
The scientist sighed, before writing down a few more notes, "Just give this to Danz- I mean, Lord Fifth for me, he'll want to see this." the scientist said as Hattori snatched the paper from him.
"Wait, before you go." the scientist said as he approached the child, thick syringe needle in hand. The toddler shuddered violently when she saw the syringe, a sight that made Hattori look away. To be fair, it wasn't the researcher's fault he had to use such a large instrument to extract blood; all other needles would simply break off against the child's skin.
The scientist reached for the child's arm, only for the toddler to dissipate and reform away from him. He grabbed her arm, only for her to dematerialize again, reforming on the other side of the room.
The child seemed exhausted, her skin now pale and her small stature wheezing.
The researcher grew tired of this routine. She pulled this every time he went in for samples. All he could do was keep at her until she eventually tuckered out.
And she did, after a few short minutes.
Shimura looked back at the scientist, syringe filled with crimson while the toddler rubbed her sore and bleeding arm with tears in her eyes.
She quickly looked away from her, "You already sucked a pint out of her between the last few days. How much do you even really need?"
"Unfortunately for her, with all the tests I need to run, I'll need a lot more." he said. He attempted to bandage the little girls arm, but the second he made contact with the sensitive flesh, the toddler angrily swatted him away, sending the scientist tumbling across the office floor. It was another thing that was constant with her. She'd always swat the doctor after he did something she didn't like, and showed that despite her age and small size... she was quite strong.
Hattori shook her head before walking up to the door. She turned to the toddler, "Come." she ordered.
And the child followed.
As the jonin walked down the hallway, she felt a pair of small legs land over her shoulders.
Hattori's eye twitched, the sound of Danzo's voice suddenly ringing in her ears.
'It is a weapon, Hattori. You are not to coddle it, have play time, kiss boo boos, or throw birthday parties.'
"Down." She ordered.
And as such, the child flew off of her shoulders and landed on the floor, looking to her sadly before looking at the ground while she walked.
"Yeah," the young woman said as she looked away, "Welcome to my world kid."
Hattori entered the Hokage building, she and the toddler walking straight to the Hokage's office.
Opening the door, she saw the Fire Shadow at work at his desk, the bandaged Kage not even looking at the two girls as they walked in.
"Any new information?" Danzo asked, the Elder's eye glued to his paper.
The young woman walked up and tossed the paper to the desk, "Try reading. It's all you do these days."
Danzo skimmed over the report; "Still no update on the Kekkei genkai."
Hattori shrugged, "It is what it is."
Danzo rubbed the scar on his chin, the elder thinking back as he pondered over past information, "The research team claimed they've seen a spike in her vitals when she's under intense stress..."
"And?" the woman asked. She knew where he was going with this, she just didn't want to hear him say it.
"Use your head, child." Danzo said, "The Super Saiyan transformation must be triggered by intense emotional or physical stress."
"Okay." Hattori shrugged, "And just how much stress do you think a two year old can endure? It's bad enough she gets stuck with pencil-thick needles six times a week."
"Children are naturally resilient." Danzo said as he leaned back in his chair, "If she is to be an efficient weapon, she'll certainly need to be... more-so than the average."
She looked away, "Can we leave now?"
"Go." the Elder dismissed.
The toddler followed the woman into the hallway. She looked back at the Hokage office door, before looking up at her mom, face a mixture of sadness and anger.
Hattori looked to the toddler and looked away, "Don't look at me like that. I seriously doubt you hate him more than I do." Her eyes narrowed, "You're lucky enough not to be raised by him..."
The anger in the toddlers eyes melted away into sadness, before she looked down at the floor.
Once the two walked past an air vent built into a wall, Hattori looked to the child, "Wanna take the shortcut?"
A nod from the toddler, and the two dissipated into smoke that seeped into the vent, quickly traveling through it until the two seeped into an apartment room.
The two reformed in the apartment's living room.
"Home sweet home." the woman said as she walked over to the kitchen. She looked back at the child who followed, "Hungry?"
The kid nodded eagerly as a small smile formed on her face.
"I figured as such." the woman said with a roll of her eyes. She opened the pantry, pulling out various cans of food, "I'm gonna have to go grocery shopping soon… again." she gave the toddler a pointed look, "I have no idea why you eat so much…"
The child blushed and shrugged bashfully.
XXX
Danzo read over the reports, the elder's eyes repeatedly skimming over what he was given;
UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE BLOOD
AMPLIFIED CHARACTERISTICS
ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY
He rubbed the scar on his chin as he pondered on one thought... how would a transfusion of saiyan blood affect his shinobi?
He was pulled from his thoughts as the door to his room opened.
"Lord Hokage," Sai bowed, "I have an update on Akatsuki."
"Report." Danzo ordered.
"Two of them are making their move on the Sand Village." The pale ROOT nin said, "If I were to guess, they would be pursuing the Kazekage."
Danzo nodded, "Bring me Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, and the kunoichi known as Tenten immediately."
No less than 10 minutes later, and the Leaf shinobi stood before Danzo, ready to receive their orders.
"There have been sightings of Akatsuki in and around Sunagakure. You know their goal." Danzo said.
"Kidnap the tailed beasts." Choji nodded.
"Correct. You are not to allow them to kidnap the Kazekage under any circumstance." the Fire Shadow said, "When you come across the Akatsuki, kill them."
"Sounds direct enough." Shikamaru shrugged, "We'll take care of it." He and the rest of his team moved to leave the office.
"Sasuke, Shikamaru," Danzo stopped the two teens, "I need a word with you two."
The two jonin turned to the Kage as the other three members of their team left the room.
"I have a special assignment for the two of you." Danzo said, the man leaning forward in his chair, "The Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara… kill him."
This didn't faze the two young men. Still, Sasuke asked, "Any particular reason why?"
Danzo leaned back in his chair, "To kill a Tailed Beast host, will kill the beast inside of them. To kill the beast, will kill the Akatsuki's plans at the root." Danzo's single visible eye narrowed, "Make no mistake, the Leaf and Sand are not allies. We have no moral obligation not to assassinate their active Kage."
"And there are no concerns about sparking a war?" Shikamaru asked.
"This task is meant to be discreet." Danzo said, "You would assassinate Gaara during the havoc, and simply stage events as him being a casualty of battle." the bandaged man's exposed eye narrowed, "If the worse comes to worst… well, the Sand have no allies to assist them. The Leaf does, not that we would need it." Danzo looked to Sasuke, "You have faced Gaara in the past. If for whatever reason you come to blows with him, I expect you to be the one to put him down."
Both jonin nodded, "We'll take care of it." Shikamaru said.
The two left the room.
XXX
The moon hung over the Sand Village.
Gaara stood motionless atop his tower with his brother and sister at his side. The warm night wind sweeping through the area whipped the redhead's robes.
Temari, as expected, had grown into a young woman over the years… though her general appearance stayed the same. Her attire consisted of a short-sleeved black kimono that reached down to her knees and hugged her new figure quite well. Her height still made her the tallest out of the three siblings.
Kankuro, like his sister, had grown up. Like his sister, his general appearance was the same, the only difference being in his face paint.
Temari and Kankuro made up Gaara's personal bodyguards, as well as members of his council. Though Gaara had managed to earn the respect and even love of most of his village populace, feelings he'd began to return, he still couldn't trust a lot of them on a deeper level, especially when his wellbeing was on the line.
His siblings could understand this.
Gaara's ringed eyes snapped open, a gesture that put Kankuro and Temari on edge.
"You sense something?" Kankuro asked, the puppetmaster reaching behind for a bandaged rig slung around his back.
"Yes." Gaara said, green eyes emotionless, "A pair just breached the perimeter."
"One pair's worse than the other." Temari said as she grabbed her fan, "Is this a pair we run from, or fight?"
Gaara's eyes closed, as if the redhead were thinking things over in his head. He remembered when he received warning about the Akatsuki three years ago.
X
Gaara sat at his desk, his big brother and sister helping him manage the Sand's economy much the same way they would help him with math homework
A knock at his door brought the sand siblings attention to the front of the office, a suna nin opening the door.
"Lord Kazekage, there's a group that wishes to speak with you. They say it's important."
A nod from Gaara prompted the nin to step into the room, a strange group of people following him inside. One of those people, the siblings immediately recognized.
'This is… peculiar.' Gaara thought as he eyed Rock Lee, his siblings and him almost completely disregarding the other visitors.
Lee smiled nervously, the bushy browed teen never having been in a more awkward and uncomfortable situation.
Bulma raised an eyebrow and smirked as she looked back and forth between Lee and the sand siblings, "Oooh, I'm sensing a bit of history here."
"There's a bit." Temari said, deciding to do the speaking for her brother, "What's a Leaf nin doing in the Sand village?"
"Last I checked, you guys still had a beef with us." Kankuro said.
Kakashi shrugged, "And you'd be right, we would… if we were still Leaf nin."
"Rogue nin, then." Gaara said, speaking for the first time, "I take it you've sought out the enemy of your former village for refuge."
"Not even." Bulma said with a smile, "We're just here to deliver some info you might wanna hear."
"...I'm listening." Gaara said.
Bulma cleared her throat, "So, my name... is Bulma Briefs." the three sand nin's eyes widened, "That reaction tells me you know my son."
"Boy, do we know him." Temari said with a roll of her eyes.
"Bastard owes me new puppet." Kankuro muttered.
"Tell me," Bulma continued, "what do you know about the Androids?"
"Androids?" Gaara asked.
"You must mean the invaders? Right?" Temari asked.
"You're telling us they're Androids?!" Kankuro asked in disbelief
"Technically they're cyborgs," Bulma corrected with a small laugh, "but they go by Androids, robots, artificial humans, whatever, you pick one."
"How do you know so much about them?" Gaara asked.
"Well," Bulma started, "in case you didn't know, me and my son… and them," she nodded to Shinhan and #16.
"Sup." Tavi nodded.
"Aren't from here." Bulma finished, "Another world, actually; whether you believe it or not."
"...Okay." Gaara said.
"What?" Kankuro turned to his little brother, "You really believe that?"
"Given the world we already live in, I can buy it." Temari said, "I doubt someone would make that up and get so many other people on board with it."
"I guess the Androids came from this world you're from, as well?" Gaara asked.
"Bingo." Bulma said.
"What can you tell us about them?" Temari asked.
"Appearance wise, they-"
"We have pictures of them, so you can skip that." Temari said.
"Oh, great!" Bulma said, knowing this would speed things up some, "What they're capable of; well, they have unlimited energy which means they'll never tire out. Ever, no matter how long or how many enemies they fight, which eliminates the idea of using numbers to our advantage. They don't need food, water or sleep to live which means there's no effective way to weaken them. Lastly, they're tough enough to kill my son, pretty easily at that. If you know my son, you probably know how tough he already is which only speaks volumes about his enemies power."
That made the teens break out in a sweat.
Trunks was not only able to smack Gaara around pretty easily, but was able to go up against the 1 tailed beast itself, and actually would have won! If only the one tail wasn't completely made of sand and could keep reforming itself at will.
"Know of any ways to fight back?" Gaara said.
"As of right now, I have no answer." Bulma said straight up, "If the Androids come to your village, you evacuate. Don't bother fighting, it's hopeless."
"That's not an option." Gaara said. If the people of his village evacuated, they'd be forced to walk the deserts for days. They'd simply die due to the elements if the Androids didn't kill them.
Bulma shrugged, "As I've said, fighting them is a hopeless option that would only lead you to your deaths. Still, it's your call to make." She held up a finger, "But, don't worry. In around three years time this will all be over. My son's off training with someone to stop the Androids as we speak."
"So we just have to hope these Androids or whatever won't just trash our village for shits and giggles over the next three years?!" Temari said in disbelief.
"Uh, yeah." Bulma said.
"Pretty much." Tavi shrugged while #16 nodded.
"That sounds about right." Kakashi said as he too nodded.
Fu and Lee looked to one another, shrugging as they too agreed that that was their reality.
"But there is a brightside!" Bulma added, "You guys being out in the desert may just work in your favor. The Androids, being thrillseekers and all, may not feel a need to come flying on out here. No offense to your home, but your village doesn't seem like much of an amusement park or tourist attraction if you catch my drift."
Gaara couldn't argue that, "Understandable."
"But know this," Kakashi added in, "The Androids aren't the only issue you'll be facing. The Akatsuki will be pursuing the One-Tail. When exactly they'll be making their move will be anyone's bet."
The sibling trio's eyes narrowed. That meant village security would have to be at high alert… all of the time.
"Generally, its believed the Akatsuki tend to wait until their targets are outside of village walls… so know if they breach your village's walls, it's because they know they can get what they want." Hatake said, voice dangerous, "Chances are, if the Akatsuki breach the village's walls, they will take the one tail… that's just an unfortunate reality."
The siblings didn't like it, but they solemnly nodded.
"Thank you, for the information." Gaara said.
"No problem Mr. Kazekage-sir-guy!" Bulma said with a smile.
A tiny smile went across Gaara's face, "My name, is Gaara."
At this, Fu's orange eyes widened, "Wait, you're Gaara?!" the girl rushed up to the Kazekage's desk, surprising the Sand teen's, "The name's Fu, nice to meet ya! Naruto told me a lot about you, Gaara."
The redhead blushed and looked down, remembering the last time he and Naruto met, it was after the blonde spared him from Trunks wrath, "O-Only good things… I hope."
Fu smiled, "He told me you were a little kooky, had some screws loose... but you seem alright by me."
A small smile crossed Gaara's face.
"I promise, when shit ever hits the fan, me and Naruto WILL help you." Fu said, the others turning to leave the office, "We won't let anything happen to you."
Now Gaara was curious, "Why would you make a promise like that?"
"Because, me and Naruto look after our own." Fu said, the girl backing away from the Kazekage's desk, "Birds of a feather and all that." she headed towards the door with her friends as Gaara's browless eyes widened.
"Yeah," Fu said as she looked back, pointing a finger at herself, "I'm the Seven"
X
Gaara's eyes snapped open. Whatever happened now, had to happen. Do or die. "Kankuro," Gaara turned to his brother, "intercept one of them at the village entrance. Temari, stand by me. Please."
"Of course, Gaara." Temari said as she wielded her fan.
"Catch you both on the other side." Kankuro said as he leaped off the rooftop.
XXX
Sasori walked casually through the empty streets of the village. Nobody was around to witness him, shinobi or civilian.
That was nice… for now.
He knew that inevitably, he'd be killing some of this village's forces. He'd give it a few minutes before one crossed his path.
"Where's your partner?" Kankuro asked.
Or a few seconds...
Sasori's eyes slowly glanced up at the building the puppeteer peered down at him from.
"... Around." Sasori responded.
Kankuro glared dangerously at the hunchback, the sand nin leaping down from the building to stand in front of his enemy.
"You know who it is you're after, right?" Kankuro asked the rogue nin. Sasori didn't answer, though that didn't stop Kankuro from continuing, "You're not just after a beast holder… you're not just after my Kage." Kankuro's hand gripped the bandaged rig tighter, "You're after my baby brother. So you have no idea how personal you made this!"
Kankuro slapped down three summoning papers, three eruptions of smoke bursting from said papers.
Before the sand sibling stood three puppets; the Black Ant, Salamander; a puppet that looked oddly like its namesake; and a new puppet Kankuro'd constructed over the years, a puppet that looked like a large dog with two fangs and a horn protruding from its head. It was meant to replace the Crow he'd lost 3 years ago during the Sand/Sound invasion of Konoha. He named this one, the Jackal.
"Ready for a puppet show?" Kankuro challenged.
Sasori's head tilted, "Big brother shows up on the playground to save his little brother from the bully," Kankuro flinched as a long metallic and bladed appendage snaked out from Sasori's rear, the tip hanging right over Sasori's head.
The nin now looked akin to a scorpion.
"How cliche." Sasori drawled.
XXX
Deidara soared over the village atop a bird formed of clay.
His single exposed eye wore a piece that functioned as a sort of telescope. His gaze skimmed over the village; from streets, to windows, to rooftops.
"Come on… show yourself." Deidara said to himself. He grinned as he caught a glimpse of red hair atop one of the rooftops. "Well well, there you are."
Gaara stood from his rooftop, staring directly at his pursuer.
Deidara instantly noticed something was off. Gaara stood still and alone, his eyes practically locked on to the Akatsuki that soared over him. Deidara felt as if the Kazekage was expecting him…
Deidara removed the eye piece from his head, the blonde man wondering what the crimson-haired man below was planning.
The nuke-nin's hand inched inside of a bag filled with clay, his gaze locked onto Gaara's.
The sweeping sound of wind behind him made Deidara's gaze quickly snap to his right. To his surprise, Temari flew directly at him, the kunoichi riding atop her signature fan.
The young woman grabbed her fan by the handle, leaping from it as she swung a deadly gust of wind at the man who dared threaten her brother.
XXX
Deep within' the ruins of Orochimaru's old hideout, seven figures outfitted in black cloaks stood in a circle. Each one of their cloaks contained a purple musical symbol etched into the fabric of the back.
These figures; Kabuto Yakushi, spy and right hand of Orochimaru; Tayuya and Sakon, two surviving members of the sound four; Kimimaro, sole surviving member of the Kaguya clan; and three new figures, survivors of Orochimaru's organization that were rallied over the years.
One, a young woman with dark eyes and blue hair tied up in a spiky ponytail, two strands framing her face. Red lipstick was the only makeup she wore, the color vibrant against her fair skin.
The second, a product of Orochimaru's experimentations, was a teenager with white hair (though, one could notice a slight blue tint if they looked hard enough), sharp purple eyes, and a fanged tooth hanging from his closed mouth.
The third, quite possibly Orochimaru's most valuable subject, was a timid-looking man with spiky orange hair.
Guren looked to Kabuto in disgust, not thrilled with having to take orders from him of all people.
Kabuto pushed his glasses up his face, "We've mastered our ki. You've learned how to implement it effectively with your curse marks. Now," he held up a finger, "it's time we set our sights on the next objective..."
"Sasuke..." Kimimaro nodded. Having gotten in touch with his life energy, the sole survivor managed to earn himself a slight extension on his lifespan. Kabuto knew the man was destined to die soon… now, it was all a matter of preserving his lineage…
"That's right." Kabuto said.
"Psh, why do we give a shit about this Sasuke guy anyways?" Suigetsu asked.
"Because when we wack the Leaf we don't wanna go up against someone with a sharingan. Retard!" Tayuya snapped.
Suigetsu put his hands up and smirked, knowing that act alone was enough to irritate the flute player.
"It's better to have Sasuke as an ally, than an enemy." Kabuto explained, "He's arguably one of the deadliest ninja in the Leaf village, so to have him a part of our force will make our ultimate mission of destroying the Leaf lean more in our favor." His gaze hardened, "Orochimaru always intended for Sasuke to join us. Aside from crippling Konoha by killing its Kage, bringing Sasuke into our world was one of Orochimaru's goals. As such, we will fulfill it."
Guren shook her head and looked to the side, "I'm not buying for a second that Lord Orochimaru is dead… but whatever. I'll play ball."
XXX
A remote village in the Land of Valleys went silent.
The streets were paved with various clothes and garments, the wind that swept through the peaceful little town carrying the lighter weighted clothes through the streets.
One lone, terrified man hid inside the closet of his home. Cold sweats pouring down his face, he cradled himself as his heart pounded like a jackhammer against his chest.
The disgustingly rhythmic sounds of gulping filled the man's ears, the sounds indicating the creature responsible was right inside his home, slurping up his wife.
The creature finished off its drink, leaving an empty kimono on the wooden floor. It turned to the nearby closet, hearing the rapid heartbeat of another morsel behind the door.
It grinned as it stepped up to the closet door, its scaled fingers grasping the doorknob.
With a slight tug, the monster completely ripped the door off its hinges, sending it across the room behind it.
The man squeaked in horror, his already pale skin turning ghostly white. The monster before him spoke, something that seemed to horrify the man even further,
"The Androids… would you… by chance, know their whereabouts?" The creature's voice was shrill and impish, something that only added to its nightmarish persona.
The man shook his head, looking ready to pass out at any given moment.
The monsters purple predatory eyes stared down at the man, before the creature looked up at the closet ceiling in thought, "It would appear that none of these remote towns have any information on them. As I'm in unknown territory, I'd prefer to keep a low profile, but I doubt I'd get anywhere if I keep up the same routine." the beast looked back down at the man it towered over, "Perhaps I should move on to larger towns, would you agree?"
The man didn't answer.
"Yes, I think that would be ideal." the creature hissed with a smile curving its beaked mouth. It continued to stare down at the man it towered over, "Hmmm, but before I continue my journey, I think I should…" the stinger to its tail raised, tears filling the man's eyes as he prepared for what was to come, "fully quench my thirst."
The man's screams echoed through the ghost town of a village.
XXX
(Deep Space)
Somewhere in a galaxy far away, on a moon hanging above a gas giant, three men trained.
Or, more accurately, two men trained. The third sat on a flat rock, boredly watching the two younger fighters go at it with one another.
The oldest of the three was a man with wild hair, a scarred face, and a brown tail wrapped around his waist. He wore a black shirt with long sleeves underneath a black and green battle vest. Red shinguards with matching colored wristlets and headband were noticeable among his attire as well.
The two young men sparred in a dance of sword clashes that left sparks at each impact. One of the men was obviously inhuman, with his pointed ears and pink mohawk. A gold band wrapped around the back of the bald surface of his head.
His opponent was a young adult with long lavender hair, hair that he kept tied back. He wore a black tank-top and dark-gray sweatpants, brown boots strapped on his feet.
Trunks gave a battle-cry as he thrust his sword forward, his opponent quickly blocking the tip of Trunks blade with the width of his own. Strangely, the mohawked man wielded the same type of sword as Trunks.
Bardock watched as the mohawked alien went skidding back across the ground from the force of Trunks attack. The older saiyan rolled his eyes, watching as the alien got back to his feet. Before he and Trunks could clash again, Bardock stood up, an act that caught the attention of the two swordsmen.
"Trunks, Mino," Bardock addressed the two, folding his arms as his black eyes looked up into the endless void of stars above, "It's time to head back home."
XXX
A/N: Once again, I apologize for all of the "perspective jumping" towards the end of the chapter.
There will be a lot less of that moving forward.
Anyways, leave me a review with your thoughts!