Chapter Seventeen: The Tulip Squad
AN: My interpretation of how Amaterasu works has been explained in this chapter. I've used several inhibitions on the technique's usage. The rest mostly remains the same.
Canon Manga Info: Kirin (Sasuke's Jutsu): the technique itself doesn't require any chakra; it's raw lightning and Sasuke simply guides it down by turning his own body into a conductor (a small amount of chakra is required for that). It requires chakra without the clouds as shown during Cell-7's Reunion at Orochimaru's hideout. There really is no comparable Jutsu in the entire manga that works on the same mechanics. That's a testament to Sasuke's exceptional, unmatched skill in Raiton and Chakra Control as he literally shapes and controls natural lightning without any chakra. According to Black-Zetsu, "it's a technique that goes beyond Nin-Jutsu."
It's basically Spatial and Elemental Re-composition on a natural phenomenon, without any inclusion of the user's chakra. No individual in the entire manga can control natural phenomenon at this level save Kaguya (her techniques, of course, are Kekkei-Mōra and much larger in scale and power as she has a lot of chakra at her disposal). And it's not a surprise that, according to Kurama in canon manga, Sasuke's Nin-Jutsu talent and chakra control (along with his skill in this regard) are at the Sage of the Six Paths' level.
Amaterasu: Sasuke casts it from his left eye and controls it with his right eye. It also appears/converges on the target. Its initial cast is never a projectile as many erroneously believe—once cast, it can be easily turned into one. Its use is shown by a little amount of blood flow from the casting eye, though that doesn't always happen. It's a Mangekyō Sharingan Dōjutsu. Sasuke had this technique (along with the ability to manipulate the flames) before he ever took Itachi's eyes for Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan; furthermore, only Sasuke has the Kagutsuchi ability (the ability to control flames): Itachi does not (he can only turn the flames off). It was also hot enough to kick-start a hot-spot storm, twice, around the Uchiha Hideout.
It's capable of eating through and eliminating all chakra-types, Bijū's included (Hachibi's chakra-flesh was burnt to a crisp and Naruto's chakra cloak was eaten through as well), and Natural Energy (as shown and stated by Kabuto when his Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation was cancelled because of the heat of the flames; it works entirely on Natural Energy that breathes life into whatever he's chosen to animate; Kaguya's Ice Block was also created out of Natural Energy as she's one with Nature and is capable of manipulating it), provided that the flames are focused on the target as unfocused, residual ones burn slowly.
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Like pebbles, rain thrashed Leaf and thunder thrummed about as clouds travelled wide-out above the forest. A wet curtain fell over their eyes and clouded their visions. Despite not wanting to play with Sharingan, Sasuke took it out regardless; fast droplets hammered into stones, trees, pools that flooded the ground all about—a melodious cacophony. He could barely hear himself think as lightning sparks burst through grey, and sounds of exploding thunder beat into their ears.
"Mate, ya sure picked a fine day ta drag me out 'ere!" Suigetsu screamed behind him, hoping that his voice carried itself over the noise. He wore a thick water-repellent cloak. Its hood hung low over his eyes. His hands were covered with thick gloves; his feet, warm in heavy boots.
Sasuke remained quiet. They had to reach the desired destination before darkness fell; otherwise, it would make the mission harder. It was simply a matter of killing two birds with one stone: he had to fulfil Mei's request, concerning the rogue ninjas from Mist, and catch two other rogues Suigetsu had intel on; but the latter had nothing to do with Mist's mission: it had everything to do with his personal vendetta!
Wind shushed and rushed past his wet face and left a persistent buzzing in his ears. The rain was not thinning, but they were in luck today: Nature had blessed their journey. It would be easy to give Mei's guards a slip through the murky curtains and reach the second destination ahead of time. Sasuke smiled to himself and increased his speed whilst all of them jumped from one tree-branch to the next.
"Oye! Slow down, will ya? Not all af us are as fast as ya!" Suigetsu yelled behind him, and his ringing voice disappeared in thunder's noise.
Sasuke paid him no heed, for he could sense a surge of current coming their way—a large bolt of lightning was about to reach them and strike them down. He moved through the trees like a blur and landed into a clearing and shot both his hands up with his palms facing out. There was a blinding flash, and a loud boom rocked the whole place.
Like a cosmic vein, a single blue line pulsed and throbbed, latching itself to Sasuke and the clouds above. Then it shrieked, whipped its head about, and took on the form of a tamed dragon, its scales glimmering-blue like the gauziest of crystals one could have laid his eyes on. It was magnificent! He had managed to call all the lightning in the storm unto himself. Suigetsu let out a loud whistle and stood on a thick branch that held his weight. A stunned smile broke across his face.
"Sasuke was always good with Raiton, but it's the first time I've seen Kirin," Jūgo said and slowly adjusted the heavy cloak on himself. He patted the birds' heads that poked out of the row of pockets he had on the inside.
Sasuke moved his arm with lightning speed and shot a bolt of Raiton at a few branches, adorned with fresh leaves, high up on a tree. Lightning struck and splintered the wood, travelled further, dispersed into venous sparks about a hundred feet away.
"Don't even think about it," Sasuke warned, still standing inside lightning's shroud.
"Zabuza-San!" Suigetsu yelled and jumped down, his body suddenly convulsing with the assault of sparks travelling through his water-like body when his boots met the ground.
"You shouldn't have jumped down so soon," Jūgo said—he wore an impassive look eternally pasted on his face. Half of his arm was metamorphosed into a thick exoskeleton; few crab-like claws adorned the tip of his fist, hard as steel. He jumped down close to Sasuke, and his eyes locked on the two shinobis caught in the mist, with Sharingan's tricks.
They made no sudden movements and neither did Sasuke. His arm was still outstretched and two of his fingers were pointed at them, with a bright spark jumping at their tips. "Throw away the senbons or the next one goes straight through your head," Sasuke warned again, his voice deep and threatening.
The shorter one of the two, who still had a mask on, threw them at Sasuke's feet. "We didn't know who you were," the short one said from behind the glass-like mask, his voice small and mellow like that of a child. "Suigetsu-San didn't say he was bringing any company."
"I—I think I just pissed in me pants," Suigetsu said from behind Jūgo. His arms were still trembling a little.
"Suigetsu, stop fooling around. Are they those two?" Sasuke asked, not lowering his guard. This was something his brother had taught him during their boar hunts: no matter how harmless a prey looked, it could always bare its teeth and strike when one least suspected.
" 'Am serious. I'd been holdin' it in fer the past two hours," Suigetsu replied in a voice that wobbled pitifully.
"I don't think anyone would be able to tell," Sasuke said coolly, listening to the wind slowing down. With the spark gone, storm lost the battle to overwhelm them. His eyes slightly moved up to see a tear in the clouds. The rain would end soon . . . and this foray had to, as well. He did not have much time!
"Thanks a lot!" Suigetsu shot back and made an awful face. "Me pants stink—and it's all yor fault, Zabuza-San." He reached his hand around to his back and took out the large Executioner Blade from its massive sheath.
"The welcoming committee's a pack of sour children," Zabuza rasped, his lips moving subtly under the cloth wound tight about his mouth. "That's my sword."
"Never gave ya the impression that this was a welcomin' committee," Suigetsu said and ran his tongue over the pointy white teeth. "Finders' keepers, losers' weepers. Besides, that's a nice kitchen knife—suits yor built." He pointed the large sword at them; its smooth tip glistened with raindrops that trailed down its edges.
A mild frown creased Zabuza's forehead. "As insolent as your brother," the man said in a grave, rough voice. He had a thin dagger-like sword clutched in his left hand.
"He taught me well," Suigetsu said and pumped water into his arm; it bloated in a second and ripped open the thick sleeve at the seams. It was massive. "The scroll, Zabuza-San. Ya know how this goes. With the Mist guard-dogs frem the bitch at our heels, it might get tricky!"
"What guarantee is there that you'll give us the citizenship permits to Rain? You never were trustworthy, Suigetsu," Zabuza spoke, and his voice hissed sharply behind the rough cloth.
Suigetsu chuckled and licked his lips. "Yo'll just have ta take a leap a' faith," he said and turned the sword's handle in his hand, his eyes not leaving Zabuza's heavy gaze that hid the torments of Mist's past—a past marred by a sordidness much too vile.
"You'll get the permits. It's in my interest that you do," Sasuke assured and lowered his hand. His body soaked up the dragon. A single drop of sweat burst out from his brow, but in the drizzle, its disguise was perfect.
"Sasuke, ya don't know 'im like I do. The guy could've an army a' thugs waitin' nearby. We need ta see the scroll first," Suigetsu said and stepped forward, his feet sloshing through the muddy water gathered about their mud-caked sandals.
"If he doesn't have the scroll, I'll kill him and the other one right here, and burn the bodies with Amaterasu till not even their ashes are left to scatter across the land. I don't like it when people break their promises," Sasuke said in an even voice, and its smoothness sent the coldest current up Zabuza's spine as his eyes met Sasuke's that cradled the changed pattern of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"That might work, too," Suigetsu said and stabbed the sword into the ground.
"Haku, stand down," Zabuza said and raised his hand to stop the young shinobi from taking out more senbons to target Sasuke's weak spots. "So Suigetsu was working for you in Rain?"
"Why did you bring a child along? He might cut kite-strings with these chopsticks, but I doubt it'll kill any skilled shinobi," Sasuke remarked and turned his eyes that snuffed out the heat of his Mangekyō's pattern, returning to the calm of three commas they usually wore, to look at the boy's small frame: he was a good five inches shorter than five feet and wore a wide Hakama that was too big for his thin legs.
Zabuza jumped down when he saw the ferocious fire in Sasuke's eyes die down. Haku followed him, holding three senbons in his hand. He looked ready to strike, and Sasuke found it amusing—endearing. "He may be a child, but he's a Chūnin-Class ninja. I trained him myself." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll.
"Did you know about this?" Sasuke tilted his head a little to look at Suigetsu and took the scroll from Zabuza's hand.
"Don't look at me. He told me that his partner, Haku, also needed the permit. I'd no idea it was a little critter who still wore spare soft-cloths ta hold in his shit," Suigetsu said and leant on the large sword that sunk a little more into the ground.
"One more embarrassing incident like this one, and I might ask you to wear one, as well. You smell awful," Sasuke remarked and unrolled the scroll. "How old are you?" He looked down at the child who took his mask off and revealed the face of a babe that had yet to relish the maturity of life or experience the first blush of youth!
"I just need ta air this a bit. Yor too sensitive sometimes." Suigetsu spread his arms wide and let the rain pour into his clothes.
"Ten," Haku replied, his voice so small that Sasuke felt a pang of pity for him. He was too young to be thrust into the cruel business of rogue ninjas.
"Don't you feel even an ounce of shame—taking in a child so young and turning him into a hired hand for thugs?" Sasuke asked and looked from Haku's innocent face, still unaffected by the cruelties of Village business, to Zabuza's hard one, affected by the same sins the child's soul was still safe from.
Zabuza let out a dry laughter and placed his hand on Haku's small shoulder. "You live in the comforts of a big house, Uchiha-San. You don't know much about the harsh life of small villages Konoha and others have preyed on. It's a vicious cycle. I took him in when his own kin tried to sell him off to a militia in the West. With these permits, I can finally start over in Rain as a part of their Guard-Squad. And this child might get the life I promised him," Zabuza said, his voice heavy with the truths of the unkind life he had left behind in Mist.
"Promises . . . " Sasuke whispered to himself and lowered his eyes. He, too, had made a promise: he would avenge his kin and exact vengeance on those responsible for his misery. His eyes ran over another kind of truth the scroll told him. "How many rogue ninjas Mist supported as the secret Tulip Squad force after the bartering of Byakugans?"
"My guess? About fifty. I could only pin down sixteen names out of the elite twenty that were directly involved in secret operations with Root and other villages in some shady political business. Danzō and your Elder council never made it public, though it says nothing about the Byakugans. Why are you . . . ?" Zabuza stopped, his gruff voice trailing off.
Sasuke's wet finger traced the lines on the paper: blots of black irremovable-chakra-ink had dried out. That side of the page was messy. He remembered the scroll he found hidden deep inside Mist's underground storage unit—things seemed to come together now!
"Three sets of Head family Byakugans disappeared from the Hyūga clan's list more than a decade ago. Ao has adorned his empty socket with a new Byakugan. He claims it's a trophy of war—but the funny thing is, he only keeps one. Where did the second eye go? I can bet those five were distributed amongst these elite Tulip Squad members," Sasuke said, his eyes intently looking at the signatures from Danzō and the Elders. Their names had dried out, sealing the fate of his clansmen over something so small.
"Let me guess, Kisame-San coughed this up before he bought the farm? I've heard rumours that he's rottin' away like a dead buggerin' fish somewhere. Is it true?" Suigetsu asked and bounced the flat of his hand off the sword's sturdy hilt.
Zabuza turned his eyes, and his gaze momentarily stopped on the massive man that stood quietly next to Sasuke; he was busy petting and feeding rows of tiny beaks poking out of his coat's pockets. "Looking for Samehada, are you?" Zabuza asked and narrowed his eyes that glinted with amusement. Suigetsu's obsession with new swords was a bit vulgar: he used whatever means necessary to get new ones and discard the old ones he grew tired of.
"Out with the old and in with the new," Suigetsu paused and grinned with all his light-reflecting, pearly-white teeth on display, "still, sixteen names are a wee bit less than what we asked fer. 'Am disappointed, Zabuza-San. Ya didn't even brin' in the sword along fer a good flavour."
Zabuza's eyes studied his face for a moment before he said, "this sword business for you—almost as vulgar as men with new colourful women." Thunder's sharp shriek rang in the area, stopping him from saying anything more. The slit in the cloud had closed up. Nature was kind to Sasuke—for now. "Yes, Kisame died. I don't know when and I don't know how. He simply disappeared when Mei took charge about two years ago. Kisame gave me this scroll not long before that. It was intel to grant us a safe passage off Mist's grounds."
"Sounds convenient." Suigetsu's shrill voice turned into a chuckle.
"A valuable information for the highest bidder," Sasuke remarked and suppressed the quiver of his lips that threatened his emotionless face to break into a smile. "That's why you reached out to Suigetsu? You knew what had happened in Konoha. You also knew he worked for me under the guise of the Guard Squad. That can't be the only thing you know. Permits seem like a large payment for such a small piece of information. What else are you hiding, Zabuza—one of the underlings in the Tulip Squad? Am I right?" Sasuke's eyes blazed with the new pattern. A teardrop bubbled out of his tear-duct. Thick and red, it trailed slowly down his white cheek. His intense eyes bore the familiar marks of danger and death—things Zabuza knew all too well.
Zabuza's face remained calm, hiding the ferocious ocean of anxiety that crashed against his composure. "You're clever," he stopped and tightened his hold on the sword, "it's not as simple as you think. It's a complicated matter. Far too complicated—perhaps even for you."
"Try me," Sasuke said, his voice had that sharp edge to it.
Zabuza closed his eyes under the drizzle. It created a light, see-through wall between them as the sunrays struck the countless raindrops pelting the clearing. Clouds were piling up far to the east on the horizon now. "I found out about Suigetsu through Kisame. He knew his brother," he began with a sharp intake of breath, "someone from Konoha, someone close to you, is leaking information about you and who you hire for your missions."
"Did he say who? It could be anyone," Jūgo remarked, not letting go of the calm that always flooded him when Nature was kind to the forest.
"No," Zabuza said and put his hand on Haku's head. The child looked up at the taller man. A look of adoration hovered over his innocent eyes—a look that did not miss Sasuke's gaze. He pitied him. His resolve to kill them was starting to crumble under the child's innocence: a child who needed and deserved the mercy and love of a parent, a love Sasuke was deprived of in his childhood.
Sasuke's grip slackened on the hilt of his sword. He was torn: on one hand, it would be beneficial to kill them, bury the secret in the forest's depths—the rain would wash away his sin like before; on the other hand, his guiltless eyes were eating away at him, pleading before him to let it live, let it taste the life it wanted (what was the harm in a little boy's freedom?). He kept intently looking at Haku, feeling his innocence smother the intense hell fire rising without mercy in his eyes. After a moment's struggle, Sasuke lost and let out a breathy, defeated sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment to accept his decision and quelled the Sharingan's pattern that was meant only for his vengeance.
"Kisame was one of the top five Elite members. Even if he knew, he wouldn't tell me. It's possible that only the top members of the Elite Unit knew. Not everyone's privy to all the information. The Squad had tiers—like you guessed. I was just an underling," Zabuza explained, and his eyes scanned Sasuke's hard face that was impossible to read.
"Who led the Tulip Squad?" Sasuke asked, and his mind burrowed under the large pile of memories. Even if this information was valuable, it had countless holes to fill. It would take another lifetime to connect all the dots, merge all the threads together to make this mysterious cobweb whole; and that was a time no man possessed . . .
"I don't know. Only four members knew who the person was, and Kisame was the only one I knew of. He never told me . . . and now he's dead," Zabuza whispered, looking cautious as if the forest had eyes and ears, and if his secrets wafted to its core, it would snuff out his life all by itself.
"Sasuke, I'm getting a bad feeling about this. The rogues Mei asked us to take care of—" Jugo broke off and looked down at Sasuke's face that still did not let any emotion disturb his features.
"The remaining second-tier members in the Tulip Squad," Sasuke said, almost cautiously, sweeping his gaze about the area. "She knows—why do I get the feeling she was a part of the Elite Squad?"
"She's eliminatin' competition. Maybe the previous Mizukage left her with the dirty deed—that cock-sucker! I always knew somethin' was aff 'bout that broad. Sasuke, what do ya want us ta do? Should I kill 'em right now? Ya gotta remain in her good books if ya want somethin' outta that two-faced slut," Suigetsu said and pulled out the sword from the fast-hardening mud.
"Put that sword away," Sasuke said and raised his hand, and his words automatically brought a veil of calm upon Haku's face that bore the fleeting signs of mortal fear only a moment ago.
"Are ya sure? I don't want ta kill the adorable lil' bed-shitter, but it can't be helped. He's one af the Squad members and now they know too much 'bout us—'bout ya. What if it's just a game and she's testin' ya? Knowin' that yuis onto her, who knows what that whore would do! Yor purty face and dick won't do ya much good—we'd all be tit-fucked by hairy-arsed Mist men. That's not the way I want ta go—'am only sayin'," Suigetsu said in an honest manner, not lowering his sword raised at the two ninjas.
"I'm sure. We can show the guards that I burnt two rogues here. This could turn in our favour," Sasuke said and turned his gaze to look at Zabuza's face. His visage of control was mildly cracked. He knew he would not be able to take Sasuke on, and that fear was starting to reveal itself on his brow. "What else do you have on you? Surely, this isn't all Kisame left as his classy last words of farewell."
Zabuza remained quiet for a few seconds, weighing his chances and possibilities to make it out of here alive—both of them were slim. "I guess, I really have to take a leap of faith," he said in a voice that sounded aged and defeated. "Someone from the Hyūga Head family was involved in the bartering of tools and Jutsus. I didn't know it involved Byakugans, but you figured it out yourself. Kisame told me before he left. He knew his days were numbered."
"In exchange for what?" Sasuke asked and lifted his eyes slightly to look at the darkness gathering in the clouds. Sun was completely hidden now—sky, angry and grey.
"Payment for the Tulip Squad's Elite," Zabuza said, his harsh voice ringing in Sasuke's ears with the single realisation that stung his spirit as though it had been pinned to the ground in the depths of Yomi's Blood Pools: Konoha paid Mist to do something that resulted in his parents' deaths? But what? Surely, six Byakugans were not enough to topple the entire Police Force? No, this did not feel right: the payment was too meagre for such a big task. What was Mist hiding?
"Sasuke, what are you thinking?" Jūgo asked kindly and laid his hefty hand on Sasuke's wet shoulder. "You have to make a decision quickly. The bird that came back just now told me that Mei's guards are coming this way. You know one of them is a sensor and Ao has Byakugan. These two will get spotted from a kilometre away." He lifted his hand and grabbed that bird gently. Then he put it into his pocket and stroked its small head with his thumb.
"I need proof of this claim. The scroll you have in your pocket—no need to hide it for another bidder. Hand it over to Suigetsu when you reach the border," Sasuke paused and tilted his head to look at Suigetsu and Jūgo. "Take them to the border. Karin has made arrangements. Her family members would be waiting there."
"What will ya tell those slobberin' cock suckers? The border ain't five minutes away. It'll take us a few hours ta get back," Suigetsu asked and took a few steps towards Zabuza and Haku.
"You can let me worry about that. Do as I say," Sasuke said and took his sword out and traced a fine line into the mud.
"Okay, boss. I hope ya know what yor doin'," Suigetsu said and pushed his sword back into its massive sheath. "Ya heard the boss. Let's go." Within a moment, all of them disappeared from view.
Sasuke blinked and inhaled sharply. Using Amaterasu now would take a lot of chakra from him. He would not be able to see clearly for quite some time, and his left eye would be rendered blind for two whole days. Even the soldier pills he brought with himself would not replenish his chakra properly; but it had to be done! The heat from the black flames would burn all the left-over chakra in the area, and the powerful chakra would confuse Chōjūrō's sensing and Ao's Byakugan.
He took in a deep breath. Amaterasu was always dangerous, and if Mei really had played him, it was a risky move. If more ninjas showed up, he would be too disorientated to dispatch them quickly. He remained silent, and his eyes closed as he kept thinking about Mist's game. Time was slipping through his fingers like winter rain.
The chakra kneading was done. He could feel the heat rise around him in spirals. When he opened his eyes, bloody tears poured out of his left eye. His vision focused on the grass by his feet that still bore the marks of Haku's and Zabuza's sandals. A massive black flame suddenly converged on the point: it sizzled and burnt, consuming all chakra and burning all Natural Energy in the area. Jūgo would not be able to consume it from here for a while.
The fire was scorching hot; even its residual black flames felt hot as if burning on his skin. Sasuke jumped back but stumbled, unable to remain on his two feet. He fell forward, bracing himself on his elbows. His head hung down a little to the right; breathing heavily, he looked through his blurry vision at the sweat droplets falling down from the sharp tip of his nose. He moved his trembling hands and, with the last dregs of strength left inside him, placed them firmly on the ground and pushed himself up.
His legs shook; Amaterasu had eaten through his strength. The light in his left eye slowly began to fail him. An impenetrable darkness fell upon it, and, suddenly, he could see nothing to his left. His right eye was so blurry as though rainwater stood in it. His murky vision made it difficult for him to make out the shapes of trees properly. Sasuke slapped his hand over his left eye when a searing pain exploded in his head; he peered through the haziness of his own vision to look at the flames as they grew taller, touching the branches above. At this rate, the wall of flames between himself and the forest would spread.
Sasuke focused his right eye and smothered the black chakra rising like something unquenchable from Yomi's depths. He halted the fire in its path just in time. The flames' heat was still unbearable, but his Sharingan did not fool him: all of the chakra in the area was gone. Even Sharingan's haziness did not stop it from detecting the last bits of his own chakra disappearing when touched by Amaterasu's heat.
He stood silent and took one soldier-pill to ease his pain and replenish a bit of his chakra. Some moments passed when Chōjūrō and Ao landed behind him. They had bewildered expressions on their rain-whipped faces as their gazes fell upon the black flames contained within a tight area by Sasuke. "So this is the powerful chakra I sensed!" Chōjūrō remarked in awe and touched his glasses.
Sasuke did not move to look at them. He knew Ao already had his Byakugan out to search the area. He would be disappointed. With his head bent, Sasuke relished this moment of amusement. "I can't see any chakra for two kilometres," Ao said, hiding a bit of resentment in his voice as he was not the true owner to exploit the eye to his heart's content. Despite being from the branch family, Neji could see anything within a ten-kilometre radius in every direction. And with proper training, Hinata's vision would grant her the same power.
Sasuke's upper lip trembled and turned that curl of amusement into a curl of contempt. He quickly masked his expression, raised his head, and put the sword back into its sheath. Now was not the time to use it. There would be another time when he would let it feed on their blood and nurture a soul.
"I didn't know you would be alone, Sasuke-Sama. Weren't you supposed to bring along two other members?" Ao asked cautiously and kept his distance as if the other man was ready to strike him down.
"Don't touch the flames. It'd leave more than a mild burn," Sasuke warned and turned his head to look at Chōjūrō who was about to let his curiosity get the better of him. He immediately pulled his hand back and puffed at his palm. It felt as though something had burnt it. "They went ahead to check the borders—just in case if any rogues slipped past us along the way."
"But these black flames—" Chōjūrō stopped, still in the grip of wonder. This was the first time he had seen Amaterasu.
"I caught two here and burnt them. They were about to blow us all up. Normally, I don't use it, but the situation called for it," Sasuke explained and tried to keep his functioning eye focused—everything seemed to swim about him.
"Then Let's check out the border. We can—"
"Why, you don't trust me?" Sasuke sharply cut Ao off, meeting his confused eyes. Half of his face was severely wrinkled by Byakugan's activation: Hyūga's prized genetic possession really was not his game.
"I-I didn't mean that, Sasuke-Sama. Please, forgive me," Ao paused and cleared his throat. "I meant to say that it wouldn't hurt to double-check."
Sasuke let out a soft laugh. "My shinobis are more capable than you two. You're welcome to waste your time, but you won't waste mine. I'm heading north as we all agreed to meet up with Nii-Sama. You can carry out your fool's errand," he said and used Body-Flicker to instantly increase the distance between them by sixty metres. He stood on a thick tree branch for a moment to scan his surroundings, and then he vanished.
"I don't sense anything, and Suigetsu-San and Jūgo are no ordinary shinobis," Chōjūrō said and reached his hand to his back to curl his fingers around the hilt of his massive sword. "He's right—we'll only waste time here. Mei-Sama would be so angry if even a single one escaped."
"Suigetsu . . . that traitor," Ao spoke in a venomous voice. "He can't be trusted."
"His family migrated to Rain when his brother was just a child. The Hōzuki clan hasn't been a part of Mist for six generations. His father was only commissioned there for a mission, and Yagura-Sama got him killed after it was done. He allowed his family to leave, afterwards. The secret is buried. I don't see why you're still sour over it," Chōjūrō said, his voice measured, and clenched the hilt tightly in his hand.
"He's been doing missions for this Uchiha from Rain. Do you really think he's that innocent?" Ao asked, raising his voice as wind hissed close to their ears. He turned around to face the younger man who was a few inches shorter than he.
"All ninjas from Rain do missions as hired hands for many villages. You know how poor that village is. His older brother—what was his name? Yeah, Mangetsu! You know what happened to him? He got killed in one of them! His mother died a long time ago. He's the last surviving member of his family. Why does it matter?" Chōjūrō asked and pulled his hand down. He glared from behind his glasses at the taller man. This conversation was going nowhere.
"His brother knew Kisame and what he was up to. All the rumours hit a dead-end when Mangetsu died. And Kisame? We don't even know where he is. That snake—" Ao hissed out the last words.
Chōjūrō kicked a small stone by his feet at the tree in front. "As long as people believe these rumours to be true that's all that matters. And you need to let go of Suigetsu just because he turned down Mist's mission from you. He's a citizen of Konoha now. Sasuke finalised his Fire Country citizenship about a week ago through his brother, Itachi. He's the Anbu Commander these days. Don't forget that. He isn't some small-fish. You want to get us all into trouble with the Uchiha Clan now?" he asked and looked about; his sensing was not turned off.
"Of course not! I'm worried about Kisame. This Sasuke—he's clever. If he finds out about something through Suigetsu—I can't even imagine what will happen," Ao said and moved his gaze. When he saw all was clear, he turned off his Byakugan and relaxed the tense muscles around his eye.
"Are you still going on about that? You paranoid old man. Mei-Sama is personally looking into Kisame. He'll be found sooner or later. She said she's found some solid leads. And if Suigetsu was involved, we would've found something by now," Chōjūrō accused, keeping his tone flat.
"Sometimes, paranoia is what keeps us alive. You're probably too young to realise that," Ao said lowly and rubbed at his eye. Using Byakugan for so long had taken its toll on him. He could not use the Clan's Kekkei-Genkai Taijutsu techniques as he lacked their blood, but this eye was useful for long-distance sensing.
"And you're probably too old to let go," Chōjūrō returned and turned around. He could not sense Sasuke's chakra because of the black flames, but he knew where the rendezvous point was. He gathered massive chakra into his legs, jumped up, landed on a branch some forty feet above the ground. Looking down, he adjusted his glasses. "I'm going, and if you know what's good for the mission, you'll follow me, too." Then he disappeared north, leaving Ao alone in the clearing.
Ao turned his head and tried to peer through the angry flames, but without Byakugan, it was hopeless! Rain droplets turned to steam several feet above the black. His mind went back to Suigetsu: pursuing Suigetsu and Jūgo now was a foolish idea. The seals the Elite learnt had sealed the tongues of the Tulip Squad members, but Kisame found a way around it somehow. There was a chance that some of the members had removed them!
The secrets they would divulge . . . it could become a noose for the higher-ups, including Mei. Ao and Mei knew that asking the Uchiha brothers to dispatch the lower-tier members was a risky move; but it was not like the underlings knew anything. Even if they sought sanctuary, Root would take care of them. They had to be taken care of so that Kisame would never be able to find any solace—hunted down with nowhere to hide, he would come out of his hole soon enough. It was also a well-placed trap, and they did not know whether the Prized Prey had noticed his mistake or not!
Mei wanted to gain the Clan's trust to find Kisame. It was a race against time, but somehow, his mind kept going back to Suigetsu. That Executioner Blade was once wielded by Zabuza. He disappeared with a child five years ago and sold off all his belongings to peddlers at the borders near Rain. Suigetsu could have bought it off the black market, but there were too many coincidences!
Ao did not let the thoughts bother him any longer. The mission took priority; he knew that as one of the Elite Five. He cast one last glance at the roiling flames that were black as a haunting, starless night and ran after Chōjūrō. Suigetsu would have to wait . . .
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