Sealkeeper: He Who binds
Chapter 102 - Blackrock
"Zabuza, explain." She did not seem amused in the slightest. "Now."
Yeah, maybe he should have given her some warning but he hadn't actually expected the walking fish to show up himself. He had been waiting for a letter.
"This is Kisame." The fish gave a cheeky little wave, his sharp grin growing larger. "You may know him as a member of the original seven swordsmen and wielder of Samehada or perhaps for his exploits, some of which include feats such as slaying the most recent Daimyo of Mizu no Kuni, the destruction of Tatami village, his acceptance into the prestigious Akatsuki organization-" Kisame gestured towards the red clouds on his robes. "- and for defeating the twelve-year reigning champion of the Tanzaku Gai annual Sushimi eating competition."
Mai was not amused, nor was Ao.
The ANBU, however, were very much so.
"I think I'm capable of recognizing one of our most wanted criminals, Zabuza."
"Not exactly a face you'd forget." One of the ANBU snickered. He quickly found himself on the receiving end of Mei's glare and realized that it was exactly where he didn't want to be.
Zabuza gave a shrug from his position against the wall. "You asked."
"I wanted you to explain what he was doing in our bunker, not introduce me to him."
"I don't know, you two might hit it off..." Mei seemed to be a few precious seconds away from hitting him instead. Most likely with lava. "Or maybe not."
"Now, Zabuza!"
"I figured that if there was a chance I might end up needing to assassinate Tsukuyomi I'd ask for advice from the only person I know whose done it before. Apparently such advice is best shared face to face because I still haven't received a letter and I know for a fact that the mail travels much faster than Kisame."
The landshark gave a shrug. It was true, he kept getting distracted by people to kill and new foods to try. And don't get him started on festivals, he once spent a week trapped in one because he kept finding new vendors. Pein had not been amused but it did earn a small smile from Konan so he considered that a major victory. It was not easy getting her to show positive emotion.
Anger, unfortunately, was not all that difficult for a group of S-ranked rogue Shinobi stuck together in a cave to elicit from the woman.
It was, however, damn scary.
People didn't avoid messing with Konan because she was Pein's favorite, people didn't mess with Pein because Konan was usually standing at his shoulder.
"Did you think you could tell me you were going to be following in my footsteps and expect me to not be here for it?" Kisame grabbed his chest in mock distress. "You break my heart, Zabuza-chan."
"Piss off, fish-face."
"Hehe, he loves me."
Mei frowned at the blue skinned Shinobi. On one hand he was an S-ranked Rogue Shinobi who had killed their last Daimyo and may have indirectly allowed fro Yagura to start his purge. On the other he was an S-ranked Shinobi with a history of Daimyo-slaying. She could use that about now.
"Let me make sure I understand," Mei crossed her arms over her chest. "You've come all this way because you want to help Zabuza here kill a Daimyo, is that right?"
"Well, not completely." Kisame scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "It was mainly because I'm bored and Samehada was getting hungry."
Yeah, that sounded like Kisame alright.
"You know what? At this point it doesn't matter who wants to help us, we'll take every able body we can get even if it was Orochimaru himself." Mei turned to Zabuza. "You're responsible for him while he's here, understood?"
A glance to Kisame showed him doing his very best to seem as innocent as possible and Zabuza gave a groan. It hadn't been even slightly convincing. "I understand."
"Good, now I thing that little surprise concludes this meeting-"
"Mei-sama, Mei-sama!" A young rebel crashed through the door and into Kisame's back, dropping the scroll clutched tightly in his hands at Zabuza's feet as he spilled to the floor. "Owowowow, ah, my nose!" He groaned.
Zabuza stooped down to pick up the scroll, sniffing the air as he returned to his regular position. The two swordsmen shared a look and Zabuza gave an amused snort. Yeah, the kid had managed to bloody his nose on Kisame's back. He was rather fortunate that Kisame had been holding Samehada to further terrorize the rebels when he arrived.
Shaking his head, Zabuza opened the scroll and began skimming through it. His very load groan sounded throughout the room and drew everyone's attention from the bleeding boy to him.
"What is it, Zabuza?" Asked Ao. Mei slumped over the table with a small groan of her own.
"Please tell me it's not more complications." It was as though the universe had decided she would serve as its amusement for the day.
"It depends on what you consider a complication." Zabuza tossed the scroll to Ao who caught it deftly. "Apparently our spies sent us that while we were communicating with them to arrange for our friends here to be snuck into Kirigakure. With Tsukuyomi absent they focused on trying to figure out who he had left behind. I only got to the first picture and it's not pretty."
"They have pictures?" Kisame rose a brow. "Did they tape them into the scroll or something?"
"Nah, just slipped them in as the rolled it up."
Kisame thought for a moment. "...That would be a real pain in the ass if they had more than a few. You'd have to use a pretty long table to keep them from spilling out as you rolled it up."
"If they just started at the bottom they could just roll one into the scroll at a time on a small table."
"Yeah, but it didn't look crumpled. They had to have a lot of room to do it that way too."
"I don't know," Zabuza shrugged. "Maybe there were two of them working together and one of them unrolled their side wile the other rolled the picture into theirs."
"Oh, yeah. That would work, wouldn't it?"
"If you gentlemen are about done?" Ao, like Mei, did not seem amused.
Kisame and Zabuza shared a look before shrugging simultaneously. "Sure."
Ao shook his head but finished laying out the pictures from the scroll onto the table. "As Zabuza said we've received word from our spies about some of the newer arrivals to Kirigakure. We're likely to encounter these individuals when we launch our attack so it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with them." The older Shinobi gave a frown. "Unfortunately we don't have any names at all, though our spies assure us that the individuals here are the most important among the Wolves and have done their best to include as many observations about them as possible."
"The one with silver hair," Zabuza spoke up. "There's no way that's not Hatake Kakashi. I'd recognize it anywhere after out last encounter."
That caught the attention of the ANBU immediately. All of them knew about Hatake Kakashi but these days most ANBU in service had at least worked with him and a large amount had actually trained under the man. The squad of ANBU drew closer to the table, pouring over the pictures and collectively letting out a stream of curses.
It became worse when they saw her grinning face in the picture next to it.
"Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko?" Asked one of them. "How the fuck did he manage that?"
"Hey, that's Yakushi-sensei's son there too, isn't it?"Pointed out another "The one talking to the Oto Kunoichi?"
"For fucks sake, how many of our people does he have under his influence?"
It was the first time the Kiri Shinobi had actually heard anyone other then their squad leader talk.
"You recognize more of them?" Ao asked. "Can you provide any information about them?"
"I think you'll be familiar with Hatake Kakashi already, he's pretty well known and you've apparently run into him before." The ANBU glanced towards Zabuza who gave a nod.
"Yeah, we don't need to hear anything more on that son of a bitch."
"That son of a bitch is a Konoha Shinobi."
"He's a son of a bitch and he's working with Tsukuyomi."
"...Unfortunately I can't say you're wrong on either account."
"If we could stay on topic please." Ao interrupted them.
"Yes, of course. The one next to him with the purple pineapple for hair is Tokubetsu-Jōnin Mitarashi Anko."
"Just a Tokubetsu-Jōnin?" Zabuza snorted. "She shouldn't be a problem." He quickly realized he might be gravely mistaken when the entire ANBU squad slowly turned to stare at him.
"Mitarashi Anko is the second in command of K.I.T and the best interrogator Konoha has after Morino Ibiki himself. She is, in essence, his apprentice. She's also the former apprentice of Orochimaru and possesses the Snake Summoning contract."
"So probably someone to avoid?" Asked Kisame. "You know, being captured by, at least."
"She's not the most combat orientated, but she is bloodthirsty enough to give you two a run for your money."
"Oooh, in that case I think I like this one." Kisame grinned. "Ey, Zabuza-chan? Sounds like our kind of woman."
"I'm not dumb enough to crawl into bed with crazy, especially when she gets off on torture."
"Where's your sense of adventure. I bet she's a wild one."
"I bet that's not a good thing in this case."
Kisame gave pause before shrugging. "..You're probably right, but I won't know unless I try."
"Good luck." Chuckled one of the ANBU. "Plenty of men in Konoha have tried but anyone claiming to be with her is full of shit."
"I love a good challenge."
"Seducing an enemy Kunoichi who specializes in torture and interrogation while you're on the battlefield against not just her but the forces of the man she's working with?" Zabuza shook his head. "I suppose that's as good a challenge as any."
"Gentlemen," Ao stressed. "This is important. You can gossip and rib eachother back in your rooms but save your slumberparty until after the adult matters have been settled."
The ANBU gave a brief cough to clear his throat before proceeding as if nothing had happened. "The young man here is the son of one of Konoha's most prominent medical professionals. He's technically only a Gennin, but that's due to prioritizing his growth in the medical field over refining his Shinobi skills. His ability to keep his comrades in the fight should not be underestimated and otherwise fatal wounds might be reversed in his presence.
"The one next to him I do not know by name, but I believe she was included in a report submitted by Chūnin Nara."
The other ANBU gave him strange looks from behind their masks.
"It was a slow day, okay? No one questions you when you're reading a report." Mei was not pleased to see Zabuza, Kisame, and even Ao nod in agreement alongside the ANBU agents. She was going to have to be more aware of her subordinates activities going forward. "Continuing with what we do know, however, I believe she has a Bloodline Ability of her own- an elemental type- and she's a high-ranking subordinate of Orochimaru.
"Based on how many of the pictures involve her I would assume those two young men are also sent by Orochimaru. What concerns me is that Kabuto is in many of them, too, which might mean he's been in Konoha as some sort of sleeper agent for gods know how long."
"That or hes' trying to get with the woman." Kisame offered. "She's not bad on the eyes."
"...That...is a possibility, yes. I find it unlikely, though."
Kisame Shrugged "Just trying to help."
"Yes, thank you." The ANBU poured over the rest of the pictures, frowning behind his mask. "I don't recognize anyone else here, though there's something unsettling about the one in the mask."
"They're Wolves," Zabuza grunted. "Most of 'em wear masks."
"Orange spiraled ones?"
Kisame pushed forward immediately and scanned the pictures for the described mask. Finding it near the bottom worn by a woman in a black cloak he let out a deep laugh that nearly brought him to tears.
"Haha! So that was the personal business she needed to take care of!"
"You know her?"
"Hell yeah I know her, that's my little Kohai!" Grinned Kisame. "You'd best hope your Shinobi know her too, she's probably the most dangerous of the lot."
"Your Kohai?" Behind his bandages Zabuza frowned. "Don't tell me you're trying to train your replacement already."
"No, she's another member of Akatsuki. Be careful of her, she recently killed Uchiha Itachi."
That earned him looks from everyone in the room. Uchiha Itachi was practically a legend, the boogeyman who left Konoha after slaughtering one of its most prominent clans.
"Uchiha Itachi? The Uchiha Itachi?" Mei sought clarification.
"That's the one. He had been my partner but she killed him just before she left on personal business. Apparently that's taken her here."
Ao looked through the scroll to see what additional pieces the spies had managed to include and nearly dropped the damn thing. "Yes, I can see why it would." He frowned. "Apparently when she arrived she was looking for Tsukuyomi- her son."
"Huh," Kisame scratched the back of her head. "I knew she was an older woman but I didn't think she was old enough to have a grown man as a son." He scratched his chin in thought. "Still, for how old she must be she doesn't look a day over twenty five. I'd get with her any day."
"Whats' her name?" Mei really didn't care to hear about how desirable Kisame found a woman though she would admit curiosity for the other woman's appearance and how she had managed to maintain it.
"Tobi," Kisame grinned widely. "And she's a good girl."
"You've tracked it all in the room!" Temari stood with her fists on her hips but her fan wasn't far out of reach and the person across from her knew it. "This is a nice establishment and you're completely soaking the rugs."
They looked behind them at the white snow that marked their path and hung their head.
"Go on, get your ass to the bathroom and dry off." Temari gave a disappointed shake of her head as Deidara trudged off. Why was she the only mature one here? Half of them were old enough to have children, for fuck's sake.
Gods above, one of them did- her father!
Without her there they'd probably manage to starve inside a restaurant. She glanced over to Sasori and Kankurō who sat on the floor in the corner tinkering with bit of puppet material and locked in deep discussion about gods knew what- probably dolls.
She moved her attention over to Gaara who had claimed the blankets from one of the beds and was curled up by the fireplace lost to the world. He had played in the snow until his fingers were frozen, his face was red, and the smile wouldn't leave his face.
It wasn't long after that exhaustion had managed to catch up and drag him into the land of dreams. These moments made her appreciate what Naruto had done for her brother all the more. She tried not to dwell on it for too long, though. It always made her miss him more and times like this, when she would like nothing more than to curl up with him before the fire, only turned her imaginings into personal torments.
He was going to make up for it the next time she saw him, she'd make sure of it.
Picking up the bundle of Tanuki that was Gaara she moved him to her bed and crawled in next to him for a nap of her own. It wasn't quite the same, but she did enjoy the chance to spend time with him now that the Ichibi wasn't affecting him negatively. She had regained her brother- or perhaps simply gained a son- and she loved every minute of it.
Idly she noted that her bed still had its blankets and wondered who was going to end up sleeping without them later. She really doubted Gaara would surrender them.
As she drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but feel that she had forgotten someone but the arms of dream-Naruto wrapping around her quickly made her dismiss the thoughts. There were better things to occupy her attention.
The problem with Kirigakure was that, unlike the rebel bases, people lived in permanent homes here. It was a village, not a military camp, and that meant that Shinobi didn't reside in one area conveniently separated by rank.
The Konoha ANBU had been given the known locations of some of Yagura's highest ranking Shinobi- which could be confirmed by the larger, more elaborate homes they were able to afford with their increased pay- throughout the city but they would have to pass through districts that could be inhabited by anything from regular civilians to Kirigakure Loyalists of any rank.
The lack of separation wasn't the only issue. Unlike Konoha where the buildings were a mixed combination of several styles most of the buildings here were generally uniform and, unfortunately, possessed plenty of windows. Konoha buildings usually possessed windows at the front and occasionally the sides. If there was a second story there might be one up there facing the back of the building but here in Kirigakure the large cylindrical buildings had windows all around them.
That was a lot of possible witnesses and the ANBU couldn't watch them all at once. They would have to do their best to avoid them but it would be impossible not to be exposed to a generous number of them.
The late night brought with it the advantage of most Kirigakure residents sleeping soundly but Shinobi were known to keep odd hours depending on postings and preferred missions. Shinobi were also typically adverse to light and any up at this time probably wouldn't have their lights on in their homes- it would make them too obvious a target for anyone on the streets at this hour.
Even worse, the Wolves were either extra paranoid about possible infiltrators, exceedingly restless, or didn't trust their Kiri allies because a patrol of them circled around the tents they had set up in some of the side streets and abandoned businesses. Regardless of the reason, they were an additional obstacle to avoid in their hunt for Kirigakure's captains.
"Redwater to Blackrock," The short range radio crackled in the lead ANBU's ear at a volume so low most Chūnin wouldn't be able to hear it standing next to you. "Target four is down, awaiting orders."
"Blackrock. Copy that Redwater, target four is down. Move to assist Goldencloud on target two."
"Redwater. Goldencloud target two, copy." The radio clicked off to return the world into an eerie silence as Blackrock continued towards his own target only to freeze before he stepped out from one of Kirigakure's alleys. A glance behind him showed a dog at the far end and while they weren't rare in Kirigakure they also weren't common since the start of the bloodline rebellion all those years ago.
What really made it stand out was the way it sat completely motionless watching him with unnaturally intelligent eyes. What little light the moon provided was absorbed into the dark fur that covered most of it but gleamed off the white underside and paws.
Blackrock knew that dog and that dog knew Blackrock.
What was worse, he knew the dogs' owner.
"Blackrock, huh? Taru pick out the names this time Souji?"
Of course it would be him, one of the only non-Inuzuka with the hearing of a dog.
"He did, Inu-Taicho." A look above him showed Kakashi crouched on one of the buildings, his silver hair shimmering in the moonlight and his snarling Wolf mask all but glowing as if it too reflected the light of the sun. "New mask? It looks good on you, though I can't agree with how your got it."
Kakashi gave a lazy shrug that only further confirmed his identity. "I just asked, really, but if you're referring to me helping the Wolves you really shouldn't be surprised."
"And why's that?"
"Because Minato-sensei's son is with them. It's only natural that Id' be here to help him."
Blackrock- Souji- grit his teeth and frowned in distaste. Kakashi's loyalty to the Yondaime Hokage was well known and exceeded any loyalty he held towards anything else, Konoha included. That had never been thought of as a problem but it would seem his Sensei's son was more important than his Sensei's beloved village.
Souji wished he didn't understand that logic but while Minato's love of the village was great his desire to have a family of his own was always far greater. There were those who believed he had saved the village for the sake of his family, solely so that they would have a place to live safely when he was gone.
Had he thought they would be better off elsewhere he probably would have spirited them away and no one could really say if he would have come back to save Konoha afterwards or lived out a quiet life with them far away from the world of Shinobi.
"I see. We weren't aware that Minato-sama's family had survived." he had taken their protection very seriously and very few even knew who his wife was. Fewer still knew his children.
"Those who needed to knew, but I suppose most of the old Guard has probably retired from ANBU by now."
"This puts us in an interesting situation then, doesn't it Taicho?"
"Not really." Kakashi gave another shrug and from the corner of his eye Souji watched another dog creep to the other end of the alley and take a seat. "I don't really care if Asuma ordered you to help the Rebels or for what reason, nor do I care what orders the Rebels gave you. Hell, I don't care for their cause, either. The Wolves had plans for this place and you've helped interrupt them. Sensei's son is not pleased by that which means I am not pleased by that."
The soft grinding of drawn blade sounded through the air as Kakashi's Tanto caught the moonlight.
"There's only one way all of this is going to end, Souji, but it doesn't have to involve your squad."
Souji drew his own blades, twin daggers the length and a half of standard Kunai. "Are you telling me I should run, then? You should know us better than that."
"I'd think I do, Souji." Kakshi began to idly twirl his Tanto between his fingers, completely relaxed. Normally Souji might be irritated at someone dismissing him as a threat but this was Hatake Kakashi himself. Being acknowledged as an equal- or at least a threat enough to take seriously- was a great honor that he hadn't earned. Yet. "Believe it or not, I have no issues with you or your squad. This is nothing personal, merely a conflict of business."
"So you'll just let us go back to Konoha as failures?" Souji scoffed. "I thought your father would have served as a better example for you." He regretted it almost as soon as it left his lips and with wide eyes he watched Kakashi tense, his every muscle coiling and ready to spring into action. After a tense moment it seemed to dissipate and he resumed his relaxed slouch but the spinning Sharingan in his mask showed she carefully controlled rage burning inside the former ANBU Commander.
"Watch yourself, Blackrock. You'll make me reconsider being so generous in the future."
"Generous?"
"Hmm? Did you think we let you kill targets three and four just because it benefited us?" Kakashi asked. "Well, I suppose it does." he shrugged. "But we gave your squad a chance to escape before going after them at least."
'"Wha-"
"Goldencloud to Blackrock, we've been discovered at target two! I repeat, we've been discovered at target two!" The radio crackled on with Taru's panicked voice. "Goldencloyud and Redwater heating for exfil Tango! Advise possible compromise of targets one, two, and five. The Wolves have our scent."
Kakashi gave an prompting wave of his hand, inviting him to take the opportunity to respond to his team.
"Blackrock. Objective comprised, copy. Goldencloud, Redwater, Purplesky, Bluegrass exfil immediately. Goldencloud, Redwater do not go to exfil Tango, I repeat do not proceed to exfil Tango, radios compromised. Acknowledge and go silent."
There was silence for several stressful seconds before the radio crackled on again.
"Goldencloud copies, going silent."
"Copy for Redwater. Radio off.
"Blugrass. Purplesky is down, carryign her to exfil but they're on our heels. I'm going silent but I can't get to her radio at the moment, copy."
"Understood, Bluegrass. Get her out of there. Blackrock cutting radio."
"See? We gave them a chance but we're not going to go easy on you." Kakashi shook his head. "No, I know you too well to just give you an out. If you want one you'll have to work for it."
"Che, should have figured."
Kakshi shrugged again. "Like I said, just a conflict of business. Personally I'd recommend going back to Konoha but it's your call." The blade stopped spinning in his grasp. "But if you do get out, give Taru my greetings won't you?"
"You know Asuma will have your ass for this, don't you?"
The Wolf mask cocked to the side. "Why would he do that?"
"For working with the enemy."
"Enemy?" The Copy Ninja chuckled. "I'm not working with the enemy."
"You're here, aren't you?"
"perhaps." Souji could practically see the smile that must be hidden behind Kakashi's mask. "But you're not, remember? Konoha's neutral in the matters of Kirigakure."
"Not Yagura, Tsukuyomi."
"...Inter-country cooperation?" He suggested lamely "Nami no Kuni's an ally, after all."
"That's not going to work back in Konoha."
Kakashi gave another one of his lazy shrugs. "That's only if you manage to get home. You should probably run now, I don't have anything against you but the Wolves aren't too happy you killed their siblings."
"And you're just going to let me?"
"Of course, they enjoy a good hunt."
Three identical masks joined Kakashi on the roof, Tanto drawn, and the Dogs in the alley disappeared in small clouds of smoke.
Flipping the retired ANBU commander the bird Souji darted down one of the alleys, Wolves close behind.
Kakashi shook his head a she watched him run and a fourth Wolf came to stand behind him. "Goldencloud and Redwater were heading towards Tango. Assuming standard procedure they'll head to either Foxtrot or Zulu now that they've been compromised. Get Wolves to both just in case, but knowing Taru they'll be going towards exfil Hotel. Focus there."
"Hai, Inu-oji."
Sending ANBU into an area crawling with wolves? Kakashi scoffed. What a stupid idea, they both had the same damn training.
Sheathing his Tanto he instead pulled out Jiraiya's latest book and flipped to his marked page to resume his reading. If the rebels were willing to try such an operation then they were no doubt getting very close to trying to end this war.
Knowing that, there was little chance Kakashi would be going back his bed which was a pity.
Anko really had chosen an excellent place for Tsukuyomi to stay, the girls were fantastic.
And he supposed the rooms weren't too bad either.
"Targets three and four were eliminated but according to Hatake Kakashi whom I encountered on my way to target five we had been allowed to reach them because it benefited the Wolves in some way. If he is to be believed they were aware of our presence since the beginning and I fear he might have been."
"How?" Asked Mei. "How could he have possibly known? I know we don't have any more leaks." Zabuza had quite smugly removed each and every leak they had in the council, reminding her with each one that he had told her there were too many people with such high clearance within the Rebellion.
"I first knew Kakashi was nearby when I spotted one of his Dog Summons, if he had them patrolling they probably recognized our scent as most have us have worked with him at least once. Knowing Kakashi was among them before we went I have to take full blame for such an oversight. Foreign operations usually don't make use of scent elimination due to a lack of Inuzuka equivalents in most villages."
"You probably should have been prepared for his summons but you couldn't have expected him to have all of them active at once, the draw from it would be far too detrimental if they're expecting our assault at any moment." Mei removed some of the blame but left the majority of it for him to shoulder. "Did he say anything else that might help us know what they're prepared for?"
"There's not much." Blackrock frowned behind his mask. "Him allowing us to eliminate two of the Loyalist captains indicates that the Wolves aren't on the best terms with Kirigakure at the moment, something supported by their patrols around their camp within the village. At the same time we weren't allowed to accomplish even half of our goal indicating that they need Kiri strong enough to have a chance against us."
"You think they intend to stab the loyalists in the back."
"I know they intend to stab them in the back. I don't know if that was the original intention when they joined together but it's obvious relations have deteriorated. Beyond that all he said was personal as he recognized me and Goldencloud and referred to us by name. He mentioned it was a mere conflict of business and that if I was smart my squad and I would return back to Konoha."
Mei was silent for a moment, a thoughtful frown pulling at her painted lips. "Will you?"
"Mei-dono?"
"Will you and your squad return to Konoha as he suggested?"
Souji shifted a bit, uncomfortable, before shaking his head. "Honestly it's probably very sound advice and I'm inclined to believe it was provided because he didn't want harm to befall any Konoha Shinobi but at the same time we're AN BU and have been given our orders by the Godaime Hokage. Konoha never backs down unless they'll end with the upper hand."
"Not as comforting as I thought it might be," Mei frowned. "But I appreciate your dedication and candid honesty."
"My apologies," Souji inclined his head. "But as Kakashi mentioned we're not here. Konoha is neutral in this conflict. As much as we'd like to see you victorious our interests are in stopping Tsukuyomi from gaining more ground more than they are seeing your rebellion through."
"Is that supposed to be more comforting?"
"As long as Tsukuyomi ties himself to the Loyalists we'll do everything we can to bring them all down together."
"I suppose that is somewhat more comforting, thank you."
Blackrock gave another shallow nod. "Of course, Mei-dono." He frowned behind his mask for a second before asking. "You may not know, but have any other members of my squad returned yet?"
"Purple and Blue returned first, they're in the infirmary at the moment. I understand she should be fine."
"Red and Gold?" He asked earning a shake of her head.
"No, I'm sorry. I haven't heard anything about them."
Cursing internally Blackrock gave a deeper bow of his head. "Thank you, Mei-dono. I appreciate it. If I may be excused I'd like to check up on-"
Before he could finish a rebel threw open the door and held it for two bloodied figures who limped in after him.
"My deepest apologies." The rebel folded into a low bow in his standing position"They refused to go to the infirmary until they reported back to you, Mei-sama"
"That's fine, Hari." She waved him off as Blackrock rushed over to help his comrades make it to the center fo the room. "Notify the infirmary that they need to be ready for two more patients so that when they're done they don't have to wait for aid."
"At once, Mei-sama." With another bow they vacated the room with a solid click of the heavy door.
Mei's attention turned to the two ANBU agents and she realized it looked a lot worse up close. Neither had escaped with fewer than a dozen deep cuts that even as she watched seeped blood from underneath their modified uniforms. The crimson liquid covered nearly every inch of their skin and a good portion of their hair and just from a look she could tell they were both sporting several broken bones and many, many future bruises. Judging by the smell- what she could get through the scent of blood and sweat- they had also had a run in with some fire recently.
Burnt hair was a fragrance she had more experience with than she was typically willing to admit.
Long hair and the ability to spit lava were not a good combination sometimes.
"You two had something to report?" Mei jumped right to it not just because she was desperate for good news but because the sooner they were done the sooner they could receive medical attention.
"It looks like Blackrock got here before us," Goldencloud gave a brief laugh splattering bits of blood all over the concrete floors of the bunker. "So you probably have the gist of it but if nothing else I can confirm that the Wolves aren't just ANBU level but are probably ANBU-trained." He gave another bloody cough that indicated he probably had a rib in his lung at the moment. "Blackrock announced that the comms had been compromised so we dipped from Tango but not only did we see Wolves heading for Foxtrot and Zulu- the standard alternates when Tango fails- but they had laid a larger ambush at Hotel."
Mei shot Blackrock a questioning look.
"Exfil locations are based on village borders and refer to certain compass headings. It avoids confusion if another squad ends up joining a mission." Souji frowned. "Apparently that worked against us this time."
"And what's the significance of Hotel?"
"A non-standard alternate. Every squad has a preferred exfil for when everything goes completely sideways and Hotel is ours. I have no doubt the Wolves were aware of it due to Hatake Kakashi." Blackrock turned to Goldencloud. "He sends his greetings by the way."
Goldencloud spat a glob of blood onto the floor. "Lovely, I'm glad he's thinking of me."
Redwater gave a dry chuckle that quickly turned into a pained cough. There was no blood but he probably had a broken rib or two.
"I think that's enough of a report for now, thank you gentlemen." Mei gave them all a nod before turning to Blackrock. "I can trust you to get them to the infirmary, I hope."
"Of course."
"Good. If you see Zabuza or Ao let them know that it's time, we need to be ready before they have a chance to."
"Understood, if I don't see them I'll send someone to find them."
Trowing the arms of Goldencloud and Redwater around his neck he helped the two out of the room.
Kakashi had been right, they hadn't made it easy.
102-B Games for Grownups
The thing about a Shinobi battle was that it was most often quiet and secretive, a fight done under the noses of oblivious locals as the two represented the conflicting interests of their villages.
The thing about a Shinobi war was that there were so many participants it was impossible to conduct it discretely. The civil war between the Loyalists and the Rebellion was definitely on the small side for a Shinobi war but it was certainly no skirmish.
With the Wolves having no doubt alerted the rest of Kirigakure there was no chance of launching any sort of hidden assault and so the rebels had instead decided to abandon all thought of secrecy in favor of a direct frontal assault at the southern gate.
The only problem was that there was no southern gate to be found.
Mei, Ao, Zabuza, Haku, and Chojiro stood abreast at the front of the Rebel army, Kisame standing right behind Haku because she was the easiest to see over, and stared at the massive wall of white. It wasn't the normal off-white of the faded walls that had survived decades of containing the Bloody Mist but rather a brilliant, gleaming white that seemed to shimmer as the rising sun shone upon it.
Zabuza squinted at it for a few moments before leaning over Haku to elbow Kisame. "Hey, those look like scales to you?"
"That another fish joke, Zabuza-chan?" Even so he examined it again himself. "Hey, you might be on to something there."
"Ao?" It was all Mei needed to say for the old hunter-nin to understand and activate his Byakugan.
"I can't really tell what the texture looks like," He admitted. "The entire thing is filled with Chakra."
"Chakra?" Zabuza looked at it again and shook his head. "I guess we found that giant snake."
"Giant snake?" Asked Kisame with an amused smirk. "What's that about?"
"We received reports that it came seeking Tsukuyomi and they mentioned how large it was." Mei shook her head in disbelief. "Its' nothing compared to seeing it yourself."
"T-that's a S-snake?"
"Try not to piss yourself, Chojiro." Ao didn't even look at the shaking young man but with his Byakugan hidden behind his eyepatch who knew what actually held his attention.
"Ao..."
"It was just some friendly advice, Mei-sama." He defended himself before quietly adding. "Back in my day we pissed ourselves after we had killed it."
Zabuza and Ksiame gave amused snorts while Haku hid her smile behind her hand. Mei was less than amused and Chojiro only seemed to loose more confidence as his face brightened considerably.
"Regardless of that, this is neither the place nor the time." Mei rubbed her thumb over the young swordsman's cheek. "Don't worry about Ao, I have faith in you Cho-ji-ro-kun."
"H-hai, Mei-sama!" And like that his confidence was back, a fire burning in his eyes.
Ao, Kisame, and Zabuza shared a look before collectively rolling their eyes and Haku stifled her giggle at how easily he was manipulated by the beautiful older woman.
"So, what's the plan for the snake? We just launching Suiton Jutsu and hoping it dispels?" Zabuza rolled his neck in a series of cracks and pops before reaching for his beloved Kubikiribōchō.
"Sounds good to me." Kisame flashed his sharp teeth. "But don't mind if Samehada and I have a bite to eat first." The sword in question gave a pleased rumble at the thought and the bandages usually covering it started falling to the ground in anticipation. "Hey! When did you learn that trick, Samehada?!" The sword only gave another pleased rumble, conveying with it a smug satisfaction at surprising its wielder again.
"All these years and you still don't know your sword," Zabuza ribbed. "I know it's unique but even you should be able to figure her out."
"Shut up, Zabuza-chan. Any overly-muscled punk can hack away with that overcompensating kitchen knife, a sword like Samehada here takes skill and ability." The sharkskin blade gave an even louder pleased rumble, obviously enjoying the praise and attention being lavished onto her.
"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty." Ao interrupted. "You can make out after we've taken Kirigakure back."
"Che, shut up you old bastard."
"Yeah, you can't call me pretty and then go ahead and say the same about someone like Zabuza-chan. You're going to hurt my feelings." Kisame's comment earned a flat stare from Ao and a warning glare from Mei.
"All of you, knock it off." She ordered. "Haku and Chojiro are the only two taking this seriously, you should be ashamed of yourselves."
Ao lowered his head slightly at the chastisement but Kisame and Zabuza shared a look. "Not really." They chorused. It earned them both an even more heated glare and when they could start to see steam rising from her exposed shoulders they decided they were probably best off quitting while they were ahead- and still had both of them.
"We're not attacking the snake directly." For some reason it felt wrong for her to call it a snake. Snakes were small and did their best to avoid humans. This thing was absolutely massive and apparently had no problems settling in around an entire village of people. "Even without it we'd need to open more room than the gates can provide, the explosion should send it back to the summoning realm."
"Assuming it's a summon." Added Haku helpfully.
Mei gave a sour frown. "Yes, assuming it's a summon." If it wasn't they were probably in a lot of trouble.
"Is there like a signal or someth-" A large explosion briefly beat the rising sun in brightness, booming through the air as a thousand peals of thunder. "Oh, yeah." Kisame nodded. "That works."
The morning sunlight danced off white scales as the ancient serpent reared up with a mighty roar, dull yellow eyes only able to lock onto the direction of the rebels after a few flicks of its tongue.
"Mei-sama?"
"Yes Haku?"
"It didn't dispel."
"Thank you Haku."
"Anytime, Mei-sama. Anytime."
Zabuza wasn't sure he had ever been quite so proud.
The fiery reds and oranges of the explosion glinted off his glasses as he pushed them back into their proper spot, the sounds of alarms being stricken following the deafening roar of both explosives and the great elder Koshi.
It did not seem pleased at being woken in such a manner.
Kabuto glanced over to his left where Guren stared out towards the south gate with hands over her chest. At her feet Kidomaru and the Kon twins soundly slept slumped against the small wall that surrounded the roof they were on.
He was torn at amusement that they had managed to sleep through it and disappointment that these were some of the strongest Shinobi Orochimaru had to offer.
Guren solved the issue quite easily, lifting one leg and striking all three of them on the head with it before resuming her position. She hadn't taken her gaze off the southern horizon.
As little as they got along, even Kabuto could admit she was one hell of a woman.
His attention left the waking Oto Shinobi as Koshi began moving in the sunlight, splashing the light of his father across the world with his brilliant scales. It seemed to stare to the south for a moment, no doubt looking directly at the rebels despite his supposed blindness, before the rest of his body began to shift.
His head and a great length of his long body pulled itself directly behind the north gate while the rest moved to the west gate before folding back and reaching just past the east gate in a wide arc. It would seem as though the great elder had no intention of stopping the rebels from throwing themselves at their loyalist foes but he was willing to hinder attacks from other directions.
Someone more simple- like Kidomaru- might think it was doing so to help but Kabuto would bet Koshi wanted to ensure a straightforward attack so that he could watch it for his own amusement.
He highly doubted the serpent was anywhere near as blind as he claimed to be.
"Well, Guren," Kabuto glanced over to the woman. "I suppose it's time for us to aid Tsukuyomi-sama. Though that might be easier if he was actually present."
She gave a small snort. "Stop your nitpicking, he doesn't have to be here for us to take care of things for him." She gave a grin. "If we do this right we can have it done before he gets back."
"Getting ambitious there, Guren." He pushed his slipping glasses back into place, making a mental note to find a better fitting pair. "Just make sure you don't die."
"Oh, are you worried?" She teased. "I'm almost flattered."
"No, I just don't want to drag your ass back to Orochimaru as his next body. Having to use 'sama' when speaking to someone with your face wouldn't be good for my digestion."
"Ha!" She placed one of her legs up on the small wall, preparing to launch herself across the street. "Well in that case you'd best keep me alive, ass and all."
"Just try not to do anything too stupid and I think I can manage."
"Good." She gave him a nod before turning back to the other two-three- Oto Shinobi. "Alright boys, time to prove you're not completely worthless."
With a leap she vaulted through the sky, landing in a full sprint on the next roof. Kidomaru and the Kon twins shared a look.
"Do we really have to follow her? We can always pretend we got lost or were helping the Wolves somewhere else."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea."
"No, it's not." Kabuto spoke up. "But it probably would have been better if you didn't mention it in front of one of your superiors." They turned two him slowly, offering their best innocent smiles.
"He-he, heard that did you?" One of Kidomaru's many arms scratched the back of his head nervously. "We were just joking around a bit, yeah. Some humor before we throw ourselves into a war for Orochimaru-sama's prince."
"Yeah, definitely" nodded both twins.
"Oh, I see." Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. "That's good, otherwise I would have had to tell Orochimaru-sama or, worse, Tsukuyomi-sama himself. Who knows what they might have done to you."
The color drained from their faces. "Ah, yeah, good thing it was a joke ha-ha."
"Yeah, good thing." Sakon chuckled.
"Just a joke" Ukon agreed.
"So, now that you're done joking I think it would be a good time for you to head off to join Guren, don't you?" Kabuto asked before a small smile tugged at her lips. "Unless you fancy her searching for you only to find you exactly where you were when she ordered you to head out."
They were gone in an instant.
As much as he disliked her she did have her uses, present or not.
"Now, let's see how this goes."
If nothing else, it was going to be an interesting day.
He only wished it didn't have to be wet too.
The rebels didn't waste a single precious moment, charging for the newly widened gate as soon as the massive serpent drew away to observe the coming battle.
The Loyalists were kind enough to have a welcoming party at the ready to greet them.
"Launch, launch, launch!" The Loyalists fired highly pressurized blasts of water and massive dragons of the same towards the oncoming Rebels but it didn't do much as they split apart to avoid them. But for all the good dodging did they would never manage to enter the city on it alone.
The back of the assault halted, finding as steady footing as they could in the muddy ground. "Draw!" One rebel among them stood tall, hand raised into the sky with open palm. "Form!" The collected Chakra was shaped into Jutsu as his fingers closed into a fist. "Wipe these assholes out of our city!"
Perhaps not proper but it got the idea across well enough.
His fist was thrown forward with fingers pointed towards the line of Loyalists along the broken wall and his comrades let loose a volley of their own Jutsu. While Yagura's men didn't have as much space to dodge the attacks they did have more cover readily available as they scattered to either side of the standing wall or down the alleys to either side of the exposed- and mostly destroyed- homes that had sat at the farthest edges of the city.
But while the Rebel attack didn't bring with it any Loyalist casualties it did something arguably more important- it bought them time. The majority of the Rebel force pressed on as Jutsu tore through the air above their heads and by the time the Loyalists popped out from cover they were almost upon them.
The Loyalists were more than willing to respond in kind and a tide of Kirigakure Shinobi poured from the broken wall to end this bloody war once and for all.
Regardless of victor, Kirigakure would finally know peace.
Inside its own walls, at least.
Despite being a war between Mizu no Kuni factions, the clash between them was perhaps less gruesome than it might have been between others. Suiton techniques typically crushed or cut which was far cleaner than the burning Hoton, grinding Doton, shredding Futon, or piercing Raiton.
Not that it was any more pleasant for the recipient, being crushed to death by a giant dragon of water that turned your insides to soup through the sheer force with which it struck you wouldn't be fun for anyone.
It was a hell of a lot easier to clean, though, and it wasn't nearly as horrid to look at in the middle of a battle.
But while the thought did run through her mind for a second, Mei's attention was focused elsewhere.
Specifically it was focused on Yagura.
For reasons she didn't know- but could probably guess pretty accurately- he had moved a chair onto the roof of the Mizukage tower and reclined in it seemingly without a care in the world. Worse than his show of relaxed confidence, even from here she knew he was staring right at her daring her to try getting into 'his' village.
Bastard didn't even have the decency to meet her on the battlefield.
Honestly she should have expected as much.
"Zabuza, Kisame." Her voice caught their attention easily enough. "I need you to clear me a path through Yagura's forces. It looks like Mizukage-sama's being a bit shy today."
"You know I'm just here to help Zabuza-chan kill a Daimyo, right?"
"You're going to pass up on an opportunity to fight?" She scoffed. "I don't think there's a member of the Seven Swordsmen aside from Chojiro capable of such. Besides, isn't Samehada hungry?"
"Heh, that she is." The sword in question rumbled in agreement as he removed it from his back and lazily shouldered it. "Come on Zabuza-chan, there's more than time to kill until Tsukuyomi graces us with his presence."
"Sounds good to me, Sashimi." Zabuza's grin pulled in bandages taunt across his face. "We doing this as straight kills or by points?"
"Points, of course." Kisame grinned back. "Standard spread, bonus points for any Wolves."
"Double at ANBU?"
"Nah, that's way too high. Double Jōnin."
"Fair enough." Kubikiribōchō was lowered into the soft earth, as eager to tear through it as it was to bite into flesh. "Haku?"
The young woman gave a sigh but complied with her all-but father's request. "Ready," Both swordsmen crouched low in preparation. "Slay!" They were off like lightning, laughing as they ran.
"What was that?" Asked Ao from his position next to Mei, his Byakugan allowing him to survey the entire battle with general ease.
"A game the Seven Swordsmen like to play. Points are determined by the rank of those you kill. Highest points at the end wins. There are a couple variants but they all know the basic rules."
"I-uh." Chojiro shifted nervously. "I don't know the rules."
"You'll learn when you become one of the Seven."
"I-I am."
Haku glanced over to him with a raised brow. "Mei might have decided you're going to be one of them, but until they initiate you you're just a boy with a very important sword."
"Oh."
"How do they initiate new members?" The Seven Swordsmen were more of a brotherhood than an organization and the culture they had developed among themselves wasn't well known to outsiders. As experienced as Ao was he didn't know much about 'those maniacs with swords' as he liked to call them when they did something particularly reckless or stupid.
"Isn't it obvious?" A small smile spread across Haku's lips. "They invite you to play a game."
"Tsukuyomi-sama, Tsukuyomi-sama!"
The company of Wolves turned to their sibling as they burst forth from the fog and twisted trees in search of their father. The man in question looked up from a beaten and bloody rebel and rose from his crouch.
"Tsukuyomi-sama!" The Wolf darted right to him, dropping to a knee and hanging his head.
"What is it, child?"
"The rebels have launched their attack, Tsukuyomi-sama. The final battle of the Bloodline War is commencing at this very moment."
The Kirigakure Loyalists among the group gave a cheer, pleased to know it was nearly over and eager to participate. The Wolves fed off of that, riling themselves up for imminent bloodshed, and none of them were more excited than those bearing the Mark of the Man-Eaters.
Somehow he had managed to create a cult within what was already essentially a cult.
He seemed inexplicably talented at that.
"Excellent, you have done well." Tsukuyomi reached down and ruffled the man's hair as a reward before turning to Katsuri. "Select a squad to finish up the bunkers, we're heading back to Kirigakure."
"Hai, Tsukuyomi-sama." She turned back to her Wolves and began picking out those who would continue to carry out their fathers' will in his absence. Unsurprisingly there weren't any volunteers to sit out of Kirigakure's final battle.
Those chosen, however, didn't so much as mutter a single complaint., instead standing tall with the knowledge that they would be doing Tsukuyomi's work.
"They're ready, Tsukuyomi-sama." Katsuri announced after a few short minutes.
The young Daimyo gave a satisfied nod. "Good, there's no time to waste.." He turned to the line of Wolves chosen to clear out the final few bases and approached one at random. "You're in charge." Declared Tsukuyomi as he pressed his map into her hands. "Do not fail me."
"Not even in death, Tsukuyomi-sama."
"I'll hold you to that." Taking a step back he addressed the rest of her group. "You have four bunkers left, I expect for them to be fully cleared out and destroyed by the time you join us back in Kirigakure. If you hurry you may be able to participate in the battle but that is not an excuse for carelessness or sloppy work. You are Wolves and more than that you are my Wolves. Show me my faith is not misplaced."
"Never, Tsukuyomi-sama!" They chorused.
"Go, prove it."
They were gone before he could blink, tearing through the misty forests of Mizu no Kuni without any regard for stealth. They wouldn't need it for a while yet- not until they drew near the first bunker- and perhaps not at all if all the Rebels had been committed to the fight at Kirigakure but Tsukuyomi shook his head at their departure.
Hadn't he just told them not to be sloppy?
If he heard they had lost a Rebel or were ambushed because the Rebels had heard them coming he was going to have them clean up whatever remained of Kirigakure after the battle by themselves.
Tsukuyomi rounded on the rest of the Wolves who watched him eagerly. "Well?" He asked. "What are you waiting for? Our prey scurries to the walls of Kirigakure!"
With a massive cheer they too took off in the general direction of the hidden village. He supposed in comparison the first group really was moving discretely.
By the time they had reached Kirigakure the battle had been going on for quite some time but despite the obvious casualties scattered over the muddy ground both sides were still going strong. What the Rebels lacked in skill they made up in sheer numbers and the Loyalists had their hands full trying to keep the horde at bay.
There were also many more people involved in this battle than Tsukuyomi had anticipated. Of course, seeing it play out was far different than looking at projected figures and estimates of how many able bodies the Rebels had available.
Honestly, Tsukuyomi didn't mind at all. His children were looking forward for a chance to stretch their legs without having to hold back.
"Go, hunt." He commanded them. "But if you die I will drag you back from hell and punish you so severely that when you are finally allowed to return they'll pity you."
With yelps of excitement they surged forward, a tide of rabid dogs eager to sink their teeth into the tender flesh of his enemies. It was glorious-
But it wasn't enough.
He didn't just want to win, he wanted to crush absolutely everything in the gods-forsaken country.
As it so happens he had plenty of resources to draw upon to aid him in turning that into reality.
'Karura,' His voice echoed through the seal. 'I need you.'
A long, breathy purr followed his call, oozing sexual satisfaction. 'Mmmmm, you don't know how much I love the sound of that, my beloved.' It was only the fact that he was moments away from joining the battle that would finally allow him to correct his mistakes that kept him from imagining how she looked as she said that. He couldn't afford distractions at the moment, no matter how tempting they might be. 'Ask, my lord. Anything you desire, ask and it is yours.'
'I need your Chakra, Karura. I will not last this fight on mine alone.'
'Must you fight?' He could see her pouty frown as she asked him that, her face scrunched up in a mixture of displeasure and concern. 'I don't want you to get hurt.'
'My children need me.' It was all he needed to say. Even in the limited time they had spent together she understood him well enough to know how important his children were to him. The family he had built for himself was everything to him.
Knowing that both she and her son were a part of that family spread a pleasant tingle of warmth through her body and made her heart swell in joy.
'Then use my Chakra to stay safe.' A warmth surged through Tsukuyomi's body as his Chakra coils were flooded with the energy of the Ichibi. 'I will do what I can to lessen the damage but I cannot keep it up forever and your body cannot take the strain of using too much.' She warned him. 'Come back to me safely, beloved. We have a son to raise.'
'Thank you, Karura.'
'Anything for you, beloved. Anything.' She fell silent with those parting words, focusing the whole of her attention to ensuring her power did as little harm to her lord as possible.
Reaching under the black armor he wore he withdrew Au's amulet and let it hang in proud contrast to the rest of his attire. What little sun shattered through the rolling sea of grey clouds caught against it unnaturally and made it shine as gold as the eyes peering out from behind his mask.
He had been given the word of a serpent earlier, it was time to test it.
A great cloud of smoke burst forth under him as the name rolled from his lips in a command like the crack of thunder. .
"Manda."
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