Chapter 32

Kankuro is supposed to meet up with Shikamaru on the borders of Suna and Tanigakure in order to swap mission stories before Kankuro heads back home first followed by Shikamaru. That was the plan.

But Kankuro has arrived at the designated meeting place from Iwagakure, the village that is located way up north of Suna, two days ago and has been waiting ever since for his older brother. Considering that Shikamaru's mission is in Tanigakure, in the Land of Rivers itself, he should have turned up earlier than Kankuro at the designated meeting place. With Suna on the west boundary of Tanigakure and Konoha on the east boundary, even if Shikamaru has re-routed to Konoha, it shouldn't take this long, not unless Konoha hasn't welcomed his brother's no-mission visit.

After two days of waiting grumpily, Kankuro decides to search for his older brother. And he will start by going to Konoha.

Before reaching his destination, Kankuro passes through an unknown town where the buildings are a bit dilapidated and the people tend to stare surreptitiously at him, the black hooded, face painted shinobi. Growling and heaving his scroll behind his back, nobody has missed his point that he's a very dangerous nin, everyone's eyes then swivel somewhere else.

Grinning, Kankuro continues his journey towards Konoha. He is in the border between the town where the people stare and another new town when he notices another shinobi's chakra.

Hiding behind a thick tree, Kankuro plans on attacking the nin if the nin is wearing a Konoha head protector. It would be easier to infiltrate Konoha and save his brother if needed if the people think he is one of their own.

Kankuro is disappointed however when he finally saw the man's forehead. The insignia belongs to Tanigakure. He then allows the other nin to pass through and he is about to pivot around himself to continue his journey when he notices something familiar is slung over the other shinobi's back, his big bro's satchel.

Kankuro summons Karasu, the three eyed puppet, with hair and limbs, which is armed for attacks.

The Tanigakure nin doesn't stand a chance, Kankuro assaults him with Karasu seemingly out of nowhere, still hiding from the trunk of the huge tree. The puppet's appendages first tear the satchel straps. When the bag drops; the nin's body is encircled by Karasu's detachable limbs and these limbs slowly tightens around its prey making it hard for him to breath.

Kankuro picks up the satchel and shakes it upside down, removing its contents. He identifies his brother's money purse as it falls down to the ground plus the other assortments of shinobi equipments—a Suna standard issue bedroll that was small enough to fit the satchel and a set of kunai.

Turning murderous eyes on the Tanigakure shinobi, Kankuro snarls, "Where did you get this?" as he gestures towards Shikamaru's things scattered on the ground. Kankuro then strides angrily towards the immobilized shinobi, still caged by Karasu's appendages. Upon reaching him, one of Kankuro's arms extends up to take a fist of the shinobi's shirt collar, threatening to strangle him with his own bare hand if he doesn't answer the question.

"I—I stole the bag. It looks sturdy and..." Noticing the grim look of the face-painted shinobi, the Tanigakure shinobi stutters, as he jerks at his prison, the coil starting to tighten around him, "The man isn't moving when I took his bag—He is already dead. I just stole it... I—I didn't kill him!"

"Kamaru-niisan wouldn't die that easily!" Kankuro bellows on the man's face as he moves his grip from the shirt collar to the man's neck.

"I—I don't know...I wasn't there to witness the fight. If you want I could take you to his body." The man continues to claw at Karasu's appendages as he meets Kankuro's eyes, trying to prove that he's telling the truth.

"Where specifically did you find –that bag?" Kankuro refuses to say my brother.

"If I tell you now, you will kill me," the Tanigakure shinobi reasons.

"I will kill you either way. You can choose if you want it painlessly or under such excruciating discomfort," Kankuro lips pull back in a menacing sneer and his eyes shine with blood thirst.

The Tanigakure shinobi tries to hide his fear, blustering his way, "You need me alive in order to find his body."

Kankuro then withdraws his hand that spans the shinobi's neck in a firm clutch. The shinobi is about to release a sigh of relief when abruptly Karasu's appendages constrict almost unbearingly around him, producing a cracking sound as one or two of his ribs are fractured.

The man yells in intense pain, "Please... I didn't kill him. I swear he's already dead."

Kankuro moves his fingers manipulating the chakra strings that control Karasu, loosening the puppet's grip on the terrified shinobi. "Take me where you found the satchel then," Kankuro orders. One thing is for sure, the foreign shinobi in front of him is not even capable of landing a hit on his big bro much less killing him.

The nin drops to his knees and gasps for breath, each one painful, courtesy of his broken ribs as his chest contracts and expands.

TBC

~3/20/11AF~

A/N: To YukiNagato93, nice you noticed that...

To Love Is Only a Word, Effie-a and Naara-no-Temari ... your reviews make me wanna spill...

To aerrow4eva ...I know no saucy lemony action...~sighs~

Yue Heartphilia, here's a fast update!

Sandanio, hmn I was uploading other things...~pouts~ you didn't see them?

Review?