Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Sand Siblings. I probs would have treated them better though,,,,
It was a week until the invasion. Aruna dealt with it the only way she could think to: completely immersing herself in the shadows of Sunagakure.
Many forget what qualifications a woman must meet to become ANBU Director, much less a commanding officer. Aruna didn't care to know how other villages handled their special ops; all she knew was that it took blood, secrets and silence to make it in Suna. Being ANBU didn't just mean knowing what had happened. It was how it happened, why it happened, who did it. ANBU wasn't an all-encompassing omnipresent force, but it was a near thing. Suna's special ops was the sand that drifted in with the wind and was swept out with the morning sun before any man woke to bake bread. They were in the gaps of shade that broke up the monotony of Suna's landscape.
Aruna had utilized those gaps, had been swept up like sand by the lightest wind. The villagers liked to call them "Mirages", convinced the veiled shinobi they spotted out of the corner of their eyes could only be a trick of temperatures, a trick of the light.
Aruna earned her place as ANBU Director, having done her time in the corps herself. So, it was only natural she would be able to fall right back into place with the sand and shade.
Some of her subordinates whisper, make assumptions about her pull, her power. Say she'd be nothing without her network, without plants and eyes everywhere. She invites them to question her, but does not hide from them just how wrong they were.
While Kankurō is away and Rasa is pushed deeper and deeper into Orochimaru's pocket, Aruna discovers the mastermind behind the Sabaku no Kakumei. Her knees are pressed to the ceiling, breath non-existent as she watches the surprisingly short, middle aged man with laugh lines and stick thin arms dictate to his partner where to strike against the Kazekage next. Their plans are rather juvenile in a shinobi's eyes. Their coup does not call for blood, which confuses Aruna.
'Have you heard any news from the Capital?' the leader asks, unbridled hope shining in his eyes. Aruna grimaces at the lack of composure in their figure head.
'No,' his companion reports, shoulders slumped either from disappointment or natural posture. She quickly files away the man's bent over frame, and the way his spine is not straight like hers. A back condition then, she decides. The leader has his own health problems, ranging from malnutrition to a slight shake in his hands. Possibly a byproduct of the malnourishment.
'I see.'
'Our brothers and sisters in the Capital do not understand the full extent, brother. They can only see what we do through our correspondence.'
Aruna noted the familiarity. "Brothers and sisters"? This was more than a movement to them.
They finally left after their discussion, leaving Aruna alone in the leader's quarters. Rifling through anything of use, Aruna memorized as much as she could, copying down what she could not.
Aruna left, leaving no trace but a few stray grains of sand.
'Maki,' Aruna called out, quietly but clearly. Her second in command appeared instantly, nothing but a small puff of dust marking her arrival. Aruna looked at her younger associate, a brief flicker of their first correspondence ghosting through her mind. 'Please arrange for,' there was a small hesitation in her order, but not even Maki caught it, 'a random search and seizure of the following residencies.'
'Hai, Aruna-sama.'
Aruna did not feel guilt; only a cold, detached curiosity at the belief these men and women held. That petitions and rallies and words could bring down a military power before it brought itself to its knees. She could not help the rueful smile on her face as she watched two powers race to destroy the Kazekage: the Sabaku no Kakumei and the Kazekage himself.
'Aruna-kun,' The Yondaime Kazekage implored, a slight grimace adorning his weather-beaten face. It was not the soft skin of a royal, a fact that worked in a military leader's favor.
'Kazekage-sama, do not waste your breath on my account. My loyalty does not waver in the face of disagreement,' Aruna respectfully cut him off. They were to travel to Konoha the next day, Aruna did not need another reminder of what was to come.
'You are my advisor and closest colleague. If not ever before, your support is needed now.'
'You have it, Kazekage-sama.'
Rasa narrowed his eyes. Aruna wanted to roll hers. Rasa stood from his seat at his desk, turning his back to her and looking out the sole window of the entire building. She wanted to laugh; sometimes he was so obvious. His posture screamed: trust me as I trust you.
She doesn't think she's ever trusted anyone.
It's almost frightening how normal everything starts out. There are no whispers of great ugly plans, no sweeping commands for blood right before heading out. Rasa does not utter a word about the invasion. Aruna sends a squad of Mirages to scout ahead and a squad of Mirages to watch behind. Standard procedure.
Walking across the dunes surrounding Sunagakure is all about strategy. Sunset is when it's best to set out, quickly utilizing only the light of the moon in the dull cold of the desert. The rationing of water is done to a T. Not even the Kazekage gets a drop more. Rock formations lost in the wind-swept sand are where any camps are to be set.
Aruna has always admired the ever-changing landscape of a desert that can still remain familiar.
'Is it true?'
Aruna glances over at Kazushi, hating the answer.
'I don't know what you mean.'
'I'm a prostitute, not an idiot.'
'What do you want me to tell you? You know the answer.'
'Well, now I do,' he grumbled, crossing his arms around his torso as a cheap replacement for comfort.
She almost tells him she doesn't want to go through with it. She's just following orders.
'I don't know if I'll ever see you again,' she says instead. The noise he makes informs her that it may not have been the best thing to say. 'I tipped more today.'
'As what, an apology for dying?' he asked sharply. She doesn't quite understand the hurt in his voice, but in the back of her mind, she figures it may have to do with whatever seems to be blocking her throat.
'More like a thank you for all your cooperation over the course of our…arrangement.'
As Aruna slides across the shifting sands of the desert beside the Kazekage, she replays Kazushi's last words to her.
'You know something Aruna? I think for all the shit you know, there's a lot you won't ever understand.'
It'd be hurtful if it wasn't achingly truthful. Maki asks her something but she's too deep in her own mind to hear it the first time.
It the third day of traveling when a sandstorm splits up the party. Aruna flares her chakra in a specific rhythm, calling the back squad to her and the Kazekage's aid. Sandstorms in Wind Country come without much warning, but no shinobi of the Sand is ever ill prepared. Protocols switch on instantly. Aruna's ever present set of goggles get their debut of the day, and her face veil serves its primary purpose.
She watches the Kazekage calmly use his Gold Dust to create a barrier around himself and the entourage. He does not seem surprised at the sand storm, though she knows it was not forecasted. She feels the sweat from her brow trickle down her temple. Before anything else can happen, Aruna turns to Maki, gently grabbing the younger woman by the shoulder and bringing her ear toward her. The sand is brash and noisy, and she doesn't want to speak too loudly.
'Attempt to make contact with the scouting squad. Do not return until you feel my signal, Maki, do you understand?' Aruna murmurs to her. Maki's eyes are wide behind her goggles, but Aruna knows better than to think she's frightened.
'Hai. May this sun not be your last,' Maki murmurs back.
'And may your sand stay unstained,' she returns. It's wishful thinking. 'Go.'
Rasa does not question Maki's disappearance, but Aruna doesn't think he's aware of much at present. There's an odd kind of grimness mixed with acceptance in her Kazekage's eyes, and as he walks, his eyes never drift away from his unspoken destination. Aruna does not falter as she walks beside him, surely following him into hell. She does not regret sending Maki away; If anything, she relishes in the flush of relief that streams through her.
Aruna has never been one to mince words.
'Rasa. He won't forgive you.'
He doesn't answer.
Orochimaru manages to even send a shiver down her spine as he eyes the Kazekage almost hungrily. The Sannin is too pale for Suna, for this part of Wind Country at all. His sickly pallor only makes his bile yellow eyes more striking. Aruna thinks he'd be less terrifying if he wasn't so beautiful.
The conversation starts out jeeringly casual. She is set on edge the minute the snake starts hissing a greeting.
'Kazekage-kun, this meeting is a surprise. What is it you'd need to discuss with me?' Orochimaru wonders. Aruna wishes to know, too.
'Orochimaru,' Rasa begins, and Aruna notices for the first time the slight tremor in her Kazekage's shoulders. 'Sunagakure is withdrawing its support for this invasion.'
Why of all things would he keep that from me, Aruna wanted to roll her eyes, the angst that took hold of her at the beginning of the month loosening its grip.
'Oh?' Orochimaru's laugh was an unnatural sound, an amalgam of clicks and an odd sort of throaty chuckle. 'Rasa-kun, I do not believe that was part of the deal. You see, withdrawing from this agreement…is less satisfactory for the both of us.'
'You have my answer, you snake.'
'Kazekage-sama, please step away,' Aruna ordered harshly to her leader. She inched in front of Rasa, her Mirages falling into place around them both.
'It's unsatisfactory for me,' Orochimaru continued, a sinister look of amusement drawn over his face, 'Because now I have even more to do. It's unsatisfactory for you…well, I guess you'll find out soon what happens to those that break a deal with me.'
He was fast. Aruna unsealed Cerberus and Dip in quick secession, but the Sannin had already taken down two Mirages.
'Kazekage-sama, get back!' She pulled her chakra strings erratically, putting her puppets in between Rasa and Orochimaru. 'White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Shuffle!' Without looking away from her opponent, Aruna switched out her puppets with unimaginable speed, her family's special seals helping her achieve a quick withdrawal and arrival of a new puppet.
Unprepared for her electrified Xolotl, Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he pushed away just in time to not be bit by her puppet's shocking maw. An unsettling smile split his face as he stood straight, only a few meters away.
'Chikamatsu Aruna…It's a shame I must kill someone so skilled in such a juvenile technique. Someone once warned me of your skills; an old friend of yours.' Aruna's mind whirred at the implications, but she did not show any reaction to what the Snake Sannin was saying. Her puppets shuffled from string to string, all four of her Puppet Pack out in the open, switching between her hands at an untraceable rate. Cerberus, Anubis, Dip and Xolotl all posed to strike out at the man trying to kill her Kazekage. 'Don't play coy Chikamatsu-chan,' he teased, but not playfully. 'You know who I speak of.'
The creature in the form of a man raised his chin, opening his mouth wide. Three Mirages flanked Aruna, but she simply watched as Orochimaru choked out the legendary blade Kusanagi. Her operatives rushed him, and she couldn't call them off before they were expertly slashed, their blood spraying over the dunes.
Her dogs were fast but he was faster. Vaulting over Cerberus' three heads and dodging Anubis' poisoned blades, Kusanagi's edge sliced through her chakra strings like yarn, her two dogs falling lifeless on the sand. Aruna jumped back, 'White Secret Technique: Poison Surge,' Anubis' mouth unhinged, revealing a large tube. In a matter of seconds, a wave of liquid sludge rained from her puppet's mouth, gurgling as it flung toward the Sannin. She took a second to look back to see the Kazekage's position.
'Eyes on me, Chi-ka-ma-tsu-chan. What would Akasuna no Sasori say about this sorry display?' the voice was behind her, but before she could pull Xolotl around, Aruna felt something cold shoot through her abdomen. Aruna knew the bite of a blade well; she had played patient more than once in the hospital. This is something new.
Her arms feel heavy, so she drops them. She remembers lying in this very desert, chakra nearly depleted, back when she was only 14 years old, and thinks this is sort of similar. But her chakra is there, stagnant, and her body seizes up around the blade. Too quickly is it slid right back out again, a harsh SQUELCH as it exits her torso. Involuntarily, her body follows after it, but it's not quick enough. Aruna marvels at the wound, rapidly staining even the thick material of her vest. The sword that can cut anything, she faintly answers in her mind, cupping the gushing of her own blood.
She thinks she hears Rasa, but she can't be sure because she's shaking now, and suddenly she's kneeling, her legs not strong enough against the shock. Aruna has been in pain before. Excruciating pain; infuriating pain; sometimes even the kind of pain that she finds appealing. This is a new kind of pain.
Her vision is a bit fuzzy, but even in her sorry state, she is awake enough to watch, helpless, as her Kazekage is pierced. A sound comes out of her mouth, half way between a groan and a cry of distress. Then she is alone.
Her vision is spotty and the unconscious tick of seconds in her mind is quiet for once in her life, not reminding her how much time has passed since she was stabbed, since she fell, since Rasa was killed. Her arms are heavy, but she figures they must still work. She moves them, landing on her forearms to drag herself over to her superior. Then she remembers her arms are attached to her body, too, and feels the pull of her muscles, flaring pain through her middle. She moves one arm at a time, not thinking about how long it will take, just how many more it'll be. By the time she reaches his body, there is no face to stare mournfully down at. Aruna grits her teeth, disgusted, but somehow the act of being disgusted hurts, so she tries to calm down.
'Runa…' she hears. She can put the voice to a name, but it takes some time. 'I've never regretted unsealing myself until just now,' it seems to joke. Aruna used what felt like the last of her strength to flop onto her back.
'Oni,' she gasped, struggling to remember how to breath and talk simultaneously, 'Oni, listen to me.'
It kneeled beside her, slowly reaching down to support her neck. There was hesitance in its movements, and Aruna would have found it cute on any other day. 'I'm here…'
'The Sannin—he took Rasa's face—he tried to call off the invasion—oro-has…he's going to pretend to be Kazekage,' she began to slur a bit. 'I need you—I need you to find Maki, tell her what happened.'
'I'm not leaving you out here!' Oni announced, aghast.
'Oni, I'm—losing a lot of blood here, my friend…You're going to have to—'
'Not happening.' It's long arms snaked around her back and under her knees. 'I have full energy—it'll get a little bumpy. Do you have those human bandages anywhere?'
'All bandages—are—human bandages…in my pack…'
'Then what do you call the wrappings you put on me?' it asked, a third arm from it's back arching over its head to reach her pack.
'That's—always just been tape—you pest…It reminds me where you—need—repairs,' she panted. Oni's third hand bundled the bandages up and placed them on her torso. Having never applied first aid to anyone before, it left it up to Aruna. Aruna's shaky hands pressed the bandages against her wound, trying to staunch the blood.
'Hold on, Runa. I'm going to flicker. Are you ready?'
'The pack—my dogs,' she whined. Aruna let out a breath when she was suddenly dropped back onto the floor. 'Oni—If I get out—of this…I'm teaching you how to fucking treat an injured person…'
'I have them. Get ready.'
'Just get us out of—here,' she said, her head lolling back over it's shoulder, her eyes landing on Rasa's prone figure, already partially covered in sand. 'Be right–back—Rasa,' she murmured, too quietly for even Oni to hear.
Aruna was by no means a fuinjutsu master. She knew how to make an explosion tag, and knew how to make a rudimentary sealing roll. But after years of hitting roadblocks when experimenting with her puppets, she was able to sort of wing it with seals (without blowing off her arm). Along with the electrical seals she developed for Xolotl, and her own personal explosion tags, she was able to make a one-off seal that copied the Body Flicker Jutsu. Each of her partners was equipped with one, Oni having it's own pack.
Oni uses a small spark of chakra to activate the seal, pulling them to one of the closer outposts. They land just outside the base, and Oni quickly readjusts it's hold and runs in, its shaky wooden legs carrying her to the medical bay.
'What do I say? How do I help?' She had never heard Oni sound so human in it's panic.
'You jus'–gotta yell, 'Medic'—you pest.'
And then she blacks out.
It was cold in the desert at night. Civilians and shinobi alike knew it as a fact. It had dropped to 4'C when they decide using shared body heat could no longer be called a distraction, but a survival technique. Aruna does not bother to tell him she knows the Breath of Life technique. He doesn't tell her he has a cloak sealed in one of his scrolls.
They are 13 years old.
The desert at night becomes the one place where they allow themselves the human contact most civilians give each other on a daily basis. A hand on the small of her back. Her calloused palm running between his shoulder blades. Their fingers intertwining. That one is harder to explain. But that's ok, she thinks. Because after the sun rises, and the rays touch his bright red hair, they don't speak of it.
He is strong and feared, revered by the village for his skill. But to her, he is gentle, cold in a familiar way that shouldn't be as comforting as it is. The vacancy in his eyes is less cavernous when she looks into them.
The night is theirs. But in the day, she knows why it can't go beyond that. Why the cold prompts her while the sun warns her. He is dangerous. As is she, but to enemies and threats, not the village. For a while, the night is enough. She is young, he is young, and they could die in this war.
They are 17.
'I love you.'
She remembers smiling, and slowly detangling their legs.
'I don't think you know what love is,' she whispered.
She wakes up thinking about the past. Which she loathes to do. Sitting up promptly, she pulls the basic IV plugged into her arm out. She stretches, ignoring the pain in her abdomen and leaves the bed.
'C-Chikamatsu-sama! You need to stay in bed!' a medic cries, walking in on her getting dressed. Aruna looks up, but does not stop until even her split vest is back on. 'Chiyo-obaa-sama only got you stabilized an hour ago.'
Of course, it had to be that woman that saved me, Aruna thought bitterly, rewrapping her arms.
'The Kazekage is dead. I have to get to Konohagakure immediately, or else we may very well be at war by next week.' That shut's them up quite well. She breezes past the medic, popping in her mouth three blood-replenishing pills.
'Chikamatsu-sama that's too many,' a kunoichi said dryly, already knowing Aruna would not listen. Aruna recognizes her, she is in command of this particular outpost.
'I need you to get into contact with HQ; The Kazekage is dead. I need eyes on the Council and the Honored Siblings. I need at least half of our remaining ANBU forces here, right now. I will be departing for Konohagakure in 15 minutes with or without them. I expect them to catch up with me tomorrow at the latest. Please remain here until further instruction. "Protocol 4" is in action as of right now; no one gets in or out without ID or the safe word. Am I clear?'
'Crystal, Chikamatsu-sama.'
'I want you checking the credentials of the shinobi already here, as well. Any able-bodied Jōnin here will be accompanying me. Please spread that to the rest of the base. Dismissed.'
As the kunoichi quickly followed her orders, Aruna felt a slight rush to her head. Three pills really were too much. Aruna narrowed in on where Oni's signature had been pulsating routinely, the standard procedure for when they were separated. Oni sat, slumped, in a chair by the entrance, looking to be in the middle of a nap. Aruna let her shoulders un-tense, smiling a little.
'I don't know what's got you so tired, I'm the one that got impaled.'
Oni looked up, and Aruna swore if it could it would have looked relieved. 'You're not the one that had to haul your sorry ass to safety.' It stood, meeting her halfway. They quickly clasped arms, but separated so Aruna could wind it back up. 'How long will it take to get to the leafy village?'
'Full tilt, I expect us to reach the gates by tomorrow morning. Thankfully, this outpost is closer to the boarder than most. Orochimaru will be entering Konoha tonight, the final exam is tomorrow. We may end up cutting it close, considering my wound,' she gently touched her abdomen, pushing against the new skin that was still tender. Chiyo would never be redeemed in her eyes, but she was a damn good medic, even at her age. But, had Aruna been out there even 10 minutes more, only the Slug Princess would have been able to save her. And they did not have a Slug Princess hanging around.
'I don't get why you humans push boundaries that you literally cannot break…'
'Oni, you only know shinobi. Not all humans have dangerous lives.'
'In that case, I wish I lived with a civie.'
'Me too.'
'Why do we have to go, again?'
Aruna couldn't actually think of an answer Oni would care about, so instead, she put a hand on it's shoulder and shook her head slightly. 'I need you there to carry my things.'
'Ah, that makes sense,' it mused. 'But don't expect me to fight anyone for you, I think I pulled something yesterday.'
Aruna didn't give it the satisfaction of a reaction. Oni would always try to get out of fighting, Aruna did know why she thought the Kazekage's death would inspire it.
Thinking of Rasa, Aruna is stuck in possibly the hardest position possible. Innuendo not appreciated at this time. Officially, there are a multitude of procedures that are set into motion after the death of a Kazekage. Aruna remembers the disappearance of Sandaime, and the sheer chaos at HQ, never mind the village itself. Unofficially, however, Aruna just became the most powerful person in Sunagakure. As ANBU Director and right-hand woman to the Kazekage, she holds a grip over the bulk of Suna's forces and shinobi, as well as trade agreements, peace treaties, and any other paperwork she filled out when the Kazekage did not want to.
Oni seemed to read her mind. 'Are you, like…Kazekage now or something.'
'I'm trying not to think about it. We leave in 10 minutes. Exactly.'
'Yes, I know the obsession you have with timing. 10 minutes. Go eat something or whatever, human,' it scoffed.
'Do not think me above leaving you here until you run out of chakra.'
'So touchy.'
And so, as they travel to Konoha, a small force Jōnin behind her, Aruna tries not to think about how she almost died. She doesn't even let herself think about how Rasa should be alive. She was his body guard, his right-hand woman. No force was supposed to get passed her and get to him.
It was going to be a long year.
Trees whipped by, the humid air of Konohagakure doing nothing to help with any of heat and sweat Aruna and her men were experiencing. But they rushed on, the only thought one any of their minds being getting to the Kazekage's children as fast as possible and stopping the invasion.
Aruna may also be planning to kill Orochimaru, but she's just hoping to get the first things on her list done.
Oni gives a quiet running commentary as they travel, commenting on every tree that's unusual, or a bug it saw. Aruna thinks she may hear one of her Jōnin groan under his breath when Oni asks, again, if they were close or not. Personally (and privately), Aruna welcomes the annoying distraction, knowing it won't actually harm their schedule or pace. She does wish to know how Oni gained such an interesting personality, if not from her.
'Taichō,' she hears from her side. She nods in greeting to her squad of Mirages, very pleased to see they had caught up so soon. She eyes the man running beside her. He had been running missions for her since he was sixteen, and she had been his first captain.
'Protocol 4,' she replies, not giving it a chance.
'There is strength in the sand, for each grain has the same ambition,' He repeats the immortalized words of the Sandaime Kazekage, told reverently to young shinobi each year in Sunagakure. Not even the villagers had ever heard the valued saying. Aruna nods again. She'll have to think of a new code.
Aruna signs to him in Suna's ANBU hand symbols, 'Two parts. Behind. In front. Any signs. Snake. Sound. Eliminate. Sign back confirmation.'
'Confirmed.'
'In front. Eyes on children. Wait for signal. Sign back confirmation.'
'Confirmed.'
'Behind. Support. Medics. Puppeteers. Reactionary only. Sign back confirmation.'
'Confirmed.'
'Go.'
Aruna watched a squad blur forward, the scouts of her ANBU, while the second half fell back, a little less than a kilometer behind.
'Taichō, what are our orders?' the Jōnin closest to her inquired. Aruna almost ignored him, not caring to answer. But she knew what happened when troops went in blind.
'The most important thing is to spread word to our shinobi: the Kazekage is dead, the invasion is a no-go. I don't want to see a single Suna ninja attack Konohagakure. Orochimaru will have shinobi of his own; Oto-nin. Do not hesitate to kill them if they become a threat. I will be looking for the children of the Kazekage.' And then I will avenge Rasa myself.
'Understood!'
The gates of Konohagakure were not something she'd ever been relieved to see in her life. Aruna held up her hand, pausing the party at the appearance of two guards. She did not recognize them.
'State your business, Suna-nin,' the one on the right calmly called out. Aruna respected his composure in the face of a large group of foreign ninjas.
'My name is Chikamatsu Aruna, I am the advisor, bodyguard and second in command to the Kazekage of Sunagakure. We have come to warn you, as well as aid you. The Kazekage currently in your village is an imposter by the name of Orochimaru,' Aruna voiced as clearly as possible, only just beginning to feel fatigued from her injury.
The two men easily showed their surprise, but Aruna figured she'd let it slide this time. She stepped forward with her ID, showing them her diplomatic immunity in Konoha as messenger to the Kazekage.
'Where is the real Kazekage?'
'He is dead. Orochimaru…ensnared him into a plan to invade your village, but murdered him after our Kazekage tried to amend his mistakes.' The words hurt, and she could feel the shocked looks from the men behind her. 'I will not feign pride at this time; Sunagakure has made a mistake in ever trusting that snake, and we would wish nothing more than to protect our sister village from what we brought into her walls.' The Kazekage was dead, and she was in charge. She could handle the blow to Suna's pride.
Before her eyes, two members of Konoha's ANBU flickered beside the gate guards. One of them wore a long beige cloak, but if Aruna was being honest, she had no idea what animal their mask was supposed to portray. They stepped forward, and Aruna unconsciously shifted her sealing scrolls that held her puppets.
'Chikamatsu-sama, you were expected to arrive two days ago,' the ANBU said, their deep voice withholding inflection. 'If what you are saying is true, please allow us to search your party.'
'ANBU-san, in any other situation, it would be my pleasure,' she said back, just as flatly, but with an earnest look in her eyes. 'At present, my priority is the safety of the late Kazekage's children, and stopping the involvement of any and all Sunagakure shinobi in the invasion planned by an S-Class Criminal.'
The cloaked ANBU stood still, watching them for a moment. 'I will allow this, but you will be followed closely by some of our own shinobi.'
'I would not expect anything less. We must hurry; Orochimaru plans to use the Yondaime Kazekage's youngest child as the catalyst of this invasion.'
The ANBU nodded firmly, and turned to lead them quickly to the arena. The situation finally caught up with Aruna's body, her heart pumping blood faster. Pupils blown, she follows after the ANBU, her men and Konoha's numbers mixed together in a chase to the epicenter of the impending invasion. Aruna assumed Orochimaru did not expect Aruna to survive. Realistically, that was fair. But then again, there was no way he could have known Aruna had a sentient puppet in her back pocket.
When the arena comes into view, Aruna is faintly impressed with the sheer size of it, but considering these Chūnin Exams have always been a little more about showing off than anything else, she is not surprised. Aruna's stomach pulls uncomfortably as she speeds up, not wasting any extra chakra, and runs right up the side of the arena's outer wall. Oni is close behind her, it's arms dragging behind it from the effect of gravity. After reaching the top, she sees they are too late. The invasion has already been set in motion. There is smoke in the Kage box, and Aruna can only assume what is about to happen.
She watches as Konoha's ANBU rushes to their Kage's aid, only to be blocked by Sunagakure Shinobi. Aruna would not be fast enough, and is only able to observe as two of her men are cut in half by ANBU. She could only pray her own squad of Mirages had spread word to their cohorts before they all got caught up in the political shit-storm headed their way.
Alongside the ANBU captain she met at the gates, she runs through the slumped spectators of the tournament. She stops suddenly, following the motion of a green and red blur. Her legs move before she thinks to, but she and her new ANBU partner are too late to get to the Hokage before a barrier is erected. That does not stop her however, from continuing her sprint to the Hokage.
'Orochimaru,' she thunders, her voice almost echoing through the tense atmosphere of the spectator's box. 'You will pay for your crimes against Sunagakure!'
'Oh ho, you spoiled the surprise Chikamatsu-chan,' the man grinned, 'Well, you can trust sand to get into everything,' he said darkly, reaching up under the hat of the Kazekage. In one swift pull, Orochimaru revealed his true face, throwing to the side the stolen face of Rasa.
Aruna could only barely hold herself back from saying more, from telling Orochimaru she planned to see to his death personally. But she needed eyes on Kankurō, and even more so on Gaara. She pulsed her chakra in a familiar signal, satisfied with the arrival time of both her Mirage squads.
'Help Konoha get to their Hokage. Do not engage Orochimaru. Assist in any way possible. I'm going after the children.'
'Taichō-!'
'When have I ever required you to question my orders,' she snapped, glaring at her soldier. 'The Kazekage is dead. I am in possession of the highest power in Sunagakure, and you will aid in Konohagakure's retrieval of the Hokage. I want the names of any Sunagakure shinobi dumb enough to attack our sister village, and you can be sure I will not be lenient of disobedience at this moment in time. Have I made myself clear?'
'Hai, Taichō!'
'Scorpion. Python. With me.'
'Hai!'
Aruna was mad. Mad that her men had questioned her in front of an ally. Mad that Orochimaru had used Sunagakure to gain the upper hand over Konoha. Mad that Rasa had let him.
At the moment, however, Aruna was mostly mad at Baki. For being a tool.
'Baki,' she hopped to where he was facing off against a Leaf-nin. 'The mission has changed.'
'Aruna…you've always disagreed with this plan, but-'
'Baki. As commanding officer, I order you to stand down. The Kazekage is dead. Get me to Gaara-sama.' Aruna hoped that was the last time she had to tell someone to just listen to her because the Kazekage was dead.
Both Baki and the leaf-nin looked shocked. Aruna was ready to gouge someone's eyes out; she had never been this infuriated in her life. Aruna grabbed Baki by the arm and flickered outside the arena. She had three kids to catch and no time to waste. 'Where did they go?'
'I—Gaara started to lose control of the Ichibi prematurely.'
'What happened?'
'Gaara's opponent wounded him. The Ichibi is fighting for control.'
Only Rasa would leave me to clean up such a mess, she thought, a little sardonically and a lot irately.
Oni's hand snaked up to hit Baki on the back of the head. 'Not much of a good Sensei, are you, Baka,' it snarked, gaining a growl from the man for using his most hated nickname.
'We will have words about Baka's usefulness as a teacher later,' Aruna said, her voice too serious for it to be considered a joke despite the nature of her words. Oni laughed none-the-less. 'Right now, we must secure his safety, as well as damage-control in the face of a full possession. Viper,' she addressed one of her Mirages. 'Search for Temari-sama and Kankurō. Baki, Scorpion and I will track Gaara-sama. Any questions?'
'Are you …Kazekage now?' Scorpion asked. If she didn't know the face behind his veil, she would have smacked him upside the head for such a stupid question at this time.
'I'm trying not to think about it.'
AN: well, writing Orochimaru is probably the hardest thing I've ever tried to do as a writer. I am reminded of why I write so many original characters. sorry if he's out of character, I'll try to get a better handle of the canon characters ;.
