By: Byaku
Pairing: GaaraxLee, once Lee gets over the fact that Gaara's not as emo of a bitch as Lee thinks he is. XD
Author NoteWhee, second chapter! I'm forever changing things and I'll probably post chapters at 2-week increments because it's easiest for me that way. Plus, it gives me ample time to edit them and get them checked over by my sister (who's in a technical way my beta reader, though I'd love to have other people check over my work too. ). Anyway. I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter and I'll probably update this second chapter note before I post it… xD If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know! I'm always looking for good ideas for fics and I'll take people's requests if they give them to me. I'm up for anything.
At the end of this chapter, by the way, like the last third of it is in the Akatsuki's point of view. It features all the Akatsuki and gives a little preview into how they work and what happened. By the way, only four of the original members are still alive. ;; Or three. Something like that.
This is the 2nd chapter! POOF! Amazing! Well, kinda. Lee and Gaara go for a little walk and talk (Lee talks the most) and Lee gets attacked… OMG DRAMA! And amusingly enough there's a little bit of fluff done by Lee in loop-land… he's dreaming and doesn't realize what he's doing. Hopefully by chapter 5 or 6 we'll get some yaoi action. It depends on my muse and the stabled plot bunnies that are being devious about working again. I'll have to round up some new ones… Just reminding you, I am a teenager and I do have a huge workload on my plate concerning school, so if I miss a chapter due to schoolwork please forgive me. Please Read and Review!
DisclaimerByaku: Unfortunately, again, I wished I owned Naruto. I own Aya, Tomozu, Mizu, Atsura, Jishouryu, and any other original character that's not mentioned in this series. I also own this idea.
Kakashi: Yup.
Byaku: You're a lot more helpful (helpful-er? XD) then my other commentator.
Kakashi: That's what I'm here for. & (weird face)
HomosexualityChapter 2: Rock Lee?
The barest amount of noise was made as two high-level shinobi from different villages made their way among the dark, deserted streets of Sunagakure. Their sandals were treated specially to make minimal noise, which made sense. But why was Gaara thinking about sandals while walking? There were other things that were on his mind, none of them necessarily being happy or cheerful.
"Wow, it looks a lot different when it's dark," Lee said, drawing Gaara out of his pensive mood.
Gaara's hard jade eyes merely glanced over at Lee before returning to survey his surroundings. Lee, sensing Gaara's mood, closed his mouth and took in the surroundings around him. Sunagakure was well barricaded, with wooden barricades coated with a special paste made to resist fire. Since Suna was always low on water it didn't sit well with the residents to coat the logs with water, thus wasting it. Several years ago, before Gaara was born, however, a resident shinobi of the village came up with an herbal paste that made fire useless against the logs.
"Why did you use logs to barricade the walls instead of a jutsu?" Lee's voice was curious as the two continued walking. When Gaara didn't answer, Lee stopped walking and looked at him. Finally, Gaara decided to answer him. That stare of Lee's was really grating his nerves.
"About twenty years ago, before I was born, a man named Sugorou Tobomu came up with an herbal paste that made logs fire-proof," Gaara answered shortly.
"Ah, I suppose that makes sense. And then you shield it with a jutsu?" Lee's excited babbling had attracted the attention of a man hidden in the shadows. An almost-sigh escaped Gaara's mental blockade as he recognized who the man was. "Oh, I don't suppose you've met my teacher, Maito Gai-sensei?"
"It is very nice to have the honor of meeting the Kazekage of Sunagakure, eh, Gaara-sama?" Gai's voice and the pleasantries were lost on the red-haired man as the fascinating black eyebrows began to move up and down and all around. When Gaara didn't respond Gai merely coughed into his fist before striking a pose. "I say it is!"
Gaara merely nodded once and continued forward, leaving Lee giving his teacher stumbling explanations about what he was doing wandering Sunagakure with the feared Kazekage near the late evening. How does he get his eyebrows to do that? The kazekage wondered, rather fascinated. However, that was a mystery to solve another day. Only when he was sure that Suna was safe could he return to his office and…
Wait.
The brats—no, the little Jinchuuriki were in his office building now. What had possessed him to put them there? Grumbling inwardly much like a spoiled child, the Kazekage crossed his arms and flicked a glance backwards. That weird jounin with the fascinating eyebrows had disappeared, leaving Lee to catch up with him.
"Sorry about that," Lee said, scratching behind his head as he easily caught up with the Kazekage. Gaara didn't bother responding. Pleasantries were lost on him, mostly because he didn't understand them. What could simple words do? Please, or Thank You, or You're Welcome, or Excuse Me… they were just a handful of letters thrown together that seemed to be a ritualistic part of human existence. Well, since Gaara wasn't exactly human, the words didn't have any affect whatsoever on him.
Gaara's pace resumed at its normal speed, though since Lee was accustomed to walking far faster then that he had no trouble keeping up. Eyes as hard as emeralds were darting about, looking for any suspicious shadows that could mean danger. Soon Lee was chatting amiably though Gaara was drowning his words out, ignoring what the Konoha Jounin was saying. Suddenly Gaara could see the gates to Suna looming in his vision. "Are we going outside?" That one question penetrated Gaara's defense to Lee's voice and he nodded once before glancing at the guard.
Gulping visibly the guard bowed to Gaara before hitting the switch that would open the gate. Gaara swept by him, ignoring Lee's babbled apologies to the guard and the guard's "You're welcome."
"Wow. There's a lot of sand out here," Lee said admiringly. Gaara shot him a look that resembled a normal person's "duh", but it looked a lot less friendly on the Kazekage's face. "Kazekage-sama…"
A strong shake of Gaara's head and a puff of air blown out in annoyance was all the answer that Lee needed. "I don't need a sycophant. If you're going to call me Kazekage-sama you might as well leave. Now." Curtly though the words sounded, they were heard more as a petulant whine in Lee's ears more then anything else. Turning his head out towards the edges of the gate that led back to Sunagakure, Gaara ignored Lee for a few seconds until he could determine whether or not the black-haired boy was following him.
"Fine, Gaara-sama," Lee muttered, sure that the Kazekage could hear him and wondering if he was signing his death warrant that very moment. When no enveloping waves of sand hit him he jogged steadily up to him with a half-smile on his face.
The two shinobi walked in silence, Lee taking in the awesome sights around him of Suna when dusk was sitting in while Gaara took the sights around him in for a different reason. He also had sent out his chakra, examining his surroundings for any sense of danger or any differences in the climate that would mean a potential threat to his village.
They were but two or three hundred feet from Suna when Gaara felt the distinctive changes around him. He stopped suddenly and Lee nearly barreled into him, pausing mere inches away from Gaara's gourd. Lee's eyes darted around, unsure. Since he was a master of Taijutsu, he couldn't pick up quite the changes that Gaara could. It could also have to do with how attuned Gaara was to his village, but Lee couldn't doubt that Gaara was acting strangely.
"What is it…" Lee's question was cut off by a curt raising of Gaara's hand as the younger boy's eyes narrowed, searching for the source of the noise he had just heard. Suddenly, six shinobi appeared in a loose semi-circle around Gaara and Lee.
"Who are you?" Gaara demanded, falling back a pace and glancing worriedly back at Suna.
The leader, who appeared to be a woman, sneered at Gaara. Lee seriously started wondering if these guys (well, shinobi) had any sense of self-preservation techniques or if they knew who Gaara was. "My name is none of your concern. It's not you whom I'm after." Like the other five, she was dressed in all black with an ANBU mask on. However, no identifying marks could be seen on its slick surface.
"Who are you after, then?" Lee asked, his eyes wide though he too was back in a fighting stance. The woman ANBU sneered again.
"You, of course, Rock Lee of Konohagakure." As one, the six ANBU started forming handseals. Though they were rapid, they weren't nearly as fast as Gaara's.
"Lee. Get back," Gaara said quietly, his hands forming seals and his jade eyes focused intently on the enemy. Lee, nodding, quickly darted behind the Kazekage. He recognized some of the seals the younger man was making, and he didn't want to get in the way. The leader, her hands moving quicker in her desperation, managed to complete her part of the sequence just as Gaara released his jutsu. Two of the five others also completed theirs and symbols flew unconstrained from their bodies towards Lee's.
The six were quickly crushed under Gaara's relentless waves of sand but the three completed symbols made their way towards Lee and quickly hit their stunned target. Turning quickly, the Kazekage ignored the dying shinobi and faced his companion behind him. Lee was lying on the ground, stunned, though the occasional twitching of his limbs let Gaara know that he was alive.
"Gaara-sama…" Lee's voice was weak. "What were those symbols? I don't recognize them…" Gaara ignored Lee's voice and concentrated. By the pattern of those symbols he could deduce that the shinobi were from various villages and were probably missing-nin. None of them were from Suna; he would have recognized their chakra patterns. However, it was most disturbing to him that he didn't recognize the jutsu cast.
"Neither did I. I'm going to take you back to Suna. Can you move?" Gaara peered down curiously at the symbols that seemed to be making the black-haired man's clothes ripple. They were weird, that was for certain. However, they seemed curiously similar to Orochimaru's doings all those years ago.
Weakly Lee shook his head. "My muscles won't do what I want them to." A feeble frown decorated the normally determined man's face and the crease between Gaara's eyebrows deepened. That wasn't a good sign.
"Do you want me to move you or do you want to stay here?" Gaara watched rather anxiously as the shinobi tilted this way and that, like he was drunk before collapsing onto Gaara who flinched at the touch. The Kazekage half-expected Lee to flinch and draw back just like everyone in Suna would do; however, Lee couldn't quite move.
"Since I can't move, unless you want to carry me I'll have to stay here." Lee's voice, though weak, held a touch of sarcasm that Gaara didn't quite understand. With an internal shrug Gaara bent down and carefully picked Lee up like a child. Lee felt bulky and awkward in the Kazekage's arms, but Lee didn't flinch so Gaara decided he could stand this. However, when Lee's eyes closed and he snuggled closer to Gaara's chest Gaara did react. Nearly dropping the Konohagakure jounin, Gaara's jade eyes stared down at the body of the man he carried in his arms. Not only was that an odd sight in its own right, but also the way Lee was against Gaara felt strangely warm.
Shaking his head, Gaara focused his eyes on the gate to Suna. "Open up." His voice, pitched so that it carried towards the gate and its guards, wasn't louder then normal. Ignoring the stares of his guards as he walked in carrying Lee in his arms, Gaara walked straight towards the medical clinic that his personal doctor worked in. Out of the six clinics in the town, Benykou Clinic was the largest and best known. It was also where Toyamaru Chizuko-sensei, the Kazekage's personal doctor, worked.
"Chizuko!" Gaara said it quietly, though it obviously was a command. Seemingly out of nowhere the proficient medic-nin appeared by his side, nothing but concern reflecting in his eyes. No surprise emulated from him at all seeing the deadly Kazekage of his village carrying an incapacitated Konoha jounin in his arms.
"Set him over here," Chizuko said smoothly, gesturing to an empty bed not too far away. "Tell me what happened." In short and to-the-point sentences Gaara explained the happenings of the evening as he laid Lee down. "I guess that makes sense," he murmured to himself, examining the ripples of the seal under Lee's clothing. Smoothly he reached a hand down and started tugging at Lee's clothes. "I'll have to take the clothes off, though, to examine the seal. Just his shirt will be fine for now." Deftly Chizuko took, well, rather, ripped, off the top part of Lee's favored green jumpsuit.
"Why isn't he responding?" Gaara's voice, though curt, had both a hint of anxiety and curiosity that few would have sensed. Only through Chizuko's several years of dealing with Gaara did he even get a slight feeling for the various emotions that Gaara could employ.
"He's still alive. It's got something to do with this seal and why he can't move." Murmuring to himself, Chizuko prodded some of Lee's pectoral muscles, expecting a response he never got. "His muscles aren't responding. Interesting. This is quite a seal," the doctor muttered. Turning to Gaara, he brought his eyes up to meet the emotionless green ones. "This will take quite a while. You might as well leave unless you want to stay."
Gaara merely stared at Chizuko. "I will stay."
Chizuko stared at him for a few seconds before gesturing to a nearby chair. "Sit there, and be quiet." Gaara wordlessly took the seat and sat his gourd down next to his feet. Though it was bulky, it was a comfortable position for the Kazekage. Taking one final glance around him Gaara settled down into his mind, again searching out Shukaku. The doctor knew where he was; Chizuko would be able to make it through the barrier that Shukaku helped put up.
"Shukaku. I need to talk to you." His voice rang out through the empty space, ringing oddly.
"About what do you want to talk?" Shukaku's voice mocked his own, echoing hollowly all around him.
"I want your opinion about that fight earlier."
"What do you want to know about it?"
"Who were those people? I know you recognized them. What village are they from?"
"They're all missing-nin. They're associated with the Akatsuki in a few ways." For some reason Gaara could tell that Shukaku was being unusually frank with him.
"Why are you being so cooperative?" Gaara asked, rather perturbed.
"I figured I might let you know what's going to happen. It's going to be a lot of fun," Shukaku said evilly. With that final comment he disappeared, leaving Gaara alone. Shaking his head of full red hair Gaara snapped out of the room to Chizuko's polite inquiry if he was okay.
"Did you figure it out?" Gaara asked sharply, a little irritated from his discussion with Shukaku.
"Yes, I did. It's a rare jutsu used only in Kirigakure. In short, what it does is stop neurons from moving from the neck down, therefore incapacitating the opponent. Lee cannot move anything but his neck or any facial muscles, though his brain still functions. Until the jutsu is removed, however, he will most likely be in a coma." Chizuko's face was passive, as he didn't know this Konoha jounin at all. It was a fairly neutral prognosis, to say the least.
"What would have happened had all six seals combined?"
"He would have certainly died. Three seals were bad enough."
"How do you take the seal off?" Curiosity laced Gaara's voice as he stared at Chizuko.
"Six powerful shinobi would have to be performing the proper Fuuinjutsu for at least half a day to remove the seal. It'd probably take anywhere from a full day to two days in this case, with the strength of the seal."
"Who would you recommend, Chizuko?" Gaara asked curtly.
"Obviously yourself, though you should keep tabs on Shukaku. Of the foreign Jounin I would suggest Uzumaki Naruto, since he's got Kyuubi, and… Maito Gai. I have been warned by Atsura-san to steer clear of Jyabu Mizu, so I do not recommend her. Of our Suna shinobi, obviously your siblings and Atsura would do the job. That's six." Proud of himself, Chizuko nodded his head firmly.
"How long do we have before the seal worsens?" Gaara asked calmly.
"Oh, you shouldn't start to unseal it for two more days. It will start to loosen by then, making it easier."
"Fine. Notify all connected personnel from Suna and I will talk to Gai and Naruto myself." Looking down at Lee for a few moments, Gaara returned his steely green gaze to the doctor. "What about Lee? Should he stay here?"
Chizuko seemed to debate this for a few moments before shaking his head. "It'd do him best to go back to his accommodations. The young ones are probably worried." With a nod, Gaara clipped his gourd back into its harness before bending over to pick Lee up. The jounin mumbled in his coma-like state as Gaara picked him up though Lee settled once Gaara started moving.
It started a few moments after Gaara left the door of the clinic. It was just their luck that their "house" was on the other side of Suna. Gaara's eyes were focused ahead when Lee started moving and talking. Lee was snuggling closer to Gaara's chest, causing the Kazekage much discomfort. However, he wasn't one to drop someone he was carrying (not that he had carried anyone before).
Murmurs were heard as Lee attempted to bury his head in the cloth of Gaara's chest, causing the Kazekage to flinch slightly. Having a strange Konoha jounin with a bowl-cut wearing bright orange legwarmers snuggle up to his chest wasn't exactly a normal day-to-day activity in Gaara's book. Probably not in anyone else's book, either.
Gaara nearly sighed with relief as he reached the view of his house with Naruto's head poking out the front door. Lee had kept moving his head and rubbing his forehead against Gaara's chest rather distractedly, both annoying and amusing the Kazekage. It was amazing to him that Lee hadn't flinched away and didn't object (not like he could) to being carried like a baby by such a predator like Gaara, especially with a monster like Shukaku hovering in his head. Gaara was hyperaware of the fact he could just crush Lee in less than a second, a fact that Shukaku kept reminding him of several times a minute.
"Whoah! What happened to fuzzy-brows?" Naruto's voice echoed in Gaara's ears, causing the man to flinch and nearly drop Lee. It had been nearly twenty minutes in near-silence and now the blonde-haired shinobi from Konohagakure had to puncture it with his obnoxious mouth.
"He was attacked. In two days, we'll need your help to dispel the seal they placed on him." Ignoring Naruto, Gaara kicked open the door and listened to the scurrying of children as the two young Jinchuuriki managed to dart out of his way. Darting lithely up the stairs Gaara hesitated. If he put Lee in the jounin's natural room who knew what would happen? Maybe those weird shinobi that Shukaku said were related to that organization, Akatsuki, would come back for him. A scrabbling sound as Naruto climbed the door secured it for him. It wasn't safe to leave Lee in his own room.
"Where are you taking him?" Naruto asked as Gaara did a total one-eighty.
"He's not safe by himself, and neither are the Jinchuuriki. There are enemy shinobi on the loose around here, and there's a sandstorm in a few days." Even as he spoke the words he felt the tingle deep in his stomach of an approaching sandstorm. "It will clear out the enemy quickly. For now, you need to watch Aya and Tomozu. In about a week, Lee will be able to move again. However, he won't be able to do anything but that and needs to be watched at all time. For some reason, the Akatsuki is after him. Keep an eye on the little ones. I'll watch Lee." With that final comment, Gaara strode purposefully into his office and glanced around for a place to set Lee.
Reclining on a cot in the corner was Atsura. "Place him here." She stood up and allowed her leader to set the Konoha jounin on the cot.
"What did you find out?" Gaara's voice was harsh as he set the sleeping Lee down. He turned around curtly, leaving his third eye watching both Lee and the window at the same time.
"They're definitely from several villages but they're holed up in Kirigakure, using some sort of forbidden Kinjutsu that we assume was given to them by the Mizukage. However, we have no definite proof that he is involved in this. At least nothing currently. I've sent some spies to Kirigakure to involve them there. We should have reports from them in a few weeks," Atsura answered efficiently. "They're definitely connected to the Akatsuki, though."
"What would you recommend?" Gaara asked quietly.
Atsura nearly started, shock running through her mind though not showing due to her ANBU mask. "I would recommend keeping Lee near you when you can, as you are the most powerful of the shinobi around here. The Kirigakure-nin and their followers wouldn't dare attack Lee with you near him. At least not a second time."
"Long-term?"
"I am not sure, Gaara-sama. For now, let's deal with it. Since they all died it might be months or years before they attack again." Though her words were not reassuring Gaara nodded.
"You may leave now." With a nod, Atsura disappeared. Gaara set his gourd down by his desk and got to work, a frown on his face.
-+A+K+A+T+S+U+K+I+-
"Kashamaru-sama, we've gotten a report back from Mizukage-sama," Kiore said seductively as she entered the leader of the Akatsuki's office. The lithe black-haired woman glanced up from the desk in which she was examining the reports. "All six of the ANBU he deployed were killed by Sabaku no Gaara."
"Why does that not shock me?" Kashamaru said, her voice like steel. She had inherited many of her father's mannerisms, as well as his unusual looks. Kashamaru had also inherited some rather unusual gifts, including a slight precognitive mannerism that often hindered her as much as it helped her. "Did they get the seal on Lee? That was first priority."
"From what our spy in Suna has gathered, three of the six seals were effective. Lee is in a coma and cannot move any muscles below his neck, at least not consciously," Kiore answered, her amber eyes sweet as she inched closer to Kashamaru.
"Kiore, quit being such a whore," Kashamaru said. Though the words were curt Kiore knew that it was a compliment said affectionately.
"But I am a whore," she said with a seductive smile.
"Kiore, quit hitting on Kashamaru." Uchiha Sasuke's voice was a mix between angry and petulant as he entered Kashamaru's office. He had been Kashamaru's lover for quite sometime but both of them were willing to share with Kiore. She was the official whore of the Akatsuki but again, that was her specialty.
"Kiore, I'll talk to you later." With a nod to her leader, Kiore left Kashamaru alone with Sasuke. From the look on his face and the petulant whine in his voice both Kiore and Kashamaru could tell that something was up. It didn't take the Akatsuki leader or a Genjutsu specialist who specialized in post-orgasmic Genjutsu to figure it out.
"You put me on another mission with HIM?" Sasuke hissed, obviously unhappy. Kashamaru regarded him with level amber eyes, annoyed by his reluctance.
"You two are brothers," she replied curtly. "You must forgive your past grievances and work towards the future. Without that, our fundamental plan will fail. We need teamwork of the highest degree to reach the highest output. You want revenge, do you not?"
"You can't seriously expect me to forgive him for killing my family, can you?" Kashamaru watched with a certain amount of amusement as the curse mark shivered under his skin, sensing his annoying but not releasing. Over the past few years Sasuke had built up an amazing amount of control, which started when he first found out Kashamaru's plan.
"Of course I can. Look how much that experience has helped you grow!" Smiling sweetly at her lover, Kashamaru clenched her fists together under her desk. It wasn't like her to paperwork (she normally made one of her lackies do it) but when it concerned something as important as this plan, she certainly was game. Another game was tormenting Sasuke about his brother. It was a commonly accepted fact everywhere that Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi, but since Kashamaru had forbidden it and cast a Kinjutsu that prohibited it there wasn't much Sasuke could do.
"Ah, Kashamaru-san. Little brother? Is that you?" Itachi's mocking voice came through the door as he opened it. He had his kasa on as well as his robe. The only part of the taller man's body that could be seen was his eyes, which were whirling with the red of both his clan and the Sharingan. Sasuke jumped and Kashamaru tried desperately to hide her giggles.
"Itachi. Your brother and I were just discussing your next assignment," Kashamaru said, somewhat levelly.
"Which one?" Itachi replied, his voice dangerously silky.
"When you're paired with him, of course," Kashamaru replied sweetly. She knew Itachi was dangerous, but she also knew that she was more powerful then any of the other Akatsuki.
The way Itachi stopped talking and simply rolled his eyes indicated more about his mood then anything he'd ever say. Kashamaru smiled ever so slightly as she dug for a roll of parchment in the many drawers of her desk. "That one."
"I'm supposing you two would like to know the details?" Kashamaru spoke softly, sweetly, though both of the men could see the dangerous glinting of her eyes. It was obvious that she was getting fed up with their bickering, though she wasn't going to tell them outright. The proof would be in the thrashing that they both would receive if they didn't stop. Nodding their heads, the men turned away from each other at rather odd angles so it seemed as if they were staring at a wall instead of their leader. "I'm waiting."
"Yes, Kashamaru-sama," they chorused unhappily in unison, making the black-haired woman smile happily. Good; she had taught them well. They were like well-trained kindergarteners.
"Anyway. If you didn't hear from Kiore-chan, three of the six jutsu cast by those missing-nin the Mizukage recruited hit the Konohagakure jounin, Rock Lee. He's incapacitated from the neck down, but he can move his head. However, we've got some reports from our spy placed in Sunagakure that Gaara was carrying Lee around. We've confirmed the rumors that Gaara is keeping Lee with him to protect him, but we're not sure how deep that attachment goes." Kashamaru's voice was distant and analytic, analyzing the situation as she presented it.
"It can't be that deep, not if Lee's only been there a day," Itachi said quietly, musing. "I think, even though this is an issue mainly for an assignment, it would be good if we presented this before all of us."
"We'll deal with that later. Vanner, Giyon, Chya, and Deidara are out on missions. I'll gather us when they get back. Until then, no one will know the details besides you chosen few," retorted Kashamaru. "Any other inferences, based on the current data?"
"Are you sure you don't know anything else?" Sasuke's voice was lifeless as his fiery red eyes bored into Kashamaru's amber eyes.
Tilting her head and smiling sensuously at her lover, Kashamaru spoke softly, "Why would I know anything else?"
"You have the power of precognition," Itachi said sharply, catching onto what his brother was talking about. "Have you seen anything?"
Purposely being deceptive Kashamaru shook her head, maintaining a slight smile. "Of course I have. But the powers of future-seeing are not specific; I have seen hundreds of situations. It all depends on the choices that are made. However, there is one thing I saw that is for certain," Kashamaru said sweetly.
"What is that?" Sasuke asked, his voice honey-coated as he looked endearingly at his lover.
Pure spite emulated from the slender body of the Akatsuki leader as she replied, "The fates of the Kazekage and Lee are intertwined in several areas. How and when I do not know. It started back, before Kimimaro's fight." Laced with venom, her voice caused both the Uchiha men to draw back. Rarely did Kashamaru get this mad, but when she did it was better off to be somewhere else.
"How do you know that?" Itachi was brave enough to ask and risk facing the wrath of the angry snake-nin.
"I have seen it. Now leave! And fetch me Fuuinju. I need to talk to her." Waving a hand about angrily Kashamaru dismissed them and summoned another of the Akatsuki. Since she had gained leadership more women had joined, though they were all level S missing-nin.
"I'm already here," said a shy, timid voice from right outside the door. The Uchiha men stormed out in a huff, letting the lithe figure of the dark-haired Fuuinju sneak inside to talk to her leader. "Why do you need me?" With her dark brown eyes and cute figure Fuuinju, like Kiore, made a good choice for espionage in enemy villages, especially with her shy demeanor.
"Why do you think?" Kashamaru's voice was tired as she slipped out of the top of her robe and turned around. "It's acting up again. I need you to put the strongest seal on it you can."
"Yes, Kashamaru-san," Fuuinju murmured, walking up to Kashamaru and looking at the series of strange patterns on the older woman's back. Twelve lines of various shapes and lengths twined over her left shoulder blade. They were a mark of her creation, of her birth. A spin on the traditional curse mark, these were something she was born with and couldn't do a thing about. However, the only ones who knew the origins and use of the curse mark left on Kashamaru's back were Kashamaru, Orochimaru, and Fuuinju, who was often called in to seal it so that it would quit irritating her body.
"What is its state?" Kashamaru demanded, causing the timorous woman to jump.
"It's active again, Kashamaru-san," Fuuinju spoke softly, watching the lines squiggle.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Kashamaru snapped, though Fuuinju could see her strength ebbing.
"I'll perform the required Fuuinjutsu." Fuuinju bowed her head and started making the handseals required for the Fuuinjutsu she had been taught by her mother to seal this kind of mark.