The Nine
Chapter 4
Yagura's steel gaze observed the Konoha ninja. No one moved, Kakashi's sharingan swirled in anticipation. Sakura raised her fists, sporting her leather gloves. Kiba's hands became claws and Akamaru bared his fangs. Shikamaru withdrew a single trench knife and made a seal, preparing for one of his family jutsu.
The air was thick with tension.
Yagura pointed his scythe at Kakashi and addressed him, "I take it you're the leader. You will answer my questions."
Kakashi didn't lower his guard, but answered none the less, "Only if you answer mine."
Yagura contemplated the proposition and nodded, "We'll see. First question, why are you here?"
"We're looking for Naruto," Kakashi answered simply. If this ended badly, he and his team would have one hell of a fight on their hands. They really didn't need a pissed off jinchuuriki trying to kill them right now.
Yagura's eyes narrowed slightly, "Naruto? Just who are you?" His grip tightened on his scythe.
Kakashi readied himself to attack at a moment's notice, "We're his friends, and we're just trying to find out what's going on."
"Find out… What's going on?" Yagura lowered his scythe slightly, confusion flashed through his purple eyes. "Naruto…. He…"
Kakashi pressed forward, "Naruto? What happened?"
Yagura looked Kakashi in the eye and stared for a long minute, "They're back, we didn't anticipate their return. Don't pretend you don't know!"
Kakashi took a step forward, "Who? Who has returned? Please tell us!"
Yagura readied his scythe once more and glared at Kakashi, "Akatsuki!" His eyes narrowed and he twirled his scythe above him, readying a jutsu.
Kakashi, albeit confused at the sudden hostility, reacted fast. He broke out in dead sprint towards Yagura. Lightning crackled in his hand, summoning his signature jutsu. He had to end this fast. Water collected above Yagura and he announced his jutsu, "Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"
Kakashi's eyes widened, 'No seals!' His jutsu dissipated and he jumped to the side to dodge the huge water dragon sent his way. The dragon exploded, showing the combatants in water. Kakashi threw a handful of shuriken in Yagura's direction and disappeared. Yagura deflected the shuriken with his scythe with ease and summoned another water dragon which he sent towards Sakura, Shikamaru and Kiba. They dodged quickly, separating in different directions. Kakashi appeared behind Yagura and prepared to strike with a kunai.
Yagura summoned his 1-tailed chakra cloak, blowing Kakashi back. Sakura entered the fray. After dodging the water dragon sent her way, she jumped high in the air preparing her fist for a chakra-enhanced punch. Yagura anticipated her strike; he placed his hands on the ground as if using a summoning jutsu. Water surrounded him, acting as a shield. Sakura hit in the chakra-laced water shield with all her strength, trying to break through. Yagura's eyes widened as his shield of chakra wavered and was breached by a fist. Sakura's fist met his face and sent him cascading across the ocean's surface.
A large splash disrupted the calm waters. Shikamaru and Kiba joined Sakura as she breathed heavily, "That took a lot of chakra."
Kakashi stepped up to join them, "It's not over yet, not by a long shot." As he finished another splash erupted from the water's surface. Yagura landed in front of them, soaking wet. He glared at them and readied his scythe. Summoning his chakra cloak once more, he charged. His scythe clashed with Shikamaru's trench knives. Shikamaru grit his teeth as he strained to keep the scythe from tearing him in two. Kiba and Akamaru charged him with a Gatsuuga, he deflected the attack with his chakra tail sending both of them flying. Sakura withdrew a kunai and prepared to attack from behind but the chakra tail grabbed her around the waist and threw her into the water. Kakashi prepared his signature jutsu once more and charged Yagura.
Yagura, still struggling for dominance with Shikamaru, used his chakra tail to clash with Kakashi's Chidori. The two powers battled for supremacy until an explosion of chakra sent all three ninja back. Shikamaru was the first to recover, albeit sluggishly, and sheathed his trench knives. He formed a set of hand seals and announced his jutsu, "Kageyose no Jutsu!" His shadow extended into long tendrils, slithering along the ground like snakes.
His shadow tendrils enveloped Yagura's scythe, snatching it from his grasp as he recovered on the sandy floor. Shikamaru's shadow threw the scythe near the trees of the forest. Yagura snapped open his eyes and raised his arm towards Shikamaru. A chakra claw extended at break neck speeds towards Shikamaru. 'Troublesome.' He thought as it crashed into him, sending him flying across the sand and landing in a heap unconscious.
Sakura, currently underwater, cursed. Channelling chakra into both her arms, she prepared to use the jinchuuriki's own element against him.
Ino died for this mission and there was no way in hell she'd be defeated by the 3-tailed jinchuuriki!
On dry ground, Kakashi was engaged in a taijutsu battle with the young-looking jinchuuriki. He may have been skilled, but Kakashi had experience. Dodging a fast right hook, Kakashi grabbed his arm and kicked him in the face. Releasing Yagura's arm, Kakashi let loose with a combination of punches and kicks which set him skidding along the sand beach.
Suddenly, a large tidal wave of water crashed into Yagura's recovering form. Kakashi looked to his right to see a panting Sakura making her way onto the beach from the water.
Kiba signalled Akamaru who pulled at a string connected to a tree at the tree line. A barrage of kunai with explosive tags erupted from the trees and scattered the beach. The explosion lifted sand and smoke high into the air.
Kakashi landed next to Sakura, followed by Kiba and Akamaru. Sakura kept her gaze on the settling sand cloud, "Did we get him?"
Kakashi let out a deep breath, "I hope so, we wouldn't be able to handle his Bijuu form in our current state." After two days of travel and little rest, their power levels were definitely lower than usual. He looked at Kiba, "When the hell did you set that trap up?"
Kiba shrugged, "The presence I sensed had me worried so I had Akamaru set it up as we came onto the beach."
The sand cloud settled to reveal Yagura, face bloodied, struggling to stand. Kakashi cursed and prepared for another round, along with Sakura and Kiba.
Yagura stood up fully and smirked.
Suddenly, a new voice rang out above the sound of the waves, "That is enough."
The Konoha ninja's eyes widened at the newcomer, Sakura voiced their shock, "Gaara?"
Gaara came closer, near Yagura and smiled softly at the weary ninja. He held Yagura's scythe in one hand, which he promptly threw to the wielder, and had an unconscious Shikamaru slung over his shoulder. He glanced emotionlessly at Yagura, "These people are our friends, you need not fight them."
Yagura spat some blood onto the ground and wiped his face, "Shame, I was just getting started." He placed his scythe in its holder on his back and headed past the stunned Konoha ninja towards the dock.
Gaara shook his head as he walked towards Kakashi and the others, "I'm sure you were, Yagura." He handed Shikamaru to Kiba and addressed them once more. "I apologize on behalf of Yagura. He can get a bit carried away sometimes."
Kakashi pulled down his forehead protector back over his sharingan and replied, "We would've never guessed. All I did was step towards him."
Gaara's expression did not change, "Well you should've seen what happened the last time Naruto played a prank on him."
Sakura took the opportunity to include herself in the conversation, "Speaking of Naruto, where is he? We're on a mission to find him." She asked hastily, placing her leather gloves back into her pouch. It was then that she remembered what Yagura said just before he attacked. "And what did Yagura mean when he said Akatsuki had returned? Didn't we defeat them?"
Gaara's gaze lowered, "It's true, they have returned. We don't know who the members are, just that they're back." He gestured to the boat waiting in the docks and continued. "All will be explained when we get to our home. You can ask all of your questions and we will answer to the best of our ability." He finished in his usual monotone voice.
Sakura, Kakashi, Akamaru and Kiba, carrying Shikamaru, followed Gaara onto the small ship waiting in the dock. They boarded to find Yagura at the helm of the ship. Kakashi cast a questioning glance towards Gaara, who responded, "He likes to sail the ships, so we let him."
Kakashi shook his head, jinchuuriki sure were weird.
Gaara escorted Kiba below deck to allow Shikamaru to rest in one of the many available bunks. Kakashi searched for a place to relax and decided on the front of the ship, he deserved some alone time with his book. Sakura, being the ever-curious one, decided to try her luck conversing with Yagura. She walked up the steps leading to the rear of the ship. Yagura was waiting patiently at the helm, "Yagura?"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Pinky?"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched, oh how she hated that name. Nevertheless she continued with a small smile, "I'd like to apologize on behalf of my group for the beating we gave you."
Yagura giggled slightly, "Don't worry; you guys should be grateful I didn't go all Bijuu on your asses." He stretched and continued, "You sure know how to throw a punch though just like that old hag of a Hokage."
Ignoring his first comment, she asked with a raised slender eyebrow, "You know Tsunade-sama?"
Yagura's gaze drifted to Gaara rising from the crew quarters of the ship, "Yeah, from the war. She punched me in the face for staring at her chest throughout a whole mission briefing. Gaara! Untie the rope, let's go!"
Sakura saw Gaara nod and head off to untie the rope attached to the dock. She looked back at Yagura and smirked, "That sure sounds like sensei alright."
Yagura's dull gaze moved back to hers and he giggled quietly, "Sensei? Remind me never to piss you off if you were taught by her. She had me recovering for a week just from that one punch. That's a long time for a jinchuuriki."
Sakura leaned over the wooden railing overlooking the deck of the ship. It was simple ship, reminded her of a pirate ship. It had one sail, a simple white one. Sakura observed Gaara untying the rope attached to the dock, he then waited for Yagura to give him a signal. Once given, Gaara untied another rope on the centre beam to allow the sail to fall freely.
The ship began to move slowly out into the ocean. Sakura felt the wind caress her skin as the ship picked up speed. Ino would've enjoyed this. At that thought, she suddenly saddened. She fought back the tears as she remembered what happened. She would've never admitted out loud, but she missed her.
Yagura must've noticed her change in demeanour as he asked, "Is something wrong? You look pretty sad."
Sakura leaned on the wooden railing, facing Yagura with a sad gaze, "My best friend died a few days ago."
Yagura's hard gaze softened ever so slightly. He knew the feeling of losing friends. Back in the days when Kiri held the brutal graduation test, he was forced to kill one of his friends. Thankfully no such graduation test existed anymore. Even so, he could relate to her. Losing a friend is hard; it's like losing a part of you.
He cleared his throat and spoke, "I used to live in Kiri. Before I became Mizukage, they held a brutal graduation test. It required you to kill your friend that you had been working with for years. The survivor graduated. I was the survivor. I've made new friends since then; greater friends. But I'll never forget having to plunge a kunai into my friend's heart and watching the life leave his eyes."
Sakura listened intently to his story, she knew it must take a lot for someone like him to reveal such details of their past.
He kept his gaze on the horizon but continued, "Years past, I climbed the ranks of the ninja. Chuunin at 11, Jounin at 13. Eventually I was made a candidate to become Mizukage. I was ecstatic, I'd finally become recognized by the people of the village and get the respect I deserved. I was the youngest ever nominee, at the age of 14. As a jinchuuriki I wasn't exactly the most loved person of the village, you see. There were two other candidates, they were powerful ninja; truly skilled. But, I came out on top. The village wanted a jinchuuriki as their leader, how many other jinchuuriki could say that about their villages?"
Sakura nodded along with the story, completely engrossed in his tale from the past. She adjusted her position on the wooden railing and asked, "What happened next?"
Yagura sighed; it was a long sigh, as if it was painful recalling the memory. But he continued anyway, "One year into being made Mizukage I encountered Naruto. At the time I didn't know he was like me, I just thought he was another Konoha ninja. We fought, when I think back to it I can't even remember why we fought. I was young I guess, he was 16, I was 14. I had revealed myself as a jinchuuriki from the start and he held back. I didn't know this of course until after. Eventually I angered him so much he just had to release the Kyuubi's chakra. After the battle, which I lost of course, we got talking. The rest, as they say, is history."
Sakura whistled, impressed at the story, "So you just stepped down as Mizukage after that?"
Yagura nodded, "Pretty much, I'd finally found someone like me. A brother, if you wish. I elected the new Godaime Mizukage. After that, Akatsuki came. I don't remember much after that, it's all a blur. All I know is I died, but Naruto brought me back somehow."
Sakura looked back at Fire Country, which was now a dark grey line on the horizon behind them. She smiled back at Yagura, "Thanks Yagura, I feel a lot better." She made her way back down to the main deck.
Yagura couldn't stop the blush that spread across his face. A girl had never thanked him before. He coughed and continued his sailing of the ship.
As Sakura walked along the small deck, she encountered Gaara who looked at her, "That's the most I've ever seen him talk in a long time. You must have an effect on him."
Sakura sat down on a nearby barrel, "Well he was just trying to comfort me I guess."
Gaara crossed his arms, "Comfort you about what?"
Sakura explained to him what happened.
Gaara's gaze saddened, "Ino… I've worked with her before, she's friends with Temari. You have my condolences."
Sakura gave him a small smile as she stood up, "Thanks. I think I'm going to get some shut-eye, it looks like we've got a long boat ride ahead of us."
Gaara nodded. He made his way up to the helm with Yagura. Sakura glanced at Kakashi reading his favourite book at the fore deck of the ship and made her way down to the quarters below deck.
There were bunks stationed at all sides of the room, allowing there to be enough room to walk round but still enough beds for any crew members. Shikamaru slept peacefully in one bunk, and Kiba and Akamaru slept in beds of their own too. Sakura couldn't blame them; she was so worn out from the past few days' events. Choosing a random bunk, she led down and got comfy. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
Up above, Kakashi was still engrossed in his book. Ten minutes later he sensed Gaara approach from behind, "Gaara."
Gaara looked over his shoulder, "Kakashi, what is it you're reading? I am curious."
Kakashi sported his trademark smile as he replied, "A gift from heaven. It's more potent than drugs and cheaper than alcohol. Want a read? I have some spare copies." He finished while pulling out a green covered book from his pouch. "This one is the first in the series; you can't read the rest without reading this one first. Enjoy!"
Gaara hesitantly took the book, "I…. Thank you. I shall indulge in whatever secrets it may hold to further increase my knowledge." He left Kakashi to his reading.
He giggled to himself as he watched Gaara's retreating back, 'Oh I'm sure it'll increase your knowledge. Your knowledge of the female body that is!' His evil grin was invisible to the world.
Moments later, Gaara rejoined Yagura at the back of the ship. Yagura noticed the book and asked, "Where'd you get that? I didn't know you read books."
Gaara didn't look at him but opened the book and replied, "Kakashi gave it to me. He said it was a gift from heaven, it must be a powerful source of knowledge."
Yagura's eyes widened, "From heaven? He must gain his strength from the secrets within its pages. It's the only plausible explanation." Keeping one hand on the wheel to steer the ship, Yagura turned himself so he could look inside the book along with Gaara. Gaara promptly shut the book. Yagara looked at him with pleading eyes, "Gaara! Such power could help us in the battle against the new Akatsuki!"
Gaara glared at Yagura, "He gave it to me, and you can have it after." Gaara moved further to the back of the ship out of Yagura's reach and began to read the book.
Yagura looked at him dumbfounded, "Damn you!" He turned back to steering the ship in a sulking mood. How he hated being the youngest jinchuuriki, no one ever gave him respect! And now a secret FROM HEAVEN was being denied him! Oh how he just wanted to get his scythe and cut Gaara's ba-.
His trail of thought was cut off by a sudden thump from behind him. He looked back and saw Gaara face down in a small pool of blood with the book off to one side. His eyes widened, "Gaara!" He let go of the wheel and sat Gaara up, leaning him against the wooden railings. Glancing at the book and back at Gaara, he noticed that he had a faint blush and was out cold, 'Such power, able to knock out a jinchuuriki just like that!'
He reached out to touch the book. Perhaps he, the holder of the 3-tailed Sanbi, could withstand the power within and control it? He grasped the book and sighed, he was still alive. He picked it up; making sure Gaara was in a comfortable position and headed back to the helm of the ship.
Holding the wheel with one hand, he opened the first page and prepared to be enlightened. He couldn't contain the smile that threatened to break out; he was going to be so powerful after this! The gift from the heavens would be his!
He began reading, thoughts wondering as to what the great gift would be. A gift of knowledge most likely, but oh what a gift it would be.
At the front of the ship, Kakashi paused in his reading. Should he really have given Gaara that book? It was the first in the line of many, but it was known for being one of the more… explicit versions.
Suddenly, he heard Yagura scream at the back of the ship.
Kakashi pocketed his book and walked up to where he heard the scream. On the floor was Yagura with blood running out of his nose and completely passed out. Kakashi bent down and picked up his book, 'Yep, definitely not ready.'
He spied Gaara passed out nearby and giggled. He just defeated two jinchuuriki without lifting a single finger. Moving Yagura next to Gaara, he grabbed the helm of the ship. Kakashi had no idea where he was going, but it looked like he was the captain of the ship now. If only he had a pirate hat.
He'd never sailed a ship before, but it didn't seem too hard. He just needed to turn the wheel and he sailed in that direction, right?
'I hope no sea monsters appear, if they're even real.' He'd heard stories about sea monsters roaming the waters of Water Country but he'd never seen one for himself and he didn't intend to.
Hours later, Shikamaru awoke. He lazily looked around at his surroundings, seeing his teammates asleep in bunks. From the way the room swayed, he assumed he was on a ship. 'They must have defeated Yagura.' He got up with a groan, he needed some fresh air. He'd never get back to sleep with Kiba's snoring anyway.
Climbing the stairs to the main deck, he shielded his eyes from the sun. Looking around as his eyes adjusted, he saw Kakashi at the helm of the ship. Raising an eyebrow at the odd sight, Shikamaru strolled over with his hands in his pockets and nodded in greeting, "Kakashi."
Kakashi gave him his trademark smile, "Ah Shikamaru! Good to see you're up and about."
Shikamaru only then noticed the two unconscious jinchuuriki behind Kakashi and his eyes widened, "Gaara's here? What happened to them?"
Kakashi, still smiling, answered as a small sweatdrop rolled down his face, "Ah… Well I may have given them one of my books to read. Suffice to say…. They didn't handle it too well. Heh Heh."
Shikamaru shook his head, exasperated at the older man's antics, "Well do you know where you're going at least?"
Kakashi laughed nervously, "Well… Not exactly. I'm just trying to keep the boat going in one direction."
Shikamaru face palmed, "I'll try wake him up. He's not gonna try to kill me is he?"
Kakashi shook his head, "No, he's fine. He just mistook us for Akatsuki at first." Kakashi answered, squinting at the horizon, trying to make out any sign of land.
Shikamaru walked up to Yagura and shook him. No response. He sighed; this was going to be troublesome. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out a small vial of smelling salts. He removed the lid and held the vial under his nose. As Yagura began to stir, Shikamaru pocketed the salts once more. He grabbed Yagura's shoulder and shook him, "Yagura, its Shika-." Shikamaru didn't get time to finish as he was punched in the face and sent flying backwards onto the floor.
Yagura groaned and got to his feet. He saw Shikamaru on the floor with a bloody lip and muttered an apology. He spied Kakashi at the helm of the ship and stormed over to him, "Hey! That book isn't a gift from heaven! It's just… porn!"
Kakashi glanced at him with a half-lidded eye, "I never said it did, kid. It's a figure of speech."
Shikamaru got to his feet and wiped his lip, "Remind me never to wake you up again." He then got to work on reviving Gaara.
Yagura grabbed the helm, allowing Kakashi to relax once more, "We're slightly off course but I'll be able to correct it."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "How do you know where to go?" He leaned on the wooden railing to Yagura's left.
Yagura replied, "It comes with being the host of the Sanbi, I can navigate the seas without the use of a map or compass."
Shikamaru looked up from trying to revive Gaara, "That's quite impressive." He got back to work on Gaara, who stirred seconds later.
Yagura shrugged, "Yep! We stole this ship ages ago from a bunch of pirates. We thought we may as well put it to good use."
Gaara groaned and slowly stood, "That book… It…"
Kakashi raised his hand to stop him, "It's okay, some people just can't handle it. Yagura passed out too."
Yagura flushed, "I just wasn't expecting such detail okay!"
Gaara rolled his eyes, "Of course you weren't, Yagura." He walked back down to the main deck of the ship and Shikamaru followed, muttering something about troublesome jinchuuriki.
Kakashi regarded Yagura, "So, what's with the change in attitude? On the beach you just seemed like a stern, killing machine."
Yagura chuckled, "That's my 'battle face', I thought you were Akatsuki in Konoha outfits or something. Sorry."
Kakashi scratched his cheek, 'battle face'? What a weird kid. He looked around at the horizon and asked, "So how long till we reach… Wherever we're going?"
Yagura put his finger on his chin thoughtfully, "A day or so. It's in Whirlpool Country."
Kakashi nodded, it was logical that Naruto would return to his old clan's home. He questioned Yagura further, "So, where's Naruto exactly? He was meant to be a day ahead of us."
Yagura eyes brightened, "Naruto took our other ship. We have two you see. This one is our stolen pirate ship, the other we got from the Mizukage for helping her out a while back. It's a damn fast one too. He's probably already at the compound. Oh! And he had someone with him, no idea who it was. Gaara was away scouting at the time, so he missed Naruto. Enough questions for now though, Sanbi wants to talk. All will be revealed once we get home." As he finished his eyes faded ever so slightly, signalling his contact with the Sanbi.
Kakashi filed the information away in his mind. He bit his thumb and performed the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. A hawk wearing a blue jacket with the leaf insignia appeared from within the smoke. It wore a full-faced metal helmet, fitting perfectly to the hawk's head. The hawk eyed Kakashi and bowed, "Kakashi-sama, it has been a long time."
Kakashi smiled at the great hawk, "Kyuumaru, how have you been old friend?"
The large hawk rose and spoke, "Truthfully, I've been quite bored. What is it you wish me to do?"
Kakashi laughed, "A hawk getting bored? Wow, times are dire. Well, I need a report delivered to Tsunade-sama back in Konoha. Can you do this for me, Kyuumaru?"
The hawk nodded, "Of course, I miss the old hag." Kakashi chuckled and pulled out a small scroll from his Jounin jacket. He scribbled down his report and all of the findings so far. He included Ino's death and the status of his team, including his role as leader. Finishing the report, he signed his name and rolled up the scroll.
Kakashi stored the scroll in Kyuumaru's backpack, "There old friend, stay true to your name Kyuumaru."
The hawk flapped his wings, "As always, Kakashi-sama."
He observed the great armoured hawk take flight and disappear into the clouds with great speed. He should arrive in Konoha in a day.
Kakashi decided now was as good of a time as ever to get some sleep. Heading now to the lower decks, he chose a random bunk and closed his eye. He wondered what awaited them in the distant land, before falling into a comfortable slumber.
Up above, Shikamaru was conversing with Gaara.
"So… You like my sister…" Gaara stated, rather than asked.
A bead of sweat rolled down Shikamaru's face, he remembered what Gaara used to be like. Even though he was a changed man, he couldn't help but feel threatened by him. He tried to keep eye contact with the jinchuuriki and replied, "W-what makes you think that?"
Gaara straight up to him, inches from his face, "I don't mind. Just know this. If you ever break her heart, I will have to kill you." After that, he smiled and walked to the fore deck for observation.
Shikamaru stood frozen. He… didn't mind? Shikamaru was relieved, but either way, the conversation just got killed. Shaking his head, he decided to indulge in his favourite pass-time, looking at clouds.
Meanwhile, inside Yagura's mind, he conversed with the demon sealed within him.
"What'd you mean I'm an idiot?" He shouted, outraged, at the towering three-tailed turtle before him.
"You actually believed a BOOK would give you great power? Silly boy." The demon's voice rang out loud and deep.
Yagura's face flushed a deep red, "How the hell was I supposed to know?" He crossed his arms and looked away from the great beast.
"There is one thing I am unable to teach you that you must learn on your own. It's called common sense." The beast lowered one of its tails, allowing Yagura to step onto it. The Sanbi raised the tail so Yagura was level with the beast's head. "Keep your wits about you, Yagura. Great battles are on the horizon. The time will come when our strength will be needed once more."
Yagura rubbed the back of his neck and shouted, "Han and Roushi have already been taken! We need to save them!"
The great scaled beast let out a low growl and responded, "Fear not. I can still sense the lifeforce of the Yonbi and Gobi. They live, for how long I do not know."
Yagura let out a sigh of relief, at least they were okay for the moment, "Can you sense where they are?"
The Sanbi stirred, "No. Their locations are being blocked by some unseen force beyond my control. Leave now young one, I shall keep watch on the Yonbi and Gobi's lifeforces."
Yagura's vision faded back to reality. Great battles are on the horizon? As much as Yagura liked fighting, he'd rather not fight Akatsuki again anytime soon. With the disappearance of Han and Roushi the other jinchuuriki were on edge, they needed their leader. If Earth Country found out their jinchuuriki were missing, they would be in an uproar so it needed to be kept quiet too. Yagura's face saddened, he hoped they would be okay. At least they were alive for now.
He looked forward, charting out the route to Whirlpool Country in his mind.
The next day, all of the ninja were on the main deck observing the approaching land. Kiba stretched, "Maaan! I slept like a log!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
Sakura mimicked the stretch, "So did I, I needed a good rest." She looked over at Shikamaru and Kakashi, who were conversing about something to do with the location of whirlpool and its strategic advantage. Sakura shook her head and glanced at Gaara, "So you're not Kazekage anymore?"
Gaara nodded, "I'm still a Kazekage, I just appointed my brother as the new one last year. I'm like a retired Kage, so to speak. He's become a very skilled puppeteer, so I think he'll cope. I hated the paperwork anyway."
She nodded, understanding, "So is this your new home?" She asked, pointing to the large island ahead of them.
Gaara smirked, "It's a place of equality and safety for us jinchuuriki. Naruto hunted down the best architects around and brought them here, he's bringing Whirlpool Country back to its former glory. Our allies in Wave Country were a great help too. People from around the nations have come, hoping to create a new life, just like us."
Sakura stood there, mouth agape. Naruto is bringing back a whole country to its former glory? She looked back at the fast approaching island and what looked like a city with a port. 'Amazing.'
Gaara continued, "Don't get me wrong. For some of us, our original hidden villages are still our homes. We just like to call this our main home now. Naruto was actually the only jinchuuriki to stay with their hidden village."
Sakura's eyes widened, intrigued with the information.
Yagura coughed and addressed his passengers, "To all who haven't been here before, which is most of you, I welcome you to the home of the jinchuuriki, Whirlpool Country!" He raised his arm for dramatic effect. "And our main city and base of operations, Uzushiogakure no Sato!"
A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, I thought it was time I put a little note at the bottom. Thank you to all who have reviewed so far, I appreciate the support. Getting such nice reviews motivates me to get chapters out faster. To all newcomers and readers, don't forget to read & review!
