Author's Notes: Yaay, I finally managed to my writer's block right in'na face! Here is a new chapter in all its...capacity.
Disclaimer: Funnily enough, I still do not own Naruto or any official characters of the Naruto series. If I've named some of my original little characters after any characters from the Filler Arcs- this is purely coincidental. Filler arcs are CRAP.
Lord Raitengeki waved at a peasant in what he thought was a jovial manner. They had made eye contact, so he felt he needed to show they were equals somehow. The peasant -confused by why someone who was obviously an aristocrat was waving at him with a disturbing smile- continued to stare, the bundle of poles across one shoulder completely forgotten.
'You there, traveling companion,' Lord Raitengeki abruptly asked one of the people flanking and following his horse, completely losing interest the peasant. 'Why does that man gape at me?'
The traveling companion, most certainly not the servant of a well-known aristocrat, pondered how to answer the question briefly before replying. Lord Raitengeki was drawing a lot of attention to himself. He was well dressed, spoke formally in an oddly condescending way at all times, was riding a horse, and was obviously being followed by a group of suspiciously servile-looking people.
'I...believe,' he began, wondering if telling the truth would get him beheaded for being impudent. '...He may have seen through your cunning ruse, my lord.'
'Certainly not!' Lord Raitengeki replied loudly, aghast at the idea (and failing to notice that he had been addressed as "lord"). 'Am I not wearing my traveling clothes?'
The servant, feeling as though a giant hole was slowly opening up below him, again pondered the wisdom of answering this question truthfully.
'It...it could well be that your fabulous posture is simply too telling, my lord!' It was only half a lie, since Lord Raitengeki did indeed carry himself in a regal manner, very unlike the work-worn stoop of the common folk currently gawking at this unusual procession. The fact that it was hard to spot on someone riding a horse was probably best left unsaid.
'Really...' Lord Raitengeki said incredulously, attempting to make himself slouch in the saddle. '...this is rather uncomfortable.'
Feeling the ground slip away again, the servant was compelled to offer additional information. 'It...could also be that our...attire is rather, err, rather more...expensive than these people can manage, my lord.'
Lord Raitengeki took the information in carefully, and turned it over a few times in his mind. He then examined the sleeve of his haori before turning his attention to another peasant, who froze momentarily before bowing deeply and trying to shuffle away discreetly.
'...You may have a point,' he admitted. 'Their clothes certainly are well-worn,' he said the words as though they were something particularly unpleasant. 'But still, do I not simply look like a particularly wealthy merchant?'
The increasingly anxious servant swallowed hard. Only a few of the servants were carrying packs of food, since Lord Raitengeki planned to buy provisions and lodgings very regularly along their highly populated route to the capitol. This presented a problem which was obvious to anyone...with the possible exception of Lord Raitengeki.
'That...that may not occur to them, my lord- on account of us not having any wares to sell.'
Apparently, this had occurred to Lord Raitengeki. 'Ah, but I may have just sold my entire stock in Denza, and am on my way to resupply,' he suggested conspiratorially, almost causing the servant to faint. 'However,' he added thoughtfully, and the servant felt newfound hope. 'I see how all these- purely coincidental- factors could lead someone to the conclusion that I am not a simple- but wealthy- merchant.'
More people were staring each time Lord Raitengeki spoke, his idea of a private conversation being one that was projected down a long table in the company of many people that did not matter at all- but the servant was a little more confident that he was not going to be punished.
'Traveling companions!' he exclaimed suddenly, drawing the undivided attention of everyone within earshot. 'I believe we require a more resilient disguise.'
The route by which the Konoha party chose to travel took them on a wildly meandering journey through the wilderness of Kaminari no Kuni. They stayed well clear of townships and large country residences wherever possible, preferring the cover of forests and mountain terrain. It was unlikely that more of Hourai's hired shinobi would be looking for them- he was now down by three, after all- but better safe than sorry.
Daruma- having been considered too great a risk to leave tied up somewhere for a few days, was bound (in what must have been an incredibly uncomfortable position) on Chouji's back. Chouji was using genjutsu to make Daruma look like an oversized backpack, and had adopted the same dull-witted merchant appearance he had been using when Kimimaro first met him. Everyone else, Kimimaro included, were also making themselves look a little less conspicuous.
Against Shikamaru's better judgement, they were not heading straight back to Konoha. After getting him to agree to the idea of taking Kimimaro back with them, Ino had pushed the necessity of following up on her mission. The seriousness of the situation seemed to warrant a direct report submission to the Raikage. If even half of what Hourai had said was true, then something very big was about to happen.
On a more personal level, Kimimaro had a bad feeling about what the future held. As much as he tried to dismiss what Tsukasa had said as his usual pretentiousness, the way he had spoken was so gloating and enthusiastic it had almost been disturbing. And suggested that Lord Raitengeki's plans were nearing completion.
Kimimaro was not privy to the particulars of the overall plans, but it was bound to be of a large-scale, knowing Lord Raitengeki's personality. Generally, Kimimaro was just given a name, a face and instructed to kill at a certain time and place. He had never taken a great interest in the "How" or "Why."
But Tsukasa had. An intense interest, he was sure. He would have taken great pleasure in having a hand in causing an entire country to be destabilised in some way. He was that kind of person.
When he and Tsukasa had first met, Kimimaro had disliked him instantly. Tsukasa had made no attempt to improve their relations, being jealous of the trust Lord Raitengeki placed in him- which Tsukasa had managed to usurp over time. At one point, meeting in a corridor by chance, he had arrogantly stated that their mutual dislike stemmed directly from their Kekkei Genkai. Kimimaro had been...displeased at the time, and had decided to show Tsukasa why he should show his senior a little respect. A few blows were exchanged and Tsukasa had walked away with a broken jaw, a cracked rib, a superficial wound to the torso and his pride seriously bruised.
Their relationship had steadily declined since then.
In the highest reaches of Kumogakure no Sato- higher even than the Raikage's office- squatting on the artificially flat plateau of the tallest mountain, was the Observation Point. Capped by a golden cone, the bulbous tip of which housed the chakra antenna- a relic dating back to the time of the first Raikage- and supporting a staff of ten plus room for a second shift to rest while under lockdown conditions, it was the village's first and best line of defence. It had no offensive capabilities to speak of, but it was a tool of information, and information often translates directly into an advantage in a battle situation. While the Observation Point was active, it was almost impossible to approach the village without being seen.
Kai Take; Shift 1- Observer 5, one of seventy shinobi specially trained for years to interact with the antenna, was bored. He was bored easily, but over the years he had developed the necessary mental functions to find almost anything entertaining or engaging. The fact that they were on high alert and under lockdown conditions certainly helped him focus, but it was amazingly tedious work when nothing was happening.
Focusing his mind's eye through the antenna, he made a brief sweep of the eastern limit. Nothing caught his attention. There weren't even any animals there.
He turned his attention to the northern limit, briefly crossing the optical range of one of the other seven Observers. It was always a slightly odd feeling when that happened. The northern limit was also innocent of any impending threat to the security of Kumogakure.
He considered breaking the connection for a moment to rub the drowsiness out of his eyes, but one- or both of the duty officers would give him an earful for his lapse of attention.
On a whim, and just for a change of pace, he pulled his view back, almost right into the antenna, and slowly checked the radial arcs of the other Observers. Observer 1 was roaming around the northern arc lazily, like a searchlight flowing over the terrain unhurriedly. Typical of him.
Observers 2, 6 and 7 were all watching the western limit.
Observers 8 and 4 were checking the near and limit approaches to the east, and Observer 3 was sweeping the south with a steady regularity that bordered on obsessive. Typical of him.
Kai swept his vision to the far south, intentionally crossing paths with Observer 3. He could picture the look on the hard-ass' face already. But, there'd be no trouble as long as it looked like it hadn't been intentional. The south was also clear of suspicious activities.
He refocused on the west, wondering if the three other Observers had found a merchant convoy, or anything to look at. What he saw surprised him too much for his jaw to realise that it should have dropped.
No less than three hundred bodies seethed in his field of vision. Most of them were tall, broad men marching in well-drilled files. They carried no banners, but they were all dressed in light blue uniforms under painted blue armour and carried weapons that clearly identified them as belonging to the formal army of Kaminari. That would have been alarming enough, to have even a small detachment of an army to approach unannounced, but Kai was sure he could see shadowy figures moving alongside them, expertly sticking to the shadows and peeling from cover to cover with practiced ease. And mixed in amongst them all were small knots of unruly, mismatched men that looked for all the world like unskilled mercenaries.
The most alarming thing, by far, was the fact that the eyes of four Observers were now on them but no word of alarm had been raised. As he frantically looked around to grasp the severity of the situation, he found that not only had the other three Observer seen them, but were following their progress with interest. That didn't make any sense. Nothing was making any sense!
He severed his link with the antenna.
The confines of the Observation Point span into focus at a speed that was disorienting. He should really have broken the link more gently, but he felt he had to hurry.
'Sir,' he said unsteadily, trying to make his real eyes focus properly.
'What is it, number five?' asked one of the duty officers wearily, probably expecting Kai to request he be relieved early.
'I...' he shook his head, trying to get rid of the nausea. 'There's a large force moving towards the village from the west!' He could see better now. The four Observers that were still ignorant of this fact, sitting facing inwards on cushions arranged at eight points directly below the antenna, furrowed their brows at his words, turning to gaze at the west. Their faces went slack with surprise and horror. The other three didn't seem troubled by hearing what they already knew.
'We know,' the duty officer said, apparently unimpressed. 'It's nothing to worry about. Re-establish your link to the antenna, number five.'
'But-' his voice caught in his throat. His eyes were back to normal, and were desperately trying to bring some alarming facts to light. First; there were more than two duty officers in the room. In fact, there were six of them.
Second; they were all carrying weapons. Weapons were strictly forbidden.
'Number five,' one of them said. Kai didn't recognise him. 'I said it's nothing to worry about. Re-establish your link to the antenna.'
'I-' suddenly, the tip of a sword was against his throat. It was touching him, but just gently enough for it to not break his skin.
'I won't ask you again, number five.'
Hesitantly, reluctantly, and under the deadly gaze of six shinobi that would certainly kill him if he tried to resist, Kai turned back to the centre of the circle and connected his chakra to the antenna.
'Very good. It wouldn't do to have the Security Net geezer wondering why an Observer was disconnected ahead of schedule. And, before you take that as an invitation to cause trouble- we can fill your places... Oh, and you should all take it easy now, you'll be working overtime today. Second shift has been...relieved.'
Kai heard another Observer grit his teeth and hiss quietly in frustration.
Slowly, he turned his projected vision to the west, and watched helplessly as an army approached his village. If the Observation Point had been compromised, the Lookout towers probably had been as well. That only left the Security Net or a lucky glance out of a window to warn the village that an army was at its doorstep.
He desperately wanted to do something, but he knew it was useless. If he disconnected again the disorientation would make him wobble enough to alert his captors to his actions, and they would swiftly butcher him before he had enough motor control or visual clarity to defend himself. He could try to get the other Observers to disconnect all at once, to try and tip off the master of the Security Net, but there was no guarantee that it would do any good.
No, he was going to live through this- he knew it. And it would be his shame forever.
As he watched the ponderous advance of the mixed-force army, silent tears began rolling down Kai Take's cheeks.