The Best Laid Plans
Arun
Chapter 29 - Meetings
Disclaimer: Which scumbag warlord doesn't use child soldiers? Stop this Kony nonsense and support your soldiers when they're sent to kill these scumbags.
At Ame Capital...
Konan served a cup of piping hot tea to Madara, who savored a sip and nodded in her direction. The masked leader of Akatsuki was very particular about his tea. Pein, who was the other participant of this meeting, did not care for tea. He liked hot sake and his first bowl was still half full. She would probably have to dump the cooled contents and fetch him another.
"I'm concerned," Madara said, returning the teacup to the table. He pushed the cup in Konan's direction and picked up a report he'd brought with him to the meeting.
"The situation in Kusa?" Pein asked. The explosion that had destroyed Hidden Grass had been confirmed to be nuclear in origin. It had poisoned the land and ruined the supplies that survived the initial explosion. It had also driven sick shinobi who'd been rushed into the area for the rescue and reclamation effort. Many of those poor folk had died a horrible death. As a result, a bare two weeks after the initial explosion, Iwa and Kusa forces had retreated back into Kusa's border abandoning their gains in Hi no Kuni. It was either that or die on the vine at that point.
"That's one concern, yes," Madara responded, "but that's not all. It's unfortunate that Iwa had to pull back and let up on Konoha. It's even more unfortunate that Wind's idiot of a Daimyo surrendered his country to Fire. But the thing I'm most concerned about is that Konoha has a weapon now that makes our plans for Akatsuki moot."
"I'm not sure I follow. Could you explain?" Pein asked.
"What is our ultimate goal with Akatsuki?"
Pein and Konan exchanged looks.
"World peace."
"That's correct. And while you and I - and the other members of Akatsuki - do not agree on the means, we agree on the ends and we agree on certain pre-conditions. One of them is the destruction of the power of the Hidden villages, especially, the five great powers of the shinobi world.
"Yet, here we stand. Konoha has a doomsday weapon that is as powerful as anything we ever wanted to build. From the sparse intel we have on it, it seems that they can deploy the weapon anywhere and scale it as they want."
Pein nodded.
"It's going to be a headache dealing with the fallout, I'll admit, but it's not the end of the world. I believe our plan can be salvaged yet."
"In that case, you're more optimistic than I," Madara responded. "The problem here is that Konoha has demonstrated that nuclear weapons are practical. No one knows right now how they managed it, but I bet you a million ryou that the thought running through every Daimyo's and Kage's mind is 'how do I develop a similar capability.' So, even if we gather all the bijuu and build your doomsday weapon, it'll be just one among many and Akatsuki'll be just another player in the game. The status quo would not change and where would that leave our plans for world peace?"
"If the thing were easy, it would have been done a long time back," Pein retorted. "We need to get concrete intel on how Konoha built their weapon. Until then, we won't know for sure whether they can reproduce it as their propaganda claims. And if they can, then yes, my plan is moot. But that's why as contingencies, we have so many other plans, including the one you favor. And whatever happens, including the scenario where Konoha's weapon is reproducible and the other Elemental nations can discover the mechanics themselves, we have a few years while they do. That gives us more than enough time to capture the biju and execute our plans."
"Assuming that Konoha doesn't take us out."
"Yes, assuming Konoha or any of the other villages don't take us out. But I'm not too worried on that front. Even if we're unfortunate and Konoha wins this war, they'll need time to consolidate their gains and everyone else will be busy preparing for war. Certainly, all players will out of necessity step lightly until they're confident of their strength."
Madara closed his eyes and thought it over. Finally, after a long minute, he nodded agreement.
"I still believe you're entirely too optimistic and that the events of the past few weeks are going to come back to haunt us. I'm especially worried that we're underestimating Konoha's probable response against Akatsuki for reducing one their cities. If I'd known they had a similar capability, I wouldn't have ordered you to destroy their city as a terror weapon, but I did not and I did. Still, so long as the location of the statue is hidden and our control of Ame from getting out, I think we'll survive."
"More tea?" Konan asked.
"Yes, please," Madara replied.
"And I'd like a bowl of sake myself," Pein added.
Konan poured out their drinks quickly and turned to Madara.
"So, what do we do?"
"There are several things we need to do, actually. Off the top of my mind, we must send Sasori into Fire to gather intel on Konoha's weapon. Further, we need to start tracking the jinchuurikis as well as identify the locations of the One- and Two-Tails. We must ensure that whatever happens, Ame and Akatsuki's connection to Ame are not exposed. We also need..."
xxxxx
"Kakashi, it was good of you to find the time to meet us. We're grateful that you could clear your calendar in the middle of a war to hear our concerns," Koharu said.
Kakashi nodded amiably, even though it wasn't his choice to meet the late Sandaime's old teammates and advisors. He'd been avoiding the meeting for two weeks now, but there were onlu so many excuses one could make and by this point, his sercretary had just about made all of them.
"My door is always open to Konoha's elders. Tea?" he asked.
"We prefer sake, actually," Homura answered for both.
"Sake it is. I'll have Kuno fetch them," Kakashi said, ringing the bell for his assistant.
Chuunin Kuno entered the Hokage's relaxation room - so named because it was attached to the Hokage's office and it was a place where the Hokage could retreat to relax from the stresses of their office or meet and greet powerful and important visitors in a less formal atmosphere - in response to his summons.
"Yes, Godaime-sama."
"Please bring us two bowls of hot sake and green tea. Also send out a summons to Jounin Commander Shikaku to join us at his convenience."
"Yes, Sir," the chuunin said and withdrew.
Kakashi turned back to his visitors and nodded towards the window and the wide open beyond.
"It's a pleasant weather that we're having these last few days, isn't it?" he asked. He wanted to steer the conversation in a harmless direction by making small talk until Shikaku joined him.
Koharu smiled.
"I much prefer the weather at this time of the year be a little less cloudy, but yes, the weather has been pleasant."
They stuck with the small talk until Shikaku joined them a few minutes later. As jounin commander, the Nara's office was just down the hall. He'd been in the middle of a meeting himself before he was summoned.
"Shikaku, please be seated," Kakashi said, "Elders Homura and Koharu are here to air their concerns on the subject of Naruto's and Team 7's continued failure to return to the village."
"I see," the jounin commander said, nodding as if the subject was new to him. He turned to face the two elders.
"It's been two months since your boy destroyed Kusa, Kakashi," Homura addressed the Godaime. "Why hasn't he and his teammates come home? Why aren't they responding to your orders?"
"I appreciate your concern, Elder Homura, and I hope my explanation will go towards putting your fears to rest." Pause. "The problem is that the demands of campaigning for the last three years running has pushed my kids to the brink. They're battle fatigued and the last two missions that I had assigned them didn't exactly help. It's my fault, I suppose for not noticing the signs sooner, but fighting S-ranked criminals while operating alone in a hostile country where they were, for all practical purposes, abandoned did not help the issue. This was quickly followed by the late Sandaime's death, their victory at Wind, and their mission to destroy Kusa. This combination of events and the stressful environment has broken the proverbial camel's back."
"Which is just a fancy way of saying your kids couldn't take it and they're AWOL. Do you even know where they are?" Koharu asked.
Kakashi looked at Shikaku. Jiraiya had mailed him as soon as Team 7 reached his camp, but it was better to have the jounin commander allay the Sandaime's teammates' fears on that front. He suspected that they wouldn't believe him unless he shared Team 7's current location with them. And if they did, they'd throw a big fit for allowing his kids to remain at a camp that was surrounded by hostile forces.
"We know where they are, Elders. Their exact location is a secret, of course, but rest assured that we're getting daily updates about their status," the Nara replied.
Homura nodded and Koharu leaned forward.
"And what is their status?" she asked.
"Sasuke and Sakura are functional. Naruto is recovering. It might be another month or so before he can safely return to duty. This lull in fighting is a godsend for them and us."
"Can your boy do the same to another city should the need arise?" Homura asked. "Or are there others who know the technique he used?"
"Not in the condition he is right now, but yes, there's no physical reason why he shouldn't be able to do it to another city. Psychologically, we don't have the information to be sure. Whatever profile we had is ruined because of his current condition. I believe that he will, if asked, though he might require justification of our orders. As to whether the technique is usable by others, I believe so, Elders. The technique is stored in our forbidden jutsu library and while no one else knows it right now, given sufficient time, any reasonably skilled shinobi should be able to do it. Provided they can supply the chakra needed to fire the technique, of course."
Homura and Koharu shot glances at each other and rose from their seats.
"That we can live with. Thanks again for sparing the time to listen to us, Kakashi."
"It was my pleasure, Elders," Kakashi said pleasantly as he rang up Kuno and asked the chuunin to show the two oldsters out. Once the door was closed behind them, he turned to Shikaku and with a yawn, massaged his eyes. "That should keep them happy for a week, I should think."
"A week and a half at most, I should think," the Nara replied with a wry smile. He had dark circles under his eyes himself. Sobering, he said, "I would be a lot happier myself if Team 7 were somewhere inside our territory or at least not trapped in a camp surrounded by pissed off Iwa and Kusa nin."
"So would I," Kakashi confessed, "but I'm not sure Sasuke and Sakura will obey an order to move Naruto out of the camp if I gave it. Which is why I haven't ordered them."
"We used up those kids, you think?" Shikaku asked. That'd be a tragedy for Konoha and the three teens. Battle fatigue in your early teens ruined your life and it was the rare afflicted nin who saved themselves from having their lifespan cut short. That was the personal tragedy. Konoha could use Team 7's skills and talents such as theirs showed up maybe once in a generation, and the way things had been shaping up, it looked like those skills were just about lost, which was Leaf's tragedy. At least, the sannin and the Yondaime had a chance to train the next generation before one sacrificed his life, another took over the external intelligence network, and the other two were used up. From where Shikaku stood, it increasingly looked like Kakashi's students wouldn't even get that chance.
"I hope not," Kakashi sighed. "It'd be my fault entirely if they are."
"Needs of the war, Kakashi. Still, it is a damn shame."
Kakashi nodded.
"You really think that someone else can master Naruto's technique?" Shikaku asked.
"Not an individual by himself, no," the Godaime replied, "but a team acting together should."
Shikaku thought it over and conceded the point.
"Very likely yes. How are the talks with Wind coming along?"
"There's a lot of gnashing of teeth in their camp, right now. Unlike last time, however, we don't have our own internal troubles to export to them, and we're trying to strike a fair deal in the interests of securing peace in the long term so they're cooperating. It helps that we hold so many hostages from their anti-Hi no Kuni faction."
"So long as the Wind border with us is stable, it's a good thing for us."
"Very," Kakashi acquiesced. "My biggest headache these days is Danzo."
Shikaku who was privy to that compartment shook his head.
"The man is devoted to ensuring Konoha's supremacy, but has an one-track mind that can't see any path but the direct," he said. "Too bad he's a slave to his ambitions and his ambition requires he sit in your seat."
"I'm worried about the support he has started to enjoy in Konoha again," Kakashi confessed.
"You have more supporters and more influential ones at that," the Nara pointed out.
"Quite. I'm not afraid of Danzo posing a direct challenge to the seat. I'm afraid that the support is going to make him even more of an idiot with respect to his ambition."
"Possibly. But since he and his unit are in Rice facing Kumo. Their skills at assassination and ambushes are well suited for the campaign there. I'm sure its needs will keep him focused on the job at hand until we reach an arrangement with Kumo."
"Afterwards?" Kakashi asked in a pique. He knew the answer, but he felt anger flash at Danzo and his continued stupidity on the issue of coveting the Hokage's seat.
"Afterwards is afterwards. Danzo could die of natural causes or be killed by an assassin before we negotiate a peace with Kumo. If he survives, his troops are bound to be weakened with the order you've given Anko to use them up and we can take him out. Covertly or overtly. If we have peace and we have to act openly, the loss of his unit shouldn't hurt our readiness levels all that much. Not with the way things are shaping up in Tea."
Kakashi smiled at the mention of Tea. The country that had been a pain in the ass for the past three years was now overwhelmingly pro-Hi no Kuni after the destruction of their capital and the valiant defense mounted to stave off that destruction by Leaf nin. Akatsuki couldn't have screwed up worse on that front.
"All right, Shikaku, I concede," the Godaime said. "I wanted to talk to you about our readiness for an offensive on the Kusa front as well. How are the supplies of Kabuto's wonder weapons?"
xxxxx
Naruto wasn't good at shoji. It was a good thing that his opponent wasn't a great player himself. To make the resultant game even worse, Naruto had the annoying habit of taking too long to plot his moves and so did his counterpart. Still, there was nothing much to do in a camp under siege. As a result, even the shitty game being played in the medical tent had attracted half a dozen recovering shinobi with nothing better to do with their time as there was only one shoji board around.
Naruto's opponent, an experienced operator named Jin was recovering from a mild case of chakra exhaustion. His squad had been ambushed by one of Iwa's jinchuurikis a few days back during a patrol. They'd fought their ambushers to a standstill and retreated in good order without loss of life. One member had been badly burned, however and had to be evacuated to Konoha after a respectable price had been paid to the toads. The others had suffered mild injuries with the exception of Jin who'd been at point. He had engaged the jinchuuriki and bought time for the others to respond to the ambush.
The Toad Sannin had built a fortress on a small hill overlooking one of the three wagon-worthy roads to the frontline once the combined forces of Iwa and Kusa commenced their retreat to the Grass border. His rationale had been to strangle a major supply line to the front, slowing down troop build up as well as defense preparations and forcing the enemy to commit frontline troops to ensuring security in the rear. Normally, Jiraiya wouldn't have tried such a risky tactic under ordinary circumstances - while his unit threatened a major supply line, the fact remained that they were cut off from support themselves and heavily outnumbered. But his unit was made of experienced blooded operators who were also skilled in the use of Seals of Power and Leaf forces on the front had been weak when he made the decision. The troops on the front had been significantly reinforced since in preparation for Fire's first offensive on the Kusa front and the Jiraiya's unit had been strengthened by the addition of two platoons of Leaf ANBU specializing in tracking and assassination. The ANBU had smuggled themselves in through the front lines while it had been leaky with the enemy in retreat.
Not to be outdone and in response to the threat posed by Jiraiya's unit to the surrounding countryside, the enemy had camped two companies of elite Iwa and Kusa troops up and down the road. Since both sides patrolled aggressively, there had been two battles a week on average for the past month and a half. So far, the Leaf nin had inflicted a disproportionate share of the casualties and forced Iwa to withdraw one of their jinchuurikis from the front.
Naruto, for his part, did not care about the tactical situation or the dangers faced by his comrades. He understood they were all in a high threat environment, but the part of his brain that used to care seemed to have been turned off. These days, his attention focused on his games. Today, his focus was even more intent as he was losing the game badly.
For the first month after he'd destroyed Kusa following his sensei's orders, he hadn't bothered to talk much, if at all. He ate if someone fed him and he slept a sleep filled with nightmares. He hadn't cared for games, human company or even Sasuke and Sakura. Now, with two months between him and the massacre, he was slowly getting back to normal. It still didn't feel right to hold a kunai or a shuriken in his hand, but his dreams weren't always so horrible and he woke up screaming only once or twice a night. This was arguably a huge improvement over the first month.
"Your move, Jin," Naruto said, moving a piece. He'd thought about conceding the game - he was three moves away from defeat - but if he quit, someone else would take the board and he'd have to wait several hours before he could get it back. Perhaps he could start a bet on the next game?
xxxxx
Itachi peered at the map supplied by the Iwa captain. The beautifully drawn map contained bare minimum terrain details, but described the spots where Iwa or Kusa patrols had encountered their Leaf counterparts in the last one and a half months. The dates of the various encounters were neatly scribbled alongside the markings and though there had no discernible pattern to the patrols, he and Kisame had setup near a spot where there had been three skirmishes to date and waited in ambush.
Today was the fourth day at the ambush position and so far, no Leaf unit had wandered into the area for a shellacking. As waiting in prepared ambushes went, this wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He and Kisame would wait another couple of days and if things didn't pan out at their current spot, they would relocate to another likely ambush location and try their luck again. They had all the time in the world, after all, and had only to destroy a Konoha squad once or twice to put Jiraiya's unit on the back foot.
xxxxx
Sasuke pushed aside the flap of the command post tent and walked in with a nod to those already gathered. Sighting her teammate, Sakura sidled up to him and grabbed the bowl of hot soup and spoon he bore in his hands. The Uchiha scion gave up the dish without complaint. He knew that Sakura had been busy preparing poisons and antidotes for most of the day and was likely famished.
"Good of you to join us, Sasuke," Jiraiya greeted. "We were discussing the route for a reinforced patrol that we want to use to spring an enemy ambush and annihilate their troops. I was hoping that you and Sakura would like to join the hunt."
Sasuke shrugged. He was excited by the thought of possible battle after a month spent cooped up in the camp taking care of Naruto.
"I'm game," the raven-haired teen said. Then, casting a glance at his teammate, "Don't know about Sakura though as she's likely tired from working with chemicals."
"I'm definitely in," the Haruno replied hotly, shooting her friend a dirty look. He should have known better than to question her readiness for duty.
Sasuke smiled sickly and shot an apologetic look at the kunoichi. He knew he was going to suffer for his mistake in their next spar.
Jiraiya ignored the byplay, concentrating on the map spread on the table.
"Here's the planned route for this patrol," he said, tracing a line drawn on the map. The squad leaders and I decided on this route because it takes you close to three spots where there have been multiple ambushes so far. Your operational orders are simple. Follow the route and if you encounter an enemy unit or an ambush, engage the enemy or spring the ambush. Destroy the opposition and withdraw with your prisoners and wounded. Do not continue with the patrol after the first encounter. If you're significantly outnumbered, retreat back to base in fighting order. We'll try our luck again another day. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir," everyone answered in chorus.
xxxxx
They were half an hour into their patrol when Sakura felt the two powerful and suppressed chakras waiting in ambush up ahead a hundred yards into the copse of trees that lay alongside their patrol route. She immediately signaled a halt and communicated the likely numbers and disposition of the enemy to the others.
"I'll take point," Sasuke murmured to the patrol leader.
"You sure?" the man asked.
"Yes. I'll go in with my sharingan active under a genjutsu. I'll spring the ambush and your squad can counterattack."
The patrol leader turned to Sakura.
"I'll support from range. I'm the only decent medic in the camp and I'm very good at genjutsu. If the situation requires I play a direct combatant role, I'll do that."
"All right. Shed your non-combat load people. Take a drink and set out in two."
xxxxx
Itachi sensed the chakra signatures approaching at a steady pace and tapped his dozing partner's shoulders to wake him. He signaled the strength of the patrol, which had more numbers than a typical Konoha patrol to Kisame. Then it was just a matter of waiting patiently until the suspicious Leaf nin walked into the kill zone.
It is an understatement to say that Itachi was surprised when his younger brother walked into the ambush zone a few minutes later. Sasuke and his team had disappeared off the face of the earth a couple of months back, but Akatsuki command had merely assumed they'd been pulled back to the rear for rest and recuperation after their successful and historical campaign in Kaze no Kuni.
Still, even surprised, there was only one thing to do and without a word of warning to Kisame, Itachi shunshined in front of Sasuke himself.
"Hello, Little Brother. How are you?" the elder Uchiha asked, his sharingan spinning in a blur as he made eye contact with his sibling.
Kisame appeared beside his teammate a second later. He appeared miffed. This wasn't how the ambush was supposed to go.
"Kisame," Itachi spoke before his partner could complain. "I have a long overdue discussion to conduct with my brother. Could you take care of the others and ensure we're undisturbed?"
The blue-skinned swordsman chuckled laughter and hefted his sword. He stepped a pace forward, cajoling his prey as he did.
"Come out, little Leaf nin. We'r..." Further speech was impossible as Itachi severed his spinal cord with a precise jab into his partner's neck. Kisame's sword screeched as its owner fell dead, pushing chakra into his body to initiate the healing process. But all the healing in the world cannot reconstruct a severed spine so long as the blade is stuck in the spinal column.
"I'm glad that you finally know the truth about our clan, Sasuke," Itachi spoke in a measured voice as his partner expired at his feet.
Sasuke held up an arm to signal his comrades to hold their position and stepped toward his brother.
"I forgive you your sins, Big Brother."
xxxxx
Author's notes:
Sorry for the wait. I knew where I wanted the plot to go in this chapter, but I had a mild case of writer's block that I could not be bothered to try to overcome and at other times, I was just plain lazy. Anyways, hope you like this chapter's end. Bet none of you saw this coming.
Thanks to Gameoutcast for pointing out a factual error (proton cycle fusion weapons don't come out with fallout, though there's plenty of gamma radiation to go around.) I've retconned chapter 30 so that Naruto uses D20 as the fuel for his weapon. The choice for D20 is decided by two points. Tritium is radioactive and would kill Naruto and D2 fused with D2 releases lots of neutrons, which is precisely what you need for fallout. Thanks to the Barflies for pointing that out. You can all call me an idiot for ignoring the fact that no neutron was released in proton+proton fusion, btw. My oversight and my fault that.