Chapter 20

Two days later, their father officially announced their mission. He sat behind his desk in the Kazekage office, hands folded, expression solemn. Every bit the Kazekage. "You are to retrieve the Hachiman Scroll for our client. The scroll contains important techniques in ninjutsu and taijutsu, is the ancient treasure of the temple of Hachiman in the Karakaze Valley, and has been missing for fifty years. It has turned up in the Land of Rivers in Nutano, outside of Tanigakure."

The Karakaze Valley, or Valley of Dry Winds, was north of here, in an unforgiving stretch of desert. One of the only places to seek shelter was the temple of Hachiman. Hachiman was an ancient god of war. There were many such figures in history. Though most agreed that the Sage of Six Paths had created the world, after that event, all the nations had their own tales of what befell their people. In the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, there was shared folklore about many warring gods; common wisdom held that this was actually a metaphor for the people who managed to control tailed beasts, either as jinchuuriki, or as spirits trapped in vessels, like the tea kettle currently in Suna's possession.

Hachiman, then, was a warrior who possessed a tailed beast. Even if the scroll did not literally belong to Hachiman, it was a powerful image to describe the techniques held within.

Kankuro absorbed this mission silently. "Sounds pretty dangerous." No wonder he didn't want us going.

Yondaime shrugged. "The scroll is little known. Only a few parties are interested. In addition, the client assures us that only he knows that the scroll rests in Nutano. You should be able to infiltrate the village and take the scroll."

So we're not buying it, Kankuro noted. That means the person who has it isn't selling, or they're not aware it's of value and the client doesn't want to alert them.

"Who is currently in possession of the scroll?" Baki asked.

"A shopkeeper by the name of Kawasu Nou," Yondaime said. "He is a bookseller. Information gathering reveals that he received the scroll in a shipment from the Land of Rain. He does not know what he possesses."

Well, that answers that question. Kankuro shifted, feeling the reassuring weight of Karasu on his back. "Let's go, then. The sooner we get this scroll back, the better."

Yondaime nodded. "Indeed."

"So what's this scroll look like?" Temari asked, propping her hand on her hip.

"Good question," Kankuro said.

Their father answered, "The Scroll of Hachiman is cream colored, with crimson caps on the ends. It has no tassels. Also, it has the kanji for the temple of Hachiman on it." Yondaime swiftly wrote the kanji down.

Baki collected the strip of paper with a bow. He showed it to everyone. In their father's neat handwriting was 八幡宮 in black ink. "This is what we're looking for." Baki stowed the scrap of paper in a pocket of his vest. "In case you forget, just ask, and I will show it to you again."

Temari nodded. "Hai."

"Got it," Kankuro said. He thought he'd remember, but he appreciated the sentiment. It wouldn't do to screw up.

Gaara merely looked bored.

xXx

Temari and Gaara took point as they traveled across the desert. Gaara could smooth their way with his command of the sand, and if they headed into any storms, Temari could clear the weather with her fan. Unlike Baki, whose chakra formed naturally into sharp, cutting forms, Temari's natural chakra form was broad. Clearing a storm was actually easier for her than using a technique like wind scythe.

Kankuro, as usual, took up the rear with Baki. As puppet master, he was always in the back of the group, away from the danger and protected by the team captain.

"Will this mission be sufficient to help us get the message off to Konoha's informant?" Kankuro whispered to Baki.

Baki nodded. He murmured, "We need to get into the outskirts of Tanigakure to send our message. This mission brings us close enough that we won't have to waste much extra time. The mission itself should be simple. I suggest we use your puppet to infiltrate the bookseller's shop."

"Good idea," Kankuro agreed. Using Karasu remotely really was the safest method. And unless someone had the ability to see raw chakra – a rare ability for a non-shinobi – then Karasu should be undetectable.

xXx

They crossed the border like whispers and traveled deep into the night. When they reached the tiny village of Nutano, it was around three o'clock in the morning. Earlier, as they traveled through the wilderness, their way had been lit by moonlight. Now, the night was overcast, clouds hanging over the moon like a curtain, granting them privacy. The village was hushed.

With practiced ease, they crept from rooftop to rooftop, more silent and graceful than cats. The housecats out prowling for a bit of evening amusement didn't even know they were there; they moved without disturbing the air.

Kankuro found the bookseller's shop and effortlessly infiltrated the building. It was a storefront with a storage room in back. One of the windows wasn't even latched. Using his jutsu, Kankuro saw through Karasu's eyes. He scanned the shelves messily crammed with unsold wares, sifting through them with deft wooden fingers. It took him a harrowing, breath-holding fifteen minutes, but he found the scroll they were after. He saw the kanji 八幡宮 stamped right across it. Karasu put the scroll in his mouth and crept out the way he'd come, retrieving the scroll to the waiting team on the rooftop. He deposited the scroll into Kankuro's waiting hand.

At that, Kankuro allowed himself a smirk. He handed over the Scroll of Hachiman to Baki for safekeeping, and off they went.

Baki found them a place to stay with warm beds, just outside of Tanigakure. They rested there until early afternoon, sleeping off their journey.

xXx

When they woke, Baki paid for a breakfast, and they headed out to get into Tanigakure. They weren't at war with Tani, so after a security check to make sure their faces weren't in any bingo books as missing nin, they were allowed to enter.

Baki took them twenty minutes inside the village borders, to a small roadside marketplace where farmers gathered.

Kankuro was curious; Baki hadn't explained anything about how to get a hold of the informant. Only that Yondaime knew how, and presumably Baki did too.

Baki approached an old man selling tomatoes and turnips. He wore a humble brown yukata with a length of rope for an obi. His face was creased with friendly wrinkles, and he was bald, his scalp dotted with age spots.

Kankuro noticed the rickety wooden sign of the man's produce stand: 生野菜! And a crude painting of a smiling frog. The sign only said 'fresh vegetables'. Kankuro hung back with his siblings, folding his arms.

Baki went up to where the old man sat amongst his crates of produce and bowed respectfully. "Do you have any advice for me, Ojiisan?" It was common to call all old men 'Ojiisan' as a form of polite address. 'Ojiisan' meant 'grandfather'.

The man looked up at him in surprise, and then laughed gently. "Well, I would only say that one should spare no effort while one is young; heavy work in youth is quiet rest in old age." He gestured to his produce stand. "You see me, I am not so lucky." He grinned.

"Ah." Baki smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Ojiisan. I will remember that."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. The old man had done nothing more than repeat a common platitude. Is this a code or something?

"Well, I am young, but not so young," Baki said.

The old man nodded and laughed again. "True, true. None of us are as young as we once were."

"I remember the chestnut trees from my youth," Baki said. "They are very beautiful, aren't they? I would love to sit under a chestnut tree again. Are there any chestnut trees around here, Ojiisan?"

"Oh, yes, there is a very old chestnut tree out that way." The old man smiled and pointed down the dirt path. "On the outskirts of the village. He is a very lucky tree."

Baki bowed. "Thank you."

He turned to the rest of the team and smiled. "Well, let's go."

Temari and Kankuro exchanged looks. Gaara looked uncomfortably puzzled.

They walked down the dirt path, leading them into the pleasant countryside; grass and rolling hills, a wooden fence marking the border of a farm.

"Why are we here?" Gaara asked.

"I need to speak to an old friend," Baki said. "It is very important and not merely a social call, I assure you."

Gaara frowned.

"What was with that weird conversation with the grocery seller?" Temari asked.

Baki grinned.

Kankuro snorted. "It's a code, right? To be instructions to the place where you can send the message?"

"Right," Baki agreed.

They walked another ten minutes in silence. Baki caught sight of a chestnut tree standing alone in a field and left the dirt trail, cutting across the grassy hills to reach it.

Once they were standing underneath the old chestnut tree, Baki looked around with a smile and asked, "I can hear the song of the frog, can't you?"

"I don't hear any frog," Gaara said quietly.

A voice called from up in the tree, "I'm not a frog, I'm a toad!"

Temari whipped around and fell over with a small shriek. There was a toad sitting in the 'Y' where the two major branches of the tree split off from the main trunk.

Baki bowed. "My apologies, Gama-san." He straightened. "Are you Taniguku?"

"I am," the toad said.

"Would you be so kind as to tell your fellow toad sentries that we need to speak to Jiraiya?" Baki asked. "We have important news."

The toad bowed his head in return. "I will, indeed." He let out a peculiar, warbling croak-ribbit.

Another toad popped into existence with a puff of smoke. "Hai!"

Taniguku didn't waste time. "Pipa, will you tell Tsunotokage to contact Hikigaeru? The man needs to speak to Jiraiya-sama, and quickly. Time-sensitive information."

"Yes," Baki called up to them. "Very. The sooner this word reaches Jiraiya, the better."

"Right away, Oniisama." Pipa popped out of existence the way she'd come.

"It is done," Taniguku said formally.

"Thank you, Taniguku-san," Baki said.

"I cannot guarantee that Jiraiya-sama will arrive here today," Taniguku said. "However, I can tell you that the Sannin has ways to reach somewhere quickly. We will not have to wait long."

Baki bowed. "That is good. Thank you."

"Would you mind telling us what is going on?" Temari asked.

Baki turned to her. "We are stopping a war. Or at least warning our allies."

"Oh," Temari said.

"Oi," Taniguku said. "Are you going to stand underneath my tree all day?"

Baki sat down on the grass cross-legged and folded his arms across his chest. "We'll wait here for Jiraiya to arrive."

"Here?" Taniguku stared down at Baki in surprise.

"Mm-hmm." Baki nodded.

Taniguku looked worried. "It could rain."

"We'll get wet," Baki said calmly.

Taniguku thought about that. "Jiraiya-sama better hurry."

"What's the big deal?" Temari asked the toad.

Taniguku shifted uncomfortably. "I like my privacy."

Temari snorted.

"And standing out in this field attracts too much attention," Gaara intoned.

"Exactly," Taniguku agreed hastily.

Kankuro decided to sit down beside Baki and wait. Eventually, Temari settled down and leaned against the tree, and Gaara took up a perch in the tree, ignoring Taniguku's protests. "Share," was all Gaara said.

It was actually kind of cute.

Kankuro murmured to Baki, "When do you think Jiraiya will show up?"

"I don't know," Baki murmured in return. "I suspect that he will not take more than six hours to get here, though. Three or four is his average time. But I don't know how far away he is right now."

"You've worked with him before," Kankuro said. Not a question.

Baki nodded, and allowed himself an amused smile. "I have contacted Jiraiya in the past."

Kankuro wondered what the joke was.

xXx

After the first couple hours, Kankuro found himself daydreaming and sketching a new puppet design in his portable art book. In the back of his mind, he knew they were waiting for something, but sitting in a nice, sunny field underneath a tree was too relaxing to worry about anything.

A puff of smoke and a surge of strong chakra interrupted his thoughts. Kankuro scrambled to his feet and put away his sketch pad and pencil.

A tall man with wild white hair in a long ponytail appeared through the smoke. He wore a red haori with a white swirling design on the hem and a white kimono underneath. "I have arrived," he said solemnly.

Kankuro was amazed. This guy is just as tall as Baki. That was saying something. Baki was over six feet tall.

Baki stood as well, gracefully unfolding and straightening in one fluid movement. "I can see that," he said mildly.

The man blinked, thrown off-balance by that remark. Then he did a double take. "Hey, you didn't tell me it was an Akagizume," Jiraiya protested to his toad summons.

"You didn't ask me," Taniguku said. "I don't even know what that is."

"My clan from Suna," Jiraiya said.

"Suna doesn't have clans," Taniguku said.

"Yes, they do," Jiraiya retorted.

"We do," Baki said. "We simply don't have clan names. There would be nothing to call ourselves or explain our relationships by if we did not have some form of clan system. As it is, our clan system is looser and less rigid than Konoha's; anyone can be of a clan if they join. It's more like a gang system, except without the crime." He smiled wryly. "Mostly."

Jiraiya laughed and crossed the distance between them, giving Baki a back-thumping hug. "Which one are you? Whose son?"

"Well, obviously my grandfather was Baiji," Baki said. He smirked.

"Yeah," Jiraiya said. "I got that. And mine was his brother, Raiji."

"Baiji and Raiji," Kankuro murmured. People who give their kids similar names for no reason give me a headache.

Baki caught his look. "Twins. Our grandfathers were twins."

Kankuro froze for a moment in shock. "Oh." That made more sense out of the matching names.

"Yeah." Jiraiya grinned. "Our names are a little more distinctive these days. But our families both kept the first kanji of our grandparents' names, and we stick them somewhere in the name of each new baby: Ba (馬) for them –" He pointed at Baki. " – and Rai (雷) for us." He thumped his chest with his thumb.

That prideful gesture made Kankuro want to laugh. This guy is something else.

"Indeed," Baki said, smiling. "My father is Bashi, by the way."

"No way!" Jiraiya looked at him in amazement. "So you're the son of the head of the clan?"

"Yup." Baki nodded.

"Awesome!" Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and grimaced sheepishly. "Well, as you know, it's just me now." He shrugged.

"I know," Baki said sympathetically. "That's why we try to keep in contact with you every year for the holidays, at least."

Kankuro had to admit to himself that he didn't see a resemblance between his teacher and the Sannin. But then, they were second cousins. The only similarity they really had was clan history and red markings on their faces. Though Kankuro suspected Jiraiya's were painted on instead of tattooed.

"Well…" Jiraiya looked awkward suddenly. "You said you had some information for me?"

"Oh. Yes." Baki nodded. "We're going to war. Thought you should know."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "With Iwa? Yes, I saw all the signs. But thank you for telling me."

Temari sighed and crossed her arms behind her head. She looked away and frowned.

"Not with Iwa," Baki said succinctly. "With Konoha. Though against the Kazekage's wishes. We're here on behalf of Yondaime to warn you and uphold the treaty."

"Wow," Jiraiya said. He blinked. "Government snafu."

"Unfortunately," Baki said.

Jiraiya scratched his head. "So you want me to warn Sarutobi?"

Baki stared at him.

Jiraiya smacked his forehead. "Right. You don't know him by name. Sandaime. Right? You want me to warn Sandaime."

"Sandaime Hokage's name is Sarutobi?" Kankuro murmured.

"Yeah," Jiraiya said. "I know that 'cause he's my sensei."

"Oh, wow…" Kankuro looked from Jiraiya to Baki. "So you guys really are alike. Baki is Yondaime's student."

Jiraiya grinned. "Is he, now?"

"Yup," Baki said.

"That's pretty awesome," Jiraiya said.

"I think so," Baki said. "That's why I'm willing to do anything for him. That includes a willingness to commit small-scale treason if it prevents a larger war."

"Yeah, I don't get what those council guys are thinking," Jiraiya said. "A war between Konoha and Suna would only pull in the other nations. We're the two most powerful ones. If we go at it, everyone's going to be involved."

Kankuro's eyes widened.

"You know, I didn't even think of that," Baki said. "I was more concerned with the pressing issue: preventing the attack on the Chuunin Exam. That's where the Council intends to strike, and it's unconscionable. The first casualties will all be children."

"Strike at the youth," Jiraiya muttered. "They're the future."

"This kind of thing is why we get a reputation for being heartless," Kankuro said dryly, unamused.

"This stinks," Jiraiya said. "Everyone thinks you're going to go to war with Iwa. There's no reason to pick Konoha as a target over Iwa. Someone must be spearheading this decision."

Baki nodded. "We're going to try to figure that out. In the meantime, we thought we should warn you. Betraying the Council is one thing, but betraying an allied nation is another."

Jiraiya nodded. "I appreciate it. I'll relay the information right away." He glanced up in the tree. "Taniguku."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama!" Taniguku saluted with a webbed hand.

"Please relay this message in code," Jiraiya said. "Kazekage warns of Council treachery. Prepare for Chuunin Exam invasion. Jiraiya out."

Taniguku nodded. A tiny scroll appeared with a puff of smoke, along with a brush. He wrote down the message, then handed it off to a subordinate toad, who disappeared with the message tied to his back.

Kankuro was surprised with the efficiency. "That's it?"

"Well, no," Jiraiya said. He rubbed his chin. "I think it's best if I go with you."

"Where?" Kankuro asked.

"Back to your village," Jiraiya said. "I want to check something out."

"That seems unnecessary," Gaara said from his perch in the tree. He hadn't moved or reacted to Jiraiya's presence before now, merely waiting and watching them.

"Don't argue with one of the Sannin's hunches," Baki said. "He knows much more about the underlying currents of power in the world than we do. If he thinks something is up, it's probably up. And it's up to him to check it out. So let him do his job. He's an ally."

Gaara nodded and fell silent.

Temari scratched her head. "How are we going to explain his presence, though?"

Jiraiya grinned. "I go wherever I want to. You don't have anything to do with why I'm coming to Suna. It's all my idea. For my next book."

"Book?" Temari stared at him.

"I'm a writer," Jiraiya said. "A novelist, of only the highest caliber." He crossed his arms. "Don't let anybody tell you different."

Temari looked at him dubiously, as if put on guard by that very statement.

Kankuro grinned, amused. He had no idea what Jiraiya wrote or if it was any good. He just thought the man was entertaining. "Okay, then." He looked to Baki. "Does that mean our mission is completed?"

Baki nodded. "Indeed it does. Move out, team. We're going home." He glanced at Jiraiya. "You can tag along if you want to, Jiraiya-sama," he said courteously.

Jiraiya laughed. "Thank you, Baki-sama."

Baki rolled his eyes at that honorific.