Title: A Demon's Tale
Author: swiftstar85
Genre: Drama/Friendship/Romance
Rating: T for some strong language, violence, suggestive material, and crude humor.

~Chapter Twenty-One~

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, though I wouldn't mind if I did.

It took nearly two hours to tell the Shadoai his story but Gaara explained everything about his life. When he had learned that Rin was a Leaf Shinobi, he felt the trust to telling her who he was and why he had been brought up in Konoha.

He even revealed what he was.

And for a very long time, all three Shadoai stared at him with wide eyes, almost too astonished to say anything after Gaara finished telling them about himself and Shukaku. Rin had her hand covering her mouth, looking so alarmed but there was a hint of satisfaction on her face for what he had told her about Kakashi. She was now eyeing him with such an understanding that Gaara almost felt so content. He had never really met anyone other than Jiraiya or Naruto who had that look on their face that they did not judge him poorly for carrying the One Tailed Tanuki. But the look on Rin's face, it made him feel that she would not judge him at all.

"So...so you're a Jinchuriki and now you're looking for another Jinchuriki?" Sen asked tilting her head.

Gaara merely nodded as he leaned against his gourd, watching all three carefully. He was almost pleased that they weren't eyeing him in disgust but in soft understanding. "Yes. Kankuro and I are currently searching for the Third Tail Bijuu, Sanbi before the Akatsuki can get to him. And to find him, I must find the boy, Yukimaru. As I have said, he's been an experiement of Orochimaru's and I have to convince him to leave the Snake before he gets himself killed. And I do not like the idea of Orochimaru using the Third Tail. If he possesses the One Tailed, he could probably use him to create a Tsunami to wipe out Konoha." He explained quietly.

Rin frowned as she cupped her chin in her hand. "Well, you are in luck, Gaara. We know Yukimaru. He comes here all of the time, bringing flowers for the onsen. Especially white camellias. He's a very gentle person and he doesn't seem to have any negative energy at all. He's never shown any malice towards anyone." She told him as she shared a glance with Sen, who nodded. "He's been very kind to Sen. When we infilitrated the onsen to see if we could find any information on Caligo because we do get quite a few travelers here, he's been nothing but kind to all of us. She was having a little trouble doing some of her work and he helped her."

"You...you're not going to hurt him if he's working with Orochimaru willingly, are you?" Sen asked carefully.

Gaara looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "If Kankuro and I can help it, no. But if he uses the Third Tail to attack us, then we will have no choice but to fight back." He told her.

Chiro slowly nodded as he rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. "That makes sense and I personally wouldn't blame you. I'd probably do the same. If you're attacked by someone, it's in your right to defend yourself, no matter the percautions." He glanced at Rin, meeting her eyes for a moment before looking back at Gaara. He was quiet for a moment, thinking about something deep within his mind. He looked rather hesitant about saying something and tried to think if he should say it. But then he decided to just go ahead with it. "Lord Kazekage, I should very well ask..."

"Gaara will do." Gaara said, a little dryly. He might have been the Kazekage, but he seriousl didn't like being called the title too much.

"Gaara then." Chiro said, nodding with a light smile on his face, probably amused by the youth's reaction. "Gaara, if we help you with your Third Tail problem, will you help us find Caligo Zangetsu? Perhaps help us find Sei Zangetsu?" He asked.

Almost surprised, Gaara just stared at him for a very long moment. He wasn't sure if he should, or could. He didn't want to bring these three into his problems with finding the Jinchuriki. He knew very well that if the Akatsuki attacked them while being with him, they could easily decide to attack the Shadoai Village for their interference.

But then again, with a glance to Rin, Gaara was curious to know a little more about Kakashi and it was possible he could talk her into telling him about his former teacher.

'Shukaku, what do you think?'

'I don't know, Gaara. It's risky bringing these three in. They could easily get hurt because of Sanbi. Like I said, he's not exactly the easiest to work with. He's stubborn has hell, annoying and quite powerful. It's your call.' Shukaku growled at him.

Thinking on it for a little bit longer, Gaara finally made his decision. He knew it would be risky but if he could make a few more allies, they might have another country to back them up when the Akatsuki decided to attack Konoha full on to trying to get a hold of Naruto. He could protect his brother by demons very well on his own, if Naruto actually needed protection. But it was better to take extra steps a long the way.

Besides, he didn't even have a clue what Yukimaru looked like. He would need Rin, Chiro or Sen to point him out when he showed up at the Onsen.

So, Gaara looked directly at Rin and nodded. "Very well. I will accept your compromise. If you help Kankuro and myself find Yukimaru, we'll try to assist you finding out your killer and this Sei." He told them.

All three smiled as they glanced at one another before they pushed their selves to their feet. And all three, bowed respectfully to him.

"Thank you, Gaara. We greatly appreciate it." Rin said before she wrapped her headband back up and stuffed it back into her pouch. She, however, pulled out a small container full of white pills, unscrewing it and pulling out one. She merely smiled as she held it out to Gaara, who took it with a frown. "Give this to your brother when he wakes up. It'll take care of the headache." She turned with Chiro and Sen, ready to leave. But before following them out, she hesitated for a moment and then turned back, meeting Gaara's eyes. "Gaara, tell me one thing. About Kakashi." She said carefully, tilting her head. "Has he ever...has he ever mentioned me or his best friend, Obito?"

Frowning, Gaara was not familiar with the name. So he had no problem shaking his head. "No. He hasn't exactly been open with myself, Naruto, Sakura or Sasuke. He doesn't speak about himself. He mentioned that his best friend was dead and his name was on the Stone of Memorial, but that's about it."

Rin faintly smiled as she looked softly away. "I should have known. Kakashi's never open about himself." She lift her eyes meeting Gaara's again. "And...Naruto Uzumaki. Does he know...?" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Never mind. We can talk about this some other time. Good night." She told him before turning and leaving, carefully closing the door shut after herself.

And all Gaara could do was sit there and frown as he tried to think of what she had been talking about.

"AAAAWWWW! Man! My head is killing me! Are you sure that dopey pill that lady gave you will work? Because it doesn't feel like it's working!" Kankuro complained loudly.

It was obviously morning and Kankuro had woken up just like Rin said he would. He immediately started bellowing in pain and gripping his head, complaining about how it was pounding like Sakura punching him or something. The only response he got from Gaara was him rolling his eyes and shoving the small white pill into his brother's hand. And then the young Kazekage explained what transpired the night before. He told him about how it was Sen who poisoned him with a sleeping poison to attempt to get information from them and it backfiring on her. And how he met the former Leaf Ninja, Rin and learning about the Shadoai Village, Kagegakure. Gaara even explained to Kankuro about his deal that he made with them.

Of course, Kankuro complained a little. "Dude, I can't believe the hot chick poisoned me." He groaned before managing to grin a little. "I think I like her more and more every minute."

Gaara sweatdropped but chose to ignore him.

After Kankuro stopped complaining about his head, he looked at Gaara a little seriously. He didn't like the idea of making a deal with some people they didn't know. But he trusted his brother. And if Gaara was putting their trust in these people, he would back him up.

Knock, knock.

Both Gaara and Kankuro looked towards the door just as it began to slid open only to see Sen, carefully looking in. She looked directly at Kankuro, managing a meek smile before it faded when he did not share it. She grimaced only a little before stepping into the room, merely glancing over her shoulder to the woman right behind her, who was dressed as hostess.

"Good morning, honored guests." Rin said bowing low at the waist before glancing over her shoulder as Chiro carried a large tray full of breakfast food and some steaming cups of tea. After he entered, she carefully closed the door after him and looked directly at Gaara, who nodded back to her.

"It's not poisoned this time, is it?" Kankuro asked sourly.

Sen winced, ducking her head low but Rin smiled at him before moving over to the Puppet master and digging into her kimono pocket for another container full of the white pills. "Your head still hurts, I take it." She told him, recieving a look from him that clearly read, "Duh!" She just smiled even more before pulling out a pill and offering it to him. She continued to smile as he gave her a look of suspicion. "It's okay. This one will help."

Kankuro did not take it for a long time but eyed her darkly. He ended up tearing his eyes away from her as Gaara cleared his throat to get his attention. So he glanced over at the younger sibling before reaching out and taking the pill. He merely tossed his head back and downed the pill, swallowing without the need of water.

Rin smiled even more before she raised a hand. "Can I get you to take your hood off, please?" She recieved another look of suspicion but she ignored him as she waited patiently for him to do it. It took a moment for Kankuro to do so but once he had, she pressed her cool hand against his forhead, ignoring the wide eyed look she got for it.

Instead, her hand began to glow a gentle green and the headache slowly died away to nothing.

"Hey. How'd you do...?" Kankuro asked her in bewilderment.

Again, Rin smiled at him as she finally pulled her hand back and tucked the container back away into her kimono. "I'm a medic. I'm sure you're younger brother explained that to you." She turned and looked over to Gaara, her smile slowly fading a little to a more serious look. "Yukimaru has arrived right on time. He's not alone though."

Gaara straightened as he turned from the window he had been standing at and slowly moved over to stand in front of Rin. "Who is he with?" He asked, quietly. His thoughts were immediately on Orochimaru or Kabuto. It even made Shukaku starting to growl to think that Snake might close by. They didn't sense him but it could have been possible. Orochimaru was not exactly the easiest person they could sense.

"Guren." Chiro grunted, folding his arms after he put the breakfast tray down. "She's practically Yukimaru's babysitter. He never goes anywhere without her. And we do have sources saying that she does work for Orochimaru. I think she's the leader of his female pawns. She's a real bitch too. She complains loudly if Sen talks to Yukimaru."

This only made Gaara frown thoughtfully. He didn't like the idea that one of Orochimaru's henchmen were going to be around. That might complicate things when they tried to approach this Yukimaru.

Kankuro, however, put on a very sour face. He didn't like it either. Especially the part where Chiro said that Yukimaru talked to Sen. "What do you mean Yukimaru talks to Sen?" He looked over at Sen, who smirked with a raised eyebrow in his direction. And he shot Rin a look when she began to laugh softly into her hand, a knowing look on her face. "Whaaat? It's not I care. I'm just saying!" He complained.

Gaara rolled his eyes once again for that morning while the other three snickered. He shook his head, choosing to ignore his brother's complaining. Instead, he looked at Chiro again. "This Guren. You say she's one of Orochimaru's subordinates. She's Shinobi?" He asked, seriously.

Chiro lost his snarky grin about Kankuro and looked back at Gaara with serious intent. He nodded only once. "I don't have a clue what village she's from. She doesn't carry any ninja headband. But she has skills. She probably learned them from Orochimaru, himself. I've only seen her use them once but she wasn't being too serious about them. She's got some kind of power over crystals. I've seen her use her crystal abilities to make a guy suffocate for grabbing her. She's very beautiful, I'll admit. But very vain. She has a habit of pausing in front of some of the mirrors all around Onsen and admire herself. It's her beauty that is probably her deadliest weapon. Any man she's come across has hesitated to doing anything to her and then she strikes like some kind of viper."

Rin nodded as she folded her arms. "Guren is not very nice to men. So if you are going to speak to Yukimaru, we're going to have to distract her. Because if she sees either one of you around him, she might attack you. Verbally or physically. I know you must be very strong, Gaara, because of the Shukaku's power. But I don't think I would like to see who is the strongest out of you two." She told him.

"Any ideas of how to get close to Yukimaru then?" Gaara asked in a quiet tone.

For a moment, no one spoke as they considered their options. There weren't too many for them to choose from. They all knew that all of this could turn into a pretty nasty fight if they weren't careful. Gaara certainly wanted to avoid that. He did not want to attract the Akatsuki's attention, though somewhere inside of him, he couldn't wait to crush them and free Naruto and the rest of the Jinchuriki from the fear of being hunted down. He did not want them to live through what he had felt when the Akatsuki attempted to rip Shukaku out of him.

Finally, after a little while, Rin heaved a low sigh. "Well, we can try and distract her by causing a scene. Chiro, cause a commotion in the kitchen today. Start a fight that will get Guren's attention away from Yukimaru for a little while. Just so that Gaara and Kankuro can speak to him." She told her fellow Shadoai.

Chiro merely nodded as he dropped his brawny arms down at his sides. "All right. I can do that. If that gets Guren's attention, I'll take a bigger risk and envolve her. She won't like it but it'll keep her attention on me." He stated.

"Just do not get yourself killed." Gaara sighed, his head lowering a little. He did not want these people making a huge risk to their lives while he tried to convince the boy to leaving Orochimaru's side. It was un-nessessary for Chiro to do such a thing.

Smirking a side ways smile, Chiro tilted his head towards the young Kazekage. "I'll try not to. But no promises. Besides, I am Shadoai. Shadoai have specialty over the elements of shadows. We're masters of the darkness. Sen, here," He threw a thumb in the young Kunoichi's direction. "She's the best Shadow Puppeteer I've ever seen."

Kankuro's head jerked up when he heard the word Puppeteer. He was definitely interested. "Puppeteer?" He asked brightly.

Smirking, Sen nodded before she made a quick hand sign with her hands before holding out her hands and forming a bird with them. Both Gaara and Kankuro watched as she made a shadow figure on the floor before it fluttered its wings and seemed to rise right off the wood of the floor. And it actually did. The shadow bird actually lift off the ground and began flying around the room, surprising the two brothers as they watched it flap around them before diving down and landing right on Kankuro's head. He, of course, jerked a little to look up at it and it took off, flying over to Sen instead, landing on her offered arm.

The young Shadoai merely smiled fondly at it before she formed the Kai sign with her hands and the shadow bird dissapated. "My specialty is the Art of the Shadow Puppets. I can create all kinds of shadow figures and actually bring them to life. I control them with a good amount of Chakra and make them move with the will of my mind." She informed the two.

Kankuro found himself grinning at the very thought. "Sweet! I knew I'd like you!" He cheered and he recieved a cheerful grin from Sen.

Gaara rolled his eyes once again before looking over at Chiro. "What about you and Rin? What are your specialties?" He asked curiously.

Rin lightly shrugged as she placed her hand onto her waist and shifted her weight. "I'm a medic. Medical Jutsu are my specialty but even they can be turned into a weapon. I was actually once a student of the Legendary Sanin, Tsunade, who've I heard became the Fifth Hokage." She smiled brightly at the thought. "I can't believe that she got reeled in to doing that though. She never struck me as the leading type." She announced to them.

A curve of Gaara's mouth revealed his amusement. He would definitely have to fill her in about exactly how good of a leader Tsunade had been. And he was looking forward to telling her about his lovely girl, Sakura, being Tsunade's apprentice. He wondered how she would take it that she was known as one of the best medics in Konoha. She was almost better than Tsunade, herself.

But instead, he glanced over at Chiro, who shook his head and folded his arms again over his chest. "You want to know, you have to see me in battle. I grew up knowing to never tell someone your secrets, even if they became an allie." He informed the two Sand Shinobi.

And Gaara had to nod in agreement and understanding. He had to respect Chiro for that decision. He knew that was probably a very smart idea. So he would leave it at that and even shot Kankuro a look when he opened his mouth to keep asking Chiro about his techniques. His brother barely caught the look that he gave him and clamped his mouth shut with a quiet click.

"So, I guess we better get to it. Yukimaru only brings crate full of flowers that he collects for the Onsen and he doesn't really linger too long." Rin announced as she made her way towards the door, sliding it open just as Chiro joined her. She smiled directly at Sen. "Sen, why don't you give our gracious guests around the Onsen?" She told the girl, turning on her hostess voice.

Sen merely waved a hand at Rin before turning towards Gaara. "Whenever you are ready, honored guests." She told them. Gaara and Kankuro both nodded as they went over to stand next to her. They were ready to do this.

The 'tour' around the Onsen did not last very long at all. Sen was pretty pretending to be the great host and was explaining everything there was to do inside the Onsen. She was going on and on about everything, even though, she knew very well that Gaara wasn't really listening to her. He was actually scanning the entire area, memorizing every detail about the Onsen just in case there was a fight, he would know where everything was. He especially looked for the exits to the Onsen for a quick get away if they needed it.

And finally, his eyes caught sight of a boy carrying a crate full of flowers through a door. He had to stop immediately to get a good look at him.

The boy was probably a little older than Gaara was. Maybe the same age as Temari. He was rather tall, maybe as tall as Gaara was though. He looked a little unsual with below the shoulder length green-gray colored hair and such intense purple eyes. He was dressed in a long sleeve green shirt under a steel gray tunic; his pants being the same color. There was such a peaceful look on his face as he walked. It was a look that reminded Gaara of someone.

The boy reminded Gaara of Haku.

And then, the young Kazekage spied the woman walking beside him. She was very much taller than both of them and Chiro had not been kidding about the way the woman looked. She was very beautiful with her physical appearence and the grace she possessed as she walked. Her hair was the color of sapphire with penetrating black eyes. Her face was quite fair complexed, while she wore very little make up. She was dressed in such strange clothes. Long sleeved winter green jacket with fur alining the collar with skin tight pants, showing off her curvy form. She didn't look dangerous but Gaara sensed the threat behind her. It was no doubt that this was Guren, Yukimaru's babysitter, as Chiro had put it.

Guren had not noticed Gaara or Kankuro yet but Yukimaru must have sensed their eyes. His eyes flickered in their direction and caught the young Kazekage's eyes. He seemed surprised for a moment that anyone was looking at him but then his face softened and he offered a friendly smile.

With only a frown, Gaara responded by nodding his head to him. He wanted very much to motion Yukimaru over to talk but he had a feeling that Guren might be right behind him and she might even recognize him. He had never met her or anything but he was sure Orochimaru may have ticked off his people about what he looked like. He did not want to have any trouble right now.

"What the hell do you mean it's not good!"

Everyone in the exact area suddenly tensed up and all heads jerked towards a door which had been open. Just by looking at it, they knew it was the kitchens. Gaara caught a glimpse of Sen shoot a glance at him and nodding as a signal. He understood her. It was time for Chiro to act up in the kitchen.

A moment later, Rin was backing out of the kitchen, looking positivly afraid. Her face was very pale and her eyes were wide as she cringed against the door with Chiro towering over her, looking extremely pissed off. It looked so real that Kankuro almost took a step towards them to find out what the hell was going on. But he stopped when Sen grabbed his arm and gave him a serious look before she too put a terrified, embarrassed look on her face. She had thrown her hand over her mouth, letting a sharp gasp escape her as she looked on the 'fight' between Rin and Chiro.

Chiro's face was very dark and intimidating as he glared at the cowering Rin who was holding a plate of steamed octopus. "What the hell is wrong with my octopus? Who the hell is complaining about my cooking?" He bellowed, getting quite a lot of attention from some of the people within the Onsen.

"I...I-I'm sorry, sir! But one of the customers just didn't order steamed octopus! They just wanted hot chilie carp! I kn-know they said steamed octopus but they don't want it!" Rin stammered, cringing under Chiro.

"Damn it, Ling! You told me that they ordered steamed octopus! So this about you messing up the order! Again! You are so worthless! You're always mixing up orders and getting them wrong! Why the hell did they even hired a worthless tramp like you? I swear, women are so worthless nowadays!" Chiro exclaimed, probably trying to come up with the worst insults that might even heat up Guren.

And sure enough, Gaara caught sight of a furious look on Guren's face as she balled up her fists and shot Yukimaru a look. She said something quietly to him before stomping forward. "Hey! Dumbass! Don't you dare talk to her like that!" She screeched at him, her voice somewhat sweet but harsh at the same time.

Soon, it became a shout out between Chiro and Guren.

Gaara and Kankuro both smirked to their selves before they looked over at Yukimaru who was watching the fight with unease. He surely did not like confrontations like this. It looked like it bothered him a lot. He wasn't even looking at the two Sand brothers as they slowly turned and made their way over to him with Sen leading them. She was keeping a terrified look on her face.

Noticing their approach, Yukimaru finally looked at the three, still looking uneased but he started to look sympathetic for Sen because she was starting to bring up fearful tears. "Sen." He spoke very softly. "Are you all right?"

Sen looked at him before nodding as she wiped her eyes and sniffling. "Ye-yes. I just hate that chef. He's so mean! He's always yelling at everyone. Even though his food is some of the best around, he can be so grouchy." She sniffed.

Yukimaru finally bent down and set down the box before reaching over and lightly patting Sen's back. He didn't even notice that Kankuro's face was starting to darken and he was glaring at him, which Gaara had to use some sand to jab his brother hard in the side to make him knock it off. "It's going to be okay. Guren will fix it." He told Sen softly before letting his eyes flicker to the two brothers and he offered a gentle smile. "I do not believe we've met yet. Are you...customers here?"

Gaara folded his arms while Kankuro placed his fist against his waist. "Somewhat." The young Kazekage said quietly. He then shook his head as he tilted his head downward. "Actually, we've arrived in the Land of Hot Water, looking for you, Yukimaru." He had to lower his voice even lower so that it didn't catch Guren's attention, who was still too busy having a very loud shouting match with Chiro.

Of course, Yukimaru's eyes snapped wide open with surprise and his mouth fell open only slightly. He had not been expecting to hear that all. "Huh? You've...you've been looking for me?" He then narrowed his eyes curiously. "Who are you?" He asked, lowering his voice as if he caught the hint that Gaara was not trying to get Guren's attention.

"Can we speak in private?" Gaara asked, nearly under his breath. He shook his head when Yukimaru ducked his head a little, looking suspiciously at him. "We're not here to harm you. Just speak to you. It's about...it's about something very, very important."

For a moment, Yukimaru hesitated before letting his eyes flicker over to Guren now starting to get angrier with Chiro but not starting to get violent yet. "I see. This was a distraction for Guren to move away from me." He then looked back at Gaara, meeting his eyes. He stared into them for a very long time, almost complentating whether he should speak to him or not. But then he decided. He merely glanced to the nearest door before grabbing the box and moving towards it. He paused for only a moment to nod for Gaara to follow him.

Gaara and Kankuro nodded at the same time before looking at Sen as they moved towards the door, following Yukimaru inside. Sen, however, stayed outside to stand guard and continue looking the terrified hostess.

Once in the empty spa room, Yukimaru went over to a table and set the box of flowers down. He almost hesitated about turning around but decided against it and did it anyway. He turned and tilted his head curiously, looking directly at Gaara. "What is this about?" He asked quietly, keeping some distance between himself and the two brothers.

"..." It was Gaara's turn to hesitate but then he dipped his head down and looked seriously at Yukimaru. "My name is Gaara of the Sand. This is my brother, Kankuro. We've come in urgency to locate you. Yukimaru, we mean you no harm whatsoever. Please, trust us and relax. And don't panic for what I'm about to tell you. We are under the belief that you have been experimented on by a very bad Shinobi. We know that you have been because we came in contact with some of your files created by Orochimaru." He paused for a moment when Yukimaru tensed but did not move to interupt or anything. "Yukimaru, are you the Third Tail Jinchuriki of Sanbi?"

Again, Yukimaru looked surprised and stared at Gaara for a very long time. He did look very uneasy to be hearing all of this. Especially when the young Kazekage mentioned the Third Tail Beast. "How do you know about the Third Tail?" He asked very cautiously.

Kankuro snorted as he gave his younger brother a glance before looking back at Yukimaru. "Bro, should I tell him?" He simply asked.

"No. I shall." Gaara said without even looking at Kankuro. He shifted his weight to his other foot, still looking right into Yukimaru's eyes. "Yukimaru, I am the Jinchuriki of the One Tailed Biju, Shukaku. He's been leading us to finding you and the Third Tail. We've come to help you escape from Orochimaru." He told him.

For a third time, Yukimaru looked surprise, still staring at Gaara. He did not say anything for a long moment before he finally frowned and stepped back away. "I understand." He murmured quietly before shaking his head. "You believe I am in danger while being with Lord Orochimaru. I find your intentions admirable but a waste of time." He ignored the outraged look he got from Kankuro and the frown deepening on Gaara's. "I'm sorry, but it is. I am not the Jinchuriki of the Third Tail."

"What?" Kankuro yelped. "But in Orochimaru's files...!"

Yukimaru merely glanced at him, a serious look on his face but he shook his head. "I am afraid I don't know what files you are referring to. Perhaps some medical documents that his right hand, Kabuto Yukushi has created in my case. I am in no danger while being with them. In fact," He tilted his head to the side, his face somewhat softening. "It is because of Lord Orochimaru and Kabuto that I am still alive." He told them.

Both Gaara and Kankuro were surprised by his words. They just stared at him for a moment before the young Kazekage tilted his own head. "Can you explain?" He asked curiously.

The youth in front of him nodded. "I can. But I won't. Not until I ask you something. Why are you looking for the Third Tail?" He asked simply.

Kankuro grunted, not looking satisfied at all. He knew that they were just wasting time by talking to this kid if he was not the Third Tail. "Why should we tell you? For all we know, you'll just tell Ol' Snake-face that we're around." He grumbled, getting a discontent look from the boy.

"Kankuro." Gaara said, giving him a look to be quiet. Then he looked back at Yukimaru, meeting his eyes once again. "Kankuro does have a point, though. Can we trust you not to repeat this meeting to Orochimaru? I'm afraid we're not exactly friends."

Yukimaru frowned, his eyes narrowing a little but he shrugged. "I won't lie to him, if that is what you mean. As it is, I don't see him very much. It's always Kabuto. But I won't mention you unless he asks." He tilted his head. "Gaara, of the One Tail, why are you looking for the Third Tail?" He asked again.

This time, Kankuro kept his mouth shut but folded his arms and looking even grumpier. Gaara just dropped his arms, deciding to do all of the talking. He knew they had to be careful of what to say to this Yukimaru now. He clearly admired Orochimaru and that was a little dangerous. He knew he probably shouldn't have told him that he was the One Tailed Jinchuriki now that he knew that this boy wasn't the Third Tail. But it was too to take it back now. So he decided to be partial honest. "You have heard of the Akatsuki, have you not?" He recieved a somewhat surprised look but a curious nod from the young man standing before him. "Then you should know that the Akatsuki is hunting for all of the Nine Tailed Beasts. I am attempting to gather all of the remaining Jinchuriki so we can avoid them succeeding with their plans, whatever they may be. I intend to protect them from the Akatsuki. That is why we must locate the Third Tail. Can you tell us where we can find it?" He asked, being careful.

For a moment, Yukimaru did not say anything but stare at him. He simply just observed the young Kazekage carefully before shaking his head. "I admire your intentions, One Tail Jinchuriki. I do not blame you for wanting to protect the others. But I'm afraid I cannot help you. The Third Tail is very dangerous. It has been in the wild for so long that it has simply become a beast all of its own. It's like a wild animal now. Very uncontrollable. Only I can control it, that is why Orochimaru needs me. If I lose control of it, it would wipe out the entire coast." He told him.

Still frowning, Gaara narrowed his eyes at the young man. "Yukimaru, if you are not the Jinchuriki of the Third, then who is?" He asked, curiously but careful as ever.

For another moment, Yukimaru did not say anything but he looked away from Gaara. There was an almost sad look passing over his entire expression, as if something pained him for a moment before it was gone and he was looking back at the young Kazekage with serious determination. "I should not tell you, Gaara of the Sand. Lord Orochimaru would not permit it. He might even be angry with me." He held up a hand when Kankuro started looking even more pissed off. "But, I think you should know that the Third Tail Turtle, Sanbi, has killed his own Jinchuriki. And he used to be my younger brother, Yagura. The Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure."

Both Gaara and Kankuro looked surprised to hear that. That was most unexpected. They had not been expecting to hear that the former Jinchuriki of the Third had once been a Kage, more or less, to even hear that he had been Yukimaru's younger brother. He must have only been a child at the time then. Yukimaru couldn't have been older than 18 years old.

But before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud thud outside the door before it was slammed open. Very. Hard.

And a very annoyed and dangerous looking Guren was standing in the door way.