Chapter 13: Everyone's Battle
"It's just going to be so weird." Sakura shook her head. "I mean first Yamato goes back to ANBU and now you're leaving us too?"
Sai smiled as the two walked companionably from Tsunade's office. "Hag-chan, a six man team is generally unheard of. It is too many people to move quickly and efficiently during a mission. Besides," his smile got wider, "your friend has already been trying to make me feel welcome in the group."
"Ino!" Sakura gave him a friendly—if not just a tad forceful—shove. "That's what you get for calling her 'pretty lady'."
He nodded in agreement. "She does seem quite fixated on that observation."
She chuckled. If anyone could jolt Sai into the world of emotions and feelings it would be Ino. She had a suspicion he was in for more than he had bargained for.
"I do want to thank you, though." He said as they stopped. "You were the first one here to accept me as your friend."
"Sai! I punched you so hard you flew backwards on our first mission…"
"But I understand, now, when it comes to people one cares about—what you can and cannot say." He pulled a scroll out of his pack. "And the next day you came to me in friendship—when you saw me drawing. You were genuinely interested in what I was doing."
He handed her the paper.
"It is not much, but it is the only thing I have ever given a title." He stepped away, turning to walk down the street opposite. "Thank you again…Sakura…I will see you soon!"
Sakura smiled. She watched him disappear before opening the gift.
A well detailed picture of Yamato, Naruto and herself looked back at her. Beneath the picture was written the word 'friends'.
She sighed, placing the gift gently in her own pack. Even Sai, who had only recently begun to develop his emotions knew the value of friends—and knew how to make them feel worthwhile.
He would become a good man someday. An evil look crossed her face. No matter what Ino had to say about it!
Sakura continued on her way, aware at how uneasy the village was.
In the months since the attack veryone seemed much more on edge. Tsunade had bumped up boarder partrols and scouting trips, eliminating most missions for the time being.
The medic knew that her teacher was expecting Akatsuki to come back. It was not like them to give up so easily, especially after walking away with nothing but a casualty.
But it had been months and no sign of them.
And still no sign of Jiraiya.
The toad sannin had left the village shortly after Shizune's funeral, in order to learn more about Akatsuki plans. Tsunade had not asked him to go, but he had felt the need and was presumably heading back to where he had learned information on the society before.
Tsunade had expected him to return days ago.
Sakura quickened her pace. She had spent more time than normal with the Hokage. At first she had felt the need to keep her company, but had found herself immersed in paperwork and plans to protect the village. Oddly enough, Kakashi had taken the role of confidant—even going so far as to stop in just to check on them from time to time.
To Sakura, it seemed that he was awkward in his visits. And when she asked him about it he had sighed, replying that it was much easier to motivate his ninja students with words than it was to try and use them to comfort a superior.
But he remained committed to his visits, nonetheless.
"Oh man!" Sakura could hear Naruto as she approached the Ramen Hut. "Where's my wallet?"
"You'd better be joking…" The unseen form of Sasuke growled.
Sakura almost turned and walked back the way she had come. No doubt Naruto had eight bowls piled up—and she sure wasn't going to get stuck paying.
"Hey Sakura-chan!"
Damn. They had seen her.
She smiled and waved.
But as she got closer…
"H-here, Naruto-kun. I will pay for you."
Sakura stood, shocked for a moment as Hinata reached out to hand the cook her money.
She raced over, ripping the money out of Hinatas hand and giving it back to her. The Hyuuga girl looked at her in surprise.
Sakura grabbed a hold of Naruto's jacket—her face flushed with anger. "Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing!?!" She dropped him to the floor. "You're going to let Hinata pay!?!"
"Heeeeyyy…" the blond rubbed his back, mumbling something about monstrous strength. "We ran into Hinata on the way here. She said she'd come along with us!"
That doesnt mean you eat all you want and have her foot the bill! She reached into her own pocket, slamming money on the table. There! And now you owe me big time!
"Sakura-chan," Hinata's soft voice calmed her friend. "I-I really don't mind. Naruto and Sasuke were good enough to let me come with them."
Sakura continued to glare at Naruto. "It's alright, Hinata. I came knowing I'd have to pay. It's on me, really."
"You handed that well, Naruto." Sasuke said calmly.
The kyuubi boy shook his head. "I think I've lost my appetite anyway."
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The doors to the Hokage's office had been locked for a while now.
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, her eyes troubled. "Are you certain? There's no mistake?" She asked.
He shook his head. "I wish there was. I'd give them a few months, no more before they are ready to attack."
The knowledge she had learned within the last hour deeply worried the Hokage. While they had been well aware of Akatsuki's hunt for the demons, no one had been fully aware of just what they were going to do with them.
Now, it seemed as if the Akatsuki were openly going about their business—letting her know that they would be coming and soon.
A walking, moving statue with the abilities of the demons within. It would be unstoppable.
"And who had enlisted their aid? The grass country?"
He nodded. "For next to nothing they have hired it out. A demonstration of strength, no doubt. Even as we speak the lesser countries look to utilize the Akatsuki to eliminate each other."
"And once they are gone…" Tsunade shook her head. "Akatsuki will come after the five great countries."
He put his hands behind his head, leaning back. "There is one minor catch…"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"They have awakened the statue with only five of the nine demons. Without that ring, they can't seal or awaken anything past the seventh." He looked thoughtful. "One of the uncaptured creatures, we know, is in Naruto. That leaves three others…three other powerful demons yet to be sealed by Akatsuki."
"Do we have any idea where these other creatures are?"
The white-haired sannin shrugged. "Could be bound up in containers of their own…people who don't even know what's inside of them. Could be they're in their natural state. The nine tailed fox was still intelligent and evil enough to attack Konoha on his own—before he had a host. It's not a stretch to think the other demons are still out there."
"But wouldn't we have heard of them? Wouldn't tales of the creature's destruction have reached us by now?"
"Well," Jiraiya said. "Maybe they live in uninhabited places. There are certainly many of those to be considered."
Tsunade rubbed her eyes. "Even so…what would we be able to do if we knew of their whereabouts? I've never heard of a well-mannered demon. If they don't have a host…there would be no way to control them."
Well, we do know that the nine tails is as concerned with his own existence as any other creature. Jiraiya leaned forward. He has expressed to Naruto that it is not in his interest for the young man to die simply because that would mean the demon would die as well.
"You're not suggesting…" Tsunade's eyes were wide with shock.
"I am," he nodded. "Perhaps if the demons can be convinced of their own endangerment at the hands of Akatsuki… perhaps they would ally themselves with us for a short time. It is not unheard of—in the Great Shinobi wars, the demons were controlled by certain countries without a host. And if they are in hosts and not alive on their own… even better! Then we won't have to worry about the after effects."
Tsunade shook her head. "It would be a suicide mission. I couldn't send a team out there to deal with a demon. What if they are refused?" She sat back. "A suicide mission."
But Jiraiya was still thoughtful. "Well…if they refuse… I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is..."
"… is there anyone is Konoha who has the capability to seal a demon?"
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After parting company with Hinata and Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke made their way back through town.
"He has no clue, does he?"
"Eh? Naruto?" Sakura smirked. "You could be talking about any number of things."
"Hinata. That was bold for her. I was expecting her to faint before we ever reached the Ramen Hut."
The pink-haried young woman smiled. "I have more faith in Hinata than that. It's good for her."
"Yes," Sasuke said suspiciously. "But quite unlike her. I'd almost guess that someone else put the idea in her head."
"I don't know what you're implying. I only told her to be a little braver, that's all. I think it's a step in the right direction."
"Hn" The Uchiha frowned. "It's unwise with war coming to form new attachments."
Sakura kept walking, her face unreadable. After a moment, she shrugged. "Naruto is able to make anyone his friend and he is able to accept people that others push away. From what I've heard…even Hinata's own family does not acknowledge her existence. If following Naruto around makes her happy—then I don't see the harm in it."
"And if one of them dies in the near future?"
Sakura stopped and turned to face him, her eyes narrowed. "Why do you always wonder 'what if someone dies'? What if they don't die—what if they both live? Isn't what would happen then reason enough to become friends?"
Sasuke studied her frustrated expression with mild amusement. He kept his face expressionless. "You're really quite…"
Annoying? Sakura waited to hear the word.
"…interesting."
She shook her head and started walking again.
A shadowy figure leapt down from a nearby roof.
"Yo." Kakashi looked from one to the other. "Important stuff—head to Tsunade's. I'll go round up Naruto."
Sakura and Sasuke nodded and picked up a jog towards the palace.
Kakashi watched them for a moment. He was sure he had been the only one who noticed. Not even Sasuke was aware of it.
To a seasoned ninja like Kakashi, Sasuke's protective step in front of Sakura as he leapt down, had not gone unnoticed.
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"Alright," The Hokage shook her head. "I can't believe I'm asking this myself… so don't give me a hard time about it."
She frowned at Jiraiya—the sannin standing in the corner with a smile on his face. "I have a new mission for team seven—and only for you. This is a serious matter. No one else is to know of this. As far as anyone else is concerned, you are heading out on an extended scouting trip."
She was having trouble thinking of a less shocking way to explain the situation.
"Let me start with a little history here. I know you are all familiar with the Great Shinobi wars—and how many of the countries involved used the tailed beasts to help fight for them."
Naruto's eyes went wide.
Tsunade ignored him. "I also know you are all aware that one by one the demons are being collected by Akatsuki. But it far exceeds anything we thought was going on. Akatsuki are not destroying the demons. They have sealed them within a great statue—and are planning on using its collective power to take over, presumably, the world."
"What?!?" Naruto slammed his hands on the desk. "That's why they've been after all of us?"
She nodded. "Orochimaru's ring is the eighth ring in a series of nine—without his ring, they cannot seal or awaken any demons beyond the seven-tails. And since they had such trouble getting it," She smiled at Sakura, "they have awakened the statue early…having five of the nine demons they were after."
Tsunade-sama, Kakashis arms were crossed, his book open in one hand. What are you getting at?
"Just this—you're going to track down the other demons…and try to persuade them to oppose Akatsuki."
The silence was deafening.
After a few long moments, Sakura spoke up. "Which demons are we after? And how will we find them?"
Jiraiya looked at her. "Well, it seems the Akatsuki have gone in order from one tail up to five. We're assuming that the ones you are after are the six, seven, and eight tailed demons."
"The six-tail, a Raiju—a thunder animal, will most likely be in the Land of Thunder, since that was the last country he fought for and his place of origin." The Hokage said. "The seven-tail is Kaku—a demon of rock and clay, most likely in the Land of Earth. The last is Hachimata. She is the most dangerous—the eight tailed dragon. She will be the hardest to find, but her last known residence was somewhere in the Land of Waterfalls."
"And if these creatures decide they'd rather kill us?" Sasuke looked at the sannin.
"There is always that possibility. Since they were used by shinobi for war… they are not very keen on humans. But that is why no other team can go." Tsunade smiled at Naruto.
"Me? I mean…the demon fox?" His blue eyes were skeptical. "But he's hardly on our side. I don't think he'd want to convince anyone."
"Not the fox, Naruto. You."
Jiraiya smiled, walking over and ruffling the young man's hair. He's no longer a child. None of them are.
The Toad Sage sighed. "You have a way of winning people to your cause and making friends in the unlikeliest of ways. We are counting on you and not the fox to convince these demons. The fox will simply help them to relate to you and perhaps prevent them from killing you straight out."
"Sounds like a suicide mission." Kakashi's eye stared lazily at them.
Tsunade's eyes took on a glossy sheen. She looked at her desk. "It is true. The likelihood of you returning is slim. But you are everyone's only chance. There is no other way to stand up to the power of Akatsuki."
That was all Naruto needed to hear. His face lit up with a smile. "Don't worry, Granny Tsunade! I won't die until I become Hokage!" I will protect everyone.
"So does team seven accept?"
They all nodded.
Good. I will be sending Jiraiya with you. He has more knowledge of the tailed beasts than anyone. I suggest you spend tonight planning your trip and leave as soon as you are ready.
And then Tsunade did something she had never done before.
She stood and walked over to each of them.
One by one she embraced them, tears flowing silently down her face.
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Coming soon…
Chapter 14: The Land of Thunder