Far From Home
Chapter Eighteen
Aodori seemed satisfied with Tonks appearance. She had snuck in before her shift, something not easily done in Oto's labyrinthine walls and had given her directions out.
"Walk outside with confidence and don't do anything to make either of us look suspicious. Aki-san will be waiting for you on the tree to the left-hand side with the blast mark on it's trunk to guide you." She whispered. "You have twenty minutes. Now go."
"But what about you?" Tonks wanted to know. She didn't want to leave her new friend behind, not in this dismal hell-hole.
Something in the girl's demeanor shifted, blue eyes turned icy, stance tense and commanding.
"Do you want to get both of us caught and killed?" Her voice was harsh and cold, reminding Tonks that the pleasant teenager was also a killer, a soldier, something her own unborn child would be if she didn't get them out of here.
.
Tonks shook her head miserably and left the room, going the way Aoidori told her too. She had to act as though she knew every inch of the place. It was harder then it looked. But somehow she managed to make it past all the guards who either ignored her, or flirted shamelessly with her. She hoped she didn't do something stupid or clumsy to give them both away. Just when she had spotted Aki-san and started following him through a thick grove of trees, she heard Aoidori call out.
"The witch woman has escaped!"
"How the hell did she escape?" Another nin asked angrily.
"She's a Sukinshifuta isn't she? She could have transformed into anybody idiot!" Aoidori shot back.
"She escaped on your shift didn't she?" Someone else asked smugly.
"Quit talking and start looking! Orochimaru-sama won't be pleased if we lose her!"
Tonks silently cursed. So that was what Aoidori meant when she said she only had twenty minutes! She wanted to run, but that would only get her caught, so she changed her appearance yet again and continued to calmly follow Aki-san out towards the road. The little sparrow summons half-hopped, half-flittered from tree branch to tree branch. Somehow, she never knew how, she managed to escape. She never knew that Aoidori's clone was hiding her trail with Misdirection Genjutsu. But she made it down the road after a couple of hours, now black eyes never leaving her guide.
Suddenly the summon vanished in a puff of white smoke and Tonks was alone. Alone but free, the rest was up to her and her ability and she had to find transportation home. Something she would have to do before the Translation Jutsu wore off. At least that's what she believed until someone tapped her shoulder and she fell into a peaceful slumber.
For nearly three weeks they had been on the move towards Oto's base. Then Zetsu had arrived, telling them that Oto had moved to another base, this one halfway across the country by Kokegakure and they'd been forced to backtrack, costing them a week and a half more, avoiding ANBU platoons and Hunter Nin and fleeing rather then fighting preferring to keep their identities hidden.
They needed to catch Orochimaru and Kabuto off guard and time was of the essence. Rumors of Akatsuki sightings would be enough be to make Orochimaru wary, hearing that it was the same ones that had cut down his ninja in Wizarding Britain would make him nearly impossible to catch, he wasn't one of the greatest shinobi the world had ever seen for nothing.
There were also rumors of the last of the Sukinshifutas running around the country with child and Kumo, Iwa and Kusa were scouring the land, eager to have the powerful bloodline in their grasp and hoping to use the unborn child against the woman to reveal the location of others who may have gone into hiding.
Konan and Kisame had promised that if they found Tonks they'd send her home, via an illegally made portkey Dumbledore had created himself, but as quickly as the rumors begun, they ended. It was possible that Tonks had found a way back, being raised in both the muggle world and the wizarding world she was not limited to magical means of transportation and may have found passage on a boat to safer territory, it was more probable that her capture had been kept quiet to throw the other hidden villages off the trail.
In any event, she had at least managed to escape Orochimaru's clutches and that was a remarkable feat for ninja or wizard. She had underestimated them.
Kisame was eagerly anticipating catching up to the Sennin, as they were now only a day or two behind, Sasori was eager too, though he didn't seem to show it openly. He wanted the former Leaf nin's body, since Orochimaru was the last of his clan and an inventor of many of his own powerful and unique jutsu. Though if the Sennin knew that it had been Madara Uchiha who'd invented and perfected the Soul Transfer and not Sasori…
She cast an appraising look at the Puppet Master who was busy preparing his sealing scroll in anticipation of gaining Orochimaru. He had taken the soul transfer down a different path, blending it with the forbidden puppet technique said to be taught to shinobi by the Two Tails herself.
Old lore whispered that a member of the Akasuna clan, who'd once lived closer to what was now the border between Suna and Iwa when the hidden villages had just begun to form, had taken the Bijuu as a lover in disguise, passing down the ability to raise the dead and use them as puppets to their descendants. Because of the knowledge of that terrifying jutsu and the Wars, the Akasuna clan had been greatly diminished, with only a few remaining in Sunagakure.
Yet only Madara had known how to keep his body going strong for as long as he had and he had taken that secret with him to the grave. Orochimaru's use of both techniques was still miles behind Sasori and Madara, probably for good ever since the Third Hokage had crippled him.
Still, she thought as she tended the fire, he was not an easy opponent, he had even taken the Nine Tails host, partially transformed head on and the epic battle would be talked about for years to come.
"Whatcha thinkin about?" Kisame interrupted the near silence of the small camp.
"We are not far behind Orochimaru."
According to Zetsu, he was out and about and his ninja were still out searching for Tonks in Hi no Kuni.
"We need to devise a way to kill him quickly and efficiently. If we take too long, Oto will be alerted and we will not be able to wipe it out."
Though it had not been the first time she had taken a village head on, their chances were not as good when they were not familiar with Oto's labyrinthine passages, despite Sasori's magnificent puppet technique which could take out a small army and though Zetsu could fight, he was better suited for espionage and would stay out of the fray.
Sasori glared at the thought of the plant man destroying his chances of gaining unique ninja for his jutsu. He wanted Zetsu gone, but the half-demon would only take orders from Konan. He almost smiled at the thought of killing Zetsu, Kisame had been very foolish not to include the Spy Master in the Unbreakable Vow and besides his female demon needed a male companion. The dual attack of two plant demons would make a fine addition to his collection, especially since that pink-haired hellion and his grandmother had destroyed some of his best puppets and he'd all but had to start from scratch.
He spoke then. "All I need is for you to distract him, then I'll take him out with one hit."
"Oh really?" Kisame asked cheerily. "Enlighten us."
Sasori turned his eerie gaze on him.
"I need his body intact Kisame-san." I don't have to tell you what I'm planning. Went unspoken.
"Easier said then done." Kisame returned airily.
Sasori narrowed his eyes at the implication and wondered if he could "accidentally" strike a glancing blow to the ex Kiri nin without triggering the curse. Something painful panged in his heart and he pushed the thought away, still unsure how the Unbreakable Vow worked, these wizards were craftier then he'd expected and knew how to lay a curse without loopholes, that he knew of.
"Besides, it'd be a helluva lot easier if we were all on the same page." Kisame continued.
Konan watched the exchange, eyes narrowed contemplatively.
"I'll hide in the shadows, keep him far enough so that he won't detect me and close enough so that I can kill him. Surely you can handle such a simple task?" The Puppet Master asked scathingly.
"Then we take Oto?" He asked, though it sounded like he was laughing at him.
But before he could respond, the ground rumbled and Zetsu appeared, fixing Sasori with an intense gaze.
"Easier said then done, but it's doable, Oto's population is smaller then Hoshigakure's even."
"What a shame, all that food gone to waste."
"True." Konan said ignoring the second comment, "if they expanded then they wouldn't be able to move as quickly, but Orochimaru has artificially created many unique ninja and brought some back from the brink of extinction and even with all of Sasori-san's puppets, they still outnumber us."
"So we get in, take as many of em down as possible and get the hell out." Kisame said.
Konan nodded. "The Moss nin will do the rest."
"How do you plan on getting them to assist us?" Sasori asked, intrigued.
"No one wants to be allied with Oto, they are a danger to every village and we can convince them that Oto made an aborted attack on one of their clans."
"That's the easy part." Kisame nodded in approval.
"But we need to time it carefully, we must leave a trail to the ravaged base without them interfering or they'll attack us."
"So when do we-"
Something snapped.
"Someone's coming." Kisame whispered.
"I'm feeling peckish. Pleasant dreams." Zetsu smiled, showing off his own deadly fangs.
The four shinobi vanished into the night, the rumbling ground and a muffled scream disturbing the otherwise peaceful clearing.
After a few moments, Zetsu signaled and the other three crept down from the trees.
Two ninja lay dead at his feet, both wearing Moss head bands.
Sasori knelt down and inspected the one Zetsu wasn't eating.
"This one, belongs to a clan who can bend smaller plants to his will in a similar way to Mokuton." His Lighter Half explained after swallowing.
Sasori nodded. "It seems the perfect opportunity has fallen into our laps."
He brought out his scroll and summoned the special kit that he used when he had to carry a corpse with him for a long time. He began mixing various ingredients into a syringe with practiced ease and injecting them in different areas of the man's body, he'd wait for a few minutes then inject the solution again.
"This is no time to start working on one of your freaky creation puppet boy." Kisame quipped.
Sasori didn't even spare him a glance. "It prevents the body from rotting."
The planned formed in Kisame's head. "While Sasori and Konan go after Orochimaru, I'll head to Kokegakure. After you've killed Orochimaru and crippled Oto, you can signal me with the Mirror and I'll create a henged mist servant and send it through the village, the corpse will be over its shoulder and we'll lead them right to the base."
Konan nodded. It was a good plan. They had already tried out the mirror in different situations to see if it put out a noticeable chakra flare and though the flare got stronger over distances it would not likely be noticeable when a small ninja village like Moss was in an uproar.
Sasori seemed almost reluctant to let his new prize go. But handed it over to Kisame once the solution settled in.
By that time, the sun was beginning to rise, lighting the sky in fiery pinks and oranges.
"Don't damage it." Sasori growled.
"You worry too much." Kisame called over his shoulder as the three ninja sped off in opposite directions.
The plan was in motion.
Authoress:
Konan and Sasori will definitely catch up to Orochimaru in the next chapter.
Did Tonks leap out of the frying pan and into the fire? And won't Kisame have fun causing chaos in Hidden Moss. XD