"Wonder what the boss wants us for, un." A young blond man asked, looking over at his red-headed partner. A metal patch covered one blue eye, the other searching his companions brown eyes for an answer.
"I don't know," His companion began, "But since Lady Kaguya is summoning all of us, it must be something important." He finished, looking around at the small group heading towards her throne room.
"Well then, I hope we get to destroy a lot of stuff," The blond said, eye glinting in delight, "It's been a long time since we've pillaged, eh Sasori?"
"It's never been pillaging," Shouted a young man from the back of the group, silver hair glinting in the dim light, "We've always been purifying the world of heathens!"
"Ah, shut it Hidan, yeah," The blond waved his hand dismissively in his direction, "You're as bad as Kakuzu, except he actually makes a profit."
"Someone has to, since slackers like you don't do anything Deidara," Kakuzu muttered, his voice slightly muffled by the mask that he was wearing. Deidara turned and glared at him, a scowl on his lips.
"Hey, I make beautiful pottery that I sell down in the villages un," He shouts, waving his fist, "While all you do is plunder and sell stolen items, my work can be seen in the halls of kings!"
"Enough," A young man with spiked orange hair said as the group reached the door, "We're here."
The blue haired woman beside him pushed the doors open, revealing Kaguya sitting on her throne, Kokuo curled by her feet. The group walked in and, once in front of her throne, knelt before her.
"All hail the Lady Kaguya," They said in unison, heads bowed respectfully.
"Rise," Kaguya commanded; they immediately did so, facing her. She waved her hand, mist circling in front of her; slowly it began to solidify into a mirror. With a quick snap of her fingers, the mirror showed Kakashi and the group riding through the plains on horses, headed for the desert.
"I have news that the wizard Kakashi has finally made his move to take back the city of Konoha. Thus, with the help of you, the Akatsuki, I plan to reclaim the Nine so that I may be the one to claim the city as my own."
"Heh, they don't look so tough," Deidara muttered, squinting at the scene, "Especially the blondie and pinky; I could probably snap their necks without them even knowing."
"Do not underestimate them," Kaguya said, though her voice seemed to boom throughout the room. Deidara bowed his head, stepping back in line; Sasori gave him a disdainful glance before refocusing on Kaguya.
"Now," Kaguya reclined back in her throne, "You will operate as either pairs or as groups, working to bring back the most compliant of the dragons. After consulting with Kokuo, we have decided that this is the best course of action. Thus, your assignments are as follows: Sasori and Deidara, go to the island in the Southwest and retrieve Isobu."
The scene on the mirror changed, suddenly showing a large dark blue dragon covered in spikes; it raised its head, exposing its dark purple underbelly, opening its mouth as a shower of water came shooting out of it.
"Aren't dragons supposed to…you know, shoot fire," Deidara asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Kokuo raised his head, his body moving so that his snout was mere inches away from Deidara's face.
"The Great Dragon could do a number of different feats with Lady Kaguya's power," Kokuo stated, "When he was split into nine different beings, each was given a different power. His just happens to be water manipulation instead of fire."
"Uh-huh…" Deidara said, backing up due to being unnerved by the dragon. "Can never get used to that telepathy thing, yeah," He thought to himself.
"You should learn to," Kokuo said, a smirk on his face as he returned to Kaguya's side. Deidara blinked; taken aback that he had heard him. Sasori sighed as he watched the confrontation; he turned back to Kaguya and bowed.
"We will leave as soon as you dismiss us milady," He said; Kaguya smiled, stroking Kokuo's head gently.
"Good; now then, to the west in the waterfalls I want Pein, Konan, and Kisame to capture Choumei," She said, turning to them. The mirror showed a large green dragon with yellow wings, flying around the skies of the forest. "As for the elves, I will contact Lord Danzou to see if he is willing to send forces to aid us. I assume this is acceptable?"
"Of course milady," the three said together, bowing. Kaguya laced her fingers together, turning to the last three before her.
"As for you, Hidan and Kakuzu," She waved her hand, changing the scene on the mirror; it showed an ice blue dragon, seemingly having no eyes, resting in a cave "Go to the northeast, and bring me Saiken. I expect you two to be the first to succeed."
"You can count on us," Kakuzu said, bowing before her. She waved her hand, the mirror shattering before them. The glass however hovered in the air, before changing shape into small jewels; each jewel floated towards a team, who reached out and took them.
"These are to get the dragons to cooperate with you," She explained, "Force it into their mouths, and they will follow any orders that are from me. Now go, and get me the dragons!"
"Yes milady," They said, before disappearing in puffs of black smoke. Kokuo looked up at her, his snout brushing against her hand.
"May I ask a question, Lady Kaguya?"
"Speak, dear Kokuo," She said, stroking the top of his head. Kokuo heaved a sigh, leaning into her touch as he spoke.
"Why send Deidara and Sasori down to Isobu when they could easily capture Son Goku here in the north?"
Kaguya's lips quirked into a smirk as she looked down at the dragon, "Because I wish to send Kakashi a warning, as well as possibly kill those fools before their journey has even begun."
Kokuo snorted, head resting in her lap. "You are a strange one indeed."
"So Sasuke," Naruto began, tossing his head in the direction of the elf, "What are the elves like? Do they eat meat? Can you do weird magic like Kakashi can?"
Sasuke sighed; at least an hour into their trip, Naruto had begun asking multiple questions about every topic that could even remotely relate to their quest. By now the sun had reached the middle of the sky, and Sasuke felt like his ears were about to fall off from Naruto's incessant chatter.
"Well for one," He began, "The elves like silence, and enjoy quietly pondering the nature of the world." He stated, hoping that Naruto would catch his drift and silence himself; however, Naruto didn't seem understand subtlety, for his face screwed up in thought for a mere moment before voicing his opinion again.
"Well that sounds boring; at least the dwarves know how to throw a party!" Naruto said, grinning as he remembered the feasts with the Haruno clan. "But hey, answer my other questions!"
"Yes, we eat meat, although it's not that large a part of our daily meals," Sasuke said, pinching the bridge of his nose; the sooner he answered, the sooner the blond would be quiet. "As for magic, for a human it may seem like magic, but it is nothing when compared to the feats that a true mage can perform."
Naruto nodded, sincerely taking in Sasuke's words. "So what you're saying is that the only special things about you are your big ears?"
Sakura watched the interaction; perhaps it was a trick of the wind, but she swore she saw Sasuke's ear twitch in annoyance, almost like the pony she rode. She did however note that his hands tightened on the reins of his horse and, sensing a possible fight, decided it was time to speak up.
"Naruto, you dauh," She said, catching his attention, "Anyone with half a mind knows that the elves have strength and speed that far surpass even the best human warrior. Not to mention that the swords they create are both the deadliest and the most beautiful weapons to be seen."
"You've seen our craftsmanship," Sasuke asked, eyebrow quirked in question. She shook her head, hands fiddling with her reins.
"Not in person," She explained, "There were some books scattered throughout the village and halls of the mountain, but whenever the blades were described it sounded breathtaking."
Sasuke smirked to himself, feeling a slight swell in his ego at having someone admit their work was better. "Perhaps, if there are any times of relaxation, I shall show you my blade."
Sakura's eyes lit up, causing another boost to his ego. "You'd be willing to show me?"
"Hey hey, can I see it too," Naruto asked, eyes equally wide. Sasuke scowled, glancing over in his direction.
"A few minutes ago you thought the only thing I contributed to the world was my ears," He said pointedly. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face.
"Well yeah, but that was before I found out all this cool stuff," Naruto explained, "Which, by the way, you should've just told me when I asked!"
"Perhaps if you were quieter, I'd be more willing."
"Well maybe if you were friendlier, I'd be quieter!"
Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples. "A long journey lies ahead of us."
Far in the west, an elderly man walked away from a meeting room, a cane supporting his weight; the murmured sounds of voices floated towards his ears. His right eye was covered in bandages, black hair falling over it somewhat. The white robes he wore moved silently with him as he moved throughout the halls towards his room. As he reached the door, he took out his keys; inserting them into the lock, he glanced slightly behind him as he opened the door.
"I trust that you'll ensure I have absolute solitude," He asked aloud; a pale man dressed in a black cloak appeared from the shadows, a slight smile on his face.
"You have nothing to fear, Lord Danzou," He said, his black hair peeking out from beneath his hood. Danzou merely grunted in response, entering the room.
"My boy, I've moved beyond having fears."
Kaguya watched as the mirror sparked to life, the face of Danzou appearing before her; Kokuo bowed his head as he appeared, Danzou mirroring the action.
"You wish to speak with me, Kaguya?"
"Kakashi has begun his quest," She stated, "I have already sent my men to their locations, and one of them happens to be close to your domain."
"Your men need assistance in obtaining Choumei of the West," Danzou asked, eyebrow raised.
Kaguya smirked slightly. "It is not Choumei I need assistance in; rather, it is the pesky Uchiha that guard the area. They are a rather annoying group, and they've already given their allegiance to Kakashi."
"Therefore you desire them to be eliminated."
"I desire nothing in this world, Lord Danzou," Kaguya said, "I expect their elimination to occur. Otherwise, you can consider our agreement annulled."
Danzou bowed his head, "Of course, Lady Kaguya. I shall send my best troops to meet your men."
"Very good," Kaguya nodded, lacing her hands in her lap, "Also, as you may have guessed, Kakashi's group will come through that area; travelling in the group is an Uchiha elf."
"You wish for an ambush in the Uchiha forest?"
Kaguya smirked again. "As I said before, Lord Danzou; I don't wish or desire, I expect."
A/N: Much plot. Very filler-seeming. So little action. Wow.