Chapter 30: Confrontation
Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Ryu found a spare elevator in the western part of the tower and rode it all the way up to the 20th floor. As soon as they reached the floor, they ran down the hall, passed the main elevator, and right in to a few guards guarding the suite.
"LOOK IT'S THE KAZEKAGE!" exclaimed one of the guards as he pointed at the group.
"Sorry we're in a hurry!" exclaimed Temari as she took out her fan.
Temari swung her fan and created a large wind gust that blew the guards straight into the door, rendering them unconscious.
"Kankuro, you and Ryu tie the guards up. We'll get Gaara's scroll and Izuka's chain whip." said Temari as she opened the door.
"Right!" exclaimed the dragon and puppeteer. Kankuro looked through his ninja pack and took out a roll of rope.
As the two tied up the guards, Daisuke, Gaara, and Temari ran to Izuka's room. The three walked into the room to see that everything was normal.
"There they are." said Temari as she pointed to the scroll and chain whip lying on the dresser. "Daisuke, do you're thing."
"Right!" said Daisuke as he walked over to the dresser. Blue chakra started to envelop his right palm. He let his hand hover over the scroll and chain whip. Suddenly, an electric barrier appeared around the whip and scroll. Daisuke held his left hand in a hand sign. Suddenly, the white electricity was sucked into his right hand. As soon as everything was done, the chakra disappeared and Daisuke took a seat.
"The coast is clear." said Daisuke with a sigh.
Gaara instantly walked over to the dresser and grabbed his scroll and Izuka's chain whip. He unsealed his second gourd, which looked exactly like his first one, and placed it on his back. He put Izuka's chain whip in his ninja pack.
Temari walked over to Daisuke.
"Are you going to be okay?' she asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine. Using sealing techniques really tires me out, that's all." said Daisuke as he stood up.
"Right now, we should get going. We don't have much time to lose." said Gaara as he walked out the door.
"Yes sir!" exclaimed Daisuke and Temari as they followed the redhead out of the suite.
"I see you got the stuff!" said Kankuro as he ran for the main elevator with the others. "But what do we do when we get to the second floor? We can't just barge into the hall! There's going to be guards guarding the whole shindig."
"Kankuro does have a point!" exclaimed Ryu as she flew into the elevator while the others ran in.
"You're right. If we want to keep the element of surprise on our side, we're going to need to stop on a floor close to the second. The third or fourth floors should be good enough." said Temari as she placed her hand on her chin.
Gaara nodded and pressed the button for the third floor.
"Talk with Izuka again to see what's going on in the main hall right now." commanded Temari as she looked at Gaara.
"You don't have to tell me twice." said a sarcastic Gaara as he closed his eyes.
"Izuka, are you there?" asked Gaara.
"I'm still here." answered Izuka.
"What's going on in the main hall right now?" asked Gaara in a serious tone.
"Nothing of importance right this minute, but Seiriyu is planning to make a big speech in front of everyone real soon. Do you need to know anything else?" asked Izuka.
"That's all for now. We're on our way down right now, so just act like nothing is going to happen, okay?" asked Gaara.
"Copy that." answered Izuka before signing off.
Gaara opened his eyes and looked at the others. "Seiriyu's going to make a speech in the next few minutes."
"Then we better not be late for that." said Temari in a sarcastic tone.
The elevator stopped at the third floor and let them out. Since the hallway was completely empty, the group ran through the hallway until they reached its end. The hallway opened into a small balcony that went around the main hall. Everyone knelt behind the balcony wall.
"Oh my Kami; look at all the food!" exclaimed Kankuro in a hushed tone.
Everyone gave him incredulous looks.
"What? I haven't had a decent meal for the past few days. I can't help myself!" responded Kankuro.
"Let's get back to the real task at hand shall we?" asked Temari with a stern look.
Kankuro nervously shook his head yes.
"Good; wherever Izuka is, Seiriyu is probably not far behind her. Find him and we'll find Izuka." said Temari as she started to scan the room.
"Found her!" exclaimed Ryu.
Everyone gave her stunned looks.
"How Ryu? There has to be hundreds of people in the room. How did you find her?" asked Daisuke as he gave the dragon a curious stare.
"I just looked for the largest table in the room. In these kinds of events, the largest tables are where the most important people sit at. Besides, the largest table in the room is on an elevated platform so it wasn't that hard to spot." replied Ryu as she pointed to said table.
The Sand Siblings' and the advisor all followed Ryu's gaze to the largest table in the room. Seated at the middle of the table was Seiriyu. Izuka and Mioka were sitting on his left while the Rain Daimyo and his advisors were sitting on his right. The other people sitting at the table were high ranking nobles that were lucky to snag a seat at the table.
Everyone at the table seemed to be having a splendid time, except Izuka, who was wearing a completely blank expression on her face.
"At least we know that Izuka is definitely not having fun at this event." said Kankuro sarcastically as he looked away from the table to look at his fellow ninjas.
"How are we going to get Izuka out of this? We still have those seals on Izuka's wrists to consider." said Ryu as she crossed her paws.
"I'm still working on that." said Temari with a sheepish smirk.
"Hey guys, Seiriyu looks like he's about to say something." said Daisuke as he brought his attention to the dance floor.
The others turned to see standing alone in the middle of the dance floor with a microphone.
"I hope everyone is enjoying themselves tonight, because tonight is a night of celebration!" exclaimed Seiriyu into the microphone he held in his hands.
Everyone applauded the dictator and even egged him on to speak further.
"A few days ago, I made a promise to myself that I would defeat the Kazekage of Sunagakure in a duel in order to pave the way for a new era for Amegakure. My fellow citizens, that promise has been fulfilled."
Cheers echoed throughout the room as the patrons clapped for their dictator. Gaara was getting more and more annoyed by the minute.
"Now, now; I didn't actually kill the man. I left him on the brink of death. If he has survived his wounds, he would still be too weak to beat me. Plus, he would be too late to stop the planned invasion of his village because we leave for Suna tomorrow at noon!" exclaimed Seiriyu.
"WHAT!" screamed Kankuro at the top of his lungs before hiding behind the railing. Everyone in the room looked up and turned to find where the sound came from.
"Really Kankuro?" asked Temari in an incredulous, but hushed tone.
"I couldn't help myself." said Kankuro apologetically. Gaara, Daisuke, and Ryu gave the puppeteer disapproving nods of their heads.
"Well, well; looks like we have some uninvited guests here with us tonight everyone!" said Seiriyu with a chuckle as he turned to the balcony.
"Kankuro; I at least know that you and Temari are both up there. You don't need to hide from me. Show yourselves." commanded Seiriyu.
"How does he know?" asked Temari.
"What should we do?' asked Kankuro.
"Better not make him mad." said Temari as she stood up to reveal herself.
Kankuro just sighed in defeat and stood up from his position on the ground.
"Everyone; I would like for you all to meet Kankuro and Temari. These two are the Kazekage's elder siblings." said Seiriyu as he gestured to the two on the balcony.
The reaction from the guests was mostly negative. Some even went as far as throwing food at them. Izuka only shook her head.
"I have a feeling that you two didn't come alone. Is that advisor and that dragon with you too?' asked Seiriyu.
"Should we?" asked Ryu as she turned to Daisuke.
"You should." answered Gaara.
"Really?' asked Daisuke as he looked at the Kazekage.
"This is one of Seiriyu's ploys to lure us out. If we don't comply with what he asks, my best guess is he's going to shock Izuka." answered Gaara who was looking through a small hole in the wall at the blonde girl. Instinctively, Izuka was looking straight at him.
"Okay then." answered Ryu as she flew into view. She earned some stunned stares and whispers of surprise since most of the guests never saw a living dragon till now.
Daisuke soon joined her. He got booed too.
"Now, there is one more person missing from this little party. Where's your little brother Kankuro-kun, Temari-chan?" asked Seiriyu with a smirk.
Temari and Kankuro didn't answer him. Gaara didn't move from his spot.
"C'mon Gaara-san; we all know you're here. Just reveal yourself. It will make it easier for everyone, especially your girlfriend over here." said Seiriyu as he pointed at Izuka.
The guests started to whisper among themselves in anticipation.
Gaara still didn't move.
"Gaara, what are you waiting for?" whispered Temari through clenched teeth.
"If you don't show yourself, Izuka's going to get shocked. You of all people should know that." whispered Ryu.
Gaara glanced at the others, and then back at Izuka, before sighing in defeat and standing up. The guests let out gasps of shock and surprise. Since they all knew about Seiriyu's reputation, they figured that if the Kazekage wasn't dead, he would be seriously wounded for weeks. But there he was looking relatively fine, standing on the balcony.
"What took so long huh? Thought I was bluffing on my threat?" said Seiriyu with a smirk as he eyed the Kazekage.
Gaara said absolutely nothing, but stared coldly at the dictator.
"There's one thing you should know about me Gaara-san. I never bluff." said Seiriyu coldly as he snapped his fingers.
Izuka screamed in pain as the black lightning appeared from the kanji seals on her wrists and started to envelop her body.
"Izuka!" yelled Kankuro as Temari, Ryu, and Daisuke looked on in horror.
The guests also had horrified expressions on their faces as they witnessed the Sage of the Sixth Paths get the life shocked out of her.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled Gaara in anger as he jumped from the railing and onto the dance floor to face the dictator. Temari, Kankuro, Ryu, and Daisuke followed his lead and jumped from the railing as well.
As soon as the group converged on the ground level of the hall, Seiriyu snapped his fingers again, this time to stop the attack on Izuka.
Izuka breathed heavily as the lightning returned to the kanji seals around her wrists.
"Are you alright?" asked Mioka worriedly who was standing over her concerned. Mioka had her hair down and was wearing a silver kimono.
"I'll be fine after a few minutes." said Izuka as she sat back up in her chair. The Rain Daimyo smirked at her.
"You are very resilient, Lady Sage. Must really help to have eight tailed beasts sealed within you." commented the Daimyo as he turned to face the dance floor.
Izuka only looked at him coldly before returning her gaze to the dance floor as well.
Seiriyu let out a small chuckle before addressing the small group in front of him.
"Well, well, glad you could join us." he said with a smile as he gestured to the guests around him.
"Stop your invasion and let the Lady Sage go!" exclaimed Gaara as he continued to stare at the dictator with cold eyes.
Whispers began to echo throughout the room as the Kazekage made his declaration.
Seiriyu let out a chuckle before replying. "You can't be serious! You actually have the audacity to come in the condition you're in and demand that I stop the invasion and let your girlfriend go? That's rich!"
Gaara let a scowl on his face deepen as he stared down the dictator. The Rain Daimyo soon stood up and clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.
"It's noble that you came here in your most likely injured state, but face the facts Kazekage-san. You lost to Dictator Seiriyu, plain and simple. The invasion of Sunagakure will go as planned and the Lady Sage will remain here in Amegakure, even if she has to stay here as a prisoner of war."
"That's not right!" exclaimed Temari as she stepped from the group. "Your reasons for invading Suna are baseless and you can't keep a person here against their will!"
"Sorry, but a duel's a duel." said the Rain Daimyo as he shrugged and sat back down.
"You people are just sick!" exclaimed Kankuro as he started to let his emotions boil over.
"I suggest you watch your tongue Kankuro-kun or else the Lady Sage gets shocked for your ignorance and impatience." threatened Seiriyu as he lifted up his palm, ready to snap his fingers again.
"It's no use if you do it a third time." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.
"Oh really? And why would you say that?" asked Seiriyu as he looked at him with a smirk.
"Cause you acted so cocky and sure of yourself that you never realized that Ryu made herself invisible and silently slithered over to Izuka to undo the seals that you placed on her wrists." said Gaara with a smirk.
The guests gasped and whispered amongst themselves at this new development. The Rain Daimyo and his two advisors looked on in shock. And Seiriyu jusi looked at Gaara with a full on furious glare.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" yelled Seiriyu in complete rage. He turned around to see that what Gaara said was true. Izuka was standing up showing that her wrists were free from the seals while Ryu was standing on the table next to her smirking at the dictator.
"You fucking little weasel!" exclaimed Seiriyu in anger.
"I'm a dragon, you fucking little idiot!" exclaimed Ryu as a reply.
That got her a few chuckles from the guests, especially Kankuro, who laughed his ass off at the remark. Seiriyu let out a roar of anger and fired some black lightning bolts at Izuka and Ryu, but they had a knew it was coming. They quickly jumped out of the way and leapt over Seiriyu to join Gaara and the others.
"Excellent work Ryu!" exclaimed Daisuke as he looked at the dragon now crouched on Izuka's shoulders.
"Why thank you Daisuke. I try my best." said Ryu with a nod of her head.
Gaara moved his attention from the seething dictator to his girlfriend now standing by his side.
"How are you feeling?" asked Gaara in a stern voice, but he let the worry show in his eyes.
"Better now that those evil seals Seiriyu placed on me are finally off my wrists!" exclaimed Izuka in a slightly pissed off tone as she looked at the redhead.
Gaara let out a smirk and reached into his ninja pack. He took out Izuka's chain whip and held it out to her.
"I believe this belongs to you Lady Sage." said Gaara with a slight bow.
Izuka let out a smirk of her own and took the chain whip from his outstretched hand. "Why thank you Kazekage-san." Izuka then proceeded to wrap the chain around her waist.
The small comforting scene was pushing Seiriyu over the age.
"GUARDS!" he yelled.
The guards answered his call instantly. They entered from all exits within the hall and started to surround Gaara, Izuka, and the rest of their group. The guests started to get worried and more unsure by the second.
"There must be hundreds of them. We're definitely not going to get out of this easily." commented Temari as she looked around.
"Is it ever easy sis?" asked Kankuro as he took a fighting stance, unsealing Sasori as he did.
"You make a good point." said Temari as she opened her fan.
"Point to Kankuro." said Ryu as she started to grow in size.
Daisuke only nodded his head as he too took a fighting stance.
Gaara looked over at Izuka and raised an invisible eyebrow. "What element form are you going to use this time?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Considering the fact that you may still not be at full strength, you may need someone to watch your back." said Izuka as she looked at him while showing him a yellow jewel she just clipped off her chain whip.
Gaara smirked and brought his attention to Seiriyu. "Be my guest."
Izuka channeled some yellow colored chakra into the jewel and dropped it to the ground. The jewel then exploded with the yellow chakra and started to envelop Izuka's body. Soon, the chakra dissipated and revealed that Izuka had gone through another one of her elemental transformations.
"Judging from your weapon, Lady Sage, I'm guessing that this must be your sand form." said Seiriyu with a snarl.
Izuka's kimono was replaced by a loose sunny yellow crop top that had an eight pointed star on the front and black tights that went down to mid-shin. She was also wearing her usual heeled sandals and fingerless gloves and her chain whip was as usual wrapped around her waistline. Her long hair had woven itself into a faux hawk, her eyes were as yellow as her shirt, and her amulet transformed from its usual purple flower form into a yellow medallion designed to look like a scene from the desert. A sand gourd that was slightly smaller than Gaara's was strapped to her back.
Izuka only stared at Seiriyu. The audience could only stare in astonishment at the Lady Sage.
"Kill the Sand Shinobi and the dragon, but leave the Lady Sage alive. I'll deal her with her myself!" commanded Seiriyu as he looked at his guards.
The guards nodded their heads and readied their various weapons. Izuka turned to the group.
"How about we give these people a show?" asked Izuka as she placed her hands on her sides.
Daisuke, Ryu, Kankuro, and Temari all exclaimed their yeses in an instant. Gaara smirked and stared straight at Seiriyu.
"You just read my mind Izuka. Or whatever you go by in this form." said Gaara in a plain tone.
"I like to go by the name Sandeya while I'm in this form if you don't mind." answered Izuka as she too faced Seiriyu.
"Okay then Sandeya. Watch my back cause me and Seiriyu have some unfinished business to attend to." said Gaara as he commanded his sand to rush out of his gourd.
Let the battle begin.
End of chapter 30
A/N: Please review!
Birthday Reminders
Yesterday was Bleach's own Byakuya Kuchiki's birthday, January 31.
Today is Bleach's own Lisa Yadomaru's birthday, February 1.