Chapter 34: Mioka's Last Stand
"I'm finished." said Izuka as the green healing chakra evaporated from her hand. She had been healing Gaara's cracked ribs for the past twenty minutes in silence.
Gaara sat up and placed a hand on his chest before zipping his vest and jacket up.
"I feel good as new thanks to you." said Gaara with a smirk as he got up from his seat and walked over to his gourd.
"You're welcome." said Izuka as she grabbed her fan and ran straight to the front door. She opened the door just a crack and looked out into the dark hallway.
"I see no strange activity going in the hallway. I can't hear them and their scent is kind of old, so I'm guessing that they moved to another floor to look for us." called Izuka from the door.
"Ninja 101: When searching for your opponent, always check on the floor you last saw your opponent before moving on to another floor." mumbled Gaara as he walked over to Izuka.
"What now?" asked Izuka as she looked at the young Kazekage at her side.
"Let's get moving. Maybe we can surprise Seiriyu and his students." suggested Gaara.
"That way, we will have the upper hand. Good idea." added Izuka as she gently opened the door wider.
The two walked into the darkened hallway, void of any traces of Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins.
"This place is kind of spooky isn't it?" asked Izuka as the two walked down the hall.
"Well, Daisuke did say the place have an "Addams Family" feel." added Gaara as he stole glances at the various paintings around the empty hallway.
The two walked until they reached a dead end at the end of the hall.
"Great, now what?" asked Izuka as she stared at the wall with a disgruntled expression on her face.
"Wait a second. Izuka, can you hear that?" asked Gaara as he turned around.
Izuka became quiet as she listened to the sounds of heels clicking and fabric swishing on the smooth floor heading their way.
"Heels?" asked Gaara as he looked down the empty hallway.
"The smell is getting stronger. . . is that you Mioka?" asked Izuka as she called down the hallway.
"Yes, it is me Lady Sage." answered Mioka as she walked out of the shadows with a solemn look on her face.
"What are you doing up here?" asked Gaara as he took a step forward to the secretary.
"I want to help you two. My cousin needs to be stopped." said Mioka in a strong tone. Her kimono was slightly tattered at its hem.
"Is this some kind of trick? Is Seiriyu using a genjutsu against us?" asked Izuka curiously, uncertainty evident across her face.
"I don't sense his chakra anywhere. You're telling the truth Mioka?" said Gaara. He said his question like a statement.
"Indeed I am. I'm not here to deceive you. I want to help you." said Mioka with conviction in her voice.
"Okay then. First things first, you know how to beat your cousin?" asked Izuka as she returned her fan to her side.
"There is a way to get pass the kekkai genkai both my cousin and I possess, but I don't know how much it will be able to help you." said Mioka as she looked at the wall.
"In our current situation, we'll take all the help we can get." said Gaara with a sheepish look on his face.
"I see. Follow me then." said Mioka as she turned around and walked down the hall.
Gaara and Izuka gave each other unsure looks before deciding to follow Mioka. The three walked into a nearby staircase and descended down the stairwell to the 35th floor of the tower. When they stepped onto the floor, Mioka led the Kazekage and Lady Sage through the darkened hallway to an ornate door with the wind kanji on the middle of it.
"Where are we?" asked Izuka as she observed Mioka take out a silver key from her kimono pocket.
"The floor we're on now is where all the records are kept." said Mioka as she put the key into the lock, turned it and unlocked the door.
"Records?" asked Gaara as he followed Izuka and Mioka inside.
"Indeed. Each room on the floor contains the records of a certain village. The room we're in right now is where Seiriyu and all the past dictators have kept records on the Land of Wind and its villages, especially Sunagakure." said Mioka as she clapped her hands, which was the command for the lights to turn on.
Gaara and Izuka looked around the lighted room to see shelves of scrolls containing all the info that Amegakure had on the Land of Wind.
"Wow; Amegakure's dictators really like to do their research." said Izuka as looked around the room.
"Seiriyu and the past dictators all share a common trait: they all research other countries seeing that they all viewed other nations as enemies. After the death of the Second Kazekage, research on Suna lessened until my cousin came to power. When Seiriyu took office, he increased the research efforts on the Land of Wind." said Mioka as she walked to the biggest shelf in the room.
"Especially on Sunagakure?" asked Gaara as he watched Mioka take a scroll from the large shelf.
"Especially on Sunagakure." concluded Mioka as she walked over to a small table in the middle of the room.
Mioka opened the scroll and stretched it out so that it covered the table from end to end.
"This scroll contains information on research that Suna has on my clan's kekkai genkai. Apparently, the Second Kazekage was able to find a weakness in our kekkai genkai when he faced off against the Kotowashi clan leader before the clan was exiled. " said Mioka with a glum look as she moved out of the way so that Gaara and Izuka could have a look at the scroll.
Gaara and Izuka both scanned through the scroll until their eyes widened at a small bit of information at the middle of the page.
"Shukaku?" they exclaimed as they looked at the scroll, and then at Mioka.
"Indeed; in the early years of my clan, the clan members worshipped the spirit of the one tailed tanuki and eventually learned his ways. They never learned how to control and manipulate sand like Shukaku, but they did learn something else from him, something bad."
"What did they learn?" asked Izuka as she raised an eyebrow at the secretary.
"They learned his mindset. They became as bloodthirsty as the beast himself and in time became the most ruthless clan in the desert. The First Kazekage of Sunagakure wanted my clan to join the village he was starting, not just because of their power, but to also watch over them so that they didn't make any trouble." said Mioka as she looked at the scroll on the table.
"Even the First Kazekage was unsure of your clan." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.
"Yes; my clan was one of the reasons that the First Kazekage sealed Shukaku away in the first place. When the Second Kazekage dueled the clan leader, he figured out that the kekkai genkai's weakness was connected to Shukaku." said Mioka as she closed the scroll.
"But the scroll doesn't even state what your kekkai genkai's weakness is!" exclaimed Izuka as Mioka put the scroll back on the shelf.
"No one in my clan, not even Seiriyu and me, know what our kekkai genkai's weakness is. When the Clan leader and the Second fought, they fought in an area that was closed to prying eyes. No one was allowed to come near the duel and no one knew who won until the Second walked out of the arena with the clan leader's blade in his hand, smeared with his blood." said Mioka as she crossed her arms.
"Basically, we're back to square one." said Gaara in slight agitation as the trio made their way back to the door.
"Not exactly." said Mioka as she stood in front of the door, blocking the exit.
"What do you mean Mioka?" asked Izuka, who was a tad confused.
"Shukaku's name is in that scroll for a reason. He's probably the key to finding the answers you're looking for." said Mioka as she pointed to Izuka's stomach.
"And that means if we're going to get our answers from him, then we need to speak to him." said Mioka, who had a weird glint in her eye.
Izuka and Gaara gave the secretary wide eyed looks before looking at each other with wide eyed looks. Soon, the whole room went dead silent and Izuka's ears perked up.
"MIOKA, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" exclaimed Izuka, but it was too late, as a bolt of lightning went straight through the door and right through her chest.
Gaara and Izuka looked on in horror as the lightning bolt shined brightly from its position, sticking out of Mioka's ribcage. Mioka looked down at the lightning bolt before it retracted from her body and back through the door.
Mioka crumpled to the ground, clutching her wound. Gaara grabbed the secretary before she can even hit the ground though.
Gaara quickly carried the secretary bridal style over to the table with Izuka hot on his heels. He gently placed her onto the table and moved out of the way so that Izuka could tend to her wound.
"It's no use! She's as good as gone!" exclaimed Seiriyu from the other side of the door.
"You are absolutely despicable Seiriyu! Your own family member!" yelled Gaara in anger as he stared at the door.
"She betrayed me by confiding to you two! For that, she must die!" yelled Seiriyu as a comeback.
Gaara moved his attention from the door to the table to see Izuka feverishly working on Mioka's wound.
"Any luck?" asked Gaara as he watched the Lady Sage at work.
"No. The bolt hit her dead center in the heart. She's lost too much blood. I can't save her." said Izuka in a saddened voice as she hopelessly continued to try to heal Mioka's wound.
"It's okay. I did what I could and that's enough for me." whispered Mioka hoarsely as the light began to dim from her eyes.
"Mioka, we are so sorry we let this happen to you." said Gaara in a saddened tone as his face became a stoic mask.
"It's okay Kazekage-sama. All I wish for is for my cousin to be stopped. If I won't be here to see that happen, then so be it." she told him as she looked at the ceiling while taking her last breath.
Izuka stopped healing Mioka's wound and closed her eyes as her free hand clenched into a fist. Gaara crossed his arms as he continued to look at the now-dead Mioka.
"She risked her life to help us. We can't let her memory be in vain." said Gaara in a cold voice as he looked at the door.
"So what are you and the Lady Sage going to do? Stop me?" asked Seiriyu from behind the door as he cackled away.
"Gaara, what are we going to do? With Seiriyu's power and the Lightning Twins' at his side, it doesn't really look good for us." said Izuka as she walked over to Gaara''s side.
"I know, but I think I have an idea on how to get out of here without Seiriyu and the Twins' knowing." said Gaara as he looked at Izuka with a new glint in his eyes.
"I'm all ears." said Izuka as she held her fan to her side.
"Good, cause this involves one of your elemental forms." said Gaara as he got closer to Izuka.
He leaned his head over to Izuka's ear and whispered his plan to her. Izuka's eyes widened before she looked at him.
"You think that will work?" she asked him curiously.
"It's our best shot." he told her as he looked at the door.
"Alright, if you say so." said Izuka as she took a step back from him. She unclipped a green jewel from her chain whip and threw it up in the air while doing hand signs underneath it.
"Element Style: Earth Shift Jutsu!"
End of Chapter 34
A/N: Please review