Chapter Twelve
'Mission Accepted'
Road to Uzushio Arch IV
Sasori and Fū had crossed into the border of the Land of Fire, hoping that would dissuade the Kumo ninja from pursuing them. Of course, they knew where Fū was heading so if they really wanted to come for them they didn't have to go any further than Uzushio.
But Arui's comments about the island being haunted had Fū believing that perhaps they wouldn't follow. Or if they did, they'd stay on the mainland and wait for them to emerge. They didn't know she could enter the gates — but regardless of that Sasori couldn't. So either way, she wasn't going to be able to stay inside the ruins forever. Unless she found a way to let him inside with her.
All that she and Sasori would have to do to escape the Kumo shinobi was run south on the water and charter a small boat in Water to take them farther south and docking Tea to travel across the continent, take another boat to Rivers, then finish on foot to Ame. Which was what they were probably going to do anyway, because Sasori didn't think returning the same way was wise. It was going to take longer, and she'd miss Naruto's birthday, but they didn't have a choice.
The thought of missing Naruto's birthday made her chest sink like a rock thrown into a river – she'd wanted to be there for him. She knew, in this world and as a kunoichi-in-training there were times that she wouldn't be available for important events in his life but this didn't mesh with her sense of responsibility.
In the other world, she never missed an important event in any of her loved ones' lives.
But, so long as she made it back alive she could make up for it.
Fū was pretty sure she could manage water walking. But discussing it with Sasori they decided she would have to learn it, and fast. So, in addition to learning how to form and use chakra strings, she was now working on chakra control in the evenings.
Right now, she was going to work with the strings.
"Make the stew," Sasori instructed, laying out all the necessary equipment she needed to prepare their supper, "but remain ten feet back. You may sit, but do not come any closer than ten feet. You have half an hour."
Sasori had taken to making her do things at a distance with the chakra strings. Thus far, it had been going alright.
This was the first time he'd given her a time limit, though.
A half hour gave her no room to make mistakes.
She didn't think she was capable enough to get this task accomplished in that little time, but she set to work without complaint.
Sasori sat back and observed as she began, the chakra strings moving in both in tandem and against each other shakily. His scrutiny was nerve wracking, and she had a feeling he was applying the pressure simply because he was still upset with her. They hadn't talked about what she'd done in Sound yet, but she could feel it coming.
Sooner than she thought, too, because just as she was beginning to chop uneven pieces of rabbit meat, the puppet shifted and there was a series of clicking sounds as Sasori stepped out of Hiruko and sat down cross legged in the dirt beside her.
Fu did her best not to react, but the knife slipped and clattered to the ground. She grit her teeth at the failure.
"Pick it back up, rinse it with the water from your canteen, and continue." Sasori instructed, disturbingly calm.
He was really making her nervous now, but she took a steadying breath and did as he instructed. It took a lot more focus, because she had to direct the canteen from her bed roll over to the preparation station. An additional ten feet. Farther than she usually worked, and she strained, almost dropping the canteen, but managed to dump the whole contents of it just to rinse the knife.
She was going to have to refill it now, but she felt accomplished that she'd managed it.
"Good," Sasori praised, leaning his elbows on his knees. His head turned to her, her heart rate sped up. This was it, he was going to verbally eviscerate her. She was a goner. "You will not disobey my directives again—"
'So far so good,' she thought as she nodded.
"—without taking a moment to think first and including me in the plan."
She almost dropped the knife again, glancing wide-eyed at Sasori. "Shishou?"
"You have a need to help others despite the risk to yourself. This manifests in sudden irrational action." Sasori told her with cold eyes. "As any shinobi should be, I am adaptable to sudden change, and strong enough in my own abilities to aid you. However, I do not appreciate being held in the dark while my charge runs off on a foolish whim. No matter how noble the cause. I am the more experienced shinobi between us. It is reasonable to assume I may know something you do not, and that experience should not be taken lightly. Your actions could get us both killed, especially when rushing into direct conflict with a bijuu. You are fortunate you were able to manifest your clan's kekkei genkai."
If she was understanding him correctly, Sasori wasn't upset that she'd disobeyed him. He was upset because she'd disrespected his seniority and hadn't informed him of what she planned to do before she went and thrust them into a precarious situation.
She'd disrespected the chain of command — and she'd been lucky enough that it had worked out for her. But it could've gone south fast, and then where would they have been?
Dead.
"That said, it seems that I have underestimated you." Sasori continued without waiting for a response from her. "You may, with time and diligent training, become a good kunoichi. But you must learn to control your urge to rush into dangerous situations without first thinking about the potential outcome for you and those you are working with. If you cannot do this, then my recommendation would be for you to work alone so that you do not risk others lives unnecessarily."
Fu carefully scraped the meat off the chopping board with the back of the knife blade and into the bubbling pot of hot water, thinking about what Sasori was telling her before she responded.
"You're right, and I'm sorry for putting us in danger," she began softly, moving on to the wild carrot that Sasori had unearthed from a field they'd passed that morning. In hindsight, she should've chopped that first but oh well. "And for getting us involved in a foreign conflict without thinking of the possible ramifications. In the future, I'll do better."
Sasori looked at her as if he didn't believe it.
"But you weren't wrong – I'll never be a good kunoichi." Sasori's eyes narrowed, but instead of looking annoyed he looked curious and she elaborated. "Kunoichi and Shinobi take orders and work for their village. Often, they do terrible things because they're taught from a young age to attach their morality to whatever their village requires of them. I will never be able to compromise my morality for the sake of some abstract idea of what's good for a single village."
Sasori huffed and leaned back against the tree she was sitting against as she finished chopping the carrot and tossing it into the boiling water.
"You really are pretty interesting, you know that?" Sasori stated like a casual fact, sighing as he lifted his arms behind his head to support himself as he got comfortable. "You would be great material for my fifth collection."
'Oh, nothing major, just Sasori of the Red Sand casually mentioning he wants to turn me into a puppet.' Fū thought, jitters shooting though her body as if she was crawling with ants.
"I'm definitely more interesting while retaining my faculties." Fū laughed, but it was a shrill, nervous thing, and Sasori grinned savagely.
"Says you," Sasori stated, resting his eyes, "finish up. When it's done we'll eat and work on water walking afterwards."
"Not supposed to swim for thirty minutes after eating," Fū mumbled, but did as she was told as Sasori settled in for a quick kip.
That went a lot better than she thought it would.
Hiruzen took a great, long drag from his pipe and held the smoke for a minute – contemplating his woes before he released it in a slow, even breath.
"So this… Uzumaki Nagato… says he rescued Fū and Naruto from their kidnapper and is claiming clan rights in order to keep them in his care?" Hiruzen was beginning to regret allowing Kakashi into his office for Jiraiya's debriefing.
Kakashi was too close to this – but his routine insubordinate actions had not gone unnoticed and Hiruzen's only choices were to harshly discipline the errant ANBU captain, or bring him in.
As Kakashi was one of Konoha's best and most loyal, with his own cult following of peers who respected him, the Hokage wisely chose the latter option.
"It's a bold move," Jiraiya said, arms folded over his chest where he was leaning against the windows behind the Hokage, "but a smart one. It puts Konoha in a place where we can't make any moves – it would unsettle the clans if the government were to involve themselves in clan business. Not only that, but Nagato reminded me none-too-gently that the Uzumaki are not a part of Konoha. Kushina was sent to us to house the nine tails – but the clan has their own home despite their close ties to us."
"Uzushio was destroyed." Kakashi argued, his body language borderline hostile, despite his tone being rather measured. "And what was left of the clan scattered into other nations to seek refuge. There's barely a clan anymore and those kids were born here."
"I told him that, but he responded by reminding me that Minato was the last of his own clan, therefore the kids' ties to Konoha are void in the presence of any Uzumaki clansmen who can make a claim. Nagato is making that claim."
"That's–" Kakashi began, but the Third Hokage cut him off.
"A resurgence of the Uzumaki clan." Hiruzen said with a deep frown, narrowed eyes, and his voice horse because of his smoking. "One of the most powerful clans in recorded history. So powerful that, after a period of civil war where their numbers were depleted by over three quarters, it took a united coalition between Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri to take down the remnants. Fifteen thousand shinobi versus one island of less than two hundred remaining inhabitants. The shinobi won that battle by a narrow margin, per intel Konoha received after the fact."
Hiruzen took a long drago of his pipe. "They are not a clan to be taken lightly – not even with only three members, two of them being young children." Hiruzen's words shut Kakashi up and the young shinobi's fists clenched at his sides. "Jiraiya – you have said before that this Uzumaki Nagato possesses an advanced sharingan?"
"It's in a class of its own – the Rinnegan, from the tales of the Sage of Six Paths." Jiraiya trailed off for a moment, but the Hokage would not be deterred.
"He is one of the orphan children you trained from Ame."
Jiraiya nodded with a grim frown.
"Let this be a lesson that no good deed goes unpunished." Hiruzen puffed his pipe again, leaning back in his chair and swiveling to stare out at the village. "A team returned yesterday with intel on Uzumaki Taifū's whereabouts. They had some interesting observations."
As expected, Kakashi was the first to prompt him to continue.
"Hokage-sama?"
"Shiranui, report," Hiruzen called out, and the shinobi dropped from the ceiling, where the Hokage Guard stayed hidden when on duty in the village, taking a knee.
"Hokage-sama?" Shiranui Genma, unlike Hatake Kakashi these days, was respectful in his tone and kept his head low.
"At ease. Explain to the room what you witnessed in Otogakure."
Genma straightened, standing tall to give his report, his hands sliding into his pockets. Senbon bobbed in between his lips as he spoke, eyes darting between Kakashi and Jiraiya.
"Well, for starters, Fū took down a rampaging tailed beast with sealing chains, and she did it within a couple of minutes after entering the battle." Genma said informally, almost casually. "She's traveling with the rogue puppet master from Sunagakure – Akasuna no Sasori."
Kakashi shifted minutely and Hiruzen knew that was all he'd see of how such news affected the boy.
But it was enough to know that Kakashi was affected. For someone who was usually so unflappable, any revelation of his emotions at all was monumental.
"What else?" Hiruzen prompted when Genma paused to let the information sink in.
"She also has advanced her seal work to the point that she was able to fix the jinchuriki's seal while maintaining her hold on the Nibi. As she was doing this, the puppet master was unfazed and did not aid her – he was busy capturing the Iwa shinobi responsible for releasing the Nibi and turning them over to Kumo nin. Seems like they've been working together for enough time for him not to worry about how she's fairing in a high-stakes battle. That's after she disobeyed his directive and headed into danger because she wished to save the innocent civilians who were being crushed."
Hiruzen thought, somewhat amusedly, that Kakashi was about to have a stroke.
"As I said, the Uzumaki clan is not one to be taken lightly. Taifū is merely seven. She's learning from and working with S rank missing nin, and a clansman that is skilled enough to have seized power in Amegakure and possesses a legendary doujutsu that was thought to be a mere fable. Said man was trained by Jiraiya himself." Hiruzen glanced at Shiranui, and decided to bring him into the fold as well. "Add her behavior in Sound to the note we received – I believe she may indeed be working to benefit the world as a whole."
Genma's brows raised and Hiruzen briefly filled him in. "Uzumaki Taifū reached out via paper crane, animated by fūinjusu. The contents of the note determined that she does not wish to be pursued, and that she is trying to 'save the world.'"
Jiraiya huffed a laugh from his corner. "For as much as she looks like Kushina, that girl is definitely her father's daughter."
"Nevertheless, I need details to trust that she is pursuing such interests, and to give my unofficial support," Hiruzen said, taking another long drag of his pipe, eyeing Kakashi thoughtfully, "do not make me regret allowing you to assemble your own team for this mission, Hatake. Do not allow your ties to cloud your judgment. I want you to find the girl and ask her to elaborate – you will not bring her back to Konoha unless she consents to return. Konoha can't have a civil dispute because I've violated clan law. For now, we are unable to move against Uzumaki Nagato's claim on Taifū. Naruto, however, will be tricky waters to navigate as he is in Uzumaki Nagato's possession. We're going to have to play by his rules for now."
Taking the Uzumaki clan head against her will would spark a clan insurrection in Konoha once the Uchiha learned of it, possibly the Hyuuga, too. Some of the other clans, maybe. Hiruzen knew that Konoha as it stood would be changed forever by such a thing, especially given the sheer power of the clans Konoha held within its borders.
Damaging his decent relationship with the clans was out of the question.
But Naruto was Konoha's jinchuriki, like his mother before him, and therefore Konoha did have a claim on him. If the Uzumaki wanted to maintain good relations with Konoha, as they had in the past, they would need to bring the boy back.
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi lowered to his knee in respect. Finally. "Genma, you're with me?" Kakashi asked and then they both shunshined out of the room when Genma nodded, the will of fire blazing in their eyes.
"Is it wise to send two shinobi with strong ties to the Fourth Hokage after his daughter with the intent to just 'talk?' This has the potential to cause serious issues in the village." Jiraiya asked, not moving from the window.
Hiruzen puffed his pipe, idly thinking of how far reaching an impact actions of the past can have on the future.
"If I don't loosen the reins, on Hatake Kakashi especially, I risk losing the shinobi's faith. Especially those who greatly revere Minato. That, too, has the potential to cause unrest in the village. Unrest with devastating consequences."
Something was not right in Kirigakure. Hōzuki Mangetsu clutched two year old baby brother closer as he trekked down the cold, wet stone streets. He kept his eyes forward, but he did not stop watching. Shadows darted all around. Into buildings, into alleyways, and over rooftops.
Lately the shinobi had been restless, and there was a feeling in the air. Like the charge you can feel when a lightning jutsu is heading for where you're standing. Usually he'd leap out of the way, but this feeling existed in the city as a whole and Mangetsu could not escape it.
He hurried along, increasing his pace when he heard his family name whispered in the dark to his left, his heart hammering against his chest.
Shinobi with kekkei genkai were not safe in Kiri.
This was the first time he really, truly understood that he and Suigetsu were not safe here.
"Yo," Kakashi greeted, announcing his arrival to the two young-but-talented Uchiha that were training inside of the Forest of Death.
Itachi startled, just a brief widening of the eyes, but Shisui didn't. Kakashi figured the jonin had realized he was coming but Itachi still wasn't quite at the level where he'd notice a suppressed chakra signature heading for him — not that Kakashi suspected it would be much longer before the young shinobi would.
Then no one would ever get the jump on him again.
"Hatake-san," Shisui greeted with his pleasant smile as Genma casually draped himself over a branch above them, "and Genma-san. Welcome. Are you here to join us?"
"Not this time," Kakashi said, leaning against the tree right under Genma, folding his arms over his chest casually. "I'm putting together a team — the mission is S-rank and comes with ANBU pay. Interested?"
Shisui's brow rose and the Uchiha shared a glance between them before Itachi responded to Kakashi's inquiry.
"I'm still a genin, I will hold you back."
"Not for this mission. In fact, I believe your presence is crucial," Kakashi told him, eyeing the boy that Fū considered her best friend.
He'd thought about this over lunch with Genma before approaching these two in particular. The mission was to get Fū to talk to them, to open up and share information about whatever it was she was trying to save the world from.
She may love him as one would a brother, but Kakashi knew that their relationship had a power imbalance because she would always see him as more of an authority figure in her life. He'd bossed her around for the majority of it and had been largely responsible for her safety during her early childhood. She'd never speak to him like she would Itachi; her peer.
So bringing the boy was probably Kakashi's best bet to pry the most information out of her.
Shisui's invitation was extended because Genma recommended him, and Kakashi had to agree with his points. He was only eleven, going on twelve, and already a jonin. An exceptionally capable jonin, and also more of a peer to Fū than Kakashi was.
He hadn't personally had much interaction with him, so Kakashi was deferring to Genma on this one.
Bringing Shisui had the added benefit of enticing Itachi into accepting before learning the mission parameters.
"His presence, not his skill," Shisui picked up on the wording immediately. "This is about… that?"
Kakashi nodded, already knowing that Shisui had been one of the shinobi that had witnessed Fū take down the Nibi in Sound.
Kakashi hadn't been surprised to learn she'd done it, but he'd been an anxiety riddled mess since learning she'd done it after racing into danger like an idiot.
He was contemplating whether he needed to sit her down for a nice long talk, maybe shake some sense into her, or just hug her and not let go for the foreseeable future because she obviously didn't know how easy it was to die. The girl might see herself as invincible but Kakashi knew she wasn't, and that terrified him.
He couldn't lose another family member. He couldn't take it. Knowing she was alive had at least kept him going once he'd seen the crane. If she was dead…
Kakashi didn't want to think about what that would do to him.
"I will accept the mission." Shisui decided with his face schooled into a polite, if deceptively vapid, smile. The look was very Uchiha, but lacking the usual uptight coolness that most of the clan portrayed in public.
Itachi took one look at Shisui's face, then set his own face the same.
'Idolatry.' Kakashi thought, a little concerned with Itachi's clear attachment to the older boy. He wondered if Fugaku and Mikoto knew about this bond developing between Itachi and Shisui and actively encouraged it.
"I will accept the mission, too."
"Good, now I can explain it." Where better to explain than in the privacy of the Forest of Death, the training grounds he'd already sealed off to outsiders when he disrupted the Uchiha's training exercise? "Itachi, you're the only one who isn't privy to this, so let's get you caught up." The boy's back straightened, waiting for the debriefing. "The short of it is this; we're going after Taifu."
Kakashi would never mention the brief flicker of emotion that ran through the eight year old's eyes. A mix of conflicting emotions— happiness at war with contrition. But that didn't stop him from remembering one crucial detail; Itachi had been the one to deliver the crane.
Itachi already knew that Taifu didn't want to be pursued. Which meant he knew of her self-imposed, misbegotten, 'save the world' mission and hadn't said anything to anyone about it – only delivered the crane to Kakashi.
Suddenly, Kakashi realized that Uchiha Itachi was the secretive type. Good for a shinobi but… now he was wondering if it really was a good idea to bring him along to speak to Fū.
Would she give him details that he would keep to himself?
Kurama felt the pull in his mind as Matatabi called a meeting and his tails lashed restlessly behind him while they each gathered, one by one entering their mental plain.
He was surprised to see them all in attendance. Usually only about half show up when one of them calls.
"This had better be good, Matatabi, I was just about to take over my new container and have some fun with the humans–" Shukaku was, as always, the first to speak. The one-tail always had the most to say, but it never held any substance.
"As if a brief meeting is going to stop you," Gyūki huffed.
"They put me in a child before it was even born, I'm allowed to be pissed about it," Shukaku grumbled, narrowing his eyes at them all.
"Far be it from me to be judgemental. I've rampaged about as much as you have. But I didn't get sealed away in a giant teapot for decades–"
"Hey fuck you, Gyūki you damn octopus bull thing–."
Kurama sighed as Gyūki and Shukaku traded insults. Already wishing he could simply return to his personal bubble, even if that meant being stuck inside that stupid little human runt.
"So juvenile," Son Goku scoffed, raising up and slamming his massive hands into the ground, rattling their dreamscape, "if the two of you don't mind I'm sure Matatabi has something important to discuss?"
"I do – thank you all for coming," Matatabi bowed her head respectfully as they all wandered into a circle out of habit. When she looked up, her bi colored eyes settled on Kurama, who's own eyes narrowed in response. What did she want with him? "I have recently met an interesting human child. One who called me, Gyūki, and Kurama by name. She informed me that she knows all of our names, for reasons she hesitated to speak – but she was surrounded by potential enemies at the time. I'm sure it was merely out of self-preservation that she would not tell me, and I did not push."
Kurama knew he had not given anyone his name in recent history. There was no human alive who should know his name and that made him pause to consider where Matatabi was heading with this discussion.
"Impossible," Kurama grumbled with a disbelieving huff, tails still flicking behind him.
"You say impossible, but the human child in question is one close to you," Matatabi informed him in an even tone, and Kurama's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"No human is close to me–" Kurama seethed, but was cut off before he could complete his scating response.
"Physically, Uzumaki Fū is rather close, is she not? Usually, that is? I felt the faint remnants of your chakra when I spoke with her. I mentioned you, asking about how you were without using your name. It was she who spoke your name."
"I'm telling you, I haven't given the honor of knowing my name to any human in centuries," Kurama growled, swiping at the air with his clawed hand. "Least of all that errant little fiend. She's the sibling of my current container and the spawn of my last one."
No one commented on Kurama's attitude. They were all used to it.
Kokuō, who was usually reserved, gave away his curiosity when he broke the ensuing silence;
"Well don't keep us in suspense, Matatabi, tell us everything."
Kurama listened as the Matatabi detailed what seemed to have been a traumatic experience where she'd almost lost her life due to the constant power-hungry warring between these human nations.
She spoke of Fū, jumping into the frey without reservation and calming Matatabi with adamantine sealing chains (Kurama growled at this, but was immediately shushed by Chōmei) and then lowering herself into a bow and apologizing for taking Matatabi's freedom; claiming she'd only done so to protect the innocent bystanders.
"She fixed the seal that houses me inside my young container – and in doing so has granted me far more freedom than I had before. I am no longer so restricted. Yugito and I are beginning to work together, but the Raikage has ordered all shinobi of Kumogakure to keep a look out for the young Uzumaki and take her at first opportunity."
"Unsurprising, given the humans need to control anything that might grant them even a shred of power–" Son Gokū spat, his fists slamming the ground once again.
"She made it known that she will be heading to Uzushio. For how long, I am unsure, but I aim to leave Kumo behind and follow the girl," Matatabi informed them, and everyone reacted to this proclamation – shouting over each other before she shushed them all with an aggressive swipe of her claws. "I did not ask your opinions on the matter. I am informing you of what I intend to do once my container, and our bond, is strong enough."
"I will speak of this to my container," Saiken declared quietly in his high-pitched voice that aggravated Kurama's ears. "He has abandoned his village to pursue a life as a wanderer, disillusioned by the life of shinobi. Perhaps he can be persuaded to find this Uzumaki Fū. I would very much like to meet her."
"Well I'm not interested!" Skukaku shouted, his arms flailing wildly. "I already have one human brat to deal with."
"Nobody asked you how you felt about it, Shu." Chōmei's tone was joking but they all knew better. "Matatabi, when you catch up to her, will you please ask if she might be interested in helping me? I would like to join you, but my container is so young and I'm afraid she wouldn't make it down the street, much less out of Takigakure."
"You three can't be serious. One human child knows our names and shows a measure of respect and you want to track her down and what, live happily ever after?" Gyūki cut in after Chōmei had stopped speaking. "No human in recent memory has eve–"
"She could have taken me and sealed me within herself," Matatabi interrupted what was sure to be a scathing tirade. "She chose to save Yugito instead."
"So she made one good natured decision—"
"If you do not wish to find her and see for yourself then so be it," Son interrupted Gyūki, "what Matatabi, Chōmei, and Saiken do is their choice alone." The ape's head swiveled to look at the three in question as Gyūki's mouth snapped closed, sufficiently chastised. "As for me, my container would never choose to leave Iwagakure. Regardless, I would prefer regular updates once you have made contact. I am quite interested in the outcome of this misadventure of yours."
"Kurama, what can you share with us about this girl?" Isobu spoke up for the first time, eyeing the fox from across the circle.
"I don't care enough to pay attention," Kurama informed them with a sneer, "and I don't intend to start. I've heard the humans label her a fūinjustsu prodigy but that remains to be seen. That's all I know. She hasn't spoken to me."
"Can't imagine why, you're so pleasant," Gyūki jabbed, before beginning to fade out of their mental realm, "I'm staying where I am for now – my container would never leave the Raikage's side, anyway. The rest of you can do what you want. Just because she knows our names does not make her the child our father prophesized. You should remember that."
Welcome the Bijuu and Mangetsu to the story, everybody. I get to play with his character since he died young, so this is definitely not the last we're going to see of the Hōzuki brothers. I do see him as being about Fū's age. Maybe a year younger. It's not specified on the wiki.
I also start taking liberties with Uzumaki clan history in this chapter. We're going to get a whole breakdown of what I've imagined soon enough.