The village of Sunagakure was as peaceful as ever. Children were running in the streets, kicking soccer balls and throwing baseballs, playing hide and seek, and running up and down trying to catch each other. The shops scattered all around Sunagakure were bustling with business and customers grabbing the freshest fruits and meats that can be found in the desert. There were water sprouts and fountains flowing every few corners, most likely from the help of ninjutsu no doubt.
Engraved in a crater, near the center of the village, the home and office of the Kazekage stood tall, watching over the moves of the citizens. Standing on the balcony, looking over everyone was a laid back, bored Temari. Standing next to him was his wrapped full body puppet leaning on the banister.
Only a few seconds passed before another figure came walking out of the building, her brother, Kankuro. He walked forward until he was standing right behind his sister. The hot sun beamed on them, forcing Kankuro to hold his hand in the air to block it. Only seconds rolled by before the boy spoke up and broke the silence.
"I don't know how you manage to stand out here in the sun all day long like this. I promise the citizens won't leave if you take your eyes off of them for a couple of minutes." Kankuro joked. Temari just watched down on them.
"Alright, what's bothering you? You've been brooding ever since the meeting we had a few days ago. Is something wrong?" Kankuro asked, dropping his hand and walking forward, looking at his sister as she continued to look forward. Finally the girl decided to speak, not turning her head but staring over the balcony.
"This war is wrong. We shouldn't be fighting Konoha this early. I don't know what father is thinking." Temari said coldly. Kankuro knew this was coming.
The "meeting" she had spoken about before was a passing down of strategy to the siblings from the Kazekage. Even during the meeting Temari wanted to speak her mind but knew to hold her tongue in the presence of their Kage.
"We don't have a choice. The word has come down, and as soldiers we don't have a choice but to fight." Kankuro responded. Temari finally turned her and frowned.
"That's not just it. This isn't something father would do. I know he's been distant for a while but this isn't right. This is too rash. Gaara's not ready for something like this, especially the timing. The CHUNIN EXAMS!" She yelled. There was no one in earshot of them but Kankuro still looked around quickly before closing in to his sister and whispering to Temari.
"Keep your voice down! If somebody were to hear you they would kill you!" He said in the lowest voice possible. He looked in her eyes, seeing that Temari wouldn't change his mind, before sighing.
"Look, I know how you feel. It doesn't make any sense but this isn't our decision! We have to stay calm and wait. The plan has already been moved into motion. We have to prepare." He explained before looking at his sister and turning her back to the view of the village and leaning on the banister.
"I'm worried about father too. But the main one we need to look out for is Gaara. We're the ones who are tasked with looking after him during the whole thing. Our positions are the most important. If we aren't ready, many of our own ninjas will be killed." Kankuro stated as he looked Temari in her eyes, wanting to know what she was thinking.
"I know that already. He's the main piece to this puzzle. But I can't see the bigger picture. There has to be a reason to be fighting with the Leaf right now. That's what I want to know. Why is it now of all times? Right before the Chunin Exams?" Temari asked. Kankuro scoffed.
"If you don't think that giving them the slip at their most vital time isn't the best time to make our move then you're not as smart as everyone thinks you are." He mocked..
"Obviously I know that reasoning. But why ruin the relationship between the two villages so soon?" He said once again. This time Kankuro was the one who was confused.
"What do you plan on doing? Are you going to question the elders of the village yourself?" She asked the puppet magician.
Temari thought to herself for a second. In the village Hidden in the Sand it was known by all ninja that you never question the decisions of the top brass, under any circumstances. But this was different. Temari was now smart enough to know the strategies of war that had been beaten into her since he was a child.
"NO… YES… I DON'T KNOW. I'm just tired of being left out of the damn loop! Ever since I was a child I've been able to understand the village elder's decisions but not now. Now is something completely different. It doesn't make any sense." Temari yelled. Kankuro shook his head and stood up straight before starting to walk away.
"I understand how you feel but understand what you're doing and saying. This isn't something that we can take lightly. It's a war against the Leaf on top of that. Make a wrong move and you won't have a chance to regret it. You can do what you want but count me out of it. Gaara too. We can't have anything to do with this. And don't miss any of our missions. I hear the next one we're taking is going to be B ranked." Kankuro managed before she stepped back into the room and disappeared.
"He's too calm about this. This is peculiar. I don't know what's going on but I'm going to get to the bottom of it."
The workplace of the Kazekage was a busy place, busier than usual. With the preparations of war at full effect everyone had their place. Elders were holding provision meetings, high ranked Anbu and shinobi were talking over strategies and the shinobi not to be involved were being briefed on missions that were to be completed during the grave undertaking. This made the bustling rooms and hallways loud, drowning out anything unimportant.
In the largest room in the building the most important meeting was being held, a gathering of the highly influential elders, investors who were funding it, and the Kazekage, who was surrounded by his four guards. Naturally, one of the men sitting in on the meeting was Sento Maru.
They were all sitting on the floor in a circle, with the Kazekage sitting at the head of the circle, positioned directly facing the only entrance of the room. Tensions were rising as this meeting had been going on for hours. Every 20 minutes a woman hostess would come in, asking each member if they would be interested in tea or water.
Right now the topic of discussion was the minimizing of damage done to their shinobi through the positioning of certain ninja in different areas of the village.
"The Hotsuke clan should be stationed at the entrance of the village! Their chakra reserves are small so they should be the ones who are there to protect from any unlikely outside interference! The quick bursts would disseminate any threat incoming!" Yelled an old, wealthy, man who slapped the floor as he talked. The men in the room grumbled at this before the next man stepped up.
"NO! The Harashi clan should be there! With the least likely chances to be involved in the fighting they should be stationed at that position! They are the medical nin of the village! Should they be led by a strong leader with communication throughout the battlefield they can be dispersed more proportionately!" Yelled a younger, louder man. As he spoke the room listened quietly before bustling again with arguing.
"You can't be serious, Kinobi! That doesn't make any sense! Why would healers not be placed within the ranks! Were this change to be made the ninja who were fighting would lose precious seconds, if not minutes, if they were to have to wait for help, lives could be lost!" A man who sat directly across from the Kage.
This man was different from the others who were speaking. He was a ninja. Even though his voice was raised there was an air of poise within it. This man was a shinobi. He was a short man with white hair that flowed down slightly above his eyes but had grown past his ears in the back. His brown eyes pierced the man he was addressing. Instead of wearing normal ninja attire he was only in a jacket, colored dark brown, pants that were wrapped at the bottom to show past his ankles, and blue ninja sandals. Though his rank wouldn't be visible in this attire it was obvious, by the way he spoke freely in this meeting, that he was not someone to be ignored.
Everyone in the room fell silent for seconds.
"This is rare. You almost never speak at war councils. Let alone raise your voice. Anari, I want to hear what you have to say." Sento Maru stated. Everyone in the room had now turned their head to the man named Anari. The ninja nodded and began to speak his mind.
"This war is not one that can be drawn out. As time passes the fight will become harder and harder to fight. The ninja who are returning from missions, ninja who have retired but have had their feelings of sentiment returned to them from the attack, and other factors that we can't foresee will dwindle our chances of victory. If we were to expect a prolonged battle then it would be better to call this mission off completely." Anari calmly explained. He had swiftly caught the attention of everyone in the room. Even the Kazekage's interest had been piqued. A man who was not known throughout the ninja world but speaking freely and knowledgeably about a battlefield.
"The best course of action would be to assassinate the Hokage quickly, in the least likely of places, while incapacitating the maximum amount of ninja possible," Anari continued, "the ninja that need to be incapacitated quickly are the guards of the Hokage himself and a number of Anbu that will be hidden within the village due to the Chunin Exams being held. This would eradicate the argument of who is stationed at the front of the village because every ninja would then be utilized in the best way possible."
The room started to murmur. The man's words held the weight of a veteran who had been on many missions. His suggestions weren't based on knowledge gained from books and lecturing, but surviving battlefields day after day.
Side conversations continued to go on for minutes. Arguments over the validity of his statement, which clan could be counted on to create such a plan to put so many jonin and Anbu in a catatonic state, and who could be strong and proficient enough to not only defeat, but to kill the Hokage.
"This is an acceptable plan on paper but the questions brought forth by this argument are too gaping. Who will fight the Hokage? How will you incapacitate such warriors so easily? How can you say for certain that the method used to put these Jonin out of commission will last long enough for one of the strongest shinobi to ever live to be killed? And the largest problem… the jinchuriki of the One Tails." Stated another man out of nowhere. This man was another wealthy investor of the battle. His voice soothed any questions that were being asked. His long black hair that would normally reach all the way down his back was tied up into a bun over his head. His all silk robes were red and white, flowy and open to show his chest. His green eyes were soft but sharp at the same time.
"These are all questions that have to be answered. The plan for the jinchuriki has already been set in place. Him and his siblings have already been notified of what has been tasked to them. Though he is only a child there is nothing that can change the mind of that boy." Stated another businessman. Anari smiled and nodded his head to the man who had asked such great questions.
"Those are good questions, Hasaku. For the wealthiest man in the village your brain for tactics in business and in battle are sharpened to the highest degree," he complimented before continuing, "but the answers to them can be solved simply. The only one in the village who can match the Hokage is the Kazekage himself." The rustling in the room began again at an all time high. For someone to even have the guts to propose the Kazekage for a battle is unthinkable. The only one who had the privilege to do that was the Kage himself.
"Are you insane!? Offering up to Kazekage so freely! Who do you think you are?!" Yelled another ninja. There were four ninja who had been invited to the council. They were the ones who were most surprised and outraged by this proposal.
"He's right! If the Kazekage were to go into battle, and God forbid be injured, your head will roll for even offering that suggestion!" Yelled the ninja. The group kept raving on and on.
"That's right! It should be up to entire clans! A group specialized in the art of swift action and killing should be picked for this job! Minimizing the risk for not only the Kazekage but for the troops being sent in as well!" Hasaku spoke up, breaking the calm demeanor he held before.
"If anyone should be sent in to assassinate him it should be the highest ranked Anbu! They are strong and swift enough for this plan to be enacted. Even putting the Kazekage into the battle without his permission in the first place is unthinkable!" Hasaku yelled again. The yelling turned into screaming at each other. The only men who were exempt from it were the Kazekage, his guards, Hasaku and Anari.
The Kazekage raised his hand and the talking stopped immediately. The silence was deafening. A pin could be heard dropping a mile away.
The silence was broken as the door was opened for the tea and water request interval. The woman who walked into the room was nervous and frantic. She didn't hold a platter with tea or water. Instead she was holding a bag of rocks in one hand and sand in the other. The only man to put any of their attention to her was Anari. He turned around to face her with a soft smile.
"Thank you for bringing me the things I asked for, and at the perfect time." He said. The woman nodded her head and bowed before walking and handing him the bag, taking a step back as Anari grabbed the bag.
The custom was, when the hostess was to walk in the room the members of the meeting were to raise their left hand in the air for tea, and right in the air for water. The only man who's hand was raised was the Kazekage's left. She nodded and walked out of the room quickly as the discussion continued.
"Calm yourselves. I'm interested in what Anari has to say." Rasa, the Kazekage, spoke quietly.
"Thank you my lord. Allow me to explain." Anari respectfully answered as he opened the bag of sand first and spread it in front of himself before opening the rocks and taking two rocks out.
With his free hand he drew a straight line in the sand right in front of him, a circle directly in the middle, and a third line to the center left of the spilled sand.
"This line indicates the entrance of the village," Anari said, indicated by pointing at the front most line, "the line in the center represents the center of the village, and the line to the left represents the arena where the one-on-one battles will be held."
"And how do you know there will be such battles?" Asked Sento Maru.
"It is customary that every year there are trials of individual battles. This allows every village the ability to show their brightest and strongest prodigies." Anari answered. Sento Maru simply nodded and continued to listen.
"We can assume that this is where the Kazekage and Hokage will both be seated here to watch over the battles. If this is the case then can also assume that there will be a high number of Jonin and Anbu there to specifically guard the Kage of the Leaf. But, if the genin are to fight their team leaders will be there as well. Disarming a group this large with poison, genjutsu or any other means would not be easy by any means, but the easiest solution to this issue." Anari said. All eyes were locked on the presentation intensely. Even the Kazekage watched with a small smirk starting to peak out on the side of his lips.
Just then the door opened to show the same woman hostess from before. She opened the door quickly, walked to the Kazekage's side, and placed the tea neatly on the floor next to the Kazekage and exited the room once again.
Anari continued his strategy by pointing to the line in the middle.
"If we were able to keep the strategy of placing the jinchuriki in the middle of the village, this would make it nearly impossible for the Jonin to not take notice and race to protect the villagers who are unarmed and unprotected. This would distract forces from the Hokage and our Lord's fight making the fight that much easier. And with the strength of the Fourth being the only one who's strong enough to tame the One Tail they would surely be held over for sometime." Anari stated before finally reaching his last point.
Anari placed the two rocks he had in his hands at the left center line, took another rock from the bag and placed it at the center line, and took a handful of rocks and placed it all the way to the right of the sand demonstration.
"This will be where our forces are summoned. Having them be placed anywhere close to the Village would pose too much risk of being caught. If they were to be summoned by a small team of elites this would catch the entire village by surprise, leaving them stunned long enough for our entire force to engage in battle." Anari finished. The entire group stared at the man's strategy in awe. The man had come up with a quick and effective way of paralyzing an entire village. Even Orochimaru himself could feel himself getting excited.
'I couldn't have guessed that someone would come to the same plan that I had. This man is dangerous' He thought before catching himself. He almost let the entertainment that he received from the show slip out as blood lust. Even though he caught the mistake quickly it didn't go unnoticed.
There was no speaking in the room. The words to be spoken now were to come from the Kazekage himself. A battle plan that could be viable was now in the air. Now the decision to ponder over it or to shut it down was the right of only one man.
"I agree with this. This plan is the one that we shall use in the upcoming battle." Rasa said calmly. There was no room for argument or dispute. Their leader had spoken. The only thing to do now in the plan is for each man to meticulously plan around what had been agreed upon for their clan's best intentions.
"Thank you my lord. I will leave the rest of the planning of the finer details to the rest of the council." Anari said lightly before returning back to his usually silent demeanor.
The meeting went on for two more hours before finally meeting its end. For hours the men bickered about who would fight where, who would launch the genjutsu, who could be counted on to protect the Kazekage once the fight had completed, and who would be the ones to reclaim the One Tail.
These would be the largest praises of the battle to come. The clans who took these honors would be hailed as heroes when they returned to the village, claiming not only fame and privilege but also riches and rank within the village. With that knowledge in mind the leaders fought hard to claim these privileges for themselves.
The leaders of the groups began to walk out of the room with Sento Maru walking out of the room with a frown on his face. Though he had no clan to push to the forefront of the attack he had ninja who he wanted to push, high influence ninja who would back him once they had gained the clout of creating the most noise during the attack. But, unfortunately there was nothing he could do. Even though he was a man of high standing himself, his voice was only heard so far before it was snuffed out by other, older men whose families had already solidified themselves in the village.
'Those men... they took all of the glory for themselves! I wasn't able to grab any of the good positions. But that's fine. I just have to find another route in this war. For now I have something else to focus on.' Sento Maru thought before turning a corner and disappearing down the hall.
Hey! I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far. I'm just here to drop a couple points about the story.
Before I get to that just a little informatin about me. This is my first try at a real fanfic. The reason I'm doing it because I haven't seen one out there with the same angle that I'm going for so I'm pretty excited to get this one going. The first few chapters might throw you for a loop but believe me that it gets better. Already have the first arc planned out and in my opinion it gets pretty good if you ask me.
1. It's going to be a weekly chapter upload.
2. I know these first couple chapters are slow and short but it gets better I promise. I'm super excited to get the next few chapters out.
3. I'm always open to criticism and critiques. If you have any ideas for me to improve I'd be more than happy to listen.
4. If there are any OC's that you want to be inserted in the series let me know! I plan on incorporating every village we know (and even some we don't) so I'll need some suggestions.
5. Any plot points in the normal series that you thought weren't given enough attention that you think would be interesting then let me know. I'll try to work it in or clear it up from my standpoint on the story.
6. I'll be adding this little section at the end of my chapters to let you guys into my mind just a little bit.
7. Last but not least... Comment! I'm looking forward to any feedback and feelings about my story.
Other than that I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll be back next week!