I stayed up watching over Konohamaru all night without anyone disturbing us. I didn't attempt to wake him up once the sun started to rise, so I watched the sun peak over the top of the monument by myself.
A foreign chakra signature appeared within range. I tensed with my kunai raised. They weren't rushed and the chakra didn't seem sinister. They were approaching at a leisurely pace, I relaxed myself knowing that Konohamaru wasn't in danger.
When the chakra was close enough a man with spiked brown hair wearing a Konoha jounin vest appeared. He had a cigarette between his lips and didn't seem threatening. I still watched his movements just incase if he did turn out to be an enemy.
"You're Ketto Momochi right?" he asked.
"I am, and you are?"
"Asuma Sarutobi." he said. The name seemed familiar, I think Konohamaru mentioned him last night.
"You're Konohamaru's uncle right?" I questioned.
"Yeah that's me." he said. He glanced down to Konohamaru. "Do you mind leaving him with me? We have some things to talk about when he wakes up."
I didn't think about it too much. If Konohamaru's only living relative wanted to talk with him who was I to stop it from happening. "I understand." I slowly moved Konohamaru from his place. I lifted his head from the side of my chest and slid away from him. It may not have been comfortable with his head leaning against the bark of the tree, but he needed to wake up soon anyway. Once I was out from Konohamaru's grasp I put my kunai away and stretched my body. "I'll be heading to the Hokage tower to report to the Mizukage, he is still residing there correct?"
"He is." Asuma said. I turned to walk away when he added, "Thank you for staying with him, Ketto."
"No problem, I'll see you later Asuma." I kept walking and raised my hand in a half assed wave as I left.
When I walked through the village more and more people seemed to be getting up and moving about the closer I got to the center where the Hokages tower was. There were several Kiri ninja's around town too, probably some kind of protection detail until the Leaf village can regain a sense of order. They took note of me, some choosing to ignore me all together and others shooting me glares of mistrust.
At the Hokage tower there were many people rushing about for it being so early in the morning. I followed the flow of other ninja in hope of being able to find uncle Yagura sooner. I found him talking among some ninja of the Leaf without wearing his Mizukage robes.
"The feudal lord should be notified immediately about the finding of a new Hokage. That should be a main priority." uncle Yagura said to the ninja.
"While I agree with that, what about rebuilding the village?" a ninja asked. He looked familiar to me, almost like Shikamaru. Could they be related? "It will take several days to get all of the debris cleared out just so we can start construction."
"I don't think it will take nearly as long for clean up." uncle said. "I've sent a few squads of Mist ninja to locations around the Leaf village to assist in clean up." he seemed to have realized I was here as he turned in my direction. "Ketto, what do you have to report about the boy? Where is he currently?"
"Konohamaru is emotionally unstable with the loss of his grandfather, who was the closest to him. It will take him some time to find peace within himself. Currently, he is with his uncle Asuma Sarutobi." I informed.
"That's good." he nodded his head to agree. "I have another task for you. I need you to rendezvous with your team and assist in cleaning the wreckage in the village. It will help speed up the time it will take to rebuild."
"What about my teams other task?" I asked. He wanted us to stand guard over the four Sand ninja; Baki, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. Maybe he will be passing that task over to a different squad.
"I am confident that your team will be able to perform both tasks." he said. Uncle Yagura didn't seem the least bit concerned over whether or not we could control the situation with the Sand ninja's if Gaara planned on using his Shukaku again.
I thought for a moment, I guess I was confident in our ability to keep an eye on them while also helping the Leaf clean up the mess left from the ambush. With the Sand ninja's helping us it would also go faster. I nodded, "Alright, I believe it should be doable too. I'll send a water clone back to the apartment for Jiro and Mitsuru and I'll head to the hospital for Shozouki myself."
"I would actually like to accompany you to the hospital, I need to check in with the medics there to see how everyone's treatment plans are going and to talk with that medic about the results of those blood tests." uncle Yagura turned back to the group of ninja's surrounding him and looked directly at the man he was talking with before I got here. "Shikaku, I trust you will be able to arrange a meeting with the elders of the village, the feudal lord and a few high ranking ninja such as yourself to determine the next Hokage? I think it would be best if I didn't have any part in it. I wouldn't want others to think I manipulated the situation and put someone of my choosing in a position of power when I have no rights here in the land of Fire. Though you can leave it to me to create a sense of order within the village while you find the next Hokage."
"Uh yeah, it won't be a problem at all lord Mizukage." the man now known as Shikaku looked a bit shocked. I wonder if it's because he knows the kind of person my uncle is and he isn't acting like himself right now. Whenever I'm close by, uncle Yagura seems to change into a completely different person. I've never known him to be cruel or unjust, I've only heard those kind of things from other people. I've never experienced that kind of behavior from him before, so maybe that is what is confusing Shikaku? "I would like to thank you and the rest of the land of Water for helping us through this time. It means a lot to us."
"Think nothing of it." uncle said. "I'll be back later to check in."
He left Shikaku and the other ninja looking slightly dumbfounded. He joined me and directed me outside of the Hokage's tower. Once out in the street I performed the hand signs for the water clone jutsu creating a perfect copy of myself. "Go collect Jiro and Mitsuru at the apartment and have them meet me at the hospital." she nodded before disappearing.
"You know Ketto, there's something that I've been thinking of all night." uncle started. He walked beside me on our way to the hospital.
"What is that?" I wondered.
"Your blood sample. What if the medic can identify that there are two different chakras in it." he said.
"I guess I didn't think about it, I've been working to blend both mine and Isobu's chakra and didn't realize that it might not have fully worked." I said.
"If your attempts have failed then you may be exposed for being the three tails." he said. "Though I'm not all that worried about it. The day you came back from the land of Waves your chakra felt the same as it did when your seals were significantly weaker than your chakra. I could sense Isobu within your chakra, but I could also tell that it was you. Until we get the results we have to remember that it's possible the two are not merged together."
"Right, but if they're not one in the same what do we tell everyone?" I asked. "Do we tell them that I'm a jinchuriki?"
"No, remember it's imperative that remains a secret." he rushed out. We didn't look to each other as we walked because we didn't want anyone to think we were talking about anything worth knowing. "I would rather not tell you the specifics yet, but the three tails needs to be kept a secret for as long as possible. Until I know more about that you are still to tell no one."
"Still, if the blood sample shows two chakra signatures?" I questioned. The medic may not know why there would be two, but that would be enough to get him to dig deeper into it.
"I'll tell the medic and anyone present that since you were a baby I've transferred some of my chakra to you to make you stronger." he said. "It has some truth to it. Though nothing all that accurate. Everyone will still think I'm the three tails and that's all that really matters."
I've never really thought about why I couldn't tell anyone I was the three tails jinchuriki, but I trust in uncle Yagura so I won't pry. I know I'll get some answers from him sometime, just not today. Or any time soon. It may take months, maybe even years before he decides to tell me and I'll wait because uncle Yagura knows what he's doing.
When we got to the hospital we didn't bother checking ourselves in. We just went straight to Kankuro's room. Shozouki was standing guard by the door. Gaara was looking out the window. Baki was sitting silently by Kankuro's bedside. While Temari was resting her elbows on the edge of Kankuro's bed and watching him sleep. Strange, I thought all of the poison from the black coral would have been removed with my blood. He should be up now, right? Maybe something went wrong and now he's stuck in a coma.
Shozouki straightened his stance and looked to us. "Lord Mizukage, Lady Ketto."
Temari looked from Kankuro to us. "I think somethings wrong. Kankuro hasn't woken up yet and the medic seemed worried. He said that once the poison fully left Kankuro's body he should have woken up. He took some more blood earlier to test, but we don't know what's going on."
"She's been up most of the night worrying about Kankuro." Baki said. "Would either of you happen to know what's happening?"
"No, I didn't even know it would be possible to save him until yesterday." I said.
I didn't show my shock when uncle Yagura spoke, "I may have an idea of what is happening. I seemed to have forgotten all about it actually, though I'll have to speak with the medic before I state my claim. If you'll excuse me." he turned around and walked out in search of the medic.
"Ketto, what is he talking about?" Temari asked.
"I'm not sure. Let's wait until he comes back with the medic." I claimed an empty chair for myself. "Is there any change that you've noticed in Kankuro?"
"A change that I've noticed?" she questioned. "I don't think so."
Gaara spoke up from his place by the window. "His chakra, I can't feel it. Something is devouring it."
"W-what?" Temari stammered. She looked to Kankuro and said, "You're right, he doesn't have any chakra but there's something else. Something dark and blood thirsty. I think I felt this presence before, a few days ago before the final round started and once again in the forest of death."
So something is happening to Kankuro, but still what could it be? Would Isobu's chakra really consume a foreign chakra like that? I always thought that if someone wasn't compatible with a tailed beast the tailed beasts chakra would try to exit the body and in doing so displace the soul. Yet, what is happening to Kankuro doesn't make any sense.
"Would you happen to know what's happening to Kankuro?" Baki asked.
I looked to him. "I don't think so. What I know doesn't match up to what is happening."
Shozouki sighed, "Let's just wait for lord Mizukage to come back with the medic. They'll explain."
"Do you know something Shozouki?" I asked.
"I might, but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with what's happening." Shozouki said. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall by the door. "Either way, it's forbidden to talk about by the order of lord Mizukage."
Since when has uncle Yagura forbidden anything? How would I not know about it? Is it about me? Am I the reason why Kankuro won't wake up? What the hell is happening.
We all waited in silence for uncle Yagura to come back with the medic. I kept thinking about what uncle Yagura could have kept a secret from me. I always thought that he trusted me and told me everything. I was basically his right hand. I killed for him, went on infiltration missions for him, gathered intelligence. I thought I knew everything that he did.
The medic walked into the room first with uncle Yagura following behind him. The medic was carrying several sheets of paper that he kept shuffling through. "Alright, after thoroughly analysing each blood sample I've come to understand what is happening to Kankuro. As you know I took a blood sample from Kankuro before the poison spread throughout his body, one was taken when the poison was nearly completely spread throughout and one after he received blood from Lady Ketto which saved his life. Though it was the blood sample that I took a few hours ago and Lady Ketto's blood sample that have given me all of our answers."
"What did you find out?" Temari asked. She looked to the medic expectantly.
"To start, the poison has completely been erased from Kankuro's body." the medic looked down at his notes one more time before holding them by his side and continuing, "However, Lady Ketto's blood is very enriched with chakra. It's eating away at Kankuro's chakra and because I've never seen anything like this before I would assume that Lady Ketto's chakra would continue to devour Kankuro's until there is nothing left. But by looking at the latest sample of Kankuro's blood it shows that his body is slowly starting to adapt to Lady Ketto's chakra. The two seem to be merging together to rewrite Kankuro's chakra."
"Can you determine if there will be any complications once this process is complete?" Baki asked. He watched the medic as he explained.
"Like I said, this kind of thing has never happened before. Not that I know of anyway." the medic had a thoughtful look pass his features before continuing, "Though if I had to guess, I would say that once Kankuro's chakra signature is completely rewritten he will wake up. It may take him several days to get back to full strength. There is also the probability that he may have to relearn how to use his own chakra. That will take quite some time and it may be difficult for him to master the new chakra when he's so used to his own. Yet it is still possible for him to fully adjust to his new chakra."
"It'll be a long strenuous process for Kankuro, but he will become stronger with his chakra infused with Ketto's." uncle Yagura said. "Besides, there is nothing that can be done to undo this."
"But Kankuro will be okay? When will he wake up?" Temari asked the medic.
"He should wake up sometime tomorrow if his condition progresses the way it has been." the medic said. "Do you have any other questions?"
"How is it that the chakra in Ketto's blood is capable of eating anothers chakra?" Gaara was facing away from the window now and he was looking around the room at all of us. "If her chakra was greater than Kankuro's wouldn't one chakra reject the other?"
I also looked to the medic, because Gaara had a point. Neither chakra should have been able to stick to the other and meld themselves together. It should have been just as Gaara said, if Kankuro's chakra was so different from my own then it should have been rejected by his body.
The medic looked between Gaara and uncle Yagura, he even briefly glanced to me before he said, "Normally, Kankuro's chakra would have rejected Lady Ketto's because they are incompatible, but it seems as if your brother has the ability to adapt in this kind of situation so his body is allowing it to happen. It's probably for the best, I'm not sure what would have happened if Kankuro's chakra fully rejected Lady Ketto's when that was what saved his life."
"That still didn't answer the question of how her chakra is able to consume another." Gaara said. He narrowed his eyes at the medic. Normally, I believe people would have been afraid of Gaara glaring at them but this medic seemed unfazed like a true ninja of Kirigakure.
The medic was saved from having to respond by Jiro bursting through the doorway out of breath. His dark brown hair was mused and his brown eyes widened when they settled on me. "Lady Ketto! How did you get in here so fast?! I just- You're out- Right?" he looked over his shoulder only to have Mitsuru bump into him from behind.
"Why did you stop suddenly!" Mitsuru yelled. He righted himself and stepped around Jiro. He tried to flatten his black hair to look presentable, but there were darker rings under his icy eyes that showed he didn't get enough sleep. "Oh, Lady Ketto you're here."
"Don't act so casual, she was just running with us!" Jiro shouted clearly frustrated.
Mitsuru looked to Jiro, "Her water clone dispersed outside of the apartment. Honestly, if it was really Lady Ketto she would have beaten us without trying."
Jiro opened and closed his mouth several times, "It was a water clone!?"
"Idiot." Mitsuru mumbled.
"It's great for the two of you to join us." uncle Yagura said. "I have a task for you."
"What about our current one?" Mitsuru asked.
"You will do both." uncle Yagura said. "I believe that will be doable for your team."
"Right, what was this new task?" Mitsuru looked wary, but seemed to accept that he would have to do both.
"The Leaf villagers and many of their ninja are in mourning over the loss of their Hokage." uncle Yagura started, "They are in need of cleaning up all of the debris around the village, otherwise it will take much longer to rebuild. I've already sent a few other squads to different locations around the village. I'll need your team to cover the northeast and central areas of the village." then he turned to Gaara, Temari, and Baki, "You Sand ninja will accompany them while one of them stays here with Kankuro."
"Would it really be a good idea to have us out in public like this so soon after we tried to overtake the village?" Baki asked. He now stood from his seat and watched uncle Yagura.
"The Leaf ninja are aware of Orochimaru's involvement and in turn of how Suna was used to further advance on the Leaf." uncle said. He moved towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "The villagers are being told about it, but if you have any trouble just let Ketto take care of it. Now, I'm off to check the care of the other patients." he left us to ourselves.
The medic followed uncle Yagura without a word to us.
"Temari, you look as if you haven't slept all night. Would you like to stay here with someone and get some sleep?" I asked. Temari looked exhausted, I'm sure she was worrying about Kankuro all night.
"I think I'll be fine." she stood up and stretched her body. "I need to get out of this room." she walked over to me and smiled.
I didn't smile back, because I didn't feel the need to. Instead I glanced to Mitsuru who spoke up. "I'll stay here with Kankuro. The rest of you can go help clean up."
"Alright, let's go." Shozouki pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and turned to leave the room. Jiro immediately followed him while Baki and Temari hesitated in leaving and Gaara didn't look like he was going to move at all.
Baki was the first to follow Jiro and Shozouki, which surprised me. "Come on you two, start moving."
Temari followed after him, but didn't make it very far when she realized Gaara still hasn't moved from his place by the window. "Gaara?"
Just in case Gaara was going to try anything with his sand I prepared myself to counter him. I could dodge his sand and then dart towards him to land a hit on his face. Or, I could stand against whatever attack he'll throw at me. I'm sure seeing it's ineffectiveness will put Gaara in an even more angered state like last time. I could also- My thoughts were cut off when Gaara moved from his seat and followed Temari. He didn't walk too far passed me before he stopped and looked back at me expectantly. I glance over to Mitsuru to see him seating himself in one of the chairs by Kankuro's bed before I followed after Gaara.
We all followed Shozouki as he lead us out of the hospital and through the village towards the northeastern area. Not many people were out today, it was mostly Mist ninja's and some ninja from the village. There were hardly any civilians out, they were all probably mourning the loss of the Hokage. Maybe some of them even lost a loved one? Uncle Yagura only confirmed the death of the Hokage after their battle, but I bet there were many lives lost during the ambush of both ninja's and civilians.
Surprisingly enough, the Leaf ninja's hardly looked our way. If they did it was more to see who was coming through. However, all of the Mist ninja's looked our way. I could feel their gazes sticking to me even after I would pass them. Yet it didn't bother me. I was used to this, at least these ninja were being civil. Just as I thought that a particular Mist ninja to the right of me sent a nasty glare. I'm sure if I was a ninja from another land I would have feared him. I didn't know who he was, his face wasn't really all that memorable, but if I thought about it he looked to be old enough to be someone's father. He probably lost someone during the graduation exam.
Temari who was now walking by me noticed this. As we were walking she was taking notice of all of the stare's sent our way, but this ninja seemed to unsettle her. "Ketto, did you do something to that man?" she quickly looked away from him with an uneasy look on her face. This declaration grabbed Gaara's attention. He slowed his pace and looked around for the ninja until he found him.
I didn't bother to look back at the man as I said, "I probably killed his son. Don't let him bother you, let's go."
Jiro who was on the other side of me said, "Lady Ketto has received worse looks of hate before. One of which came from my own mother. She even physically assaulted Lady Ketto." he directed what he said next to me. "I can't believe you stood your ground and took that hit. I was waiting for you to try and cut her with your blade, but you let her hit you."
"Why did Jiro's mother assault you?" Temari asked.
"Remember, I killed his brother." I said.
"I nearly forgot about that…" Temari trailed off. She continued to walk beside me quietly, but then suddenly as if realizing something she said, "Does that kind of thing happen a lot in Kirigakure? People trying to attack you."
"Not normally, everyone just glares at me from a safe distance as I walk by." I said. "It's rare, but if anyone tries to confront me it's to kill me."
We reached the wall surrounding the northeastern part of the village to see a gaping hole in it. I wondered what made this large of a hole, but then realized it didn't matter. Shozouki and Baki moved to start moving the debris while I did some hand signs for the water clone. Three appeared around me and we rushed to help clear away the broken pieces of the wall. To get to higher places, one of my water clones would give me a boost by cupping their hands and allowing me to use that to push off of the ground. Jiro and Temari sorted through the bigger pieces to see if there was anything that could be reused like wood for lumber. Though most of it was smaller pieces that couldn't be reused so we ended up throwing most of it away.
It was just our group out here cleaning. I wonder, could the Leaf village have been that affected by what happened? I mean I still don't know how many lives were lost, but you would think that even with the loss of their Hokage the ninja's of the Leaf would want to start rebuilding right away. I wonder what their going to do about their missions. Will they even receive missions anymore because of their weakened forces?
We worked our way through the village. Occasionally people would come outside to watch us. Some watched from inside their homes through the windows. None of them interfered with our task so I guess I didn't mind them watching us. We were kept busy all day trying to get everything cleared up so that building could start up as soon as possible. We didn't get as much done as I would have liked for the day, but we still got a lot done.
Our progress brought us close to the Hokage tower as the sun was setting. I stood up with a bundle of demolished wood on my shoulder and noticed that we were joined by Emon. He stood off to the side making sure to stay out of our way. Briefly, I wondered if he had been watching us for a while. Then, I realized that his chakra was only sensed recently so he must have just got here. He was wearing a standard black ninja outfit and his mask was in place. Against the white of the porcelain the violet slashes stood out more with the setting sun.
I set down the wood I was carrying and walked over towards him. I didn't say anything to him, I just looked to him expectantly. He looked down on me, watching me for a moment before saying, "The boy from the Sand, Kankuro has woken up, and Lord Mizukage has requested that you all join him for a meal. Mitsuru, and Kankuro are already enroute to the Hokage tower. I am to escort you there."
"I see, I take it that my uncle hasn't told you any more than that?" I wondered.
"No, lady Ketto, he has not." he replied. He looked a bit relaxed, but I knew he was far from letting his guard down.
"That's fine." I turned away from Emon to address the group with me. "We're being summoned by the Mizukage. We'll be done for today."
Jiro tossed down a pile he had been carrying. "Finally, I was beginning to think that we would be out here all night." there was a large smile on his face. "Let's go, I'm starving."
Everyone else stopped what they were doing. Temari stretched out her arms before walking closer to me. "Hey Ketto, why did that anbu check in with you and not your sensei?"
"I'm not Lady Ketto's sensei." Shozouki spoke up. "I was ordered by the Mizukage to pose as her sensei and the reason he checked in with Lady Ketto is because she is ranked much higher than me in terms of authority."
"Higher in terms of authority?" questioned Baki. "How high?"
"As his niece and adopted child the Mizukage holds great respect for lady Ketto." Emon said. "He entrusts her with his assassinations and any other sensitive mission." he turned away from us, "Come on, Lord Mizukage is waiting."
"Let's go, I'm sure the rest of you are hungry too." I said. Temari walked beside me on the way to the Hokage tower. Gaara was behind us with Jiro, who was trying to chat with him only to fail. Baki and Shozouki's chakra signatures were following behind our group.
"Your uncle really asks you to do that kind of thing for him? Killing people?" Temari asked. The thought seemed to unsettle her mind, like she couldn't quite grasp the idea of it.
"Things are different in Kirigakure." I started. "If it wasn't my uncle to train me into being a killer it would have been my father if he was alive. Or even my mother." I added as an afterthought. "Kiri nin don't have a strong concept of emotion, so we don't express it or show our concern for it. The whole point of the genin graduation exam was to extinguish any emotion to be more combat ready, in the years following the banishment of that exam we haven't really been successful in becoming more intune to our emotions. It's still seen as a weakness."
"Caring is not a weakness!" Temari yelled.
"I didn't say that caring was a weakness, just that expressing emotion is." I said nonchalantly. "It could be used against you in a battle."
We all followed Emon into the Hokage tower and to a bigger dining area than when I ate with uncle Yagura here before, which is probably a good thing. Now we'll be able to fit everyone at the table. Uncle Yagura was already here, he was wearing his normal ninja attire with his green sash. I don't think I'll see him wear his Mizukage robes again until we go back to Kirigakure, or at least the funeral of the Hokage. I wonder if we'll stay for that? Or maybe he won't even stay for the funeral? It has been a bit longer of a visit for us with the passing of the Hokage, but I feel as if uncle Yagura would stay for the burial of the Hokage. If anything, he would stay to show his respect.
Uncle Yagura stood at the head of the table as other people set food dishes down along its length. He watched us file in. "You all may take a seat, I've been waiting for you." I walked and claimed the seat to his right for myself with Gaara following close behind. I didn't seem to mind.
"We're not late are we?" I looked over to see Mitsuru supporting Kankuro in the doorway.
"We all just got here." Shozouki said. "You're right on time. The two of you can find yourselves a seat."
The two of them moved towards the table, Kankuro was leaning more heavily on Mitsuru as they walked and I suspected that he only woke up recently. I could feel that his chakra changed, but is that really what my chakra feels like? It feels more… demoninc than Gaara's. I wonder how long it will take him to adjust to my chakra, or if he ever fully will. Maybe, I should offer to help him conceal the chakra like mine is. My brow furrowed slightly when I realized that the only one who could help Kankuro adjust to his new chakra is me. Do I? Or should I just let him figure it out on his own?
My attention was pulled back to the table when Baki spoke, "I mean no disrespect Lord Mizukage, but is there a reason you called us here?"
"Straight to business I see." uncle muttered. "First, help yourselves to the food." he gestured to the food on the table before continuing. "I've called you all here to discuss your future plans. As a show of goodwill, I believe it is imperative that your team remains in the Leaf village for the Hokage's funeral. You have said that you're a member of Suna's council, and the children are descendants of the fourth Kazekage. For the four of you to show the Leaf village support after recent events it would lead to a better transition when it comes to complete forgiveness."
"I agree, that does seem like a good idea." Baki voiced. "When will the Hokage's funeral be held?"
Uncle settled more in his chair knowing that this will be a civil conversation. "The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow all of you can continue to repair damages to the village. Whereas, tonight, the four of you will be staying with the Kiri team present. There should be enough room for all of you. Right, Shozouki?"
Shozouki thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, there should be enough room. There's a room with two beds, another that's a single, and there's a pullout couch in the living room."
"That will do just nicely, two to a bed and there won't be a need to worry about Gaara's insomnia either." uncle said. "That is something that hosts of the Shukaku spirit suffer from correct?" uncle looked to Gaara for confirmation.
"That's right, if I fall asleep the Shukaku will take over my body and ravage the village." Gaara said, he didn't look up from his plate which barely held any food.
I watched him glare at the plate, if Isobu didn't allow me to sleep what would happen to me? Would I have become like Gaara? Afraid to sleep because I didn't want my village to suffer the consequences if I did. I wonder if it's the Shukaku spirit that maintains Gaara's health as opposed to Gaara's body recovering from sleeping?
"Don't worry about it." uncle said. "Ketto can monitor your chakra if you wish to attempt to sleep, you suffered a great deficiency in chakra yesterday and I doubt you have been able to fully restore it."
"It's alright, I don't wish to be a burden." Gaara said. "I'm used to not sleeping, I'm not sure if I'm capable of relaxing enough to actually sleep."
"You wouldn't be a burden at all." uncle insisted. "Ketto doesn't sleep while on missions, she doesn't trust anyone to watch over her as she sleeps so she stays awake."
"Is that why you didn't sleep while we were in the Forest of Death?" Mitsuru questioned.
"Wait, is that why I nearly had to shove those berries down your throat? You didn't trust us?" Jiro accused.
Uncle chuckled, "I wouldn't let it bother you, Ketto doesn't trust anyone. Not that I'm aware of anyway." I shook my head. I may trust Emon, but that's only a trust to protect my uncle. I don't know if I would trust him to protect me because I'm not sure how he feels about me. I know that he respects uncle Yagura and that he'll do anything for him, and that is why I have given him that trust. I'm slowly beginning to trust my team, but I don't know if that trust will last over time. As far as I know we were only paired up for the chunin exams, there won't be a reason for me to need to trust them if we are going our separate ways once we go back to Kirigakure.
Mitsuru sighed, it wasn't audible, if I wasn't looking at him already I wouldn't have known. Jiro was more open to his dislike of me not trusting him, he was glaring in my direction. It's not like it's something that can just happen overnight. It will take some time for me to trust anyone after not being able to for so long.
"Now, I've only seen Gaara in battle, what type of jutsu do you have Temari, Kankuro?" uncle asked.
They were quiet along with everyone else. Temari was the one to speak up. "I'm not sure I feel comfortable saying given recent events."
"There's nothing to be worried about, you're not enemies to either the land of Fire or Water." uncle said. "I was just trying to get to know you. I am aware that ninja from the land of Wind are more likely to have that as their chakra nature, but that doesn't necessarily mean that applies to everyone."
"If we really aren't enemies and you truly do want to know more about us then why are we being monitored so closely as if we are prisoners." Temari demanded.
"That's more for your own safety, while you may not be enemies Leaf ninja may lash out at you because they believe your actions are what led to the Hokage's death." uncle said. His face turned from indifference to something more harsh. It reminded me of the Yagura I was told about, the one I hardly ever got to see, the Yagura that was more heartless and who ordered countless deaths. "You are staying with this team in particular because they were the only ones I could trust not to kill you for your involvement with the Sound. They were the most likely to understand your position in the whole ordeal. In Kirigakure this would have been unforgivable. The only one I'm even remotely worried about is Shozouki."
"Why are you worried about him?" Baki asked. He looked over to Shozouki who I just noticed was tense, though it could have just been because all of the attention was now on him.
"A few years ago, his cousin Mangetsu was battling a shinobi from the Sand when he was transported to the desert. He wasn't able to stay hydrated and couldn't use his hydrification technique. He died by the hands of a Sand shinobi." uncle said. "There's also Mangetsu's younger brother Suigetsu, he was recently abducted by Orochimaru. Despite being raised in the era of the Bloody Mist the three were raised together like brothers, so Shozouki may be a liability."
I resisted the urge to scoff at Suigestu's abduction. I couldn't imagine him being taken like that. He is the same age as me, but he acts much more immature. He thinks he can have all seven of the Mist's swords for himself, which I think is a stupid idea on his part. Did he plan of killing the remaining holders of the swords just so he could have them? Knowing him that's probably his exact thought on the matter. Like hell would I let him have the executioner's blade. It was my brothers blade and now it's mine. Suigetsu would have had one hell of a time trying to kill me for it, but who knows what Orochimaru is doing to him. He may not live for long, he'll end up dying young like Mangetsu did.
"I'm not a liability." Shozouki said. "Mangetsu may have been killed by a Sand ninja, but that information is not important. He died fighting, it's something that's bound to happen to any shinobi. As for Orochimaru, it would be different if the Sand knowingly followed his orders, but they didn't know it was him calling the shots, so that's not an issue either."
"That's good to hear." uncle said. He turned to Temari and said, "See, we're willing to share information about ourselves. Would you like me to tell you more about the other members of this team?"
"Uh, yeah, sure." Temari still seemed uncertain. She didn't look towards uncle Yagura, and didn't even glance in Shozouki's direction, instead she focused on Gaara who was sitting across from her.
"Very well," uncle started, "Mitsuru excels in ninjutsu and partly in genjutsu. He's not very strong in taijutsu because he's a ranged fighter. He also failed his kenjutsu exam resulting in him being isolated from the rest of his classmates and water is his chakra nature. Jiro's abilities balance out with Mitsuru's, he is weak when it comes to genjutsu and has been developing his ninjutsu but he is strongest in taijutsu and kenjutsu. He has a unique chakra nature where he can utilize yang release and absorb another's chakra for his own use or to give to another. I also believe that he wants to wield the Kiba sword, one of the seven swords of the Mist, and from what I understand he's been training with two swords?" with that uncle turned to Jiro.
"Yeah, I want to be a dual wielder so that I could become the holder of Kiba." Jiro admits. "I'm not sure if my chakra would be accepted by the sword though, so this is just a dream."
Instead of saying anymore on Jiro's dream of being one of the seven ninja swordsmen he moved on, "As for Ketto, due to her excessive training as a child and continuing until now she is above average in all four areas though she considers genjutsu cowardly so she doesn't use it. She prefers taijutsu and kenjutsu over ninjutsu, but she has mastered the silent killing technique and she has more than one chakra nature, water and wind. As a side note, I think her wind chakra is what made it possible for Kankuro's chakra to bond with hers." Uncle looked to Temari expectantly, waiting for her to share something about herself.
"I am weak at genjutsu, but I excel at ninjutsu and taijutsu. Ketto's taijutsu is better than mine, she defeated me in the preliminaries and I still haven't fully recovered. Otherwise, I use a giant fan with wind jutsu's." Temari shared.
"See that wasn't so bad." uncle said. "I just didn't want this to be an awkward silent dinner. Kankuro, you next."
"I suck at taijutsu and genjutsu, but I'm really skilled in ninjutsu. I prefer to use puppets in combat." Kankuro looked and sounded drained.
"Have you tried using your chakra since you've woken up?" uncle wondered.
"No, I don't have enough energy." Kankuro said. "I really just want to sleep some more."
"As soon as we finish eating you all may go rest." uncle said. "I almost forgot, this team will be escorting you back to Suna after the funeral."
"That won't be necessary, we'll be able to travel back to Suna ourselves."Baki insisted.
"It's quite alright, as of now we're not sure if there are any Sound ninja that are still in the land of Fire. As far as we know they could be regrouping to attempt to take the village again." uncle said. "Besides, Ketto will be traveling there with or without you as she has a mission in the northernmost region of the land of Wind near the border."
What was he talking about, I didn't have any business there. "I think you're mistaken, I wasn't going to the land of Wind."
"Oh you are, I just haven't told you yet." uncle reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper to hand over to me.
I opened it and read a report of how Jinpachi and Kushimaru were recently spotted where uncle Yagura described by a group of Kirigakure hunter nin. I see this as a chance to bring back two more swords that belong to the Mist, but what about Jinpachi and Kushimaru? Do I bring them back too? I doubt uncle Yagura cares about questioning them on their defection. "It's clear that I'm going to be bringing back Nuibari and Shibuki, but what about their wielders?"
"I really don't care what you do to them. Jinpachi Munashi and Kushimaru Kuriarare defected from the village years ago, as far as I'm concerned they are traitors and traitors are to be killed." uncle said. "Whatever you decide, I want their bodies to be brought back to Kirigakure. Orochimaru has access to a forbidden jutsu that reanimates the dead and I would rather not have the Heartless Pair as an enemy in their afterlife."
"We can go with you if you want." Jiro said. "We are teammates after all."
"Not on this mission, it's S ranked and the two of you are not of that ranking yet." uncle said. "Shozouki will make sure you don't try to pursue Ketto while she leaves for this mission, otherwise, you'll probably get yourselves killed."
Jiro sulked in his chair at being told we were going to be separated after our mission in Suna was completed. "Um, Lord Mizukage, I was wondering." Mitsuru started. "Will you keep us in this team after our trip to Suna or will the team dissolve after having served its purpose?"
"What do you mean?" Temari questioned. ""Why would their team have to dissolve?"
"Their team was only formed for the sole purpose of participating in the chunin exams. We knew in advance that something was going to happen." uncle said. "Why did you think that Kirigakure would participate in the chunin exams after being absent for over a decade?"
"So you were all thrown in a team randomly?" Kankuro asked.
"I'm sure there was some criteria." I said. "The biggest factor was probably their thoughts on me and whether or not they could work with me."
"Among other things." uncle said. "It's not easy trying to find people who don't want to kill the Demon of the Mist, so I'll admit that was a major factor."
We finished eating in silence. I tried not to think about Jinpachi and Kushimaru. I wouldn't have to worry about them until after I settled things in Suna anyway. Still though, I spent a lot of time with the two of them. They taught me how to wield their blades, I doubt I would be as good as them because of the time they had to perfect their kenjutsu skills with the different blades, but they taught me what they could with the time we had together.
Before Kushimaru let me wield Nuibari he had me do special training with him. We would dance of all things. When I was younger I didn't understand the purpose of it yet I didn't question it much either. Several hours a day for months were spent dancing with Kushimaru until he thought I got all of the movements down. That was when he finally decided I could hold Nuibari. The blade was so thin and long, to move effectively with it you would have to change your movements all the time as if you were dancing with someone. All of the dancing made sense then.
Nuibari was more commonly called 'sewing needle'. Not only did it look like a sewing needle, but its purpose was also to stich. On the end of the hilt there was a hole that had wire wrapped through it. The wire gave off the illusion of thread on a needle. Kushimaru would have me practice stabbing through multiple objects and try and pierce them together. I admired how he was able to throw Nuibari one handed and then catch it on the other side of his target. At that point of my strength training I wasn't able to do that, but it was something that I wanted to do. Being able to throw my sword seemed to be appealing to me. Instead of being a close ranged fighter I could add some distance by having the strength to do some damage to my opponent before the fight even started. Now, I think I'm strong enough to throw Kukushibyo though I've never tried.
Then there's Jinpachi, he went with a more straightforward approach. I swear, with all of the explosive tags sealed away within the scroll of Shibuki I managed to blow myself up too many times to count. Eventually, I got the hang of it and was able to use the Blastsword Technique: Blasting Bridle Repeating Death. To me it seemed to take forever to actually get ahold of the technique. I was so happy when I was able to hit my target with it effectively.
In terms of training, Jinpachi didn't hold me back like his partner Kushimaru did. I remember the first day of training when Jinpachi set up a bit of an exercise for me. He blindfolded me in the middle of the forest and then set up a bunch of explosive tags on ninja wire and some other traps all throughout the forest. I was supposed to get out without setting any off. It didn't work really well, some of the explosive tags were set to go off at a specific time. It took me weeks to figure out that Jinpachi had no intention of me actually succeeding. I was supposed to set off the explosive tags to experience what it would be like to be on the other end of one of Shibuki's attacks, which is what Jinpachi moved on to next. He wanted me to know Shibuki inside and out because he believed that if I had a full understanding of what Shibuki was capable of then the blade would be more likely to favor me over another wielder like Mangetsu who was only able to wield it because of his strong chakra.
Despite the two of them being known as the Heartless Pair because if it came down to it they were willing to kill each other for a mission, I couldn't help but like them. I don't even care that Jinpachi tried blowing me up many times or that Kushimaru stuck me with Nuibari a few times too many, they helped me get stronger. It seemed like they cared to some extent about my training otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to it. Maybe they liked the idea of having a student, or maybe they saw it as an opportunity to beat up the Mizukages niece without someone retaliating. I don't know, but I'm glad they did it. I know that I should stop thinking about them, but could I really kill people I respect like that?
"I think we've discussed everything we needed too." uncle said. He dabbed at his face with a napkin, "You're all free to go."
"Thank you for the meal Lord Mizukage." Mitsuru bowed his head to uncle Yagura and got up from his chair. Everyone else followed suit, with Kankuro struggling to find his center of gravity. "Here, I can help you to the apartment." He grabbed one of Kankuro's arms and helped him steady himself.
While everyone was leaving I stood and faced uncle Yagura. I handed him back the report he gave me, not having a need for it anymore. "Are you sure you won't be needing it?"
"No, I have everything memorized and any additional information can be gathered in Suna." I said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I may be busy, the feudal lords of the land of Fire are coming to discuss who to choose for a new Hokage." he said. "I was planning on being there for that meeting, but as of right now I think it might be best if I wasn't present."
"We'll see what tomorrow brings then. Good night uncle Yagura."
He place his hand on top of my head and ruffled my hair a bit, "Good night Ketto."
I turned away from him to see that Gaara only took a few steps before he waited for me. Everyone else had already left the room. I started walking out of the room with Gaara following me.
In front of the Hokage tower everyone was waiting for us. The sun had set and no one was really outside. At seeing us Shozouki turned and started to lead the way to the apartment with all of us following.
Temari fell into step with me. "What was that about back there?" she asked.
"It's nothing to be concerned about." I said.
"But it involves our nation." she insisted. "You really can't tell us anything?"
"I suppose I could," I thought about it for a moment before continuing, "I am to kill two rogue ninja's that were once part of the seven ninja swordsmen and bring their blades back to the Mist."
"The seven ninja swordsmen?" she asked. "I feel like I've heard of them before. Who are they?"
"The seven deadliest men in the land of Water aside from the Mizukage." I replied. "The truth is that I'll either kill them and bring their swords back to the land of Water or I'll die."
"You're not worried?" she wondered.
"Not really, I'm not afraid to die." I said. "Besides, if uncle Yagura didn't think I could complete the mission he wouldn't have given it to me."
"Still, you're not afraid to die? Everyone's afraid to die." she said.
"I'm not. Once you find someone precious to you that you want to protect then death doesn't scare you." I said. "I believe that uncle Yagura has many flaws, but still he cares for me and I care for him. When I go out and do missions for him I feel like I'm doing something bigger than myself, I'm doing it in the name of the Mizukage and the land of Water."
"Someone precious to you huh?" she glanced behind us to Gaara and then in front of us to Kankuro. "I've never thought of that."
"You'll have to get stronger if you want to protect them." I said. Then as if realizing how that sounded I continued, "That may have sounded harsh, but it's true. I easily defeated you in the preliminaries. Besides, if you have someone precious to protect then you are never strong enough. You always have to improve your abilities so that you will always be able to protect them."
"I understand, it's true." she said. "I thought the training I went through as a child was tough being that I was one of the Kazekage's children, but that doesn't seem to be anything compared to your training."
"No one has had training quite like mine." I said.
We appeared outside of the apartment building and then walked in single file.
Jiro was the first to say anything, "Wait, this means we have to share a bed." he looked to Mitsuru uncertainty. "Don't tell anyone."
"Like I would want to." Mitsuru grumbled. "Idiot."
Jiro shoved Mitsuru, "I heard that."
"Whatever."
"Really? The two of you better knock it off." Shozouki warned. "Now show Kankuro which bed he can sleep in, it looks like he's going to topple over."
"Right this way." Jiro helped Kankuro into their room.
"Um, where will I sleep?" Temari asked. She looks around at the space. "Will I share a room with Ketto?"
"Actually, if Ketto is going to be monitoring Gaara's chakra all night it would be best if he slept in her room." Shozouki said. He then gestured after Jiro and Kankuro. "Would you mind sharing a bed with Kankuro?"
"Oh, yeah, that's fine." she said. "Well, good night." she then followed the two to the room.
I tugged on Gaara's hand a bit, "Come on, this way."
His eyes widened as I pulled him after me. "It's okay, I don't have to sleep. I don't need to."
"Uncle was right you know, you used a lot of chakra yesterday and you haven't fully recovered yet." I said. "It won't hurt for you to try and get some sleep tonight. Don't worry about Shukaku, it will all be fine." I flicked on the light in the room and closed the door behind us. I walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers that haven't been touched in more than a day. I could sense that Gaara didn't move yet. I patted the spot in the middle of the bed as I looked at him, "Let's go, you should get as much sleep as you can."
"I-I can't. What if he takes advantage of me just as I'm about to fall asleep?" he asked. "Either way I'm not in Suna, but being that we are no longer enemies of the Leaf I don't want anything to happen to the villagers here."
"How about you take small steps first?" I suggested. "Like taking off your sandals and your scarf that you have wrapped around you."
He sighed but slowly took off his sandals and set them on the floor at the end of the bed. I also took off my sandals and tossed them aside. I doubt I'll be needing them if I'm going to be in this room all night anyway. Gaara also took off his scarf leaving himself in his black ninja attire. He stood there looking uneasy.
I walked over to him and gently pulled him to the bed. I gave him a little push and he complied by getting in the bed. He didn't lay down like I wanted him to, but he sat in the center of the bed, which was a good start. I pulled the blankets up and over his lap before turning to switch off the light.
"I don't remember the last time I was able to sleep. It was so long ago." he said. "Shukaku kept giving me nightmares so it wasn't a peaceful sleep anyway."
"Lay down." I suggested. "Then close your eyes." I sat against the wall facing the bed. It took a moment for Gaara to respond, but he eventually laid down. "Are your eyes closed?"
"No."
"You have to try." I said.
"I'm afraid."
I thought for a bit, how could I get him calm enough so that he could enter a more relaxed state? Maybe if I use some of Isobu's chakra it would work? From what I understand his chakra is more peaceful than mine. All Isobu wants is peace. Maybe if I just ask him to help me calm Gaara he would do it? The best way to transfer that calming chakra would be through touch.
"Sit up for a second." I said. I got off the floor and walked over to the bed. As I walked I took my hair out of the messy bun it was in all day and ruffled it up. I didn't want it to get in the way.
Gaara slowly sat up. I leaned over the bed and started to crawl in place behind him. "What are you doing?"
"I think I heard somewhere that if a person is comforted they are more likely to relax." I replied. I sat behind him with a leg on either side of him and pulled him back against me to lay him down. "Now try to relax." my arms wrapped around his torso in a hug. His body was still tense, but I kind of figured he would be for awhile. I made sure my breathing was even, so that Gaara could match my breathing pattern. Then I thought of Isobu, I wanted to close my eyes because that was the only way I had ever connected to him before, but I didn't want someone to walk in the room and think I was asleep when I was supposed to be watching over Gaara. I should be able to talk to Isobu this way.
I concentrated on Isobu's chakra and the thought of seeing him. After a few moments, I could feel a change in my eyes before they refocused and I was in front of Isobu. I was in the same position as I was before I appeared here, laying down with my arms wrapped around something. I was grateful that Gaara didn't come with me.
"Isobu, I need help soothing the one tails inside Gaara so that he can sleep and replenish his chakra. Can you help me?" I asked him.
"You can do that all on your own, being that our chakra is is nearly one in the same you should be able to use your chakra to reach out to his demon." Isobu said. "Or if you are having doubts, you can focus on my chakra and use that to calm the demon."
My arms tightened around Gaara's invisible figure while I focused on Isobu's chakra and then tried to share that chakra. Slowly, I felt Gaara's body relax. He might not have been sleeping already, but at least he's closer to it.
"Thank you Isobu. I wasn't sure that this would work." I said.
"There isn't much you can't do if you set your mind to it." he said. "Remember that."
"I will." I said.
I spent some more time with Isobu before I left him. All night long I held Gaara close making sure to keep him calm enough so that Shukaku wouldn't stir. He didn't even try to put up a fight.
