For the rest of our journey to the land of Wind we were not interrupted by other sources. At some point the dirt ground of the forest broke away to the loose sands of the land of Wind. It was the morning of the third day of traveling that Sunagakure appeared in our sights. We made good time in getting here considering Baki suggested that we conserve our energy and walk on the sand. He said that once the sun was fully in the sky we would tire out faster from the excessive heat and that the sand itself would have more of a resistance if we tried running on it. We all complied, I had no idea what being in the desert was like. I'm sure Jiro and Mitsuru didn't either. I don't know if Shozouki would or not, but he didn't say anything about it.
The wall around Suna was a natural stone wall. From here I could see sentries at key points on the wall for look outs. They were mostly focused around a crack in the wall that I'm sure lead to the village.
It was easy to tell when we were spotted. The ninja that were guarding the wall started to move around frantically. "Now it starts." I said.
"What do you mean Lady Ketto?" Jiro asked. He looked to me confused.
"The only people from the Sand that know about Orochimaru impersonating the Kazekage are the four with us." I said. "They are probably going to send out a squad of jonin to confront us. I'm sure they think that we're holding Baki, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara against their will. Just don't do anything stupid."
"That will be hard for him." Mitsuru muttered.
"What was that?!" Jiro fired back.
"Not right now you two." I snapped. "Don't resist them or give them a reason to think that you're here to cause harm."
"You shouldn't be talking." Mitsuru scoffed. I was still covered in blood from when I killed those Sound ninja. I tried washing the blood off of my skin the best I could and Jiro gave me an extra pair of his black pants to put on over the top of my bloodstained leggings, but you could still smell the blood on me.
"I don't smell that bad right?" I wondered. I guess I'm so used to the smell of blood that I wouldn't have noticed if it was a strong scent or not. I inhaled deeply to smell the blood. Being that it's hot out there was a bit of a coppery tang.
"It's like you just came from your graduation." Mitsuru muttered.
Shozouki sighed, "This is not that bad. That was worse."
"There shouldn't be anything for any of you to worry about." Baki said. "Before we left Konoha, I sent a message to Suna explaining everything."
We kept walking and soon enough a group of three ninja met with us. All three of them wore turbans that covered their heads, only their faces were exposed to the sun. They stopped abruptly in front of us.
"Baki, Lady Temari, Lord Kankuro, and Lord Gaara, you've returned." the one in the middle said.
"Have you gotten my letter?" Baki asked.
"We did." the Sand ninja on the right side said. "We've been searching for the Kazekage and his bodyguards since yesterday. We still haven't had any luck."
"The only thing we can do is continue to search, they have to be somewhere." Baki said. He gestured to us. "These are the Mist ninja that have been tasked with escorting us back safely and to establish new ties with the Sand. This is Jiro Matsuo." Jiro pushed back his dark bangs as he waved, his hair stayed parted from the sweat. "Mitsuru Onishi." Mitsuru lifted his hand and twitched his fingers in a small wave. "Shozouki Hozuki, and last is Lady Ketto Momochi, she will be in charge of negotiations."
The third Sand ninja, the one to the left suddenly looked wary. "That name, but it can't be."
"Hn." I perked up at that.
That ninja turned around quickly digging in his pocket before pulling out a small paperback book. He flipped through a few pages quickly before he stopped and his whole body tensed up.
"What is it?" the ninja in the middle said.
The one that was causing a scene turned back around to show that he was holding a bingo book. He turned the book around to show the page. "She's Ketto Momochi, the Demon of the Mist. An S-class ninja skilled in silent killing and infiltration. She killed every ninja in her graduating class without emotion. She's in every bingo book in all the five great nations."
I squinted a bit to see the worth of my bounty. Jiro was the one to say anything about it, "That's a lot of zeros!"
"Baki, are you sure it's a good idea to let her into the village?" the middle ninja asked.
"She saved our lives more than once. I don't think she'll try to kill anyone while she's here, right Ketto?" Baki asked me.
"I have strict orders from the Mizukage to create new bonds with the Sand, so I'm afraid I can't leave until I've talked with your council. Besides, I wasn't ordered to kill any notable figures of the Sand." I said.
Jiro leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear. "That's not very reassuring, tell them that you just want peace. Maybe mention how you only kill who the Mizukage tells you to."
I slightly sighed, how do I make myself seem less threatening? "I'm the Mizukage's right hand, I only kill who he wants me too. In recent years, the Mist has been trying to break away from our Bloody Mist image and create peace between the nations."
"Better." Jiro whispered with a wink. "Good effort."
"Please don't wink at me." I grumbled.
"See," Baki said to the Sand ninja. "She's just here to establish bonds between nations, she won't kill anyone." Baki turned back to me. "It might take some time to summon everyone from the council to meet with you. You must understand that our main priority right now is to find the Kazekage. Temari can take you to the Kazekage building to get you more presentable for the council."
"I understand." I really can't meet with the council members covered in old dried blood from days ago. One of them is bound to know. Besides, I have sand sticking to my skin and hidden in the folds of my clothes. To appear looking dirty in front of the council would be dishonoring Kirigakure.
"You might also want to leave behind your weapons, they are not allowed in the council room." Baki added.
"That is also understandable." I said.
Temari waved for me to follow her. "Come on Ketto, let's get going."
I walked towards Temari, as I passed the Sand ninja I said, "You can put my team to work. They can be paired up with Sand ninja and can help in the efforts of finding the Kazekage. Shozouki is a sensor type ninja and could be of some use. He can attempt to locate the Kazekages remaining chakra signature."
"I feel as if this is because I winked at her." Jiro mumbled. The sweat was visible on his face.
"Probably, why did you do that anyway?" Mitsuru asked.
"I was trying to be encouraging." Jiro whined.
"Next time don't be a pervert about it." Mitsuru responded.
Temari directed me towards the crack in the wall while Gaara and Kankuro followed us. It was a deep crack, but I was right in assuming it goes to the village. "Temari, I don't have any clothes to change into. I had to throw my other pair of clothes away before we left the Leaf village because those were also blood stained."
"That's okay, I have some old clothes that might fit you." she said. She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Can I do your hair? I've never had a sister or a girlfriend to hang out with and this is all I can manage with my hair because it's kind of short, but yours is long."
I don't really want Temari to do my hair, only I don't want to come off as rude either. This is something girls do together all the time, right? "Yeah, you can do my hair."
We walked into the village, I felt as if the path we were on sloped down the closer we got, which could have been right. It looked like all of Suna was in a canyon. It also looked like the village was divided off into sectors.
"What do you think?" Temari wondered. "Does it remind you of home?"
I could hardly call Kirigakure my home, I'm not really there anymore, I'll always be away on missions. I haven't stayed there for a longer period of time since Zabuza defected. "In a way it does. It's just the opposite in Kiri. Everything is elevated, because it's mountainous. It's cold all the time and the mist never lets up."
"That sounds as if it would make you miserable." Kankuro mumbled.
"Not really, it's always been like that. Besides, after some time you get used to it, I'm sure it's the same here. I can imagine that it would take some time to get used to all of the heat and sand." I said.
"Most of us are used to it, but we still don't like it." Temari said. "Your hair and skin is dried out all the time and some days it seems to be hotter out than others. Not to mention sand gets everywhere."
"We hardly ever get to see the sun, I guess that explains why I'm so pale. Then again, the three of you are pale too, so you must stay inside." I said.
"Not all the time." Temari said. "I think our bodies have just adapted to the heat."
As we walked we were noticed by some of the villagers. They seemed happy to see Temari, and Kankuro, however they were a bit wary of Gaara. The people of this village must not trust him because of his tailed beast. If his actions in the Leaf village are anything to go by then I think he must have acted that way here too. He's probably killed many people in his lifetime, he did mention his father sending people to assassinate him all the time.
When the villagers saw me I could see a look of fear in their eyes. I wonder, is it just me that they're afraid of or is it the fact that I'm a Mist ninja? I kept walking as if I didn't notice them looking at me. It's just the same as in Kirigakure except something tells me that their fear of me is mainly because I'm from another village. One of the villages recently betrayed during the chunin exams, even though we were only there to provide aid for the Leaf.
"Ketto, I'm really sorry." Temari said sheepishly. It wasn't until this point that I realized she was uncomfortable. She played with her fingers. "They just don't know the situation or why you're here. They're afraid because they don't know what's happening. I promise they really are friendly."
I didn't think anything of their behavior, but Temari felt the need to apologize for them. I've never had someone apologize to me for something someone else did before. "Don't worry about it, I've been treated worse in my own village."
"What do you mean?" she asked confused.
"How do you think I would have been treated if my own village is the one that gave me the name Demon of the Mist?" I questioned. Temari didn't say anything right away and I didn't let her. "It's not that hard to imagine, one who is feared by their entire village is bound to become isolated and be treated with more hostility. A lot of the time, there are ninja from my village who can't accept some of my past actions so they try to take my life. Actually, that is usually the case. I suppose you can say that Mist ninja are tempermental. I would rather have people fear me and stay away than have them attempt to take my life, then I would have to put in the effort to kill them before they can kill me."
"Has it always been like that?" Kankuro asked.
"For most of my life, yes." I said. "When I was younger, my uncle wouldn't allow me to leave the Mizukage's tower. The first instance I remember was when I was seven, a ninja whose son I killed in our graduation exam attacked me because he couldn't comprehend how I was able to defeat all of my opponents without any harm to myself. He tried to cut me down that day, and I took his life. I still remember his words, 'how is it that a weak little girl was able to kill an entire class of academy students? You are nothing girl, I want you to remember that while I kill you.'"
"I thought you said that was the graduation exam?" Kankuro asked confused. "The goal was to kill one of your classmates, why was it such a big deal that you were strong enough to kill them all?"
"Only one other person was able to manage to kill his whole graduating class, and that was my brother Zabuza." I said. "It wasn't that big of a deal when he killed his classmates, but it was when I did because I was a girl. There aren't many kunoichi in the land of Water and for one to do something as extreme as that was a bit unbelievable."
"So what, they're all sexist?" Temari huffed. "That's dumb."
"We're a nation that focuses more on our military might and producing perfect shinobi, it's not the same now, but back then women were hardly ever ninja." I said. I thought about it for a second and added, "I still don't think there are many kunoichi, not that I would really know being that I don't spend much time in the village anymore."
"If that's the kind of culture in the Mist then why would you want to be a ninja?" Kankuro asked. "It seems more trouble than it's worth."
"I've never really thought about it, I was born into a ninja family and not just any ninja family. The Karatachi family has produced Mizukage's and other notable ninja for generations." I started, "Uncle Yagura has always had people training me to become a ninja, I didn't really have a choice. In a way, I also think it was expected of me. Was it not the same for you as the Kazekage's children?"
"We did go through a lot of specialized training growing up." Temari said. She glanced over to Gaara. "Some was a bit different than others, but there was a lot expected of us."
"I understand." Growing up I never thought of what was expected if me. I just did whatever uncle Yagura wanted of me because I craved recognition from him. I hardly ever got it, but when I did my heart would flutter and I would feel giddy. I never questioned any of his orders just so I could experience that feeling.
"We're here." Temari said. We stopped in front of a spherical building that said Kazekage in red. "The Kazekage building, welcome to our home Ketto. I'll bring you to my room and help you get cleaned up."
Temari directed me into the building and down several hallways before flinging open a door and pushing me in first. Everything was either red, purple or black. The room looked severely different than my own, this one looked lived in. There were trinkets on all surfaces, small collages of pictures all around the room, and there was even a small wind chime by the window. "Give me a second to find you something to wear, I have something in mind." she crossed the room and opened a wardrobe. She pushed aside some clothes and examined others before passing over them. She looked over some piles of clothes for awhile until she seemed to find whatever she was looking for. "Aha, here, hopefully these will fit you." she walked back over to me and set a folded pile of clothes in my arms that were lavender. I've never worn a color this light and cheerful before, so I wonder what it would look like. Would I still be able to recognize myself?
While looking at the pile of clothes in my arms I saw the blood stained bandages on my arms. "Temari, would you happen to have a spare roll of bandages? I don't think I have enough."
"I should have some around here somewhere." she turned and searched through some drawers of an end table by her bed. "Here you go." she tossed a roll of bandages towards me and I caught it midair. "The bathroom is right that way, you should try and get all of the blood off before you meet with the council. I also don't think your clothes can be salvaged so you should just throw them away. You can keep my clothes." she smiled at me and I couldn't help but to give her a small smile back. She gasped softly causing me to stop smiling. "I'm sorry! You just look so cute when you smile. Please smile more often." she smiled again this time waving her arms as if to calm me. I hardly ever smile because my teeth are pointed like all of the seven ninja swordsmen and I think it makes me look weird.
"I look cute?" I questioned. This is the second time Temari has referred to me as being cute, what does that even mean? How can I look cute? People take one look at me and are terrified, how can any of that be interpreted as cute?
"Of course you are!" as if suddenly realizing she asked, "Has no one ever said that to you before?"
"No, you're the only one." I said. I twitched my fingers under the bundle of clothes. "I've never had a friend who was a girl to say those kinds of things. I haven't really had many friends until recently."
"You've never had a guy tell you that you were cute?" she pressed, "Not even your uncle or your brother?"
"No, my relationship with both my brother and my uncle is complicated." I said. "Zabuza and I were more rivals than anything. There was a significant age gap between us, but that didn't stop him from molding me into the perfect sparring partner. As for uncle Yagura, as much as I respect him, even I acknowledge that I'm mostly just a weapon to him."
"Well, it's a good thing you have me!" she smiled wide and held both of my hands in hers. "Us ladies need to give each other compliments every once in awhile. Most of the time guys are too chicken to say anything or they're completely oblivious. Trust me, my brothers are experts in both."
Gaara and Kankuro didn't seem like the type to be interested in girls right now. If anything Kankuro would be too invested in his training to care and Gaara probably thinks that because his village hates him no one would return his feelings. That would be kind of sad, personally if someone was afraid of me and I kind of liked them I would get over it. The idea of someone from my village liking me romantically actually confused me more than anything. There are so many reason as to why they should fear me, how could they find it in their hearts to care for me? I should stop thinking about it, but who from my village would care about me? Mitsuru and Jiro? Is that even possible for them? He may not want to admit it because he's trying so hard not to, but I'm pretty sure that Jiro is still afraid of me to some extent. As for Mitsuru, who knows what he's thinking. He's not very good at showing emotion, which I guess is perfect for a Mist ninja, so I can never tell if he even likes me or if he's only a part of our team because he thinks he could get political favor within Kiri. Then again they both agreed to remain a team after going back to the Mist, maybe they care more than I give them credit for which isn't necessarily about caring for me. We just have to remain together and form strong bonds with each other to further advance as ninja. Mitsuru for status, Jiro to gain strength, and me to work on communication with allies.
"How do you know if someone likes you?" I wondered.
"That's a good question." she said. She let go of my hands to place one on her chin. "It's kind of hard to tell all of the time. Sometimes there's the tough love type of people, they hardly ever acknowledge any type of connection between themselves and someone else. There's the shy type, they usually just skirt around the subject itself or they blush a lot. The people who are really forward and open about their thoughts just tell you how it is. Those are the three basic types of people, I can't think of anymore. People are complicated and you'll never know what they're thinking. You seem like you would be more open, so why don't you just ask what someone feels about you."
"Just ask them? Would they give an honest answer?" I asked.
"Either that or they'll dodge the question entirely." she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Like I said, people are complicated. We can continue this chat later, you should go get cleaned up."
"You're right, thank you for letting me use your bathroom." I thanked.
I turned from Temari and walked to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me just to make sure I wouldn't be interrupted and then I turned on the water to a medium temperature. I looked through the drawers by the sink to find a scissors to cut off the bandages with dried blood staining them only to come up without a pair. Instead, I used a kunai from my pouch to cut them away.
Slowly, I started to pile everything in the small garbage bin. My blood stained bandages were the first to enter the bin. Followed by my shirt and then my leggings. Everything was hard with the dried blood. Temari was right, there was no way I could have salvaged them.
I took my long hair out of its ponytail before I stepped into the shower. I scrubbed everywhere with some of the desert lily body wash that was in here. There was dried blood everywhere. After I killed all of those Sound ninja I tried to rub off most of the visible blood on my skin, which I seemed to get all of. The blood that dried into my clothes seemed to have dried in little rivers going down my body, probably when it was wet enough to trail off. My legs were a mess, the same with my arms. Who am I kidding though, all of me was bloodstained. There was dried blood on my chest and stomach. I couldn't see some of my back, but most of it was stained too.
I scrubbed my body until the water turned from red to pink to clear. Then I finally did my hair. I didn't take as long on it this time because I didn't get it nearly as bloody as last time. Only a few strands on the tips of my hair needed extra attention. I rinsed and then used a little bit of conditioner before rinsing most of that out too.
While turning off the water, I realized that I didn't grab a towel. I sighed before ringing out my hair and then stepping out of the shower to look through the cupboards by the sink. The first one had all kinds of hair products, perfumes, some lotions, and some make up products. There was so much stuff, but I didn't want to be bothered trying to figure out what a foundation was or even a primer so I moved on to the next cupboard. Thankfully, there were towels. I quickly grabbed one to wrap around myself and then decided to check out the outfit Temari gave me.
I picked up the piece of lavender colored fabric to see that it was actually a dress. I really should have known being that Temari always seems to wear a dress. The sleeves and the bust were lavender while the rest of it fell into a black skirt. It looked like it might be a bit short, but maybe I'm just imagining it. I noticed a smaller bundle of clothing that fell from the dress. I reached down to pick it up to see that it was some underwear. I didn't even see Temari put it in here.
I made sure to dry off my body well before putting on the underwear. Then, I bandaged my wrists to my upper biceps. Even though my arms are going to be covered by long sleeves I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a chance for someone to accidentally see my seals. I added bandages to my stomach because I was so used to putting them on. it doesn't matter if it's already completely covered, it just doesn't feel right if I don't do it.
After applying my bandages, I pulled on the dress. I still had to bandage my shins, but this dress really does seem short. It barely covers my butt, is this how girls in the Sand dress? I was thinking about leaving it, but then realized that meeting with the council looking like this is probably not the best idea. I grabbed the roll of bandages again and started to wrap my shins all the way up to my upper thighs. It won't cover everything, but it will look like it does and that's good enough for me.
There was a red ribbon laying on the floor, I think it was with the bundle of clothes Temari gave me and I must have overlooked it. I picked it up thinking about what I was supposed to do with it. I got a sudden idea and started to tie it around my abdomen where the lavender changed to black.
I finished in the bathroom and walked back into Temari's room. She was sitting on her bed and staring off into space while holding a hair brush. Her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. Suddenly she snapped out of her day dream and noticed me.
"Oh Ketto, you're done." she moved a bit so that she wasn't slouching. "You look amazing, better than I did when I wore it."
"Is it supposed to be this short?" I asked. With my arms at my sides the skirt didn't even touch my wrists, it was definitely much shorter that anything I've ever worn before.
"Yeah, it's hot here all the time so all of my clothes show as much skin as possible." she said. She looked to me thoughtfully. "Though it seems as if you are a bit smaller than I was when I wore that. The top won't even rest on your shoulders, it looks like you have an off the shoulder look going on." I thought that was how the top was supposed to be, off the shoulder with billowing sleeves. It exposed more of my chest than I would have liked, but it's not like I had any cleavage showing so I was fine with leaving it. I tried to pull up one edge of the top to cover my shoulder and then the other to fix it only I didn't have much luck, either one or both sides would fall back down. "Leave it, it's a good look for you. Come here so that I can do your hair."
I walked to her only so that she could move back further on her bed and pat the space in front of her. I sat on the edge of the bed with my feet hanging over the side because I didn't know how to sit with a skirt this short. I made sure I didn't sit on any of my hair so that Temari could brush it all. It was kind of sudden when the brush first went through my hair, my body tensed up. "Just relax." Temari said. She continued to brush my hair, slowly I relaxed just as she said too. I've never had someone else brush or even touch my hair like this before, it felt kind of nice.
At some point, I could feel myself leaning into her touch. I briefly wondered how I could have trusted her enough to feel this comfortable around her. Is this what friendship is like? Have Temari and I somehow created a deep bond with each other already? Or is it just that humans crave affection even when we are unwilling to admit it? I'll admit that I crave uncle Yagura's attention, could this be similar? It's like the essence of myself knew that I wanted a friend before the rest of me knew.
"Temari?" I questioned. She responded with a 'hmm?' Is this something I could bring up like this? Or would it be too soon? She seems like a blunt person, so maybe she would appreciate it if I didn't skirt around the subject. "You've already accepted that your father's dead. You were so certain of that the other day. I don't want to come off as harsh and tell you to forget about being optimistic in this case. You do realize that the odds of the search team finding your father alive are very slim right?" Temari paused in brushing my hair before she started again. She was quiet for awhile, before she could say anything I added, "You already know that though don't you. At the Hokage's funeral you cried, but I didn't get the impression that it was for any of the fallen Leaf shinobi. You were thinking of your father then weren't you? As a kage, I doubt he went down without a fight, you at least know that he fought to the end. Otherwise, he would have returned already."
"I'm aware." she said. "It's okay Ketto, if I'm being honest our father hasn't shown much care for any of us. Before Gaara was born he acted like a father would with care, but Kankuro and I felt as if we had disappointed him. After Gaara became the jinchuuriki of Shukaku and our mother died our father withdrew from us even more. We hardly ever got to see him. I've suspected that he distanced himself from us because we remind him of the life he had with our mother and that he couldn't bare those kinds of memories. I also think it's because from the moment we were born, Kankuro and
I weren't compatible with the one tails. I'm sure that from the beginning he thought we were failures. That's why he pushed us so hard in our training."
"Still, you care for him. His death will weigh down on your mind for some time." I said. Temari managed to get all of the tangles out of my hair without me realizing at first. She was so careful with how she pulled the brush through my hair, I was amazed that it seemed like there weren't any tangles, but I knew there were many. The desert wind was good for that. "At the Hokage's funeral you cried for everything that you could have had. Your family could have come back together and lived as the family you dreamed of, isn't that right?"
"Yeah, how did you know that's how I felt?" she intertwined her fingers into my hair. She had my hair separated, blue locks were pushed over my shoulders while I could still feel some on my back. She would add pieces of hair every once in a while. Her fingers moved a little unsteadily whether it was from our conversation or her lack of experience with braiding hair, I wouldn't know.
"My brother died a little over a month ago, the very one who used me as a means to further his own training, we barely had a familial bond with each other. Yet, after his death Naruto tells me that his last words were about his love for me. It forced me to rethink what his death meant to me and I couldn't help but to cry in the presence of his buried self. If we weren't ninja or raised in the Bloody Mist we could have been the loving sibling the other needed. Instead, we went through our whole lives believing we were unloved when we had each other the whole time, we just didn't know how to show that we cared for each other. It's that feeling of loss that I believe you have also experienced."
"I think the feeling will only worsen once his body is found and the thought of him being dead becomes a reality." Temari continued to work on my hair, sometimes she would unbraid a section and retry. I didn't mind that it was taking so long for her to finish, I kind of liked the feeling of her hands in my hair. I never thought I would be this comfortable with someone this close to me. I felt comfortable around Temari, I knew she only had good intentions and that she wouldn't hurt me. At first, I thought she only liked me because I saved Kankuro from dying from the black coral, but when she apologized for how the villagers of the Sand gave me distrusting looks I knew that she actually liked me as Ketto and not as her brothers savior, even though I was the one to put him in that situation.
"I suggest that you don't fight back the tears, it will only end up causing you more pain and sorrow." I said. I remembered that I tried to hold back my tears that day, but a lump formed in my throat and it was more difficult for me to breathe. "You know, just because you're father is dead doesn't mean that you still can't be the family that you wanted. I think Kankuro and Gaara are used to not having someone they can look up to and as their big sister that's your roll to fill."
"I know that I haven't really been there for either of them like an older sister should be, but it's been hard." she said. "I haven't really had anyone to look up to or confide in either."
"That's okay, you can be each other's support system." I suggested. "Even I have someone to look up to like uncle Yagura. I also looked up to Utakata, the six tails jinchuuriki. He was my partner in the anbu and despite being from the Bloody Mist we both grew up under the same conditions, we were both orphaned, had an immense store of chakra and carried names given to us by the villagers of our nation. I was the Demon of the Mist while he was called the name of his tailed beast, Saiken."
"How is it that you are able to create strong bonds with jinchuuriki? You said your uncle is the three tails and Utakata is the six tails, how is it that their chakra doesn't overwhelm you?" she wondered. She reached halfway down my back and moved herself to continue braiding.
"I grew up around them." I had to think for a second, I needed to explain this without giving away that I was actually a jinchuuriki. If I'm being completely honest with myself, sometimes I forget that I'm a jinchuuriki, but then I'll remember what lies below my bandages or I'll hear Isobu's voice. "We may not have had close relationships with each other, but they didn't harm me, they tried to protect me and help me grow as a ninja at one point or another. Also, when I first met them I didn't know they were jinchuuriki."
The last statement was mostly true. I didn't know I was a jinchuuriki until uncle Yagura explained the voice I was able to hear but no one else could. He tried to keep that a secret from me as long as he could, I didn't even know he was the previous jinchuuriki of my demon until just before my tenth birthday. Throughout my childhood, uncle Yagura wanted me to focus more on things that other people could teach me like proper chakra control and the different uses of chakra. That's why there was a strong pressure for me to spend every available moment training with one or more of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. They had the task of training me in the ways of the ninja of the Mist, while uncle said Isobu could teach me about being a jinchuuriki later. My training with Isobu started shortly after I discovered what he was, which was sooner than my uncle liked but he deemed that I was strong enough to continue with both forms of training.
"It might be hard for all of us to adjust. I know it will be strange for me and Kankuro to speak out to Gaara. The idea of relying on each other is a good thought, but I would still like to look up to someone." Temari said.
"Then find someone that you admire and use that person." I suggested.
"Ketto, how old are you? I feel like you're wiser than a girl your age should be." Temari finished braiding my hair, I could feel her using a hair tie to bind my hair together at the bottom.
"I will be fifteen very soon." I tilted my head side to side to get a feel for how my hair was now. It felt loose, I didn't want to think about it too much because I really don't care about what it looks like, but then suddenly Temari moved and there was a medium sized ornate mirror that she pushed into my hands. I was right, the braid was loose. It looked better this way than having my hair completely pulled back like it usually is. Looking straight at my hair, it almost looked like it was done elegantly but how is that possible with a braid? I turned my head slightly to try and see what it looked like in the back only I was having difficulty.
"Here, come to the vanity." Temari got off of the bed and grabbed one of my hands to pull me up. She directed me to the chair in front of the vanity and sat me down before she took the smaller mirror from my hands and angled it so that I could see the back of my head in the mirror in front of me. My hair didn't look like it was in any braid I've ever seen, it looked nice and casual. Half of the braid looked really loose like it wasn't even pulled into a braid while the other side was half of a perfect braid. "It's called a lace braid. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I've never had my hair done like this, but it's nice." I said. I turned my head side to side to get a view of as much of it as I could.
"You know, maybe I'll just look up to you." Temari said.
"Why would you want to do that?" I wondered. I've never had anyone look up to me before. I've never done anything remarkable enough to warrant that.
"The advice you've given me so far and the things that you are capable of amaze me. You are obviously wise beyond your years, a prime example of that is the fact that Kankuro would never have thought to say some of the things you have said." Temari said. "You seem like someone to look up to."
For a brief moment I thought of all of the conversations I've ever had with Temari up until now and everytime I would in some way try to get her to see things from a different perspective. I suppose that would be role model behavior only I've never thought about that kind of thing in detail before. I would look up to someone strong, with abundant chakra, and unbreakable morals. Both uncle Yagura and Kisame come to mind, I wish I could say the same of Zabuza but he never really felt strongly about anything. He was more focused on turning both himself and me into weapons. He only thought of Kirigakure's military might, he never thought about what it was we were doing as Mist ninja. That is until he left, something must have happened between himself and uncle Yagura because I never thought he would ever defect from the village. In a way, I guess you could say that I still looked up to him. He was my brother, while he may not have shown much care for me, he did show care for the village. He made sure we were as strong as we could be so that we could protect our village, I couldn't help but admire him for that but that was it.
Someone knocking on Temari's bedroom door snapped me out of my thoughts of Zabuza, which was a good thing, I didn't need to think more about the complexity that is Zabuza. If I thought about him more then maybe I would understand why he was distant with me. I already had my suspicions about it, but I didn't really need to know. The fact that he said he loves me is what confuses me greatly and that is mainly why I don't want to think about it.
I looked to the door as Temari opened it to see Baki. He was wearing a white robe over his clothes and also had on a scarf. "The council has gathered, I've come to escort Ketto."
"That was fast, I would have understood if it took a day or two for them to agree to meet me." I said. I pushed myself off of the chair in front of the vanity and walked over to the doorway.
"I'm not promising that it would be an effective meeting." he said. "It might not even turn out the way you think it will, they can all be quite stubborn."
"And what of yourself?" I wondered. In the time I have spent with Baki he seemed to be reasonable. In the Leaf village he could have left Temari and her siblings there and went back to his village himself only he didn't. He stayed by their side until they could all return together. At least I know Baki is loyal and willing to be swayed to the voice of reason. As long as I can make a solid case then I know he will at least side with me.
"You already know me, what do you think?" he questioned.
"I think that you may act differently in the presence of your peers." I said. "Other than that, I've only really known you for a week, I think I would have to have known you for longer in order to make a more accurate deduction of your actions."
"That's a wise response." Baki held up another set of robes that I noticed he was carrying before. "These are for you. While in council meetings we all dress the same so that no one person has more power than the other. I'm sorry if it's different than what you are used to in Kirigakure."
I took the robe from Baki and slipped it over the outfit I just put on. I pulled my hair out of the robe, otherwise it would annoy me with it's touch on my neck. "It's understandable, in Kirigakure we don't have a council. All of the power of the land of Water is shared through the correspondences of several people, mainly the Mizukage, feudal lords, and elders. They meet on equal grounds in Kirigakure, the nation's capital, from there they discuss the best course of action to take. They only ever meet up in times of war or when there is the need to select the next Mizukage."
"We should go, they may not take kindly to being kept waiting." Baki turned and started to walk away.
I followed after him. "I'll be back later Temari." I gave her a small wave as I tried to catch up to Baki. "How do you think this meeting will go? I don't want you to beat around the bush either. What am I walking into?"
"They only wish to meet with you to gawk at The Demon of the Mist and tell you that you have no business in the Sand." he said.
"It's like that then." I kept pace with him and made sure to not show my frustration with these old men who like to play leader. I need to keep my temper and remember that anything they say negatively about me is irrelevant to why I'm here. Now, if they say anything about my nation I might be a little less forgiving. Still, I can't lose my temper, if I do then there won't be a negotiation and that's what uncle Yagura sent me here to do in his place. "I want you to know that I won't be able to return to Kirigakure unless if I succeed in settling things with the Sand. I would have to be forcefully removed from this village and the only way to resolve anything would be through an agreement with the council."
"I have no qualms with how long you stay here." Baki said. "That may be different for everyone else, but you protected the Kazekage's children when I couldn't, so I respect you and your decisions."
I started to form more respect for Baki. He was always quiet, but when he did talk he always tried to remain peaceful. Maybe that's all he wanted? I wonder if he only followed through with the attack on the Leaf because of his loyalty to the Kazekage? I wouldn't have been surprised, since the attack on the Leaf he hasn't been far from the siblings.
"That actually means alot coming from a Sand ninja." I said. Normally, I wouldn't have cared, but I kind of like the feeling I get when I know others respect me. "No one from my own nation has a care for anything I do, they tolerate me but they don't like me for obvious reasons."
"You are loyal, there is nothing wrong with that." Baki said. "I understand that the Mizukage sent you on missions, you fulfilled your duty to him as his subordinate. As for your graduation, did anyone tell you to kill them all?"
I was silent for a moment, I almost said no, but this could be my chance for at least one person to know the full truth. "My brother Zabuza also graduated with the same results. He was the one to tell me to kill them all. He said that if I could do that then he would be proud of me and that I would also gain our uncles favor. I just wanted to be acknowledged as being as strong as Zabuza and to strengthen the Karatachi name. I'll admit that I was being childish."
"But you were a child, it's okay for a child to act childish." he said. He stopped outside of a door. "This is it, the only remaining seat is for the Kazekage, but we discussed that for now we would make an acception." He pushed the door open and stepped in first. "I've brought the Mist ninja."
The room was spacious and held a large circular table, every seat was filled other than the two waiting for me and Baki. No one stood up at our arrival, not that I cared if they did. Baki moved to sit down in one of the chairs while I went to the other. Just as I touched the chair someone said, "Before you seat yourself state your name and rank."
I tried not to show any confusion, Baki said that they knew who I was, so why are they requesting that I introduce myself? Is it just for appearances? "I am Ketto Momochi, an anbu who serves Lord Mizukage directly."
"An anbu you say?" an elderly woman spoke. She was the only woman here and honestly she was probably the only one whose name and face I would recognize after today. All of these men either had their faces partially covered like Baki or just their hair. The older man sitting besides the woman though, he didn't wear any kind of head piece. I might also remember him. "At your age, tell me does Kirigakure have more kunoichi now a days? It's always refreshing to see a young woman hold a position of power."
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but we don't have many kunoichi. Any kunoichi that we do have join either the medical corp or they become hunter nin. They hardly ever partake in combat, that is left to their partners." I answered the woman. She seemed to be genuinely curious about whether or not females have transgressed something as juvenile as their gender so I was willing to humor her.
"Of course, it's still so very hard to be a kunoichi when everyone else is a man." she said. "I am Chiyo and this is my brother Ebizo." she gestured to the man sitting beside her.
"Enough of this." someone snapped. "Let's move on from the idle chit chat and move on to the true reason of this meeting."
"Yes, Chiyo, I'm sure you can ask the girl more questions at a different time." someone else added.
"Moving on," another person said. They all turned to give me attention. "What is your true motive for being here Mist ninja?"
I felt as if the atmosphere was tense and that there was some hostility directed towards me so I didn't move to sit. I would rather not put myself in a slightly more intimate position by sitting down, I don't like their attitude and I want them to know it. Also, it didn't feel right to take the Kazekages seat.
"I was ordered by the Mizukage to escort the team of Sand ninja back to their land as protection from forces who wish to cause them harm for their betrayal of both the lands of Fire and Water. By now, I'm sure you know of the impersonation of the Kazekage and the need for that team to be protected." I said.
"Yes, and we are appreciative of that, but that team consists of the Kazekage's own children. One of which is the jinchuuriki of the one tails, they were more than capable of making it safely back to the land of Wind, so there was no need of an escort." the man who interrupted Chiyo said. "I'll ask again, why are you truly here?"
"There are many reasons actually, the first being the reason that I already told you." I started. I fully took my hand away from the chair to let my arms drop to either side of me. "I was also being sent here anyway. In the northernmost region of the land of Wind near the border there have been attacks by two rogue ninja both wielding unique blades. One is a man with long, brown hair and a long beard both are adorned with green beads. He has an eyepatch over his left eye and carries a large sword. The sword itself has two distinct sides, with a narrow cutting edge located down the entirety of one length and a wide platform section on the other. He uses the explosives sealed within the scroll. The other man is taller and thinner than the first. He has long, shaggy, blond hair and his face would be concealed by a white, porcelain Anbu mask, with a green-coloured triangle on its lower half. He carries a blade reminiscent of a needle." As I talked the faces of everyone around me wavered between shock and anger.
"How do you know about those attacks? Were they planned attacks by Kirigakure!?" someone demanded.
"I assure you they are not planned." I said making sure to stay calm. "Those two men are Jinpachi Munashi and Kushimaru Kuriarare, two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who have defected and no longer associate with any country. As to how I know, our hunter ninja division have been tracking the two down, but up until recently it has been hard for them to effectively follow the two being that they are not predictable. I've been sent here to kill them and return their bodies to my nation after I have done negotiations with the Sand."
A chatter started and knew that it would be best if I didn't interrupt, so I stood quietly. "We'll ask that in a minute, this needs to be said first." the chattering stopped and the same man spoke to me. "You think your team can stop those two rogues?"
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but I was the only one sent to confront Jinpachi and Kushimaru. My team will be returning to Kirigakure without me." I said.
"You mean to say that the Mizukage thinks you can handle those two on your own!?" someone exclaimed. "They have killed many of our anbu in attempts to detain them and you are going to be the one to succeed!?"
"What means do you have of dealing with this situation?" someone else asked. It was the man Chiyo introduced as her brother Ebizo, he didn't seem angered or distrusting of the new information, he seemed genuinely curious.
"Currently, I wield my Kukushibyo blade, which I will reveal to you is made of my condensed chakra and black coral. A single scratch is highly poisonous. I also possess the Kubikiribōchō blade, more commonly known as the Executioner's' blade, another of the seven blades of the Mist. Like Jinpachi and Kushimaru, I have also mastered the technique of silent killing." I shared. To give myself more credibility, I added, "When I was a small child the two of them trained me in the way of their respective blades. I know how they fight, every move they would make, they may not act predictably but when it comes to their swords I know everything."
"I thought it was common knowledge that specific circumstances are required to wield one of those ninja tools. You've already declared your use of the Executioner's blade, but why would they train you in the way of their swords?" another man asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" I questioned. "I'm one of two people who are compatible with all seven blades. The Mizukage ordered them to train me to master their weapons. I'm more than qualified to confront my previous sensei's in battle considering I'm more well rounded than they are. Let's not discuss the topic of Jinpachi and Kushimaru any further than this, should we not talk about other more pressing matters?"
"This negotiation you speak of, what basis do you have to assume we want to negotiate?" one of the men said.
"The Sand has been deceived into believing your Kazekage wanted to break a treaty by siding with the Sound ninja when it was really Orochimaru who was disguised as your Kazekage." I explained. "The Mizukage is not normally a forgiving man, but he does not wish for another shinobi world war, so he is willing to grant the Sand forgiveness for this misfortune." for a moment I was quiet, uncle Yagura didn't say this, but after my talk with Temari earlier I thought I should at least offer. "Kirigakure would like to support Sunagakure during the selection of their next Kazekage in anyway we can. My team is currently out helping to locate the Fourths remains so that a funeral may be held."
"You assume the Kazekage is dead!" one of the men shouted. "Such insolence you brat!"
"You all must have at least suspected that he was dead. Why else would he have not returned to the village?" I pressed.
"Ketto has a point." Baki said. He directed his attention to Ebizo and Chiyo, who seemed to be the most reasonable people in this room. "Lord Rasa would have returned immediately after he was attacked and the fact that Orochimaru has managed to impersonate him for long enough for this plan to unfold shows that he truly may not come back."
"We should accept that the Kazekage is dead." Ebizo said. "If it's shown that he's alive then we will welcome him back with open arms, but until then we need to start selections for a new Kazekage."
"You too Ebizo?" one of the other men said. "We need to see a body before we jump to conclusions. As for this Mist ninja," he turned back to me, "I'm afraid there will be no negotiations until it is revealed that the Kazekage truly is dead. If it's shown that he is then we will continue with negotiations, but if he is alive then you may speak with him yourself. Until either is known you may stay in the village."
I thought they were going to turn me away. Their obvious dislike of me was a bit off putting earlier and I thought they would cast me out before I could complete negotiations. "What about my team?" I wondered.
"What about them?" someone else asked. "You said that they were only to escort the Sand siblings and Baki back to the Sand with you. They've served their purpose so there is no need for them to stay."
"I have dispatched them to help in locating the Kazekage." I said. "Would it be possible for them to also stay in the village until they have completed that task?"
"Very well." Chiyo said. "That is acceptable."
"Lady Chiyo, why allow them to stay within the village?" another man demanded, "One Mist ninja is enough."
"Saro, do you not see that this young woman means no harm?" Chiyo started. "She, along with her team, have brought the Kazekage's children back to the Sand. She wants to aid us in locating our missing Kazekage and she wants to barter a new peace treaty. Who cares if she's a Mist ninja and of what she may have done in the past, look at what she is trying to do now." Chiyo snapped her attention to the man and back to me. "You said your name was Ketto Momochi right? I am not familiar with that family name."
"It's not well known, I am the last of my family." I said. "You may have heard of my mother's family, Karatachi."
"You my child are a descendant of a long line of Mizukages. I remember the second Mizukage, but I believe he was a Hozuki."
"He was a Karatachi in the same way I am, through his mother." I informed her, "The only one who carries the name Karatachi is my uncle, the fourth Mizukage. We still exist it's just harder to find us because our bloodlines have crossed with others like Hozuki, Terumi, and a few other noble clans of the land of Water."
"I think you'll continue to be a memorable shinobi." Chiyo said.
"Thank you Lady Chiyo of the Sand." I nodded my head to her.
"I only said what is true." she said. "Now, you may go and enjoy your stay in Suna. It seems that we will continue this meeting at a later date."
"Right, thank you for having me. Until next time." I slightly bowed to them before dismissing myself from the room. Those stubborn men really think the Kazekage is still alive. Even Temari knows the truth, how can they not see it?
I retraced my steps down the hallway back to Temari's room. As I walked, I discarded the robe I had to wear for the council meeting, it didn't feel right to wear so many layers. I wanted to continue to get used to the dress Temari gave me, which was coming along slowly but that also might have been because the robe covered me before.
I quickly found my way to Temari's room to find her polishing her fan on the floor. She looked up to me when I entered the room. "How did it go?" she asked.
"It looks like I'll be staying in Suna until further notice." I said.
"Why is that?" she wondered. "It isn't really all that complicated, either we're allies still or we're not."
"Most of them still believe your father is alive and they don't want to settle negotiations without him." I draped the white robe over the back of the chair in front of the vanity
"Of course they would." she mumbled. "You can share my room with me if you like, it's better than having to pay for a place day by day."
"What about the other members of my team, they'll still have to find somewhere." I reminded her.
"They can stay in the Kazekage tower too." she said. "We have lots of spare rooms and we hardly ever have any visitors."
"Thanks for the offer, I think we'll take you up on that." I said. I looked down at Temari who was sitting with her legs crossed and her fan was opened in front of her. She continued to polish each of the fan blades carefully. It made me want to polish the Executioner's blade, when was the last time it was ever cleaned? It absorbs the blood and chakra of its victims, but it's still a blade. Has Zabuza ever given it that kind of care while he was gone?
I grabbed the Executioner's blade and sat across from Temari. I was about to use the bandages on my hands to try and polish it, but Temari tossed a cloth over to me. "You can use this one. I'm done with it."
It was a different sized cloth than the one she was currently using. This one was smaller and probably used to get in between all of the ridges of the fan. I used it to to wipe down the handle making sure to get in every groove before moving to the blade. I took special care of the first cut out of a semicircle. I used this part of the blade the most. Once when I decapitated Hidan and the last time was the other day when Kisame and I were fighting. This cut out makes it easier to decapitate someone, compared to a full blade it's easier to get a grip on. When I decapitate people I usually do it from behind so it would be easier for me to use my strength to follow through with the cut. I would have a hold on the handle of the sword while also using the full cut out on the other end of the blade as a grip. With that hold I'm able to use my strength to pull without difficulty especially since there is no resistance right away. I tried to be careful while polishing the semicircle cut out, but with the sharp angles edges of the inner circle I managed to cut the cloth several times. I accidentally reduced the cloth to a pitiful looking rag, I wanted to give up on completely caring for the blade but I continued.
The more time I spent with the sword I realized exactly what I inherited from my brother. This blade, one of the seven swords of the Mist, like the others is exceptionally unique. Like several of the other swords it also requires an exceptionally strong wielder in both physical strength and chakra. Zabuza used to be able to throw the Executioner's blade effortlessly at his opponents. Sometimes it would strike his opponents down, other times he was able to stand on the blade for added leverage if it got stuck in anything. I threw the blade the other day to get that Sound ninja in the same way that I've seen Zabuza throw it. I bet if I spent time working on it, I could throw the blade in different ways for new attacks.
I'm not sure how long it took me to finish, all I know is that Temari was done long before me. She even disappeared at some point and came back with two bowls of a soup that I've never had before. I almost refused the soup, but I was curious about this foreign food and decided to eat without complaint.
"Do you like the soup?" Temari asked. "It's my favorite, kenchin soup."
"It's delicious." I said. "All of the dishes that you've made for me so far are very rich in spice while the dishes of my nation are full of herbs. It's a nice flavor change."
"Your team came back." she said. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the sun go down. "They've been given food and rooms to stay in. They wanted to see you, but I told them that you were busy. I didn't want to interrupt you."
"You could have, it would have been fine." I said.
"You had a faraway look in your eyes. Were you thinking about your brother?" Temari's voice became soft. It was as if she was also remembering her father in that moment.
I looked to the Executioner's blade and said, "That was his sword. I was thinking about whether or not I would be able to wield it as effortlessly as he did." Zabuza had more time with it, he managed to figure out every little drawback of it and still was able to utilize it effectively. Then again, I don't think any of those would affect me. I guess I'm just worried that I won't be able to reach my true potential with it. What if the memory of Zabuza gets in the way? "Sorry, I'm not usually that sentimental."
"That's okay." she gave me a soft smile. "It's late, we should sleep." Temari moved to the wardrobe and started looking through it. "I know I have something in here for you to sleep in." she mumbled.
"That's fine, I'll just sleep in this. It won't be a problem." I moved to her bed and pulled back the blankets. I sat on the right side of the bed while Temari looked at me.
"Are you sure?" she wondered. "Won't it be uncomfortable sleeping in that?"
"I don't spend much time at home. I'm always away on missions, so I don't change to sleep often." I pulled my legs up on the bed and tucked them under the blankets. I didn't have any plans on sleeping, but I've caught on to the fact that if I say I'm not tired someone always tries to make me sleep. If I act as if I'm going to sleep no one will say anything about it.
"Okay." she shrugged her shoulders. She first untied her forehead protector that was tied around her neck. Then, she untied the faded red cloth that was tied around her waist. It was discarded to the floor before she started unhooking parts of her lavender dress so that it was no longer held together. I looked away to give her some privacy by laying down and facing the opposite direction. I pulled up the blankets to my shoulders and laid still.
It didn't take long for Temari to finish changing. I heard her walking across the room and the flip of a light switch before she moved back across the room. The bed dipped to her side when she sat down. I could feel her pushing her feet under the blankets and trying to adjust her body. When she settled down she said, "Good night Ketto."
I couldn't remember the last time someone said good night to me. It felt kind of nice. I stayed still, I was waiting for Temari to fall asleep, which I didn't have to wait too long for. Soon enough she was breathing evenly with her body completely relaxed. I took this as my moment to sneak out. There was no way I would be able to lay awake for a full night, not again, not when that's what I did the previous night.
Carefully, I lifted the blankets on my side of the bed and left the bed. I placed the blankets back on the bed so that Temari wouldn't be able to tell there was anything amiss. It was easy to walk across the room and to the window soundlessly. I was a bit worried about opening the window without any noises, but I was determined not to get caught.
There wasn't a balcony, there was hardly a window sill. Still, I managed to push myself up and out of the window. I had to concentrate my chakra into my feet to walk up the side of the Kazekage building. For some reason, I thought I would be alone up here, but I was pleasantly surprised when I felt another chakra signature. I must have really been focused on sneaking out of Temari's room, because Gaara's chakra seemed as untamed as it did right before Shukaku took over his body. Seeming to realize where we were, I thought of the villagers. Gaara can't lose control here, not right now. Sensing his chakra further up I followed to see his shock of red hair through the darkness of night. He was sitting on the edge of the roof and physically he seemed restless, like it was difficult for him to stay still. I moved towards him, watching his silhouette move against the full moon wondering where this newfound bloodlust came from.
