Episode Two
Deception, Detection, and Development!
Sasuke stepped off of the large ferry onto a vast, wooden dock. Two day's worth of sea travel was halted by an unprecedented thunderstorm, making it impossible to travel by water for four days. Finally, delayed passenger ferries were accepting people on board and Sasuke was able to secure one of the first tickets on sale for the earliest departure. He had traveled on rocky waters, the seas still untamed from the previous storm.
When he arrived at the eastern-most port of the Land of Wind, Port Ryūsei, the sun was shining high signifying midday, emitting the highest temperature of its heat for the day. Unable to stomach any sort of food in his two day journey on the ship, Sasuke decided to grab a quick lunch when his stomach grumbled in protest and then investigate where the wedding venue was scheduled to be held. Once he secured the location, he planned to scout out the area, looking for anything and everything that could pertain to Sakura's so-called wedding that was to be taken place tomorrow.
Heading into the city, named Sakan for its prosperity from trading, Sasuke's eyes set in grim determination with the pristine waters sparkling behind him.
He bought the first edible thing he laid his eyes on; a simple sandwich from a small wooden stall shaded by a dinky awning made of white canvas run by a civilian girl who looked no more than twelve. Similar stalls lined the cobblestone streets in all directions and the streets were packed with travelers and citizens and the like. The buzzing of conversations, clicking of shoes and hooves against stone, and pulling of large wooden wagons by both people and large animals filled the air with noise. Tall buildings shaded the streets from the blazing heat of the Sun and a slight warm breeze wafted though the nooks and crannies of the alleyways.
"Hiya mister! Thanks for the business!" She cheerfully chirped. He gave a small nod.
"Are you from outside the city, too?" She asked. He raised his eyebrow in question at her.
"Oh, it's just that the city is bustling with foreign people from all over the continent in preparation for the Wind Daimyō's son's wedding tomorrow!"
...Daimyō's son? Is this Sakura's wedding that Naruto was talking about in the letter?
The girl babbled on, "and, I mean, I've seen many people arrive into the city from the docks over there, and there are all kinds of people who are going to be attending tomorrow! Diplomats, high-ranking officials, civilians, shinobi, the Kazekage, and even samurai!"
Huh. Sakura never mentioned any of this in her letters.
"Tell me, where is this wedding supposed to be held tomorrow, exactly?"
"Oh yes, sir, if you go straight down this road for a little while, you'll come across this big plaza with a great fountain in the middle where the wedding will be held tomorrow when the Sun is at its highest point. I hope you're just as excited as I am! I'm going to wear my best dress and dance all week without sleeping and eat to my fullest! I just love festivals and parties!"
Sasuke nodded his head in thanks and discarded his sandwich wrapper carelessly (but aiming perfectly) with a toss into a waste bin standing next to the stall. Whipping his cloak as he turned, he briskly walked with purpose down the direction the little girl had pointed in.
As Sasuke walked along the cobblestone streets, he began to walk gradually through festive decorations. Colorful pennon flag banners lined along and across the concrete buildings, flapping in the wind alongside the hanging laundry on clotheslines of the residents in the area. People in the streets were hammering away, building their food and game stalls for the big after party that was supposed to come in the evening after the main wedding ceremony. Others were trying to finish a big workload by the end of the day to take a day (or a few) off from the next day. Horses were whinnying and snorting while pulling heavy loads on wagons this way and that. Vendors were selling items and goods attractive to the travelers and visitors from all over the continent.
After walking for a good thirty minutes down this road, Sasuke finally reached an opening leading into a grand market square. An equally grand marble fountain stood in the center, as the girl from before had mentioned and Sasuke assumed this to be the wedding venue. He stepped out from the shaded street into the sunny, open area and surveyed his surroundings.
The porcelain fountain was about six times Sasuke's size and gloriously spouting clean water down its five levels. At the top of the fountain sat a divine statue of a mythical creature with the head of a bird and a strangely-shaped body, its lower half bearing marks similar to that of a tiger and its tail an actual serpent resembling a small cobra.
The square was packed with people, mainly workers rushing to clear away the area in preparation for the next day. Mostly men were in this area, prying out the nails of the typical market stalls that operated business on normal days. They carried the disassembled wood on their shoulders, hauling them out of the market square into the alleyways that outlined the area from all directions. Others were busy hammering away at a half-built stage, where Sasuke presumed the bride and groom were to stand and complete their vows.
Not really knowing where to start to gather information, Sasuke simply began to stroll slowly through the busy workers, keeping his ear out for any news or gossip pertaining to his pink-haired friend. With as much attention that this event seemed to be receiving, Sasuke was sure the wedding would a hot topic for conversation among the people. Sure enough, Sasuke perked in the direction of two nondescript young adults who were sitting in the shade to take a water break.
" ... First time such a big event is being held in our city! I mean, it's a part of our culture to have festivals and parties for even the littlest of celebrations, but for an event to attract celebrities from across the continent...! It's exciting isn't it!"
"Totally! We really want tomorrow to be a success."
"Have you heard anything about the Daimyō's son's bride? I heard she is a real looker!"
"It seems like she is known for her beautiful pink hair and eyes as green as an emerald. I heard she has the voice of an angel and dances with the grace of a white lion."
Sasuke's eyebrows scrunched together. Pink hair and green eyes? Definitely Sakura. Voice of an angel and grace of a white lion? Sasuke couldn't quite pinpoint these characteristics about his female teammate. Sure, he's heard her hum and sing to herself on one of her happy days but he wouldn't say her singing is anything special. And he's never really seen her dance before.
The young man lowered his voice and continued, "This is supposed to be a secret within the Daimyō's palace... but my wife works as a kitchen helper there and has been hearing the gossip. Apparently her highness has been missing for a few days. It would be real trouble if she got cold feet and couldn't complete the wedding vows. I heard this marriage has really important political implications."
"I heard that too. But how exactly will it help us?"
"Well, one of the things I heard from my wife is that the country that the princess is from is Spring all year 'round. When we establish trade with the Peony Kingdom, we'll be able to import many plants and herbs used in medicine that we can't grow in our climate. We'll have access to better healthcare!"
Huh? Princess? Spring? Peony Kingdom? Suddenly, Sasuke was sure that there was more going on in this situation than Naruto mentioned in his message. Of course, he scoffed. Leave it to Naruto to make him unnecessarily worry. Well, it seems like his friends were involved and now that he was here anyway so it wouldn't hurt to stick around in the shadows for a few days until he was sure his friends were safe.
"Oi! Break time's over! Git back here an' help us carry these!" An older, gruff bald man called to the two young men in a booming accent. The men scrambled to their feet, clasping their canteens against their hips under their brown ponchos. The older man glanced at Sasuke.
"You too! Change yer clothes while yer at it! Dark clothes are not a good choice under this blazin' heat." The bald man shoved his thumb toward a table lined with the standard brown ponchos that all the men were wearing to work. Sasuke didn't want to raise any attention so he shrugged and grabbed one. He would just use a clone and slink away at the right timing.
At this point, the Sun was beginning to lower, dusting the sky with a pink and orange color. It was only for a few minutes that he blended in with the other men, carrying heavy wooden posts and hammering away at the grandiose stage at one end of the plaza until he noticed it. As nearly all of these people were civilians, it was easy to detect the small flare of chakra that was being used for a jutsu from a shinobi. Sasuke's eyes immediately zeroed in on the source of the chakra.
A man, head covered with a dark litham so that only his eyes were showing and wearing a dark brown shirt and pants was holding a tiger sign under the stage near a pole. Sasuke turned on the Sharingan in his right eye and saw a band of chakra wrapped around the pole. Not only that pole, but on a few others as well. Sasuke assumed if the same person were to activate the chakra strings, they would snap the poles and send the whole foundation of the stage collapsing. Quickly scanning around him, Sasuke noticed about fifteen men all dressed the same way as the one who laid the chakra traps, each laying their own special trap where they were stationed. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. It seems like this so-called wedding was not going to go smoothly after all.
As they started to expertly melt away into the crowd, Sasuke replaced himself with a clone and stealthily followed the first man he noticed under the stage into one of the dark alleyways.
Surprisingly, there was no one walking through this particular street. Following him for a few minutes, the man unexpectedly flickered away and Sasuke whirled around in time to block a kunai aimed at the back of his neck with his own kunai. The spark created by the two metals clanging against each other provided enough light for Sasuke to see in a moment his attacker to be the very person he had been following.
Sasuke immediately sprang into action, Sharingan spinning to life clearing his visual acuity so he could easily maneuver in this dark alley. The foe pushed against Sasuke with great force and the kunai flung out of Sasuke's hands. Sasuke jumped up and drew the short sword that had been attached to his back under his poncho. He stuck his two feet on the wall of the building behind him and vaulted off toward the figure who brought up his hand in time to parry the attack.
"Who are you?" Sasuke gritted, putting more strength into his arms.
Wordlessly, the man crouched down and tried to sweep at Sasuke's feet. Sasuke hopped and flipped in mid-air to bring down his left leg toward the man's head. The man rolled away and Sasuke's foot hit the cobblestone ground instead, breaking up the stone to leave a small, foot-sized crater. As soon as Sasuke landed, he swept his sword around him in a semi-circle, but it was just short enough to barely nick the foe's stomach and leave a shallow bleeding cut. Using ninjutsu in such a crowded city was a bad idea, so Sasuke had to stick with taijutsu for the time being. It seemed like the enemy also didn't want to draw attention to the fight as he was also restraining from using ninjutsu.
Sasuke's eyes shifted as four newcomers jumped silently down next to the man he just fought, dressed in the same attire.
He smirked and clutched his sword tight.
Woof! Akamaru barked after taking a nice, long whiff of the retrieved piece of cloth from Princess Hanaharu's clothing that Kiba held in his hand. The group, sans Sakura, was standing a little ways from the colossal palace on the searing sand, where the cloth was first found by the initial search crew. They were led there by Temari and Kankuro, who were with the previous investigation group from the beginning of their search.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orange glow over the desert land of the Wind Daimyō's vast property. Along with the sun, the blazing heat of the day was fading into only a mildly warm evening. Around the crew was just desert, nothing obstructing their views from the horizon, save for smatterings of dots in the distance indicating the existence of high-rise buildings in that direction.
"Huh? What was that, Akamaru?" Kiba replied to his ninken.
Woof, woof! Akamaru barked once more with vigor.
"Are you sure you don't smell the princess anywhere in the vicinity?"
Woof, woof, woof! Akamaru stressed.
"What do you mean the sand only in this area where the ripped cloth was found smells differently from the sand around it?"
"Is... is he having a fully coherent conversation with a dog?" Temari remarked incredulously.
"Yeah, every time he does this, I always wonder if it's because he can speak dog or it's because Akamaru can speak human," Naruto quipped.
Woof-woof, woof, woof awooo! Akamaru howled.
Kiba gasped, "Well, if that's true, then that could possibly be a clue!"
"Obviously we can't understand Akamaru, so Kiba probably speaks 'dog'," Ino muttered.
"Just spit it out already!" Kankuro complained.
Kiba shot him a pointed look.
"Well, Akamaru is saying that the sand around this cloth smells more like beach sand, instead of desert sand. Like, salty water from the ocean. I bet none of the hounds from before picked up on this because they were either too focused on the smell from the piece of cloth, or they were just regular hounds rather than ninja hounds and weren't trained to pick up on these minute details."
"Beach sand, huh," Shikamaru's mouth pursed into a grim line. He pulled out a well-used map from the left breast pocket. The creases on the map were very prominent from how many times it has been opened and closed over the past few days. "The only body of sea-water near here is where the princess's wedding ceremony will be held, in the Port City of Sakan. Let's head to Ryūsei Port in the city to see what we can find. There's a beach here. It is relatively close to the Daimyō's palace." He pointed in the direction of the little dots that were probably buildings in the distance.
Then, he crouched down and carefully pinched a sample of sand from where they were standing in a small plastic bag.
"ETA?" He asked Hinata. The veins around Hinata's eyes bulged in response, and she turned her gaze toward the direction of the city.
"Running on this sand, approximately 30 minutes," she softly replied.
"Flying there will cut the time in half," Sai offered. He whipped open a scroll and a brush from his pouch and swiftly made markings without any hesitation. With a one-handed tiger seal, he calmly called his signature technique.
"Ninpō: Chōjū Giga." In an instant, three gargantuan, bird-like beasts sprang to life from his scroll.
Scanning the group, Shikamaru easily came to a quick decision.
"Alright. Kiba, Akamaru and I will lead. Naruto and Ino, take the middle. Sai and Hinata, protect the rear. We'll try not to draw so much attention to ourselves by landing a little bit away from the entrance to the city, and then travel the rest of the way on foot." The group collectively nodded.
"As the Kazekage's aids, we'll have to return to his side for the grand dinner," Temari said. Shikamaru gave a short nod in acknowledgement and in one motion hopped onto Sai's bird beast.
"Be careful!" Temari called. Kankuro waved to their retreating forms as the beasts took off and soared high in the sky.
Needless to say, the dinner that took place right after Sakura, at the moment known as Princess Hanaharu, reunited her "parents" was a grand affair. It took place in the gorgeous dining hall of the Daimyō's palace. From the walls to the pillars supporting the ceiling to the long table seating a total of twenty chairs, everything was outlined with gold. Heck, the tableware and cutlery were even made of gold!
In attendance were Sakura, Peony's King and Queen, the Wind Daimyō, his son (Princess Hanaharu's soon-to-be-husband), Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Behind the Wind Daimyō stood his attendants and guards flanked the door. Mitsu stood behind Sakura quietly.
"Princess, I am glad you are safe and unhurt. Tell me, has anyone done anything to you?" The Daimyō's son questioned. His light gray eyes shone with genuine worry and relief. Sakura could tell he was restraining himself to go to her and inspect her personally.
"No, I am fine. Thank you," She bowed her head a little. He cocked his head to one side, long sandy blonde bangs swaying innocently. "It... it's just, you seem a little different, is all." Sakura kept her face impassive, but she gulped a little in her throat.
"To be honest, I don't quite remember everything that had happened. I remember sneaking out to get some fresh air, and then my next memory is waking up to see the team of shinobi looking over me. What happened in between is a mystery."
"Well, whatever happened, let us put it aside for now. You are safe and sound. Let tonight be a night of a good feast and good rest! Tomorrow is the big day, after all!" The Daimyō cheerfully raised his glass, thin mustache curling up as he smiled squinty-eyed.
The King said nothing but looked at Sakura with a frown. Sakura glanced to the Queen, whose face was contorted into somewhat of a scowl. Sakura would even say the Queen was glaring in her direction.
What suspicious behavior, Sakura thought with a blink. She did hear the princess's relationship with her parents weren't the best, but to this extent? She caught Gaara's inquisitive eyes sliding to her briefly and shared a questioning look with him before he nodded slightly to her glass to meet the Daimyō's cheer. She took it and everyone raised their glasses at the toast, although everyone was seated a little too far from each other to actually meet each others' glasses.
Mitsu and the other attendants first tasted one bite of each dish presented on the table to check for any signs of poisoning. When the food was deemed safe to eat, Sakura slowly and politely chewed small bites, as the Princess was supposed to be well-mannered.
The conversation quickly turned into one of political affairs, as the Wind Daimyō, his son, Gaara, and the King chatted about future legislation and charters between the Wind Country, its military force (the Sand Village), and the Land of Spring that were to come about with the marriage. Sakura was wise enough to keep her mouth shut lest anybody asked for her opinion on matters that she hadn't had any time to read up on or learn about.
But that didn't matter as the Daimyō turned to her to include her into their current conversation.
"Princess, what do you think, as the next-in-line to the throne, about the Spring Country's use of Sand shinobi to build up their army?"
Sakura blanched. What was the state of military affairs in the Land of Spring? Did they even have or train ninja?
"There can both benefits and disadvantages," she replied ambiguously and she hated to admit, dumbly. The Daimyō nodded enthusiastically for her to continue.
"Well for one, it wouldn't do the Sand village any good to send many shinobi to our country as it would only weaken their protection. However, as allies, during times of war or situations that require extra forces we should have the right to be able to request the help back up forces from Sand. For building up our army... how about either sending military leaders from our side to train under shinobi in the Sand Village so they can bring back Sand's teachings, or the Sand sends a few shinobi to teach our troops new techniques?"
The Daimyō thoughtfully scratched the pointy beard on his chin and his son smiled as Sakura talked. The King scoffed but before he could say anything, Gaara cut in.
"Thank you for your suggestion, Princess. We will definitely consider it in the future. As it is getting late, I believe it would be best to finish up dinner and head in for the night. We want to be in top shape for tomorrow, after all."
Nice save, Gaara! Sakura thought gratefully. Everyone stood up and bowed as the Daimyō and his son excused themselves first. The King and Queen left the room next.
Sakura exited with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. As they walked together in the hallway Kankuro muttered, "Did you see the King and Queen's faces? Looked as sour as if they'd drank spoiled milk."
"Definitely odd," Temari concurred quietly, "makes me suspect that they have something to do with the actual princess's disappearance.
"Kankuro, Temari, if you would keep the King and Queen's guest chambers under surveillance for tonight," Gaara intoned, neither as a question nor command. The siblings nodded and headed on first.
Sakura thoughtfully put a finger to her chin as the two walked leisurely (mostly due to her heels) down the glimmering hallway, lights dimmed to save electricity that was already sparse in the desert.
"Say, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Sakura asked, turning her head to look at Gaara.
"Well, there's not much that I or Temari and Kankuro can do without standing out too much. As the Kazekage, it would draw too much attention. Our plan for now is just to attend the ceremony as normal. We will be on standby to stop anything drastic from happening. We can only rely on your team to find the princess in time. I trust your team."
Sakura's eyes lingered on Gaara's face. Even though his face was expressionless as usual, that last sentence held genuine emotion. Her lips curled into a small smile.
As they exited the corridor into the moonlit courtyard of the palace. For being in the middle of the desert, the courtyard was surprisingly lusciously green. Exotic flowers of many colors lined the wavy pavement toward a small pond with lily pads scattering across its surface. On the other side of the garden, a fountain that was rhythmically pulsing water from its top. Gaara abruptly stopped and put a finger to his lips. Eyes narrowing, sand suddenly enveloped the two and a light genjutsu was casted so that the outsider could only see the mound of sand as a part of the wall of the palace. A little hole peeked open in the sand for Sakura and Gaara to observe the scene unfolding before them.
The Queen and the princess's handmaid of all people, were hiding behind the fountain, trying to let the water drown out their voices as they whispered. Sakura and Gaara concentrated a little chakra to their ears to heighten their senses of hearing.
"Tell me, is that the real princess?" The Queen practically hissed. Mitsu, clearly afraid but trying to put up a brave front glared back at the authority figure.
"... Y-yes, your highness. The team that Daimyō-sama requested actually found her."
What? Mitsu had something to do with the princess's disappearance?
"I do not believe you," she cut nastily.
"Why...? I-I just don't understand. Aren't you her mother? You should be happy to see her alive!"
In that moment, the Queen grinned viciously, teeth elongating and then morphing into sharp fangs as her eyes flashed gold and flattened to slits.
"Aren't you her mother?" She mocked, long forked tongue flicking as she spoke. This was not the Queen. This was a creature posing as the Queen. Sakura had not been able to detect any ninjutsu or genjutsu, so just what was this creature? Sakura's fist clenched at her side and Gaara reached out to restrain her wrist. Don't, his eyes requested.
The "Queen" repeated herself: "If she is the real princess, take her eyes. Bring them to me tomorrow, or else you will never be able to see your brothers again. See to it that it is taken care of tonight," she seethed.
Mitsu, wide-eyed, said nothing and the Queen's visage returned to its former state as she disappeared with a flash of her cloak. When she was left alone, Mitsu sobbed once, twice, and fell to her knees. Sakura made to step toward her, but Gaara's grip around her wrist tightened a fraction as a warning. Her eyes met with his and he slightly shook his head. They waited a few minutes for Mitsu to collect herself. She stood up, wiped her tears and hurried back to the princess's guest chamber.
When he could no longer detect any presences in the area, Gaara allowed the sand to unravel as it automatically retreated back into the gourd resting on his back. Sakura blinked as Gaara let go of her wrist.
"Well, I guess it's safe to say who's currently Public Enemy Number One."
Gaara nodded in agreement, "Tonight, I'll convene with Temari and Kankuro to plan a course of action as to how to deal with the Queen and King before the wedding ceremony."
"I'll join," Sakura suggested. Gaara shook his head in reluctance.
"It'll be suspicious if you aren't in your chambers tonight. I'll send you a message when we're done."
"In that case, please take my summon, Katsuyu-sama, with you," Sakura lightly bit her thumb to draw a minimal amount of blood. In a 'poof,' a smaller version of Sakura's summon materialized into existence. Gaara nodded, expressionless as ever, as the slug crawled up his arm and perched itself on top of his shoulder.
"Katsuyu-sama, Kazekage-sama will have a meeting with Temari and Kankuro tonight. As soon as it's finished, please relay to me their plans to me."
"Understood," Katsuyu affirmed.
Sakura and Gaara parted ways, and when Sakura arrived back in the princess's chamber, she was greeted by a smiling Mitsu and Miruku barking happily and bouncing into Sakura's arms while wagging her little tail.
"Sakura-san! Where have you been?"
Sakura was a little taken aback with Mitsu's cheerful attitude. She never would have guessed anything was wrong if she hadn't witness the scene happen just moments ago. Mitsu's eyes were rubbed raw and a little red, but if Sakura didn't know any better she would have just waved it off as a sign of tiredness.
"I was just having a small talk while taking a walk with Kazekage-sama," Sakura replied. Well, it was the truth.
"I see! Aren't desert nights so different from the day? The temperature difference is drastic, so please take care of your body so that you don't catch a cold," Mitsu said conversationally. Sakura nodded.
"The bath has been prepared for you. I added in the highest quality of bath salts that will make your skin shine! It is infused with flowers only native to the Land of Spring."
"Thank you, Mitsu."
"Well then, please have a restful night, Sakura-san." Mitsu turned around to leave.
"Mitsu-san," Sakura suddenly called. The said girl stopped and turned her head inquisitively. "I know we've only known each other for a day, but if there is anything on your mind... please do not hesitate to confide in me,"
Mitsu blinked. Eyes closing in happy arcs and cheerfully smiling, she quipped, "Thank you for your kindness, Sakura-san! Have a good night," and stepped out of the Princess' guest chamber.
Setting Miruku down, Sakura absentmindedly undressed while lost in thought. She grabbed a large bath towel and stepped into the bathroom where the large porcelain bathtub was steaming with hot water and foamy bubbles. The color of the bathtub was light pink, likely from the bath salts that Mitsu mentioned.
Instinctively hesitating, Sakura stared at the swirling pink water in the tub.
Footsteps pattered lightly against the hard floor as a dark figure scurried along as quietly as possible towards the princess' chambers.
Creaking open the door ever so slightly, the figure slipped into the room and quickly scanned the area, noticing the bump in the large bed indicating that Sakura had gone to bed and was sound asleep.
Pulling a small dagger from the cloak, the figure stepped to the side of the bed and raised their hand. Faltering for only a second, the figure's hand came down, ready to slam the dagger into Sakura's sleeping face.
Sakura's eyes snapped open and snatched the figure's wrist expertly in time, and forced the dagger to change its course while sitting up abruptly at the same time. The small knife now pointed at the mysterious person's own throat.
"W-what? How are you—!"
"Do not underestimate shinobi... Mitsu-san," Sakura said calmly. As if on que, the clouds drifted along, the moonlight seeping in through the window near the bed and revealing the figure to be the missing princess' handmaid.
"But, the bath water should have—!"
"Mitsu-san, please. I am the chief of Konoha Hospital. If I couldn't tell a posionous mixture or sedative just by smelling and looking at it I really don't deserve my title."
"So you didn't take a bath in the tub I prepared?" Mitsu's voice wavered
"I drained the water and washed up as usual."
Mitsu broke down, falling to the floor sobbing into into her hands. Sakura decided to wait for her to calm down, and with a sudden 'poof,' Katsuyu appeared onto Sakura's shoulder, nestling into the silk white nightgown that she was wearing.
"Sakura-sama..." Katsuyu whispered into her ear. Sakura nodded.
By the time Katsuyu was finished relaying her message to Sakura, Mitsu had relatively calmed down and was shaking with a few silent sobs here and there.
"I.. I am so sorry, Sakura-san. I should have just told you everything from the beginning. You see, it's not just the princess who has disappeared. The queen is gone too."
Sakura's eyes narrowed, and Mitsu continued.
"My younger brothers... I have three of them. Soma, Sota, and Sora," Sakura couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the names. Creativity didn't seem to be the strongest point in Mitsu's family...
"Our parents passed away due to illness when I was young. They have been long-time servants of the Peony's royal family, and the King and Queen were so kind to let me and my brothers live in the castle after our parents had passed. My brothers, although they are still kids, had recently begun training with the royal military. The day that the Queen and princess had gone missing... my youngest brother Sora was using a secret passageway in the castle as a shortcut to the training grounds. He accidentally overheard commotion from the throne room from behind the throne room's grand painting of the King and Queen, which is one of the entrances to the secret passageway. Sora walked in on a vile snake-like creature biting into the King's neck. After the King had gotten bitten, he had suddenly turned cold and mean... and the creature seemed to be able to shapeshift and pose as the Queen. Somehow, Sora was discovered and captured by the fake queen, and soon, all of the castle workers had turned like the king and seems to be under the control of the fake queen. I was the only one in right mind, and the fake queen— she threatened to kill my incarcerated brothers and I just didn't know what to do... I thought even if you're not the real princess, she would believe me if I took your eyes to her... I—"
"Mitsu, thank you for telling me the truth," Sakura soothed. She bent down and stroked Mitsu's hair gently, "did you see what happened to the princess and the real queen too?"
"N-no, I just know that they went missing before the queen did such a thing to the king. But it seems like the fake queen is actually trying to find the princess and the real queen, so it is really likely they ran away themselves. I don't know why, but the fake queen wants the princess's eyes. They may hold some special power. And, she doesn't actually know that I know she's not the real queen."
"It must have been very difficult for you."
Mitsu sobbed, "My brothers...!"
"The wedding must go on, for the sake of both countries. However, we'll see to it that your brothers are safe, no matter what," Sakura stated confidentally.
"H-how do you plan on...?"
"Let's convene with Kazekage-sama. I have an idea."
Helping her up, Sakura securely held Mitsu's shoulders and opened the window behind her. Under the sill was a small platform of sand swirling, waiting for her.
"My summon just relayed to me urgent news and development that requires us to meet. I would like you to come as well, Mitsu."
Mitsu gulped, but said nothing and held Sakura's hand as Sakura helped her climb out the window onto the sand. They sat down in seiza style and the sand slowly took them on a ride through the air to where the Kazekage was waiting. The sand led them around the courtyard to Gaara's chambers. It abruptly stopped at a window, and Sakura knocked an unusual rhythm. Swiftly, the window slid open and the two women carefully climbed into the room. Gaara was sitting at a small round table with Kankuro. The table only had two chairs to match, so Temari was sitting cross-legged and cross-armed on Gaara's bed with her giant fan leaning against the bed next to her. The three Sand nin blinked in surprise at the extra guest tagging along with the one they were waiting for.
Sakura quickly explained Mitsu's situation, and Mitsu's eyes shifted here and there uncomfortably, tearing up at the part where her brothers were involved. Gaara nodded solemnly and in understanding.
"Regarding why I called you here urgently, Sakura. Temari and Kankuro have also reported to me what they heard in the King and Queen's chambers. It seems the "Queen" is searching for the Eternal Stone, which is a precious jewel that is a key ingredient in a jutsu involved in maintaining youth and longetivity."
"Then why did the fake queen ask Mitsu to take my eyes?" Sakura inquired
"That... from rumors, it seems the Peony kingdom has been targeted for many years by outsiders hearing of the legends. The stone had always been reportedly kept at the castle. When the princess was born, she was born without a left eye. That's when the Queen decided to protect its kingdom by letting the outside world know that the Eternal Stone had been stolen and is no longer at the Peony castle."
Sakura gasped, "You're not saying...?"
"The Eternal Stone was implanted into Princess Hanaharu's left eye socket and a jutsu was casted to make its appearance look like an eye."
"... So, tomorrow we must make the fake queen believe the princess has gone missing yet again right until the moment of the wedding ceremony. We will need to let the Daimyo and his son know that somehow the Peony Queen and King are involved so they are cautious," Temari summarized.
"I will personally deliver the message at the crack of dawn," Gaara replied.
The round moon shone brightly overhead as wisps of misty clouds lazily wafted past it. Tumultuous waves crashed along the dark beach shore.
Shikamaru held up a small torch, which lit up the area around the Konoha shinobi.
Akamaru sniffed around the beach and barked.
"This seems to be it! Has the same smell," Kiba quipped.
"The princess must have been at this place at one point or another then," Sai reasoned.
Then, Akamaru suddenly began to whine and gave a quiet bark.
"What? It's the same, but something smells a little different about this sand?"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "Looks like we'll have to look deeper into that. Hinata do you see anywhere appropriate in the area?" He handed the torch to Naruto to hold while he opened a small bag and scooped some of the sand inside. The veins around Hinata's eyes bulged and looked toward the brightly lit city.
"Two kilometers into the city, due west. I think it's a laboratory of some kind."
Quickly, the group dashed into the city and raced toward the facility that Hinata pointed out.
Naruto was ready to burst through the doors when suddenly Shikamaru pulled him by his collar and roughly shoved him into an alleyway, behind the corner of another building. Naruto stifled a surprise yelp. The rest of the group followed and hid in the shadow. Shikamaru quickly held up a finger to his lips and pointed toward the facility in question. Two guards wearing standard Wind Country uniforms suddenly rounded the corner, flashlights scanning the area. The two bright beams of light missed the group of shinobi as they stood still, hidden from the guards' views. They retreated slowly back on their patrol around the building.
"It'll be risky if we all go in," Shikamaru uttered in a low voice.
"Then let me—"
"Naruto, do you know to work a microscope?"
"... Not particularly, no."
Shikamaru looked at Ino and Sai, "Ino can I ask you to examine both sand samples? You have experience with scientific research. Sai, with your experience as a ROOT operative I think stealth is your strongest point. Please watch for any guards while Ino is working." Shikamaru handed Ino the two sample bags. Both of them nodded, and in a flash they hopped up the sides of the buildings onto the rooftop of the laboratory.
"We'll stay watch out here."
"Aw, never a time to shine..." Naruto pouted.
"Maa maa," Hinata consoled while figuratively sweatdropping and gently patted his shoulder.
As Ino and Sai walked through the dimly lit hallways of the laboratory, Sai had quickly painted small ink birds which flew around and splattered themselves onto each security camera they could find. They didn't have much time. The guards in the security room would notice the cameras on this floor not displaying any footage and come investigating soon. The facility seemed to be a scientific research center, and according to Hinata, it seemed like there were guards patrolling each floor. There seemed to be vaults containing vials of samples of different kinds of bacteria or viruses—none of which were probably terribly harmful, all standard for a medical research facility of this kind.
Ino just needed to borrow any lab room and she would be set. But as they walked past, she realized each door needed an authorized card key in order to gain access to the room.
Tch, can't be helped, she thought. The pair decided to hang upside-down on the ceiling with chakra-laden feet, until the guards on patrol walked directly under them, flashlights sweeping the hallway. Swiftly, Sai hopped down from the ceiling behind one guard and used his hand to deftly hit the pressure points in his neck. The guard crumpled to the floor, not knowing what hit him.
Ino quickly aimed her hands in a triangular position to the other guard: Shintenshin no Jutsu!
It all happened quickly. Possessing the guard's body, Sai captured Ino's limp body and hoisted her over his shoulder..
"Hey, the least you could do is not treat my body like it's some kind of luggage..." she muttered while swiping the guard's card key to the nearest room.
Aha! A lab room!
Quickly, she turned on the lights and set to work and placed a few grains on two separate rectangular glass slides. Sliding the first one containing the sand from near the palace in a microscope, Ino peered inside and examined the sand for a few minutes. Then, she took the second glass slide containing the beach sand and slid it in, examining it again. Immediately she noticed something.
"This is...!"
Sai, who was near the doorway keeping watch with Ino's unconscious body propped against the wall in a sitting position next to him glanced back at her inquisitively. She was concentrating on looking back and forth beween the slides.
"What is it—" but before he could finish his question he snapped his head back toward the hallway.
"Guards are coming." Ino nodded and packed the samples quickly.
"Find a way out with my body! I'll distract them and lead them away." Sai nodded. Quickly, Ino ran out to the hallway and planted her whole frontside to the floor. Sai closed the door to the lab room as he heard muffled footsteps heading their way.
"Hey! Are you okay?" A guard shouted, muffled through the door.
"Ugh... my head... intruders! There are intruders! They went down that way, probably downstairs before I lost consciousness! There were three of them, dressed in black!" Ino (posed as the guard) shouted. Quickly, the running sounds of footsteps faded away as the guards went to check the way that Ino pointed.
Hah, easy!
Ino opened the lab door once more and Sai stepped out, this time with Ino's body hoisted into a piggy-back position.
"Go out the way we came!" Ino called while running after the guards to make sure they went the opposite direction. Sai nodded and proceeded to run back the way they came up toward the rooftop.
"They're coming out!" Hinata quietly exclaimed while scanning the facility in front of her. She was worried because she saw many guards convening to one floor of the building, but it seemed Ino and Sai managed to escape quickly without being detected. Sai seemed to be carrying Ino's body so they must have executed some kind of escape plan.
"All right! Hope we got a new lead," Naruto fist pumped. He hated just waiting around.
But that feeling of relief didn't last long, as Naruto suddenly registered incoming chakra presences in the surrounding area.
"Guys... we're not alone!"
The group tenses as they glanced around them.
"It feels like only two chakras, but one of those chakra is split into many bodies. One person is fighting the many... what would you call it? Clones?" Naruto closed his eyes, his sage techniques naturally coming to him even not in Sage Mode. Then, his eyes snapped open.
"This chakra belongs to—!"
As if on cue, a heavy dark mass suddenly slammed down onto the concrete ground in front of the group, debris flying everywhere. Almost in slow motion, the shinobi stared wide-eyed at the figure who had curled his right hand around the unknown shinobi's neck while comfortably cushioning his fall with the person below him.
From the side, as the debris went flying up, the figure's dark hair on the right side of his face flew up, providing a nice view of one, shiny red three-comma Sharingan.
"Sasuke!" A collective gasp. What was Sasuke doing here?
Only Naruto knowingly grinned. So he had received his letter!
Red eye spinning quickly to his right, Sasuke's eye visibly widened as the enemy shinobi under him went limp from being crushed against the concrete. Unexpectedly, the body crumbled into pieces of stone and dust.
"Rock clones?" Shikamaru questioned, as more of these identical enemy shinobi surrounded them from all sides, landing on top of buildings, hopping down in from of them, and melting into sight from the alleyways. Sasuke shook his head.
"They look like clones but act as if they are their own entities. The amount of chakra in each one is comparable to that of a strong shinobi."
"They must be being controlled by someone," Naruto reasoned, "the chakra signatures are identical in each one."
"How can someone evenly distribute such a vast amount of chakra among all of these clones?"
"Questions aside, I've been fighting them all evening. They just keep coming from nowhere. We'll need to find the source and take whoever it is out. They tampered with the stage that's going to be used for tomorrow."
"Tampered with..?"
"It's rigged so the stage will collapse from underneath when the chakra holding the legs are released. There's someone who either really doesn't want the wedding to succeed, or is trying to use the chaos that would ensue to do someth—" Before Sasuke could finish his thoughts, the enemy shinobi suddenly advanced toward the group like lions ready to pounce on their prey, and the group braced themselves.
Like an imaginary gun firing to signal the start of a race, the enemy nin rushed at the group. Immediately, everyone sprung to action, firing kunai and shuriken, blocking attacks, and parrying back with taijutsu.
This definitely aroused the guards who were patrolling outside of the building. Street lamps and torches slowly lit up the area as the civilians heard the commotion and peaked their heads out of windows to catch a glimpse of what all the noise was about.
"What's going on over there!" One of the guards shouted. In that moment, another guard flew out the entrance doors and abruptly stopped in his tracks, mainly staring at Sasuke and blinking a few times.
"Uh... uh, the intruders! It's them in the black clothing!" The guard (Ino) improvised and pointed at the enemy shinobi Shikamaru's group was engaged with. Other guards soon appeared.
"I thought there were around three!" Another guard shouted.
"I guess... there were more waiting outside," Ino sheepishly suggested.
Conveniently, she saw Sai scale down the building walls out of the corner of her eye.
Kai! She immediately released her jutsu, and the guard's body she was occupying slumped down to the ground.
"Hey! What's wrong!"
Swiftly hiding behind a nearby building, Sai held Ino steady as she stirred awake.
"What's going on? Why is Sasuke here?" She shot up.
"No time to ask questions, it looks like they need our help."
She nodded fiercely and the pair quickly jumped into the fray.
Meanwhile, Naruto delivered a strong kick to the chest of one of the enemies. A sickening crunch reverberated under the sole of his ninja sandal, but the body quickly crumbled to rock pieces and dust. Kiba and Akamaru gracefully danced around another enemy and pounced at him from either side. Hinata easily used her Gentle Fist to pulverize three shinobi in one go. Shikamaru, who had been parrying a few of them off with a kunai, was joined by Ino to his left and they pulled off a Team 10 combination sans Choji. Sai drew one of his short swords and engaged in combat.
These enemies seeemed to be able to use ninjutsu, and many of them used the concrete ground to manipulate stone, building walls or hurling giant slabs at the Konoha shinobi.
"They're resurrecting!" Ino exclaimed. And true enough, the crumbled pieces of stones slowly put themselves back together.
"We need to find the source!" Sasuke called to the group once again.
"Hinata! Shikamaru requested. She nodded and scaled up a nearby building and gracefully hopped onto the ledge of the roof. Naruto followed her up and stood protectively behind her, decisively taking down any enemy aiming for her as she used her Byakugan to scan the city.
"It's... it's no use, I can't find a source of chakra similar to the ones these clone shinobi have...!" Hinata called
"Everyone, get away!" Sasuke yelled. He pumped chakra into his right eye and the three commas swireld into a six-star pattern. Immediately heeding his word, the Konoha shinobi each hopped up onto the rooves of nearby structures as Sasuke yelled.
"Amaterasu!"
Each enemy nin in sight was suddenly engulfed in a concentrated black flame.
"What Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, horrified of any house fires Sasuke might cause with his eternally burning flames.
Wordlessly, the enemy shinobi crumbled apart in heaps, but Sasuke wasn't finished. Flipping his hair back revealed his activated left eye as well.
The Rinnegan! Naruto inwardly identified.
"Chibaku Tensei! A smaller version of a black sphere appeared in the sky above them and began sucking the crumbled remains of all the enemy shinobi. Once again reactivating his Rinnegan, Sasuke then opened a portal right behind the giant black sphere and a scene of bubbling and spewing lava appeared behind it. Quickly, the portal to the other dimension engulfed Sasuke's Chibaku Tensei and closed.
The guards to the laboratory, knowing they were no match in terms of power to join the battle and watching this all in shock, fearfully backed away from the dark-haired shinobi who warily eyed them.
"... Sorry for causing a scene," Sasuke muttered. The guards shook their heads vigorously and let the Konoha shinobi leave the scene, lest they face the same fate as the mysterious "intruders" from the powerful shinobi who stood in front of them.
Sasuke led the group to the grand plaza with the gorgeous fountain. Lights were lit up around the plaza, but there were hardly any people walking out as the hour was getting late.
"Sasuke, what brings you to this area?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Personal matters," Sasuke curtly, but not rudely, replied. Naruto slyly smirked.
"So glad you could be in time for... Sakura's wedding," he stifled a laugh. Figurative lightbulbs went off above the heads of the rest of the Konoha shinobi.
Sasuke pointedly ignored Naruto.
"Anyway, it's good to see you again, teme."
The corners of Sasuke's mouth lifted up ever-so slightly. Not replying to his best friend's comment, Sasuke gestured to the platform that the vows would take place on tomorrow.
"We need to figure out how to remove those chakra bindings under the pillars of the stage."
Concentrating chakra to their eyes, the group could relatively make out and sense bindings of chakra around sections of the gigantic wooden platform. Hinata and Sasuke could obviously see it more clearly due to their bloodline limits.
"Wait! I have to report what I found with the sand samples," Ino suddenly exclaimed. All eyes turned to her.
She turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, we need your help! I think dimensional travel is involved in our mission."
A/N: Chapter 2/3 in this "movie style" story complete! Last chapter coming next..!