Author's Note
New arc. Gaara: age nine-ish. I screwed up on the mini-time skips so whenever it says "[BLANK] time later" think "[BLANK] time and a little bit more later"… but I doubt any of you guys spend time counting the months, so it's all good… I just didn't want to do too long a timeskip… and there's a reason why the time stamps are approximate. Just imagine that same sort of lackadaisical approach to counting days as well. (Me math says Gaara's eight and a half… It ain't that big a change… Plus I stuffed in a skip of three months in this one chapter. So.)
Anyways. Not sure how you all will take it… but the works in progress for this arc, that I've currently got, I think are more emotionally focused after this chapter… so feel free to skip to the next arc after I've gotten it written… no guarantees that the next arc would make sense character-wise though… But on the other hand, it's got a reunion and stuff happens because of it.
Do note, the Sand Siblings bits… for this arc are also pretty filler-y until mid-arc... So. Skip at your discretion.
Either way, as it stands I'm disinclined to change the tone of this arc… even though I myself sort of was trying to lay off on emotional-overbearing-ness… But hey, in two arcs, things should actually work out… but you've gotta bear this arc through in order to see it… Minds work strangely. People tend to remember more emotionally-charged experiences than the day-to-day… I literally started writing this to try and explore a few characters' minds… *shrugs… maybe we can pretend the emotional-overbearing-ness is intentional someday.
Chapter 27
Kankuro (three months later, approximate time: 2:00 PM)
The execution was swift. Gaara made sure of it.
The investigative process, seemingly, what took years. The chunin and genin found involved—sent to Torture and Interrogation. Likely to exit with reduced internal rank and trust if they remained shinobi… if they came out at all. The jonin, executed with little fanfare. Some for as little as keeping a secret. Traitors. Deserving little else under Suna law. Less than a minute, and it was over.
Kankuro didn't know who to blame more: the people like his senpai, his father, or himself.
Katiya (approximate time: 5:40 AM)
Katiya stuffed her head through a gender-neutral ankle-length Land of Wind variant of a robe and then wrapped a head scarf on top of her balaclava.
Kabuto had managed to secure them civilian travel permits via his old Suna credentials back when he was over there. According to the mission briefing, they were to be masquerading as civilian traders from the Land of Wind's north, which matched the direction they would be approaching Suna from.
The explanation for their visit to the Kazekage himself would be revealed once they were in Suna borders, to bypass the Konoha security that was ironically more common in the area than Suna-provided security. Sasori would be blamed for killing Suna's men, not Orochimaru. Kabuto would explain that a few Suna-nin had sought refuge in Oto because of Suna's economic plight, and that Sasori had decimated some of Oto's men as well, on a separate note and how they learned of Suna's similar situation.
All of the extracted Sleeper Jutsu needles would be presented, and then a planned transition to discussing economics and how it would be in both of their villages' benefits to attack Konoha.
Assuming all went well.
She supposed having the excuse of other shinobi from the Suna region seeking out refuge in Oto could have been a plausible reason for her survival… and a single day of her being in the Kazekage's presence was unlikely to allow him to recognize her chakra after more than a year of being effectively dead anyways… There always was the ANBU to worry about, but the one ANBU member that was around her long enough to recognize her by chakra alone was dead as well, meaning she really didn't have to worry about most Suna-borne threats to her mission and thus life.
She let out a breath.
It would be her first time going back to Suna after she had left… after she had left Gaara. She didn't know whether to hope to reunite with him, or hope their potential reunion wouldn't screw up the meet with the Kazekage and end up killing her.
Katiya (approximate time: 6:00 AM)
Kabuto met Katiya at Oto's opening junction in his own Land of Wind civilian attire, Suna equivalent of a ghutra, and another gathering of cloth around his neck. After exchanging pleasantries and information, they were interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. Katiya whipped around. "Guren!?!"
Kabuto turned to glare, hearing the name. "What are you doing here?"
"Orders from Lord Orochimaru," she said haughtily, "Loyalty has its perks."
Katiya and Kabuto exchanged glances.
"I think Kabuto wanted to ask why you wanted to come with us… since the original mission briefing only had the two of us factored in, meaning you had to beg Orochimaru to be here, " Katiya rephrased.
Guren made a face. "Well, I wasn't going to let two eggheads who can barely fight even if their lives depended on it ruin the success of one of Lord Orochimaru's most important missions."
Kabuto did not bother masking his irritation and let out a derisive scoff.
Katiya spared him a glance before turning back to Guren. "Guren, this is a message delivery and recon mission. Fighting is highly unlikely," Katiya said dryly.
"Which means the mission is meant to be covert, and you not even being changed, that's what's going to ruin the mission," Kabuto snarked back, "Do you even have a civilian ID?"
Guren sneered. "Don't need one—I'm going as your shinobi escort—pawned one off of one of those dead trash-nin you've got crammed in the morgue."
"And you didn't bother to 'pawn off' their clothes too?"
Guren looked disgusted at that question. "What the hell would I need to do that for?"
Kabuto threw up his hands as if he wanted to strangle the woman for her affinity for clothing in a shade of very desert-conspicuous green. Katiya openly facepalmed. "Kabuto… I don't… suppose… you still have your old Suna gear… ?"
Kabuto scowled. "No. And the gear that I did have is a few sizes too small anyways. But I'm sure I can find genuine fitting Land of Wind clothing from somewhere," Kabuto said as he pushed past Guren to walk off towards what was coincidentally the direction of the morgue, leaving her at the junction.
"What's up with him?" Guren asked Katiya as if she wasn't holding up the mission progress.
Katiya resisted the urge to facepalm again.
Lord Rasa (approximate time: 6:00 AM)
The current Kazekage of Sunagakure could not say he cared equally for each and every one of his approximately 16,000 shinobi. The outside observer tends to be skeptical that he cared at all, based on how he treated his own children. But in truth, the loss of several of his own high ranking officers and a fair amount of the general infantry across multiple divisions bothered him. The less shinobi, the less money Suna was able to generate and the more divided Suna itself could grow, one must realize.
But even Lord Rasa's youngest son had realized something had changed between the execution date and his last mission—or attempt on his life. Besides the apparent decrease in attempts on said life, it was the first time his father ever allowed him to kill someone. But Lord Rasa knew the loss of so many able-bodied shinobi over the breach in security was only a harbinger of Suna's soon-coming fall. And his son was an able-bodied shinobi capable of keeping them in line.
A threat.
Lord Rasa straightened the report at his desk. The security breach had been dealt with, and in the reigning Kazekage's mind, that meant the issue should have already been tabled. But a messenger hawk from an "Otogakure" had begged to differ.
It came with a request for a meeting in Suna's land, which the Lord Kazekage initially found laughable. Besides it meaning the assumed small, new, military village thought Suna and Konoha security to be of little threat, his investigation found little evidence of what the message had been suggesting, Sasori being affiliated with the Akatsuki… and being responsible for his shinobi's deaths. While his investigative unit did find many divided loyalties, few pointed to affiliation with Amegakure, the location where the Akatsuki was supposedly based. And the people who even knew of the Akatsuki's existence were few and far between, making the defections and deaths decidedly suspicious if it was supposedly at the rogue shinobi's hand.
New shinobi villages being among the ones who benefitted from Suna's downfall, making the request seem more so.
But seeing the meet was in his own territory, in the Lord Kazekage's mind, it meant this… Otogakure… was very confident it was the work of Sasori, a defected shinobi of his own. And very confident the meeting would lead to the greater benefit of theirs in the long run. The request for a meet was laughable given the circumstances… but given the circumstances, he found himself humoring the idea.
Katiya (three weeks later, 3:00 PM)
They were coming into range of another outpost on the most common Land of Wind trade route when Katiya noticed three rather distinct forms standing at its entry. "Konoha-nin," Katiya said, noting the green flak vests.
"Konoha? The hell are they doing all the way out here?" Guren asked.
"The disadvantageous deal Konoha has with the Land of Wind daimyo—the reason why we're here to exploit it—didn't you pay any attention?" came the response from Kabuto.
Katiya cleared her throat to recall their attention. The team drew closer to the outpost gate until they were just steps away from the wall.
"Let's see some ID," the Konoha-nin called.
They all pulled out their fake travel passes and the first Konoha-nin took them to inspect. Seeing Kabuto uncover the lower half of his face so the shinobi could see the match to the cards, Katiya did the same. The Konoha-nin weren't likely to be as mindful of the local customs as the native Suna ones, she realized.
"From the north, huh? What brings you here?" they asked.
"Just some hope for some better luck… us two, we're merchants, you see… hoping to add a new town to our boss's trade route," Kabuto replied for them while adopting a more informal open way of speaking.
"Oh?"
Katiya surveyed the shinobi. It was an acceptable reason to both be traveling separately from other merchants… or not be carrying as many wares as one... if they could keep their chakra levels low and responses unsuspicious.
"What business?"
"Oh just some of this and some of that—we try not to carry just the one ware—to better fit the needs of our varying customers—though if you must know, the jewelry business in this region has just gained a new competitor," Kabuto said conspiratorially with the gusto of a trained salesman.
The shinobi turned to eye Guren.
"With the one Suna native escort, eh? You know, you'd probably have better protection if you hired Konoha forces, cheaper too."
Guren was a semi-stunned silent, not knowing how to reply.
Kabuto smiled tensely, attempting to cover for her. "Well, as a businessman, we do what we can to support fellow local businessmen… we know what it's like to be in their shoes, after all..."
Katiya held her breath, waiting. The Konoha-nin gave a terse grunt in response but let the statement slide. Then suspiciously looking at Guren's ID, asked, "Tomohiko?"
Katiya felt Guren stiffen beside her. Both Katiya and Kabuto slowly turned to give her sidelong glances. "Tomohiko" was much more of a common masculine name than it was feminine, but the fact that that was the name on the card indicated the picture almost certainly didn't align with Guren's (already very exposed) face, as Katiya's and Kabuto's ID cards did. Both of them openly frowned.
The other Konoha-nin behind the one holding Guren's card shifted their stances. Guren herself remained still and silent, unknowing of what to say for the moment, her eyes shifting noticeably to Kabuto. Then, as if rethinking, "Oh, screw it!" she exclaimed as she materialized several crystal shuriken.
The Konoha-nin holding what was Guren's supposed ID did a Substitution Jutsu and retreated slightly, the shuriken tearing into the log that had previously been a body. Kabuto quickly moved as well, having anticipated Guren's lack of subtlety when dealing with the enemy.
The Konoha-nin dodged and then dispersed.
"Don't kill them!" Kabuto ordered as he gave chase.
Don't kill them? Katiya mentally repeated, a second later jumping out of her robe to access a scroll of water from a hip pouch. She flicked her eyes over to Guren's opponent before dodging a volley of enemy kunai. That might be a bit tricky...
Lord Rasa (approximate time: 3:00 PM)
"Otogakure is sending a team to discuss diplomatic relations," Rasa told his children. He gave a meaningful look to Gaara. "I expect you three to be on your best behaviors."
His older children took in the name "Otogakure" with curiosity. It was not a village name they were familiar with. Temari, he had little worry for and his second child was likely to follow her lead after the dialogue. His youngest… was another situation.
"The new village believes they have information regarding the deaths of our shinobi and intends to ally themselves with us as both of our villages are at a loss…" the Kazekage continued with narrowed eyes. "Sunagakure has been at its weakest in recent times and so I expect all three of you to present a strong and united front… Any dereliction of duty or skipped training sessions will be severely punished…" his eyes lingered on his middle child. "Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," came his children's dutiful response.
The Kazekage dismissed his children.
Katiya (approximate time: 3:15 PM)
Katiya turned the corner, aware that her opponent was now tailing her in an attempt to corral her into defensible territory. However, he was unaware she was doing the same. She halted as she ran into a dead end, pivoting on her heels.
The Konoha-nin behind her chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Nowhere to run now, so hands up where I can see them."
Katiya gave him an impassive glance. The dead end she chose to run into was land she was familiar with. And a good staging ground for a discreet battle, being still so close to the remote outpost border and in an isolated market corner. She tilted her head down to look at the adjacent diner's lower grate—which led to the cellar where she knew from a distant memory a generator was stored. Katiya put her hands up, too far away to do hand signs. But the one jutsu she needed to manipulate her water was a passive one that didn't require them.
The Konoha-nin approached with a smirk, rather cocky he had the upper hand. Katiya flicked her wrist out to correct that misconception. Water rushed out of the grate, smacking it and what would be at least a ten amp shock in our terms, to the Konoha-nin across from Katiya. It was an amount, despite sounding little, more than five times that of one of our tasers. The man jolted and fell to the floor. Katiya smoothly pulled her water off the man and grounded it so as not to kill him. Not missing a beat, she walked up to her opponent, slid two senbon into his neck to keep him paralyzed just in case, and then stripped him of his waist and thigh pouches, and then his flak vest as a whole.
She stood from the body.
THUD.
Katiya spun around.
"There better have been a good reason why we couldn't just kill these scumbags," Guren called from the roof, jumping after her now mostly uncrystallized victim on the floor. Her former opponent let out a strangled groan and then a bloodied cough upon impact.
Katiya opened her mouth to respond only to stop seeing the silhouette of someone else approaching.
"This is a reconnaissance mission," he drawled, pulling out short narrowed needles from a box no larger than his palm, a stasis scroll tucked under his armpit becoming visible as he approached. "Think of what we're doing as setting another reconnaissance mission by keeping them alive."
"Good timing," Katiya said to both of her teammates' arrivals.
"Good location," Kabuto replied before he unsealed the scroll and laid all the enemy shinobi side by side on the floor. He then methodically sent minuscule needles up their noses and manipulated said needles up to their brains with chakra threads. The bodies spasmed and then fell limp.
After healing the area with a medical ninjutsu, all signs of the operation were then erased.
"Where'd you learn how to do chakra threads?" Katiya asked him, recognizing the operation as likely being the Sleeper Jutsu.
"Suna. Same place nearly everyone else did, originally… but Sasori also imprinted on me the instructions on how to do the full Sleeper Jutsu when I was… working for him in order to expand his spy network. It's a useful jutsu, to say the least," answering Katiya's next question before she asked it as well.
Guren sneered. "All that just for a few extra spies? What are you even getting paid for, then?"
Kabuto narrowed his eyes as he finished up. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you… After all, I still need to be in the vicinity in order to activate the jutsu… and Lord Orochimaru obviously can't depend on any old incompetent shinobi to get a job well done… no matter how loyal they might be," he replied, giving Guren a penetrating glare.
Guren's back stiffened. For all the banter Guren delivered, when it came down to it, Kabuto was still the most senior Oto-nin of the trio and thus still effectively outranked her. And it was his reporting that would dictate Guren's own rank and position. Katiya bowed her head somewhat sympathetically at Guren's presumptuous overstep and predicament.