Chapter 35: Regrouping

"Back so soon already?" Kankuro asked, looking up from his soup bowl as his siblings stepped into the room, Baki following silently behind them. ". . . Visiting hours ended hours ago guys, and the nurses here seem to be pretty strict with their policies."

"The hospital staff was more than willing to accommodate our simple request once Queen Kushina vouched for us at the front." Gaara admitted as he crafted himself a seat of sand while Baki and Temari occupied the two available chairs.

"The Queen is here?!"

"Along with the King's cousin, Princess Tsunade," Temari added as she plucked a cracker from off his tray. "As a medic kunoichi, she wanted to see how things were going with the treatment of the recently injured and wanted to lend her expertise to where it was best needed."

"Makes sense . . ." Kankuro mumbled as he pushed his soup aside. "I didn't know Princess Tsunade was even in the village!"

"She rushed back once she heard about yesterday," Temari clarified after finishing her cracker. "She arrived just this morning and joined in our talk with King Minato."

"It seems she quite enjoys knowing that Lady Chiyo is still annoyed with her antics during the last Fire-Wind conflict decades ago." Gaara added.

"I would be too if every poison I came up with for conflict got soundly reversed by the same exact person." Kankuro mumbled, shaking his head. "You think Princess Tsunade would be willing to give me some tips?"

"I think she would, just for the sake of annoying Chiyo even more than she already has," Baki mumbled. "Lady Chiyo has never liked being thwarted by others, especially not in the way that Princess Tsunade has done. . . The two women have only met once in their entire lives, but the old lady still considers the Fire King's cousin as one of her truest enemies."

"It never hurts to ask. Princess Tsunade and Queen Kushina plan to stop by here before leaving for the night so you can ask them once they arrive," Temari pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. ". . . But before they do get here, we have much to talk about."

"We're not going to like this conversation, are we?" The puppeteer mumbled as he and Baki shared a look.

"Not really, no," Gaara answered, his tone as emotionless as his face.

". . . Okay! Let's get this over with!" His brother cried out after a momentary pause. "Let's get the bad stuff out of the way. . . What's first?"

"Orochimaru wanted our father to join forces with him."

"Please say sike right now. . ." Kankuro was quick to say back as Baki looked at Temari as if she had suddenly grown a head on each of her shoulders. "Orochimaru really tried to get our father to join our kingdom's forces with those of the Sound?"

"Operative word being tried," Temari continued. "Orochimaru tried to use our kingdom's recent economic struggles to his benefit. He reasoned that if Wind and Sound came together to destroy Fire, it would open up better financial avenues for our land. . ."

"But Father refused his offer," Kankuro concluded. "And he was killed for it."

"And then he took over his appearance to get into the Showcase," Baki added. "When the last Sound ninja still in the competition was killed during the break, it cost Orochimaru his legitimate reason to be in Konoha."

"And if his plan was going to continue, he needed to fabricate a new one," Gaara spoke up as he looked out the window. ". . . His overall plan failed though, but he's still out there, somewhere."

"But how did he even get away though?!" Kankuro exclaimed. "He was fighting King Minato and Lord Hiruzen wasn't he?"

"He was Kankuro, but unfortunately, Orochimaru is an expert when it comes to backup planning," Temari grumbled. "He managed to split the battlefield in two, with him engaging Lord Hiruzen alone, while the king had to deal with some powerful - and by powerful, I mean genetically engineered - warriors that he summoned to his side."

"The strategy makes sense. . ." Baki mumbled, looking down at his lap. "Lord Hiruzen is, was, an experienced fighter, but he's an older figure, one that Orochimaru was more familiar with since the man used to be his sensei after all."

"So, he opted to take out his old sensei first rather than the Fire King?" Kankuro asked, looking unsure. "It's definitely a strategic decision on his part, but it still doesn't sit right with me for some reason. . ."

"You're not wrong to feel that way," Gaara admitted as he turned to his brother. "Orochimaru had many reasons for attacking like he did yesterday, but the biggest one was revenge."

"Revenge huh?" Baki mumbled. "Orochimaru used to be one of the Fire Kingdom's best shinobi, and he was one of Lord Sarutobi's finest students. Taking out his old sensei was probably in his plans."

"Yeah, but it didn't completely work out for him," Temari clarified before Baki could say anymore. "Lord Hiruzen may have passed away, but he managed to take Orochimaru's hands with him, so to speak."

"Oh, he managed to cut them off!" Kankuro guessed.

"On a physical level, no . . . Lord Hiruzen tried to kill him by sealing his soul away with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, but he only managed to get as far as sealing the part of his soul that was in his arms." Temari quietly explained to her rapt audience. "So, yeah, Orochimaru is alive, but his arms have been rendered completely useless."

"Now that his arms have been rendered useless, he won't be able to use any ninjutsu. . . He's definitely weakened, but with a mind like his, he'll think of a way to get around it," Baki grumbled. "The question now is how long will it take him to do it?"

"Well, at the very least, he's not going to be able to use Sasuke to do it," Temari was quick to say.

"Oh yeah, he did try to kidnap the Uchiha while everything was going to hell," Kankuro remembered. "I'm sure the Uchiha Clan would be more than happy to lead the charge of apprehending that bastard, right? I've heard that they're quite merciless to anyone that attempts to steal one of their Sharingans."

"Well, in this case, it was more than just the Sharingan that Orochimaru was after?" Gaara mused.

"And what do you mean by that Gaara?" Baki asked, not even bothering to be formal as he looked to the redhead.

"Well, one of the more disturbing things we learned from our meeting with King Minato is that Orochimaru - in his quest to learn every single jutsu known to man - developed a jutsu that allows him to be semi-immortal, again, so to speak," Temari but in before Gaara could say anything. "He can prolong his life by jumping into another body and assimilating it into himself, gaining his host's chakra, jutsu knowledge, stamina, strength, even their appearance if he wants to use it to go fully incognito."

"The younger the body, the longer he can stay in it before it completely burns out on him," Gaara added, inwardly a little disturbed by the idea.

"So that's why he was after Sasuke," Kankuro grumbled as he fell back on his pillow. "If Orochimaru was successful in assimilating the Uchiha into his being, not only would he have years of longevity to work with, he would have a much easier time copying jutsus thanks to the Sharingan."

"A man like him getting his hands on any dojutsu would be trouble for the world at large, but a Sharingan would definitely push Orochimaru over the edge," Baki admitted.

"It's a good thing Orochimaru didn't get his hands on it then, though he may have gotten something in the end," Temari grumbled, her face darkening slightly. "I've asked Princess Tsunade to examine our father's body. If that snake bastard tampered with his body in any way, we'll know."

"The only reason Orochimaru would want a sample of your father's DNA is for his Magnet Release," Baki realized, grimacing.

"The snake bastard has a penchant for poaching the secrets of rare jutsus and kekkei genkais especially. Magnet Release fits the bill," Kankuro added, shaking his head. "When does Princess Tsunade plan to do the autopsy?"

"Tomorrow morning, around the same time that Queen Kushina will be fixing Gaara's seal," Temari answered. "Thanks to King Minato, the Council has been made aware of Orochimaru's invasion attempt, and of Father's death."

"They would have sent a guard here to make sure that you three get escorted back home safe and sound," Baki concluded.

"They've already been sent. We'll be alerted when they cross into Fire territory, but best guess is that they'll arrive here the day after tomorrow," She added. "The Council will get their collective panties in a twist once they find out that someone that's not a Wind shinobi handled Gaara's seal, so. . ."

". . . So, it's best to get it taken care of before they could even have a chance to object," Kankuro grinned as he looked at Gaara. "The Council is still going to complain about it either way."

"Let them blow all the hot air that they want," Gaara mumbled. "As long as Lady Chiyo truthfully explains to us what happened on the day Shukaku was sealed into me, I don't care what the rest of them say."

"Well, I'm sure they'll have a lot to say," Kankuro mused. "A lot of talk is going to be happening in the Court in the coming days. Orochimaru's actions, Father's death and funeral, and, of course, Sis' impending coronation."

"If it ever happens. . ."

"Okay, I don't like the sudden change in tone sis just used," Kankuro admitted as Temari dug into her pouch, pulling out the small scroll Shikaku handed her earlier. "What's that?"

"A message from Elder Ebizō. It came with the Council's response to King Minato's correspondence," She explained as she passed it over to Baki. "Apparently, the campaign to ensure that I'm not crowned as our kingdom's next monarch is already in full swing."

"Lords Kikuchi, Mujimoto, and Ueda are leading the effort. None of them have representation among the Council, but that's not stopping them from canvassing the Court for supporters that would prefer Kankuro over you," Baki announced as he read over the scroll a second time.

"Eh, the Ueda Clan shouldn't be a problem. They're small fry in court politics and one of the smallest clans in Wind. All you have to do is scare them straight one time and they'll fall back in line," Kankuro analyzed as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's Kikuchi and Mujimoto that we'll have to worry about.

"Those are two clans that've seen their fortunes increase in recent years, and have been two of the most vocal opponents to some of your father's policies as well," Baki reminded them. "They'll be hard pressed to find legitimate support among the older, more powerful clans . . . but it's still possible."

"Because they're banking on the idea that the other clans are more comfortable with the idea of a man leading the kingdom rather than a woman," Temari spat out, always hating that significant part of the kingdom's 'traditional ways'.

"As if they'll leave things there though. Pop made his share of enemies in the Court because he was unwilling to bend to any possible temptations and manipulations that the nobility could throw at him," Kankuro spoke up. "If you get passed over, the crown goes to me, and they will try their damned hardest to gain more influence over the crown."

"Well, only if you let them," Temari bit back, turning her gaze on Kankuro. ". . . Which I'm sure you would never let happen, right?"

"Now what do you take me for?!" The puppeteer bit back in return as he glared at his sister. ". . . I may not want the crown, but I wouldn't let a bunch of prissy nobles in too tight for the desert kimonos control my decisions . . . After all, nothing spells disaster more than a group of power-hungry nobles seeking control."

"By rights, Temari is the Queen of the Wind Kingdom. The Council knows this. Some members may be swayed, but the final decision should work in your favor Temari," said Baki, his face becoming thoughtful. "If the opposition were successful in convincing the Council to name Kankuro the monarch instead of you, Kankuro will do well to avoid not being caught up in their ideas, especially since their strategy will embolden them to push for more power."

"That's true. . . You know, things would have been so easier if Gaara was born first."

"And why would you say that Kankuro?" Gaara asked, technically preferring his status as the third born simply because he liked the idea of being the furthest back in the line of succession. It was less of a hassle for him after all.

"Well, for starters, you're a guy, so the traditionalists wouldn't bring gender into the debate," The puppeteer started to explain, looking quite eager to clue his brother in to what he was thinking. "Plus, the idea of the nobles trying to manipulate or intimidate you in any way is completely hilarious once you think about it."

"You know what? Kankuro's got a point," Temari agreed as she turned to the redhead. "Between the three of us Gaara, if you were the first born, you'd have the easiest time being the heir, even with Shukaku sealed inside you."

"When you really think about it, it's not that crazy of a thought," Baki added, seemingly agreeing with the older Sand Siblings, much to the redhead's chagrin. ". . . Regardless of that, we'll have to return home soon to make sure all this is rectified before things get too far."

"The guard will likely insist on it once they arrive in the village," Temari added.

"Which they'll likely won't get," Kankuro admitted, noticing the look on his sister's face.

"We'll leave soon, but only after Gaara's seal gets fixed, you two get released by the hospital, Princess Tsunade finishes her autopsy on Father, we attend Lord Sarutobi's funeral, and I have one last visit with King Minato," She clarified. "Once all those things are done, then we can go."

"As you wish, Your Grace. . ."

And for the first time that day, a genuine smile appeared on Temari's face.

A/N: Please review!