Chapter 38: Meeting of the Minds

"What do you know of the Akatsuki?"

"The Akatsuki?" The redhead whispered as he looked up at the giant dragon, wracking his head for some semblance of that name in his memory. "I . . . I can't say that I'm familiar with that name."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," Kurama mumbled as he looked down at the three royals. "They haven't been operating in the Wind Kingdom recently, so of course you Wind shinobi wouldn't have any reason to be aware of them . . . for now that is."

"Are you going to keep talking in riddles, or are you going to get to the point any time soon?" Shukaku griped as he looked at his siblings. "What's so fucking big about this damn Akatsuki group you two have been mentioning!?"

"I see you haven't improved on your impatience over the centuries little brother," Kurama admonished, glaring at the tanuki. "Then again, patience was never your forte."

"It was never yours either," Shukaku grumbled right back.

"Back to the matter at hand boys," Ryuna iterated, silencing her brothers in an instant before turning her attention back to their jinchuuriki. "But Kurama is right. You may not have known about them before, but they'll soon have your kingdom's attention in due time."

"And why would they do that?" Gaara asked.

"Right now, the Akatsuki works as a small, yet highly efficient mercenary cell. They're composed of S-rank missing nin from throughout the kingdoms, and every single member has an entry in the bingo book," Shizuka explained as she crossed her arms over her chest. "At this point, every single member of the Big Five has a confirmed active Akatsuki member, except for Lightning. . . Apparently the one Lightning shinobi that was a part of their crew was confirmed to have died years ago."

"And how exactly do you know which kingdoms these Akatsuki members come from?" Gaara asked, turning to her.

"Despite declaring themselves missing nin, why do shinobi that defect from their homelands insist on continuing to wear their forehead protectors?" Naruto asked in return. "A fuck you to their home kingdom, a symbol of the past they left behind, pride . . . Who knows but them themselves?"

"Fair point," Gaara conceded, declining to argue any further. "So, all of the Big Five have a confirmed Akatsuki member . . . I wonder which one comes from Wind."

"Does the name Sasori of the Red Sand ring any bells?" Shizuka asked, the name immediately making the redhead's eyes widen. ". . . I'll take that expression as a yes."

"Yes, I've heard of the name . . ."

"We both have, flesh bag," Shukaku cut in, leaning forward slightly. "I may have been sealed in someone else at the time, but I still heard about him."

"I'm guessing Sasori isn't really revered back in your homeland huh?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"He used to be considered one of the great warriors of the last war, a puppeteering genius that knew no equal, until he destroyed all that goodwill when it was discovered that he was turning his fellow citizens and shinobi into human puppets," Gaara admitted, shaking his head. He remembered that history lesson quite vividly, mainly thanks to how disgusted his brother was at such actions.

He couldn't blame Kankuro though. His brother held himself to a code that he and many puppeteers back home strongly adhere to, sometimes to their own detriment. Though the members of the Puppet Corps always strived to push the boundaries of puppeteering, there were certain lines that they would never cross.

Converting human bodies into workable puppets was definitely one of them.

"Human puppets huh?" Naruto mumbled, bringing a hand to his chin. "That's . . . disturbing."

"That was what the inventor of the idea thought as well, and even petitioned for the practice to be banned before it could truly spread . . . Of course, Sasori never accepted that decision," The redhead admitted. "From what I can remember from my history lessons, Sasori selected civilians as his first subjects, usually people that wouldn't be missed . . . Loners, the homeless, even orphans that decided to try their luck on the streets rather than stay in the orphanages they were placed in."

"Those people wouldn't have others looking for them, giving him plenty of time to . . . convert them," Shizuka mumbled, and Gaara couldn't help but nod in agreement. "But he didn't stick with them for long, did he?"

"No; he moved on to shinobi once he perfected his technique, particularly shinobi with jutsus that would translate well to puppetry."

"And once he turned them into puppets, he could use their abilities in any way he wished," Naruto concluded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He had to know that switching subjects was highly risky . . . I mean, going for shinobi? That was bound to get someone's attention once they connected the dots."

"For a while, he would only take those that were recently deceased, but when he realized that he could get the best results from live targets, that's when he started getting greedy." Gaara explained.

"Which led to your uncle stepping in. . ." Naruto mumbled.

". . . At the cost of his life."

"Cost of his life?" The whiskered teen asked. ". . . The official report that went out was that King Riku went M.I.A. during the last war after a large-scale battle between the forces of Wind and Earth."

"Yes, that's the official explanation, but since Sasori was confirmed to be the last shinobi to see my uncle before he disappeared, it's not hard to imagine that he had a hand in it. . . The fact that my uncle's body was never found only helps to fuel the theory that Sasori turned him into a puppet as well."

"He's only one of the many problems that the Akatsuki hold within their ranks," Ryuna adds, finally jumping back into the conversation. "Despite the fact that all the members are criminals wanted dead or alive in their respective homelands, it hasn't stopped them from receiving work."

"Kingdoms have been paying for their services?"

"It's been mainly notable criminal organizations that don't want to waste their own forces and the occasional small kingdom that has managed to comply with their high asking price, except one notable case," Shizuka admitted. "The Earth Kingdom has been confirmed to have hired the Akatsuki for their services, twice in the last six months alone."

"I see, but I still don't see the connection here," Gaara admitted looking up at Ryuna. "Going off from what you said before, the Akatsuki could possibly become an issue for you and the other tailed beasts. . ."

"That's exactly what she's getting at Gaara," Shukaku jumped in, and when the redhead looked up at the tanuki, he was a little shocked to see how serious the beast appeared. The One Tails was usually eager at the face of potential bloodshed, but seeing him now . . . It just told him that things were a lot more serious than previously thought. ". . . The Akatsuki are planning to come after us, aren't they?"

"From what I've gathered, it seems that they're already planting the groundwork," Ryuna admitted.

"I see . . . You've been talking to the others then."

"Others?" Naruto asked as he looked up at Kurama. "As in the rest of your siblings?"

"Some have talked more than others," Ryuna admitted.

"Chomei!" Kurama and Shukaku echoed, both of them looking annoyed when they realized they had spoken at the same time.

"Chomei?" Gaara asked. "That's one of your siblings' names?"

"Indeed," Kurama answered. "To you humans, he's known as the Seven Tails, but to us, he's the annoyingly happy sibling."

"Don't forget lucky," Shukaku added. "No matter what situation he's in, he always seems to come out on the better end."

"When did Chomei contact you, Ryuna?" Naruto decided to ask as he looked up at the dragon.

"About a couple months ago," Ryuna admitted, folding her claws under her head. "He's currently sealed inside the cousin of the current King of the Waterfall Kingdom, one of the kingdoms that have been using the Akatsuki's services in recent months."

"At first, Chomei didn't think anything of it when two Akatsuki members met with the Waterfall King and his Head Adviser to discuss details of a mission that they wanted completed," Ryuna explained. ". . . That is, until he realized that a third member was secretly trailing his host."

"They were scoping him out?" Naruto asked.

"Her," His sister corrected. "Fu's a girl."

"All of Chomei's jinchuuriki have the ability to communicate with insects; a similar ability to those of the Aburame Clan," Ryuna explained. "So, he suggested to Lady Fu to send a few ants on a scouting mission. . . When they returned, they reported that all three were in talks with a fourth through some communication jutsu, and they were talking about a future plan involving the ten of us."

"A future plan?" Gaara asked. "So, it's not in motion just yet?"

"No, it appears that they're standing pat for now, but they are making sure that they know where each jinchuuriki currently is."

"Then why should we be worried now when the issue is possibly months, years away?!" Shukaku groused, only to grimace when he got smacked upside the head by one of Kurama's tails. ". . . Ah yes; another reason why I don't like you Kurama."

"The feeling's mutual, and did you really have to ask such a stupid question?" The fox grumbled, looking like he wanted to smack the tanuki again. "It's best to handle a problem now before it festers into something worse in the future."

"And yet we can't do anything now because we don't know what the Akatsuki are fucking planning for us!" Shukaku retorted as he glared at his brother.

"At the very least, our vessels will have to prepare for the future because the Akatsuki will eventually seek them out," Ryuna advised, sneaking a glance at the three teenagers below them. "Would it help if I said that, well . . . Grandmother is involved?"

"Grandmother?" Gaara whispered as he watched Shukaku digest the news, amazed that the tanuki was even capable of looking so wide-eyed. "The tailed beasts have a grandmother?"

"That's news to me. . ." Naruto mumbled as he looked up at Kurama's grave expression.

"How involved is our grandmother?" Kurama bluntly asked as he looked at Ryuna.

"According to Chomei, the one that was tracking his vessel reeked of her chakra," The dragon admitted, her words making the fox let out a string of curse words. "Yeah, that was my reaction when I heard it the first time."

"That's not good," Kurama chanted, shaking his head as if he wanted to shake what he just heard away. "If Grandmother is involved, then we really are in for some shit in the future . . . Father warned us of this in the past. Looks like his words may soon come to fruition."

"Not if we stop it first," Ryuna countered. "Chomei has already warned his vessel, and I've been in contact with the others to warn them as well."

"How many did you get?"

"Matatabi, Gyuki and Saiken were the first to immediately answer, and once I got them connected to Chomei, they made sure to warn their jinchuuriki," The Ten Tails admitted as she curled her tails around herself. "It took me another week to talk to Kokuo, but he understands the situation as well."

"Matatabi? Gyuki?" Gaara repeated as he looked at the twins. "Saiken? Kokuo?"

"Those are the names of the Two, Eight, Six, and Five Tails respectively," Shizuka explained as she looked over at him. "Two and Eight are in Lightning, Six is traveling throughout the kingdoms after leaving Water a little after the start of the civil war there, and Five is in Earth."

"And what about Isobu and Goku?" Kurama asked, and thanks to the process of elimination, the three teens knew the fox was asking about the Three and Four Tails.

"Goku is being stubborn, again, but I've been wearing him down," Ryuna admitted as her eyes narrowed. "Isobu is the one I'm worried about though. I haven't been able to get through to him at all."

"Well, when your jinchuuriki is busy overseeing a civil war in the kingdom he's ruling, I can see how hard it is to spare some time to talk to the relatives. . ." Kurama grumbled, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"But it's so out of character for him," She argued in return. "Isobu is the peaceful one amongst us. He won't fight unless he has to, and he actually tries to have a strong relationship with his jinchuuriki, unlike some siblings I know."

"I know that last part was a direct dig at me and Shukaku. . ."

"But am I wrong though?"

". . . Fair point," Kurama growled while Shukaku remained silent, choosing to simply watch the conversation play out. "And you're right. Isobu would have answered you in an instant. . . His continued silence is not like him."

"And maybe it isn't him, or his vessel for that matter. . ."

"Oh, you're back on speaking terms with us now Shukaku?" Kurama asked as they turned to the tanuki.

"Cut the sarcasm for a second Kurama," The tanuki griped. "We all know that the Water Kingdom is a literal hell on earth for anyone with a kekkei genkai thanks to Isobu's vessel, but maybe he's not doing it on his own volition."

"You think the Water King is being controlled somehow?" Shizuka asked.

"He wouldn't be the first monarch to become a puppet," The One Tails murmured as he looked down. "Probably won't be the last either."

"Damn, this is sounding like one large conspiracy here," Naruto mumbled as Gaara shook his head in agreement.

"Well, things were a lot simpler back during Grandmother's era," Ryuna mused. "Though Grandmother herself was not a simple being, not in the slightest."

"Guys, who exactly is this Grandmother you are talking about?!" Naruto called up to them. "You've been mentioning her a lot, but the rest of us are not really comprehending the connection here!"

"She's a woman that very few know about," Shukaku admitted, his words cryptic. "A woman notable in her time, only to be overshadowed by those who would come after her."

"I'm sure all of you are familiar with the legend of the Sage of the Sixth Paths," Kurama mumbled as he looked down at the three. "The man many see as the God of Shinobi, who created ninshu . . . Who teamed up with his brother to stop the dreaded Ten Tails after it's first rampage?"

"Practically every person, shinobi or not, grows up on that legend," Gaara mumbled, looking over at Ryuna. "But then again, it is a legend. The truth of the story must have been mangled and corrupted over the years."

"Try centuries, fleshbag," Shukaku managed to say. "The legend you hear about now is pretty much a sanitized fairytale compared to the actual truth."

"Then what really happened then?" Shizuka asked as she looked up at the three. "What's the real story behind the Sage of the Sixth Paths and this grandmother that you all apparently have?"

"It's a long story, one that we don't like to look back on, even though it connects to how the ten of us came about in the first place," Kurama mumbled as he looked down at the three of them. "But if you're going to be prepared for what's to come, you need all the information you can get."

"Get comfortable kiddos!" Shukaku announced. "You're about to get a history lesson that almost no one has heard of. . . Be honored."

"A. . . history lesson?" Gaara uttered, sounding slightly unsure.

"Yes, it's time that you all know the truth," Ryuna conceded. "The truth about the Sage of the Sixth Paths, and his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki."

A/N: Please review!