Konoha
Torture and Interrogation Wing ANBU
"And do you swear that whatever you are about to reveal is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" a kunoichi asked.
"I swear it," Kabuto replied as he chaffed under the restraints. The whole room was a cliché of the torture room trope. It was cold, septic, dimly lit with a blue light, and lifeless. Glinting torture tools were mounted on the wall opposite him in a bid to mentally stress the captives. Honestly, all of this was wholly unnecessary. Kabuto had walked into the building of his own volition. He intended to hide nothing and reveal everything.
"Statement recorded, captain." The kunoichi said.
"Good. Leave us." Ibiki ordered and Kunoichi disappeared.
"Mr. Yakushi. I have been told you have quite the tale. I admire that you have willingly chosen to surrender yourself to the ANBU. It's good to know that there is still a smidgen of loyalty within you." Ibiki said and nodded approvingly. "Not many would've chosen to willingly walk into my lair."
Kabuto too nervously nodded, not sure where all this was going.
"However, you just accused one of the sannin, a veteran of the 3rd Great War, of high treason," Ibiki said and his expression turned stern. He stepped inside Kabuto's personal space and glared down at him. "You better be 100% on the money here, boy. Or I will personally make sure you wish you were never born."
Kabuto nervously gulped. Perhaps being too upfront with the Sandaime might not have been the best idea.
"I can assure you Ibiki-san, my information is 100% correct. For years Orochimaru has been colluding with foreign powers to maneuver himself into becoming the Hokage. Not only that, but the Kazekage and him have had long-standing ties. In fact, Orochimaru was the one who designed the seal to seal the sand demon." Kabuto said.
"Why?" Ibiki asked.
"Officially, the plan was to secure enough men to reinforce Orochimaru in case the ensuing civil war after his coup grew too bloody. The Jinchuiriki was Kazekage's price." Kabuto said.
"By all accounts, the Suna jinchuiriki is a mentally unstable psychopath. Hardly seems fair to the Kazekage. How did Orochimaru swing that?" Ibiki asked.
Kabuto nervously chuckled at that, "With due respect Ibiki-san, have you ever met the Kazekage? I can assure you; that he doesn't care one bit about mental stability. All that matters to him is that Gaara kills whenever he points at something."
He took a deep breath and then continued, "Also, it's not like Kazekage has the luxury of a second opinion. No Uzumakis exist anymore to test the seal's defenses. Also, if Gaara is unstable, it leaves the Kazekage dependent on Orochimaru to reseal the demon."
"Fascinating," Ibiki said. "And when does our dear Sanin intend to strike?"
"During the Chunin exams," Kabuto said. "When the Suna delegation visits, they won't bring Chunin with them. They will all be special forces in disguise. The Kazekage also intends to bring Gaara in. He will unleash the demon then and there."
Ibiki sighed as if frustrated that he expected a different answer. He took a piece of metal wire and idly fiddled with it. "All I hear is conjecture and accusations, young man."
Ibiki then walked behind Kabuto and squeezed his shoulders, "Do you have a single whit of proof?"
"Ibiki-san, I don't think you understand the sheer complexity of Orochimaru's schemes. However, I can give you something more." Kabuto said.
"Oh, so you were holding up on me, eh?" Ibiki said and tightened his grip.
"N-no- n-no!" Kabuto stuttered, unconsciously struggling against the colossal man's grip. "Anko! Anko Mitrashi! She is the main piece of the puzzle!"
"Another loyal shinobi being accused by you of treason. In fact, one of my very own. Not sure I like this Kabuto-kun." Ibiki said.
"Anko was specifically shifted so that she will become team 8's sensei!" Kabuto yelled. "Satsuki Uchiha! She is the key to all of this!"
"Now what does Orochimaru want with that take?" Ibiki said. "Are you now accusing the Sanin of pedophilia alongside high treason?"
"He wants the sharingan!" Kabuto said. "Alongside the whole invasion to kill the Sandaime and the Yondaime!"
"Orochimaru isn't a Uchiha. How can he possibly use the sharingan." Ibiki said and let the metal wire "fall" near Kabuto's groin. "Now I want you to think very carefully and speak even more carefully. I want proof. I want dates. I want locations. Think kiddo…."
Kabuto gulped, "I swear! This is all I have!"
Ibiki sighed again, "I really liked you, kid. We were so close."
Ibiki turned around and reached for a battery and turned the knob on. In an instant, Kabuto was shrieking and aggressively turning and twisting against his restraints. His spectacles fell off and for a while, Ibiki wondered if he would tear his muscles off. He turned the knob to the off position.
"Calm Kabuto-kun. That was merely a taste of what was to come. I can assure you, we at T pride ourselves on being very thorough." Ibiki said as he affectionately patted Kabuto's cheek.
"I-i-I know where his main lab is." Kabuto sputtered through tears. "Everything you have been raiding so far has been duds and useless stuff."
"Good boy!" Ibiki exclaimed as he ruffled Kabuto's hair. "Now what's this about a main lab?"
"It's located beneath the ROOT HQ. Danzo is in cahoots with Orochimaru." Kabuto sobbed.
Ibiki bent down and looked straight at Kabuto with a frown, "Well damn, son."
He straightened Kabuto by pushing against his forehead, "And I suppose that the so-called court martial that she has called for is a part of this conspiracy?"
Kabuto weakly nodded and slurred, "Isolate the trio. Make them dependent on her."
Behind The Curtain
Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Yondaime watched the interrogation via a camera feed.
"He is not lying. This merely confirms all our suspicions." Hiruzen sighed.
"I knew Danzo was hiding in the shadows waiting for his moment, I never knew he had fallen this far," Minato remarked.
"Well at least know where to strike at the bastards now," Tsunade said as he cracked her knuckles. "Our mission against Suna went spectacularly by the way. If the Kazekage didn't want to invade, he would now be bloody furious."
"Excellent," Minato said. "For now, we let Orochimaru be and keep raiding the secondary labs. I will have the bounty on his name in the Bingo Book shortly so that we keep appearances."
"I still don't know why we don't stomp these little weasels already, sochi," Tsunade said and Minato chuckled and gave Tsunade a one-arm hug.
"Because Kaa-chan, why be satisfied with one Biju if you can have both?" Minato grinned.
Tsunade looked confused for a bit before a Cheshire grin emerged on her face that matched Minato's own, "Bloody good, Sochi!"
Konoha Suna Border A While Back
Tsunade Kushina
A massive scorpion lunged out from a sand dune and the two kunoichi barely dodged in time. Despite the sound of clanging metal near the border outpost, a squad of shinobi had doggedly pursued them. For some reason, they had deemed Kushina and Tsunade as worthwhile targets rather than reinforce their comrades at the border outposts.
"I thought you said the boy had no guards!" Kushina said as she dodged the deathly stinger. The stinger struck the sand and Kushina chose that moment to swing her katana, slicing it into two. The giant scorpion dispelled with an audible poof. Unfortunately, two more took its place.
"It was! HONEST!" Tsunade shouted back as two metallic contraptions poured poisoned senbon toward her. Tsunade grabbed one of the creepy crawlies and threw them at the two contraptions. The contraptions shattered with an audible metallic clang and shot up springs.
"Puppets!" Tsunade exclaimed. "Suna shinobi nearby!"
"Damn," Kushina muttered. Tsunade channeled chakra through the sands and sent a sonar-esque wave.
"We are surrounded!" Tsunade said.
"On it!" Kushina said. She drew up hand seals and channeled Katon jutsu. A massive flaming circle gathered around them and went in an outward direction. A few shadows darted across the flame to avoid burning.
"There!" Kushina shouted and Tsunade tossed a kunai with all her might towards it. A scream followed by the smell of burning flesh indicated Tsunade had found her mark. Kushina poured ever greater amounts of chakra into the blazing inferno around her. The sand started glowing a hot red and even the duo strained under the immense heat.
Another flicker and Tsunade tossed a kunai that found its mark. With a pop, the flames around them died down and Kushina went on one knee to recover. Tsunade braced herself to fight solo until Kushina recovered it. An old woman appeared before Tsunade and with a flick of her wrists, two puppets appeared alongside her. Tsunade channeled chakra through her limbs, as a show of force.
"You chose the wrong child to attack, Konoha shinobi. My ward is off limits." The old lady said. "Now you will pay retribution with your lives."
However, before she could attack, the radio crackled, "HOLY HELL! SOMEBODY ATTACKED THE HOSPITAL! THE WOUNDED ARE DYING!"
The radio went off before crackling again, "WE NEED IMMEDIATE REINFORCEMENTS!"
"Providence" The old lady muttered and ran off in another direction.
The two kunoichi panted as they recovered from the combat. Tsunade was the one to break the silence first, "Holy hell. That was Mistress Chiyo of the Puppet Style."
Kushina grinned in response. "And we beat the tar out of them."
Near the Konoha and Suna border
A While Back
"My my Anko." The figure admired as he watched the smoke from the blazes reach high into the heavens above. "You certainly have raised a vicious bunch."
"I'm honored you approve, Orochimaru-sama," Anko said.
"And is the young Uchiha ready for the curse mark?" Orochimaru asked.
"Hai, my lord. Not only that, but the jinchuiriki and Hyuuga can also serve as valuable tools for your goals, my lord. Their bodies are now sufficiently strong enough to bear the stress of your mark." Anko said.
"Excellent. Have them enrolled in the Chunin exams. It's time Satsuki-chan and I have a chat." Orochimaru said and flicked his hand through the desert air. "Soon the entire village will burn for denying me my inheritance."
"Hai, my lord. The time for your ascension is nigh. We won't disappoint you." Anko said.
"See that you don't. I can't stay in the village with the Minato-brat raiding my hideouts. When the time is right, we will trigger the invasion. You are the centerpiece of my strategy, Anko." Orochimaru said.
Anko bowed and slinked away into the shadows.
Aggressive Negotiations
"Your forces launched an unprovoked attack on us, Hiruzen!" The Kazekage roared through the monitor screen. Behind the monitor, Minato and Tsunade stood ready to lend their hand. However, it was decided not to "officially" reveal Minato's existence just yet.
"From my understanding of the situation, Kazekage, my forces were attacked by unchecked summons." Hiruzen sarcastically said. "Perhaps in future you should have genin practice summoning away from the border, hmm?"
The Kazekage sputtered in indignation at the bald-faced lie from Hiruzen while Tsunade and Minato struggled to control their giggles.
"YOUR PEOPLE BLEW UP A HOSPITAL!" The Kazekage roared and Hiruzen visibly winced as his ears protested against the torture.
"Kazekage-sama, are you sure it was a military explosive? From footage revealed from our cameras, it sure looked like an oxygen tank went off. Perhaps we can form a committee to investigate the matter?" Hiruzen said and the Kazekage sneered at him.
"A joint committee…." The Kazekage trailed off, "Is this a joke, Hiruzen?"
"I assure you Kazekage-sama, this is no joke. Such an event has the escalation to lead to a serious war. An event that Konoha wishes to avoid at all possible junctures." Hiruzen said.
"In that case, the Fire Country's embassy must submit a formal apology to our government. Furthermore, Konoha will pay due compensation to the families of those who lost their loved ones." The Kazekage said.
"That seems most fair, Kazekage-sama. In fact, to address this amongst many other things, I would like to formally invite you to Konohagakure no Sato." Hiruzen said.
"What?" The Kazekage asked dumbfoundedly. Meanwhile, Hiruzen milked every bit of the old peacemaker image he had carefully crafted over the years.
"Why not, my Lord Kazekage? Isn't the purpose of the Chunin exams to act as a perfect event to host diplomacy and advance peace talks? Why not use this chance to avail ourselves a diplomatic victory over all other villages? I dare say our respect Daimoyo's too would be pleased over such a development." Hiruzen said. "In fact, I am so confident in the venture, that I am formally extending you an invitation to be our guest of honor!"
The Kazekage looked at Hiruzen with narrowed eyes before slyly smiling, "I accept."
Gotcha. Minato thought to himself in satisfaction as Hiruzen and Kazekage ironed out the logistics of the travel.
Unknown Location
"Thank you for meeting me at such short notice, my friend." The figure said to pull his hood to reveal Kabuto.
"Kabuto-san! You shouldn't be exerting yourself so much! Kami only knows what they did to you in the interrogation chamber." Neji exclaimed as he rushed to Kabuto's aid and helped him sit.
Kabuto coughed in pain but laughed as he sat, "They are going to have to do a lot worse to break me, my friend."
"What was so urgent that we needed to take the risk to meet directly?" Neji said.
"The timelines are proceeding faster than expected. Somehow, Orochimaru knows that the village is spooked about Uchiha Satsuki." Kabuto said and Neji's eyes widened in horror.
"That will ruin everything!" Neji exclaimed and Kabuto grimly nodded.
"Indeed. As such, I propose that we induct Team 8 into our group and put all cards on the table." He said.
"But how can we be sure that Satsuki will help us?! How do we even know that she will listen to us?!" Neji said. "Or worse, can she even help us? Having the Sharingan is no hard pre-requisite for cracking the slave seal."
Neji paced angrily in their cave, "Just because one is a Uchiha doesn't mean they Uchiha Shisui's caliber in life. In fact, I have been looking at her records. She isn't half the prodigy Shisui or even her brother was."
"We will teach her the ways among many other things. Anko is a good tutor, but she has kept the best techniques for herself. Satsuki is still too sloppy when it comes to using the Sharingan or operating in the shadows." Kabuto declared in a tone that would tolerate no argument.
Neji looked at him with skepticism but then nodded grimly.
Konoha
Team 8
"And pending the outcome of your court-martial, you are hereby placed on administrative leave." Hanabi read off from a paper. "Furthermore, it is ordered that you don't leave your premises till your trial date…."
"Where exactly do we go after leaving this shithole? Not like we are welcomed anywhere else." Satsuki. "Or well at least Naruto and I aren't. Can't say the same for you, princess."
"Oh, rest assured, I am now officially in the losers and freaks club. Guilt by association and all that." Hanabi said and turned to the other sheets to quickly skim through it. Satsuki spluttered at that and could've sworn Naruto almost cracked a grin at her response.
The kitten has grown claws. Satsuki morosely thought.
Satsuki grunted as she raised herself up and then dropped below, "This is such bullshit."
She did another pushup, "It was a fight. They were out to kill us. What are we supposed to do? Send them flowers?"
Satsuki glanced towards Naruto who was quietly working on some contraption with a screwdriver.
"Oh, don't let us distract you from your precious tinkering." Satsuki shot at him.
"Focus people." Hanabi sighed. "We have yet to discuss this with Sensei. Maybe we can ask her to cut us some slack?"
"Does it say what we are in for?" Satsuki asked.
"Insubordination. Failure to follow orders. Not following the scope of duty." Hanabi said.
"More bullshit. We created enough distraction!" Satsuki said. "We agreed to blow up the generator. Sensei gave us her blessing."
"That is the strangest thing. She clearly wanted Suna to hit us with full force. By the time we bailed, there was an entire army hot on our heels." Hanabi added.
"The hospital," Naruto said from across the room.
"What now?" Hanabi asked.
"It was the hospital. We never went over the hospital plan with Anko." Naruto said. "Old school shinobi like Anko consider it bad luck to attack such places."
"Everyday shinobi tactics, section C: Attack where the enemy is weak. Flee where the enemy is strong – Tobirama Senju." Hanabi quoted. "We did what was taught to us. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"It's not Tobirama-sama who has a problem with us. It's Anko Mitrashi." Naruto said.
"Damn, that treacherous little snake." Satsuki said, "As if she is the paragon of morality with the way she dresses and does business. Did she forget what she did to the poor bastard in Kusa?"
However, before they could speak further, the window near them shattered. Still in jitters from their last mission, everyone immediately lept into action and assumed defensive formations. For a solid minute then they stared at the rock that had broken through their window, but nothing happened. It wasn't a live grenade.
Eyes blazing, Hanabi and Satsuki stared all around them. Painful silence followed them as Naruto loaded up his gear in anticipation of a battle. Hanabi was the one to speak up first, "Nobody's outside. Whoever they were, they ran fast."
"Same. I don't see anyone." Satsuki corroborated.
Naruto gingerly poked the object that had launched itself through their window. When nothing happened, he picked it up to peer at it.
"There is something scribbled on it. I don't think I understand." Naruto said and tossed the rock to Hanabi.
"Wait! I know this!" Hanabi exclaimed. "This is old Hyuga script. Back from before we joined the village formally."
She activated her eyes to look at the text.
Hanabi. Your lives are in danger. Meet me at the usual spot. - N
Fin
Author Notes: Review?