Chapter 12: Detained
"Another boring day on the shift. I hate this job so much," Kenji yawned, fanning his neck with his hand.
"Yeah, I should have been going on a business trip to the Land of Rivers with captain Kazuo instead of doing absolutely nothing for 8 hours straight," Junpei agreed.
The two guards both wore the standard attire for Sunagakure shinobi: taupe uniforms underneath tan flak jackets with shoulder protectors to better blend with their natural environment, and headpieces consisting of a head-wrap and cloth neck-covers to protect against the harsh weather. It was very hot out in the sun, but the entrance of their village, a cleft in the thick stone walls, offered enough shade for them to withstand the heat.
"Huh?" Kenji frowned, focusing.
"What?"
"I sensed three people about 5 kilometers away coming towards us. Judging from their chakra, they aren't from the Land of Wind." Kenji said, pointing in the 10 o'clock direction.
"What else can you tell from their chakra?" Junpei asked. Normally both of the guards should be sensors, but due to a shortage of sensors, ones who aren't, like Junpei, were also called to do the job.
"I can't tell exactly where they are from, but it's likely one adult and two kids," Kenji replied. Since Suna has fewer ninjas compared to other villages, every ninja must excel in their abilities. Kenji could sense chakra from several kilometers away, tell how powerful the chakra is, and discern whether the chakra signature is of foreign origin.
They waited with anticipation for the three people to show up. Soon three figures emerged from the horizon.
"What the hell! Kenji, they're all just little kids!" Junpei exclaimed.
"The kid in bright orange has the chakra levels of an adult! Wait, no, larger reserves than that of the average adult!" Kenji exclaimed.
"Who are they?" Junpei scratched his head.
"Wow, look at that tall wall! That must be Suna!" Naruto cheered. Surrounding the village, the colossal mass of sandstone acted as the village's first line of defense, limiting access to the village to the skies and a single narrow entrance. The wall had been terraced for ninjas to defend against assaulting forces.
"Finally! I'm almost dead," said Tayuya.
"Naruto, you're really a compass! Do you have the world map imprinted in your head?" Kimimaro marveled.
"Well, actually, Mr.Fox inside me told me where to go."
"You can talk to the 9-tailed fox?" Kimimaro asked in surprise.
"Yeah, he's my friend," Naruto smiled and put a hand behind his head.
They continued to walk towards the entrance.
"What do we say when we see the guards there?" asked Kimimaro.
A feeling of dread crept over Naruto. He never really considered the consequences if Suna doesn't welcome them. But it was a gamble that he took in the beginning, and he and his friends had come so far to finally reach here. There's no turning back.
"We say we wanna join Suna and become ninjas," Naruto replied.
"Why the fuck would they believe us?" Tayuya grumbled.
"Well… "
"You're hopeless. I didn't come all the way fucking here just to get killed by Suna ninjas," Tayuya covered her face with her hand.
Kimimaro tried to think of a good reason to convince the Suna shinobi, but nothing came up. They arrived at the entrance and saw no one.
"No guards?" Kimimaro asked out loud.
"Woah, woah, kids." Kenji and Junpei stepped out from the dark. "Do you know where this is?"
"Is this the entrance of Sunagakure? We wanna join this village and become ninjas!" Naruto said.
"Join? Where are you from?" asked Junpei.
"I'm from Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, Kimimaro is from the Land of Water, and Tayuya is from, uh, the Land of Earth," Naruto said, pointing to himself and his friends. "Oh, I'm Naruto."
The two guards exchanged looks. Tayuya looked down and mumbled, "We're going to die." Kimimaro waited for them to make a move.
"You said one of them has abnormal chakra levels for a kid, right? They could be spies trying to get in," Junpei whispered to Kenji.
"I don't sense any fluctuations in their chakra, so they aren't lying," Kenji frowned and said.
"Children shouldn't be able to get here when grown-up ninjas cannot without knowing where the village is specifically. Something's not right." Junpei said.
"Hmm, I don't sense that they're using transformation jutsu or genjutsu either. We should take them to the police for investigation," said Kenji.
"Ok. I'll take them there and come back later," Junpei nodded. "Alright kids, you're coming with me." He gestured for them to follow him.
They followed Junpei through the narrow passage and into the village. The buildings seemed to be made of clay or stucco, which helps keep the interior of buildings cool. They walked down the avenue, passed households and playgrounds, and stopped at a building on the left side.
"Tell Baki we need an interrogation on 3 foreigners taken in from the village entrance," Junpei told a ninja, who went for the office upstairs. Junpei led the kids into a room and pulled two more chairs to the table. "Sit here and wait."
A minute later a very tall robust man came in and sat across the table in front of them. He had two distinctive red markings on the right side of his face, the only visible part of his head, with the rest being covered by his turban-like head gear and by a sheet hanging from it on the left side of his face. Junpei told the man what he knew of the kids and left the room. Another man came into the room instead and stood beside the table.
"I am Baki, head of the police department of Sunagakure," said the man sitting in front of them. "How did you find and get to this village by yourselves? It's easy to get lost in the desert."
"Well, uh, sir, you probably won't believe me, but I have this 9-tailed fox sealed inside me. He gave me directions," Naruto answered.
Baki's uncovered eye widened. "What did you just say?"
Naruto gulped. Baki turned to the man beside him as if confirming that he didn't mishear the kid. The man looked surprised too, but he shook his head and said, "He isn't lying."
Baki frowned and turned back. He leaned closer and looked at Naruto intensely. "I heard you want to join Sunagakure and become ninjas here. State your reasons," he said in a deeper voice, his brawny arms folded.
Naruto glanced nervously at his friends. Tayuya sent him a look that said it's too late to back out. "My village didn't treat me well, so I left," he answered in an honest and direct tone.
"In no way Konoha would have let you escape." Baki lowered his voice.
"Well, sir, they did. I ran through the forest that had no walls surrounding it, and nobody chased me. It proves how neglected I am." Naruto shrugged. He didn't know how to feel about the fact that he probably wasn't even important as a weapon.
Baki turned to look at the man beside him again. "Fukashi, are you sure this kid is telling the truth?"
This time the man frowned at Baki. "If he isn't, I would interrupt him. Sensing the tiniest chakra fluctuations is a difficult art that requires years of practice and experience, and I am the head of the intelligence department. Show some respect for my expertise," he said in a stern voice.
Baki looked a little awkward. "I'm sorry," he apologized to Fukashi, then turned back to look at Kimimaro and Tayuya. "I want to hear from you two. Why did you leave your nations?" he asked.
"My clan failed in an attack on Kirigakure. I am the only survivor," Kimimaro answered first.
"My homeland isn't a great place to live in, either. I'm one of the many orphans who fled," said Tayuya. "I ain't lying, chief. It's as simple as that."
"We met each other by chance a few weeks ago," Kimimaro added. "And decided to come with Naruto."
Baki pondered for a moment. Out of all ninja villages in the 5 great nations, only Village Hidden in the Sand is truly hidden due to the high difficulty of finding one's way through the vast desert. It seems only possible that the kids could get here with the help of a tailed beast that could communicate with its jinchuriki. Even then, could a tailed beast be so cooperative? From what he knew of Gaara…
"I shall report this to Kazekage-sama. Please tell Toji to come and keep an eye on the kids," Baki said to Fukashi.
"Can you give us some food and water? I'm starving," Tayuya asked. Baki gave Fukashi a slight nod, to which Fukashi nodded back before exiting the interrogation room.
Sitting in another almost empty room and being watched by Toji, who sat in the far corner cross-legged, the three kids munched on some bread.
"Shrimp, if you get us fucking killed because of all this bullshit, I'm not letting it go in the afterlife," Tayuya muttered, glaring at Naruto. Naruto managed a smile. Looks like the old Tayuya is back.
please leave a review