"Will they make it?" I asked Sakura after she finished working on the two Anbu who had been gravely injured during the mission. The medic wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Their injuries are extreme, but they'll last until we get them ashore and into proper facilities, assuming the rebels have any," she answered seriously. "If not…"
"I see. Thank you, Sakura." My teammate looked exhausted from healing not just the two Anbu, but several of the prisoners as well, many of whom had received a variety of cracked and broken bones from their captors. "Go get something to eat and get some rest," I ordered. "No doubt the rebels will be after your services again when we reach their base camp. Don't let them work you to death, okay?"
"Don't worry about me, I know my limits." She headed off to raid the ship's supplies, and Kakashi showed up in her place.
"We're coming into port in about half an hour."
"Good." I sighed. "I swear, if this one's been taken by the enemy I'm leveling the whole damn town."
Fortunately, the rebels still maintained control over this port, and we were met at the docks by small contingent of allied shinobi who dutifully led us through the nearby wetlands and into another camp. The injured were quickly taken to the medical tents while Zabuza and I were taken to Mei's command tent to give our reports.
"Excellent work." Mei sounded pleased with the result of the mission. "The injuries were unfortunate, but with our men back and the last of Yagura's Seven Swords in our hands, our prospects for the final stage of the war are looking good."
"The last one?" That had me curious. "What happened to the rest? You have three of them, Hoshigaki Kisame still has Samehada, and I heard the Kiba blades' wielder was another missing-nin, but what about Kabutowari and Shibuki?"
"We already took them from the loyalists, right now they're in the hands of two of our field commanders. Speaking of which…"
"I've already got someone in mind," Zabuza assured her.
"Good. Then with everything in place, it's time I revealed the next step." Mei's expression turned serious. "This war has gone on for too long, but with your team's help, Uchiha-san, as well as our freed men, the end is in sight. Our next objective… Is the assassination of the Yondaime Mizukage. It's time for Karatachi Yagura to die."
The plan was simple. Over the next week, while the recently released rebels rested and recovered under Sakura's treatment, several of Mei's field commanders would set up within striking distance of certain key bases along a predetermined route towards Kirigakure. Precisely one week from now, at dawn, they would strike the bases just as we had struck the prison, ensuring they would be unable to warn the village of the attack we would be leading. Our main force would then assault Kiri itself as a diversion, while rebel spies already in the village would open up a path for a small, elite strike force to sneak inside and eliminate Yagura.
"You and Hatake-san will lead the assault," Mei finished explaining, "while the strike team will consist of myself, Ao, and Zabuza." A solid plan, however, I was seeing an opportunity here. Something that could greatly benefit my own plans for the future.
"If I may, I'd like to propose a minor alteration to the plan," I suggested. "I believe Ao-san and I should switch places." They all looked hesitant.
"What makes you say that?"
"Neither Kakashi-senpai nor I are Mist. It would be better for the morale of your men if they were led by one of their own. I have no experience fighting a war, and most of my missions since I was promoted to chuunin have been infiltration and assassination jobs, so I am more suited to the strike force than to leading an army. Since your power will no doubt be necessary in the fight against Yagura and Momochi-san is an assassination specialist, Ao-san, being a war veteran, would be the next best choice to lead the assault." I gave a knowing smile. "Also, that right eye of his would be a great asset. Being able to survey much of the battlefield in real-time allows for greater tactical flexibility." They stared at me.
"I don't know what you're-" Ao began, but I cut him off.
"If you thought I didn't notice the way your veins bulged out during our last meeting, you're a fool. I'm a Konoha shinobi, I know what the Byakugan looks like. I don't really care that you have it, nor do I feel the need to tell anyone about it." As long as you cooperate, being the unspoken message.
"Alright," Mei reluctantly agreed. "You will join us on the strike force, and Ao will assist Hatake-san in leading the attack. But if you're going to fight Yagura with us, then there's something you need to know." She sighed heavily. "...We have reason to believe that Yagura may be under a mind control genjutsu."
"A genjutsu?" I feigned scepticism, not wanting to reveal that I knew far more than I should. "Are you sure? To control someone of that level…"
"Absolutely," Ao declared. "I saw his chakra myself."
"And it's the only way to explain his behaviour," Mei added. "Zabuza and I were both friends with Yagura before he became Mizukage. He was always a gentle soul before he took the hat."
"You mean he was soft," Zabuza grunted, though he had a faraway, nostalgic look in his eyes. "I never understood how he managed to pass the graduation test." Ah yes, the old Kiri graduation exam. The one where prospective genin had to kill one of their classmates.
"You're looking to free him, aren't you?" I guessed. "To break the genjutsu."
"Ideally, yes." Mei sighed and shook her head. "Realistically, though, defeating a kage who also happens to be a perfect jinchuriki without killing him is most likely beyond our abilities. If we can manage it, great. If not…"
"I understand. If there's nothing else to discuss, I'll go and inform my team."
Kakashi was somewhat dubious about me going up against a kage, but reluctantly admitted that my Mangekyou abilities as well as my prior experience with Shukaku made me a better fit for the job than him, while his battlefield experience made him much more suited to leading the assault than I was. Sakura was absolutely horrified at the prospect.
"Relax," I told them both as I left the tent. "I have a plan."
"What can I do for ya?" Kuro asked upon appearing.
"I need you to summon me to the forest. Something's come up, and I need to talk to Sensei somewhere we won't be overheard."
"Sounds like a big deal. Alright, just hold on a sec and I'll get you there." He disappeared, and a moment later I felt the familiar tug of the Summoning Jutsu. I quickly found myself back in the peace of the Sekoia no Mori.
"Thanks, Kuro. I shouldn't be here too long."
My sensei in the art of fuuinjutsu was a fox the size of a wolf with fur the colour of cherry blossoms. She held herself with a distinctly regal bearing, and unlike the other foxes, she did not carry a sword, or indeed any weapons at all. Her name was Kitsuhime, and she was the Elder's youngest daughter, Kuro's mother, and the former personal summon of Mito Uzumaki. There was also a not-insignificant chance that she was currently the greatest living sealing master in all the Elemental Nations. At more than 90 years of age, she was positively ancient by shinobi standards, yet the natural vitality and longevity of summon animals meant that she was, by their standards, barely into middle age.
"Sensei," I bowed respectfully to the fox.
"Makoto-chan." She returned my greeting with a nod. "Since you've come here to see me instead of summoning me, I assume this isn't about your lessons."
"No, Sensei, this is about a more… Sensitive matter. I need your help with something big."
"Indeed? Something big involving seals? You have my interest, young one."
"I need to remove a bijuu from its jinchuriki and seal it into a new one. While the jinchuriki in question, who also happens to be have perfect control over this bijuu, is trying to murder me. And I need to do it in a week." A twinkle of intrigue entered my teacher's eyes.
"Well now," she practically purred, "it's been quite some time since a student of mine attempted the impossible so brazenly. Sit down, we have much to discuss."
After making plans to deal with Yagura, I was sent back to the mist camp to prepare while a single Shadow Clone remained with the foxes to work on a suitable sealing technique, one that required both a complex array and a series of 22 hand seals to perform. Of course, seeing as the foxes lacked, well, hands, copying the sequence from them was an impossibility. They instead shaped chakra through intricate, rhythmic motions of their tails that corresponded to the hand seals used by those of us with functional digits.
Apparently this did in fact mean that the Elder could cast up to nine different jutsu simultaneously by using each of her tails for a different sequence, so that was yet another reason to never, ever piss her off. As if her 2000+ years of experience, bijuu-level chakra reserves, and mastery of sage techniques weren't enough.
In any case, that part of the preparation was out of my hands. I just had to trust that my Clone would be able to manage it, preferably with enough time left over for me to recover from the inevitable migraine caused by having a week's worth of memories forced into my head all at once. Learning the technique was useless if I wasn't in a fit state to actually perform it, after all.
For my part, I had some special sealing tags to make, but beyond that it was just a matter of training and resting.
"I've got it!" Upon hearing this exclamation, I stopped practising my sword katas and approached the Shadow Clone in question, who was swinging around a completed Chidori Tsurugi with a grin on her face.
"Good work," I complemented my double. "How does it cut?"
"Let's find out." She swung at a nearby boulder, and the blade of pure lightning chakra cut right through it as if it were water. "Not quite as easy as with the Kusanagi," she commented, "but the discharge might have a paralytic effect. We'll need to test it on a living target to be sure about that, though."
"We can try it on our next bandit-clearing mission or something," I agreed. "Do it a couple more times just to make sure we get it down, then start working on the Chidori Nagashi (Chidori Stream)." The Clone saluted.
"Got it, Boss!"
"Do all you tree-huggers talk to yourselves, or are you just a special kind of weirdo?"
Suigetsu was approaching the training area, now with Nuibari sheathed at his back, and Choujuurou followed behind.
Can I not get one night of training in without being interrupted? I grumbled internally. On the outside, I just rolled my eyes. Interestingly, my Clone did the same thing at the same time, which seemed to disturb Suigetsu if his expression was any indication. "Can I help you, Houzuki-san? Choujuurou-san?"
"Nah, we're just here to practice ourselves. We'll stay out of your way." He casually walked on past us, though his companion stopped, fidgeting nervously.
"W-would you perhaps l-like to j-join us, Uchiha-san?" Choujuurou stammered out, causing Suigetsu to freeze briefly before turning back around.
"Hey Choujuurou, what gives? You want her to steal all our techniques or something?"
"I could just not use my Sharingan," I offered. "I need to train without it anyway. Don't want to be too reliant on it. Or are you afraid of getting shown up?"
"Tch. Alright, fine. Come on, let's get to a more open space." I left my Clone behind to continue her training, and the three of us went to practise swordplay.
"You guys are good," I panted out between gulps of water from my canteen. I was sitting at the foot of a tree while Suigetsu and Choujuurou were both flat on the ground, all three of us wiped out. Suigetsu in particular was guzzling his own water as if he'd just been wandering in the deserts of Kaze no Kuni for a week.
"Y-you too," Choujuurou wheezed out.
"We're the next generation of the Seven Swordsmen, good is an understatement," bragged Suigetsu. "I guess you're not bad if you can keep up with us."
"The great Houzuki Suigetsu thinks I'm not bad, huh?" I joked. "I'm truly honoured."
"Laugh all you want, but when I'm the captain of the Seven Swordsman, my word'll carry a lot of weight."
"By then I'll be stronger than all five kage combined. Don't worry, I'll tell people you're not bad too." He laughed.
"You're alright, tree-hugger. Try not to get killed by Yagura."
"I'll do my best." I stood up and stretched. "Hey Choujuurou-san, keep an eye on the sewing swordsman here during the battle, make sure he doesn't prick his finger on that oversized needle or something. I might need someone to stitch up my clothes afterwards."
"Okay, that should do it," said Sakura, wiping sweat from her brow. "Try not to exert yourself too much and you should be ready to fight again by the time of the operation." This was the seventh time today she had given this same advice. Her patient thanked her profusely before being gently led away by a Mist shinobi who had volunteered to assist her. It was late and she was exhausted, but there were still people left to treat. She guzzled down the last of her lukewarm instant coffee before flagging down one of the medics she had taken temporary command over. "How are we doing?"
"That was the last of the patients who might recover within the week," he informed her, reading from a clipboard. "We have a few who are seriously injured, but stable, including the two Anbu agents from the prison mission. We should be able to handle them on our own, they're not relevant to your mission." Sakura shook her head.
"No, as long as I'm here they're as much my responsibility as yours." She popped a soldier pill and cracked her knuckles. "Take me to them."
"Yes, ma'am!"
It was going to be a long night.
While Makoto was out training for her fight with the Mizukage and Sakura was working in the medical tent, Kakashi was pouring over documents with Ao in preparation for the assault. Troop numbers, formations, persons of interest, supplies, maps of Kirigakure and the surrounding terrain – every single detail of the rebel forces and every known detail of the loyalists were scrutinised and committed to memory. It was a tedious process, but a necessary one. The soldiers of the rebellion may not have been his people, but while they were under his command they were his responsibility.
"We should put Team Swordfish on the west side instead of the centre," he suggested. "We need more good heavy-hitters there, and there are already enough assault teams in the centre anyway."
"Agreed," Ao nodded. "Team Minnow can take their place. Having our best genjutsu specialists open the battle with wide area illusions should allow us to build on the initiative advantage, and from there they can easily move to support either flank if necessary." Notes were made, tokens on the map were moved, and the plan was looking better and better with each adjustment. "Your apprentice," the older, blue-haired man spoke up after a while. "Do you really think she can handle Yagura?" Kakashi's answer was swift.
"I trust her judgement. I chose to make her captain for this mission for a reason, after all. Whatever she has planned, I'm sure she'll surprise you."
"You have a lot of faith in your student."
"Well of course I do. I trained her, after all." Kakashi gave one of his trademark eye smiles as he said that before returning to his work. "Now, what do you suggest we do with our Swordsmen? Keep them together, or split them up?"
Beneath the starlit sky, Haku sat back against a boulder and examined his senbon, checking each and every one of his several dozen needles for flaws that might effect their aerodynamics. Atop the boulder, Tayuya perched and played a sombre song on her flute.
"That was a beautiful piece," the former commented as the music ended.
"You say that about all my songs."
"Because I believe it about all your songs." Tayuya scoffed, then slid from her spot and settled down at her boyfriend's side. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"You know, we might not both make it through the week." Haku put away his needles and pulled the redhead closer.
"We will." His voice was full of conviction. "And when we do, we will finally be able to make this country a better place."
"Tch, always so fuckin' cool," Tayuya muttered. "You're supposed to say 'then let's make the most of the time we have left' or something cliché like that."
"I did not realise you were a fan of clichés."
"They're cliché for a reason!"
"Oh?" Haku smiledt. "Then let us make the most of the time we have left."
"No, no, you missed the timing and the mood's ruined now! Shit, you really don't know a damn thing about romance do you?"
"I know a few things…" He proceeded to whisper in her ear, and her face went beet red.
"Where the fuck'd you learn that shit!? No, you know what? I don't need to know, we're gonna find a private tent. Come on!"
The morning of the mission, I stood on a branch high up in a tree and watched the sun rise over the misty landscape of Mizu no Kuni. This was truly a beautiful country, and it deserved better than to suffer under the tyranny of the Bloody Mist. Turning back and looking over the rebel camp, it hit me that for a good number of those men and women, this would be their last sunrise. How high that number was could very well depend on how quickly Mei, Zabuza, and I managed to bring down Yagura. Never before had I felt the weight of so many lives at once. Was it hypocritical for a professional assassin who regularly killed people simply as part of a job to suddenly care for the value of life simply because they were on her side? Perhaps, but that acknowledgement did little to alleviate the feeling.
Even if I didn't know most of these people, even if they weren't my friends or neighbours or countrymen, or even under my command, I was still responsible for them in a small way. I had a duty to succeed in my mission, a duty beyond a mere job contract.
With my resolve thusly hardened, I dropped back to the ground and returned to the camp, ready to shed whatever blood was necessary in pursuit of peace.
A/N: I've hit the end of my buffer now, so from here on out uploads are probably going to slow down. I'll do my best to keep a semi-regular schedule, but don't expect weekly uploads from here on out.