Chapter 9: Monster
Uchiha Complex, 7 AM, 1 day since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Sasuke sat in his room; legs crossed underneath him. He breathed in and out in 4 second intervals, clearing his mind of all thoughts to enter the place his mind had come to know quite well. Normally, he would be training out in one of the many training grounds of his family's complex. Today though, he didn't want to wait to hear from his 'master'. He knew he was close to escaping this place and was getting anxious.
He kept up his steady breathing and slowly a familiar sense started to overtake him. He felt as if he was leaving his body. With practiced ease, he was again in the mindscape facilitated by the curse mark. He didn't see his master quiet yet, this was normal though. It normally took the snake sannin a few minutes to connect with him and so much like his real body, his mental body also started meditating, thinking about how best to get his revenge on Itachi.
He reflected on the night his whole life changed forever. Leaving his room to find bloody bodies of his kin everywhere. The feeling of nausea hit him quite hard back then. His little body moving through the house, finding only more death in his wake. He then came across the bodies of both his mother and father, both freshly killed. They had died so quick that it looked like they didn't even have time to put up a struggle. Standing over them was Itachi, the monster he once thought of as a brother. Then, Sasuke looked into those eyes and relived that night for the next 3 days.
"Kukuku, you are early today, Sasuke. Eager to leave this place, are we?" Orochimaru had materialized in the tall grass a few meters away from him and had only now walked up behind his 'student'. Sasuke knew he was behind him for a long time though, he just didn't bother to acknowledge him until he spoke.
"It's been almost 3 years, there is nothing left for me here. What I want is out there." Sasuke said in a cold tone.
"I can feel your anger Sasuke, even as you try your best to hide it behind your mask. That wrath is too potent to hide. Let it flow through you and be the source of your strength." Orochimaru uttered as a matter of fact. He received only a grunt in response.
Slithering up even closer to the Uchiha, Orochimaru finally told him what he had been waiting for. "The time for your escape is near. Tomorrow night is when you will have your greatest chance of escaping. Don't waste it this time."
Sasuke turned his head to finally look upon the snake form of his 'teacher'. "What is so special about that time? Why can't I escape now?" Sasuke demanded to know.
"Kukuku, for several reasons Sasuke. For one, my spies tell me my former apprentice Anko will be back in the leaf tomorrow. Two, Kakashi and his team will be far away from leaf, making your escape undeniable."
"Where is Kakashi going to?" Sasuke raised his mental eyebrow in confusion.
"My agents in Sunagakure have informed me that the Akatsuki have finally made their first move and captured the Kazekage. Sunagakure sent a messenger hawk requesting aid from the leaf. The message arrived last night" The snake sannin told his soon to be vessel. "My old teammate will surely send Kakashi and the rest of your team out to aid them. After all, Kakashi is the only one with enough experience currently in the village who can deal with the Akatsuki."
Sasuke took a moment to think about what he just heard. Part of him should have been mad that the other two members of team 7 were doing a mission and he wasn't. Sasuke knew though that this was his opportunity. Kakashi had already told him that he wasn't going be supervised as much from now on, and now his mentor was going to be too far away to get him back. The same also applied to Naruto.
"So, 2 days and 2 nights is all I have to make my plans. Should be easy then." Sasuke gave an evil grin to his the sannin.
Orochimaru was pleased, extremely so. His wait period to switch bodies was almost complete. Soon, Sasuke would be in his grasp, and he could give him the serum to make his body much more powerful than before. "Remember, you need to get Anko's curse mark before you leave. The process will more than likely leave her dead or at the very least in a state where she won't be following you."
"I haven't forgotten Orochimaru. The only thing I don't know is where you currently are. If you are going to give me this 'gift' as you say. I need to know how to get to you in the flesh." Sasuke muttered.
Orochimaru's grin grew wider as he spoke. "When you make your escape, my right-hand man Kabuto will be meeting you. He will show you the way, and then, you will have the power you seek to destroy Itachi."
Yes, soon I will finally have what I need to get my revenge on my brother and avenge my clan. I've waited over 10 years for this moment, an extra 2 days to ensure my revenge is something I will just have to bear. I'll need to monitor the guard rotations and ANBU locations to see when I'll have an opening. Getting to Anko will be the toughest challenge but if I tell her I might have a way to get rid of the curse mark, that could be my ticket in. Yes, the next chapter in the life of Sasuke Uchiha begins soon.
The snake was extremely pleased with himself. It had been so easy to manipulate the child. Dangle any form of power in front of him and he would do as you asked. Soon, Orochimaru would have the sharingan. Once it was in his possession, immortality would be one step closer to reality.
XxX
Somewhere in the land of fire, 4 PM, 1 day since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Four leaf shinobi were moving quickly through the trees. Jumping from tree to tree at a high pace so they could try and make up for some lost time. The rate at which they were going would tire most shinobi out, for Naruto it wasn't fast enough. More than once he found himself too far ahead of the group.
"Naruto, I know how you are feeling, but you can't break formation. It could spell disaster if we were to get ambushed with you so far ahead." Kakashi shouted to the point man in Naruto.
Naruto reluctantly slowed his pace and soon got back into formation. "I'm sorry Kakashi sensei. I'm just so angry this happened to Gaara, and I want to save him." He said apologetically.
"I know you want to save him, but you can't let your anger get the better of you. Remember what Jiraiya said to you before we left."
FLASHBACK
As the 4 were about to head out after being seen off by Tsunade and Iruka, Jiraiya landed in front of the group. No one in the group had any clue the toad sage had been anywhere near them. Despite getting up in years, Jiraiya was still one of the top shinobi in the world.
He looked around and the group and was a little surprised to see Hinata among them. Despite not knowing exactly what mission the group was about to embark on, he had a strong suspicion. He would have thought that Tsunade would have sent just the 3 members of team 7 to see how they still fared as a team. Thinking now though, having a long-range scout with the byakugan would give them tremendous, long-range scouting in their immediate area. He would have complimented Tsunade if it wouldn't have gone to her head.
Jiraiya turned his head to the leader of the troop and spoke. "I see you are heading out on a mission Kakashi. Does it have to do with Sunagakure?" He got a nod in confirmation. He then turned his attention to Naruto.
"Naruto, don't force a fight with the Akatsuki unless you have to." Jiraiya said, now turning towards his godson.
"They are the ones coming after me. I say the sooner the better so we can kick their asses." He said defiantly.
Jiraiya crossed his arms before speaking. "Look gaki, you have undoubtedly gotten stronger since your time with me. You are still too quick to anger though. It's always been your weakness in the heat of battle. If you don't keep yourself under control, you will not only lose your life but those of your teammates as well."
He received no verbal response back, but the boy's body language did all the talking for him. He then turned back to the leader of the team.
"Kakashi, make sure to keep an eye on him for me, will you? I'd join you all, but I need to see who the Akatsuki's next target is and perhaps prevent them from doing this all over again."
"Hai, I will Jiraiya."
END FLASHBACK
Naruto shook his head of the memory and shouted back to his mentor. "I get it, I get it. I'll stay with the group now."
Naruto now attempted to simply focus on his surroundings and being aware of everything around him. The sun was shining through the trees onto their backs. The air was whooshing past their ears, making the sounds of the forest be drowned out. His teammates were behind him, Hinata in the rear with Sakura and Kakashi in the middle. Hinata's byagukan was being used to keep an eye on their rear while the 2 in the middle watched their sides. Naruto was on point, ready to deal with any possible threats head on.
Despite focusing on the rear, Hinata was doing periodic searches everywhere every 15 minutes or so. It would have been taxing on her eyes to keep this up for hours on end, so Kakashi asked her to only do it for 30 seconds at a time. For all their journey today, she hadn't picked up anyone else until this check. She saw someone who she wasn't close with but knew well enough.
"I see Temari up ahead about 4 miles, she doesn't seem to be in a rush. She must not know about her brother."
"Let's catch up with her then. She would want to know what happened and she could get us to Sunagakure faster." Naruto shouted to the group but not breaking formation this time. It took the group only a few minutes before they landed in front of them. Temari on instinct had whipped her fan out, ready to attack the newcomers. When she saw familiar faces, her body relaxed, and she put her weapon away.
"What are you 4 doing out here? I was told I would only have an escort while in Konohagakure, not to the border."
Naruto stepped forward and said to her. "Temari, we aren't here to escort you. Your brother has been taken."
Temari was taken aback upon hearing this. "How do you know this?"
"Sunagakure sent us a message requesting aid almost 2 days ago." He uttered
Temari clutched at her chest. No this can't be. Who could be powerful enough to kidnap Gaara?
Kakashi now stepped forward and added on further. "You should join us; you can show us the way and we can get to Sunagakure much quicker."
She nodded her head in agreement. "Let's go then, if we hurry, we might be able to make it tomorrow afternoon." She said with a hint of desperation in her voice.
With these words, the now five shinobi squad leapt through the trees at breakneck speed. A newfound determination was in the group now that the sister of the Kazekage was with them now. Once they got to the border with the land of wind, it was already dark.
"This is where we will make camp for the night." Kakashi said at the edge of the forest and looking out into the vast desert ahead of them.
Naruto looked at his teacher incredulously. "We need to get to Sunagakure as fast as possible. Every second we waste is another second the Akatsuki has to extract the bijuu from Gaara!"
Kakashi looked at his student and gave him an empathetic look. "We won't be of any use to Sunagakure if we arrive half dead just from exhaustion."
Temari further added on. "I want to save my brother even more than you do Naruto, but you should listen to your leader. Who knows what we will encounter when we get there. We all need to be in top form when we arrive so we can be ready for anything." She pleaded.
The boy was frustrated at the decision but couldn't find a big enough fault in the reasoning. Reluctantly, he grumbled out. "Fine, lets camp and rest."
"We will leave at first light Naruto, I promise you that. I'll be taking first watch as well so rest up you four." Kakashi said reassuringly.
It didn't take long for the fivesome to set up camp. Each 5 set up their own tents and soon everyone sans Kakashi was sitting around the campfire they had set up. For a while, they all simply sat there, afraid to shatter the silence of the night. Most of them didn't know what to say. Could they really say anything that would make things better? Eventually, one of them found the nerve to ask a question that had been nagging them today.
"Who are the Akatsuki?" Temari wondered aloud.
"They are a group of S-Rank terrorists who are wanting to capture the bijuu. Why? I don't know exactly but it can't be good." Answered her fellow blonde.
"That explains why they captured my brother. What good though would extracting the bijuu inside him do? Do they have some way of controlling them once extracted?" She asked, hoping they knew.
"I don't know. There are so many questions about them, and we are walking blindly into their hands. One thing I know for certain about them is they are extremely dangerous. I saw two of them fight before and even now I don't know if I come close to them." He said not happy at his lack of knowledge.
Now was the time that Hinata chooses to ask her own question as she turned to her love. "Before we left Konohagakure, you said the Akatsuki were coming after you as well. What did you mean by that?"
In response, Naruto hugged his legs to his chest. He had never told anyone about the bijuu inside him. He was always afraid that if he did tell someone, they would reject him and treat him with scorn. Would they be unable to distinguish between himself and the monster he walked around with? Even his closest friends, he was afraid of this result. Now that the Akatsuki had started their machinations, it was time to come clean to them so they knew the danger they would be in simply by being near him.
"Because Gaara and I are the same."
For a while, no one responded. Each of the kunoichi took time to digest what he just said. One of them wanted confirmation from the boy in question.
"What do you mean by that?" Hinata was clueless on what he was talking about. Gaara and him were nothing alike. From what little information she could recall, Gaara was an extremely disturbed individual. While Naruto was the most kind and wonderful person she could dream of. How could those two be alike in any way?
"Gaara, has a bijuu inside him, and I have the 9-tailed fox sealed inside of me." He uttered somberly.
Temari wasn't too surprised by this revelation. She knew that her brother and Naruto had some type of connection that went beyond friendship. Knowing it was a shared experience in being a jinchūriki made her feel a bit relieved. There was a positive influence on her brother's life that went through the same experience of being scorned by a village. She was even more grateful now to Naruto than before.
Sakura had her suspicions. She first grew curious during the land of waves mission when she saw his mysterious chakra firsthand. At the time she wrote it off as stress from her first real mission and the first time thinking she might die. Once she saw the same chakra during the exams, she knew it wasn't stress she felt during her first mission. There was something strange going on about the boy.
After he had left the village, she took it upon herself to learn more about her teammate and discovered he was born on the same day the 9-tails attacked the leaf. It didn't take much to connect all the dots together that her teammate harbored one of the biggest threats the village had ever seen.
Hearing it from him though felt different. It felt relieving surprisingly. There was no more guess work and the uncertainty of not knowing was gone.
Hinata was startled by the reveal. Naruto was carrying the thing that almost destroyed the village all this time. Why was it sealed inside him and not someone older? Why did it have to be him that it was sealed in? She had many questions about this revelation that she was sure he didn't know the answers to. There was one thing she didn't question though.
Her feelings about the boy hadn't changed at all, nothing would change that. She was startled because now she understood why he had been alone for so long. The adults must have known what was inside him and kept the kids in the dark.
Her feelings quickly turned to anger. How could they treat Naruto like they did? He should have been treated as a damn hero for keeping that monster at bay. He wasn't the monster; it was what was inside him, and they were certainly not the same.
She now understood the gravity of his situation. He was one of the Akatsuki's targets and he was willingly going to them. They would no doubt try to capture him as they retrieve Gaara. No, no they won't. It won't happen. She won't LET it happen. No one can have the whisker cheeked boy but her!
"Sasuke's brother, Itachi, he's part of the Akatsuki too." Sakura stated to the group.
Naruto raised his head from knees and looked at her direction in alarm. "How did you know?"
She turned to look at him before starting. "I read some of Lady Tsunade's reports, hoping to get any information on how you were doing." She paused for a moment before continuing. "He's the one that Sasuke wants to kill, he's the one that is preventing Sasuke from moving on with his life."
He had conflicting feelings once she finished speaking. He was touched that she wanted to know how he was doing and was willing to go to those lengths to find out. Another greater part though felt a simmering anger that maybe she was doing this mission more for Sasuke and herself than for Gaara and himself.
"So that's why you came, to help Sasuke get his revenge." Naruto uttered more coldly than he meant to.
Right, he still doesn't trust me yet.
"No, I'm here primarily for you and for Gaara. I figured out you hosted the 9-tailed fox while you were gone. The pieces I already had plus Lady Tsunade's report made connecting the dots easy." She stated truthfully.
"Then why bring up Itachi and Sasuke at all? I thought you said you had moved on from him?" He hoped that he was just being paranoid, and she had a good explanation coming.
"I have moved on from my previous love for him, but he's still a teammate and a friend. He's hurting and Itachi is what is keeping him from healing properly. I would like to be able to capture him so we can get answers out of him. Perhaps then our teammate can finally move on with his life like we have." she earnestly said.
Naruto couldn't sense any deception coming from her, she was being genuinely honest with him, and it felt really refreshing. Naruto then started to think about his missing teammate. Part of Naruto was still angry at his teammate for defecting in the first place. Honestly though, if he had gone through something similar, he didn't know what he would do. Perhaps he would have done the same thing as Sasuke. He saw a lot of himself in his missing teammate. He thought of him as a brother. Yes, he did get on his nerves quite a lot but that's what brothers do. Yes, he saw Sasuke more as a brother than anything else. He wanted to help his brother.
"As much as he irks me at times, if it will finally get him closure that he needs, we will try and capture Itachi." He wasn't going to make a promise this time, he knew how that turned out last time.
"What do you know about Itachi? Did you fight him previously?" Hinata said to Naruto, her full attention on the blonde shinobi.
"Hai Hinata, I faced him and his partner Kisame when I went with pervy sage looking for granny Tsunade. If it wasn't for pervy sage, I'd have been captured back then. I never felt more helpless in my life then I did then." He hugged his legs closer to himself when remembering that night. "You three have no idea just how strong these guys are. Even now I'm terrified of them, except now I know I can fight back."
Hinata gave him a worried look. She hadn't known that he already had encountered this group before. The look of terror she saw in his face spoke volumes to her. They were no joke and if she wanted to be of use to him, she would need to utilize all the skills at her disposal.
"I'd understand if you all don't want to continue further missions with me. I'm just a huge target and you might die simply being near me." He braced himself for their answers, it was the moment of truth.
"Naruto, nothing on this planet could stop me from being by your side, especially knowing now that you are in danger. Not even the Shinigami could pull me away from you." Hinata was the first to speak. She left no doubt in her conviction to stand by him. She loved this man and would be by his side till the end of time.
"I told you before I wanted your forgiveness, to be your friend, to be a part of your life. All the elemental nations could come after you and it wouldn't change anything for me. As long as you would have me, I'll be there for you." Sakura spoke from the heart. Just like Naruto said he would've pushed heaven and earth for her, she would now do that for him. She would have been surprised at how warm she felt saying this to him, but the heat of the campfire masked it.
"While I might not know you as well as these two, you have been a great friend to my brother and to Shikamaru. Once your mission is done, if you ever need me for anything, just send a bird and I'll come." Temari rounded out the trio's answers.
"...Thank you, all of you. It means a lot." It was a lot to take in for him. For one, he told his fellow shinobi his biggest secret, and they didn't reject him in the slightest. Secondly, they knew the danger they would put themselves in just by being near him, and with no hesitation they said they would be there for him. He stopped hugging his legs to his chest and spread them out, letting out a big sigh and taking in the cool night air.
It was a nice feeling to know he had people who cared enough about him to risk their own lives for him. He had no problem with Hinata or Temari standing by him. Sakura though he was still wary about. He still didn't trust her, but he was hoping she was more than just talk and as she said on an earlier night, actions speak louder than words.
XxX
Somewhere in the land of wind, 8 AM, 2 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Around a small pond situated near Sunagakure sat two elderly siblings. The man, Ebizō, wore a dark colored, loose-fitting outfit with a poncho-like top along with a turban wrapped around his head. His eye lids ever heavy, giving him the appearance of nearly falling asleep all the time. The woman, Chiyo, wore the same outfit as her brother, minus the turban. She has black eyes and grey hair tied in a bun and flabby cheeks. Both are fishing in the pond, trying to get the biggest catch.
"Sister." The elderly man says, trying to get her attention.
"Sister?" He asks again. She had no visible reaction and was hunched over, appearing almost death like.
"Hehe, looks like I'll win this by default due to your death." He chuckled to himself. Both had a running bet on who would kick the bucket first, and both did not like to lose.
"Not on your life. I've got this in the bag." She finally responds and turns her head up to her brother.
He brought his head back to the pound. "Don't do that sis, it aint right to get an old man's hopes up."
"Oh, come now." She uttered; her head too now returned to the pond.
From the side of them they saw a man approach. He wore the Sunagakure headband and a turban that covered half his face. "Honored siblings, we request your assistance." The man known as Baki said to the two of them.
Chiyo turned her head to the intruder and said flatly. "We are both retired. It's time your generation fixed its own problems and leave us to wither and die."
"This is an extraordinary circumstance, a group known as the Akatsuki have taken the Kazekage and plan to extract Shukaku from him." Baki retorted.
"Look, neither of us want to be bothered by this. Now if only I could see my grandkid again. Then I might come back." She said longingly.
"Well then you are in luck Lady Chiyo. Your grandson happens to be a member of the Akatsuki."
XxX
Somewhere in the land of waves, 12PM, 2 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Two figures stand in front of a torii gate next to the cliff face. The taller figure has their hair in a single ponytail underneath a straw hat. The shorter individual's mouth was covered in a bandana. Both were wearing the same type of cloak. All black with red clouds. The rock face behind the gate has a ninja tag on it to prevent any unauthorized guests.
"Gah, I hate waiting!" The shorter individual barks out. His time was valuable, and not a second of it should be wasted.
"Oh, don't be like that. We are on time. If you didn't want to wait, you could have taken some extra time in dealing with that puppet using kid." The tall blonde said to his partner.
"If there is one thing, I hate more than others wasting my time, it's when I waste my own time." The short one grumbles out.
It takes but a few seconds for the rock face to start to lift, allowing the two individuals entry along with their captive. Both stroll their way through the opening and head deep into the cavern. They eventually come across a large open space deep inside the cliff. Standing in the middle of the vast openness is a shadowy figure with purple eyes and black rings surrounding the center pupil.
"I'm surprised; you both are right on time." The shadowy figure said.
"This guy gave me a little trouble, but we made up time using my bird to get here faster hmmm." The taller individual said as he dropped his target in front of the shadow.
"Good, we can begin on schedule now." The shadow then performed a series of hand signs and finished by smacking the ground with his open palm. Behind him started to rise a partial statue of monstrous origins. It looked human except for its 10 eyes and its chained wrists in front of it.
The shadow then performs another hand sign and says "Materialize." Soon, 6 more shadowy figures appeared on the fingers of the statue. The two solid figures in the cave take their places on the remaining fingers.
"Good, we can now begin the extraction of the one-tailed beast Shukaku."
XxX
Sunagakure, 12PM, 2 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
It took the group from Konohagakure only 6 hours before they started seeing Sunagakure. Temari had taken this trek many times and knew the fastest way through the desert while avoiding the various traps that laid in wait for unsuspecting visitors. Naruto was secretly glad that Kakashi forced them to rest last night. If they hadn't, they would have collapsed as soon as they arrived.
As they started getting closer to Sunagakure, the 5-some noticed a figure running out to greet them. One of the gate guards had seen them in the distance and had been able to notice Temari among the group. Once he got closer, he noticed the Konohagakure headbands on the other 4 individuals.
"Lady Temari, Konohagakure delegation. Thanks for coming so quickly!" He shouted out.
"Tell me, do you have any news on my brother?" Temari said, stepping up from the middle of the group.
"No, I'm afraid. The situation has gotten worse since we last sent word to Konohagakure. Kankuro chased after the two that captured Gaara. He got into a fight with Sasori but was left extremely poisoned." The gate guard said.
"What!? Kankuro was poisoned?" She yelped out in fear.
"Badly too, we don't think he will make it past today." He muttered out in frustration at the situation.
From the middle of the pack, Sakura stepped forward and got closer to the guard. "Take me to him now. I'll see what I can do for him and try to save his life." She said almost ordering the foreign shinobi in front of her.
The guard did as asked of him and brought the group up to where Kankuro was in treatment room 3. Temari and Sakura were the first to come in through the door and rushed to his bedside.
"Kankuro!" The sand kunoichi shouted as she came into the room, all eyes now on her. Behind the first two guests came Naruto and Hinata side by side. They followed the first two inside the room but without as much urgency. The last to show up was Kakashi who came up behind Naruto lazily. Most people in the room didn't give a second glance to him. Baki, Ebizō, and the other shinobi paid him no mind. Chiyo though took a good long hard look at the cyclops jōnin.
"it's you! The white fang of Konohagakure!" She spat out and charged at her target. Hinata, thinking the elderly women was charging at Naruto, stepped in front of him to protect him. She was surprised to see the women go past the two of them and head for Kakashi. As Chiyo readied her punch, Naruto swiftly got in between the two of them and caught her punch. Momentarily stunned at being caught, she was unprepared when he then pushed her back several feet with a kick to the mid-section.
"You old hag, why are you attacking Kakashi sensei like that?" He shouted out to the assailant.
She didn't hear Naruto shout at her, she was too blind to hear him. "So, taking my son's life wasn't enough for you. I'll make sure you regret coming back here!" She says as she attempts to move forward. Her brother Ebizō sticks his hand out, preventing her from going forward.
"Sister, look closely. Though they may look alike, that is not the same person who took your son."
She then took a few seconds to look over Kakashi more. She started to note the differences from what she could recall of the white fang.
"Actually, the white fang is my father." Kakashi said sheepishly, trying to diffuse the situation.
Concluding that this indeed wasn't the white fang, she utters out. "Oh, nevermind then, hehe." she chuckles, her previous anger completely leaving her. All the Konohagakure shinobi minus Sakura sweat dropped on hearing this.
Naruto then took notice of something strange. At the previous moment he didn't really take notice of it, but the old hag was fast. He had to use his swift release to get in front of Kakashi to block her attack. His kick also didn't seem to faze her all that much either. This old hag was not to be underestimated.
"Everyone be silent, I need to concentrate while I remove the poison from Kankuro's body." Sakura boldly declared as green chakra started to mold itself around her hands. "Temari, I need buckets of water to put the poison in."
"Hai." She responds as she goes and fetches the water to help Sakura.
For the next 3 hours, Sakura works diligently to remove as much of the poison from her patient as possible. Bucket after bucket was used to accomplish this task. She did not once take a break during the whole procedure, despite all the sweat on her body and painful expressions on her face. She soldiered on through it all.
It took every bit of knowledge that Tsunade drilled into her, but she was able to get most of the poison out of his system. If she had been only an hour later, he may not have survived. She also doubted anyone else besides her or her master could have saved his life.
She wiped her brow and said in a relieved voice. "That's most of the poison from his body now. The worst of it is over."
Temari slumped back against the wall, grateful her brother was safe for now.
"I still need to neutralize what poison is left in his system. I'll need access to all the herbs and medical supplies in the city. We are dealing with a very complex antidote here." Sakura uttered.
Wow, she wasn't kidding when she said she changed. Nobody in this village could help Kankuro before we arrived, and she was able to help him in 3 hours. And this is only with less than 3 years training. I wonder if she could pass Granny Tsunade in a few years. I'm looking forward to seeing her in a fight even more now. Sakura, I'm glad you are with us.
He didn't realize it at the time, but he had been staring at Sakura for a while. unconsciously opening and closing his mouth as he did so. Hinata though didn't miss it. She felt pangs of jealousy tug at her. She wanted that look from him. She wanted him to look at her in awe and see what a fine kunoichi she was.
"I'll take you to our greenhouse where we keep our rare herbs." Chiyo said to Sakura. The girl gave a nod of approval and followed the elder out of the room.
It didn't take long for the 2 of them to make it to the greenhouse. Once inside, Sakura started working her magic. She ground up the correct herbs together in just the right portions to counteract the toxin she encountered. Chiyo was oddly silent during the whole ordeal, only looking at Sakura's work with pursed lips.
There's no doubt about it. This girl must be a student of Tsunade. Only someone of that lineage could have figured out the toxin so quickly and able to come up with counter measures. Has Sunagakure fallen so low that we need to ask for outside help now? We lost our old self-reliance and have become weak because of it.
"Alright, we have 3 antidotes here. One will be for Kankuro and the other two we will bring with us just in case." These words brought Chiyo out of her own head. "Let's head back. Thank you again for letting me use your herbs."
As the two kunoichi started heading back, one Naruto Uzumaki was getting restless. "Alright, when Sakura makes that antidote, we can get going after the Akatsuki!" Naruto utters as he starts stretching, standing around for a few hours had made him stiff. He was getting anxious about doing nothing while Sakura did her thing. His frustration at the situation was clear to see.
"Easy there Naruto, we don't even know where they went too. We will need to go where Kankuro fought them. Pakkun might be able to pick up their scent from there if we are lucky." Kakashi stated to his student.
Taking a hold of his hand as he finished his stretching, Hinata added on. "We will find the Akatsuki and when we do, we will make them pay. Please don't be reckless. I don't want you to put yourself in any extra danger than you already are in."
This did the trick for him. The frustration that had been growing in him had gone away as soon as he felt the reassuring grasp of Hinata's hand. It was warm and welcoming. Inviting him to let go of all his fears and doubts. He would have lost himself in the sensation if not for the pained voice that sounded through the room.
"You don't need to go that far" Kankuro slowly sat up on his elbows, his consciousness finally returning to him.
"BROTHER! You are awake!" Temari shot up from the wall and ran to embrace him, crushing him a bit with her arms.
"Lady Temari, please let him go, you are killing him all over again." Baki pleaded with his student to let his other student go.
"Temari, it hurts." Kankuro managed to get out while still being squished.
Realizing what she was doing, she let go and apologetically said. "Sorry about that. I'm just so glad to see you ok!"
"What do you mean by we don't need to go that far?" Kakashi pipped in and stepped towards the bed.
"My puppet." He then groaned and clutched his stomach. "I was able to rip a part of his cloak off. It's stored inside. You returned my puppets right Baki?" He looks to his teacher for confirmation.
"We did; I'll go fetch them right now." He then races out of the room to get the puppets.
"Even in a losing scenario, you still managed to gain something." Kakashi remarked.
"Tell me boy, was one of them men who attacked the village Sasori?" By now Chiyo and Sakura had returned to the treatment room. Chiyo had to know for sure if her grandson was one of the people behind the attack.
He looked towards the elder and confirmed her suspicions. "The one who I fought called themselves Sasori of the red sand."
Sakura takes a cup and fills it with water and mixes the antidote with it before heading to the bedside. "Here, drink this all up. It will neutralize what's left of the poison in your body." She hands him the cup. He gladly accepts it and drinks the bitter concoction. "Now the only thing you need to do isstay here and rest until the numbness goes away. You should be back on your feet in 3 days' time."
Kankuro was not happy to hear this. He wanted to go with them to rescue Gaara. He was family damnit. He was supposed to guard Gaara from danger and he failed. Why did he have to be so weak? Why did his body have to be so frail?
"Alright, once Baki comes back with the puppets and we get that cloth, we can finally go after those bastards." Naruto boasted, unaware that Chiyo had quietly slipped out of the room. This action was noticed by her brother though who himself also slipped away to go after her.
As the group was getting their packs ready, Kankuro spoke up. "Naruto." He waited until he saw him staring back at him. "Please save Gaara." He pleaded with him. Gaara had made so much progress ever since they left Konohagakure that it sickened Kankuro to think of the predicament his brother was in and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
"We will, don't you worry." Naruto proclaimed assuredly.
By now, Baki had returned with the puppets. Kankuro was able to open the puppet that had the cloth in it and Kakashi summoned his ninja dogs to track the scent.
"Pakkun, you will stay with us, the rest of you will head back in the general direction of Konohagakure."
"Why are you having most of them heading in that direction?" asked Hinata.
"Tsunade will undoubtedly be sending a reinforcement team as soon as possible." Kakashi said to the newest member of the team. He then turns his head back to his summons and finishes up. "If you find the team that will be backing us up, I want you to lead them to where the scent goes." He motions to the piece of cloth the dogs had sniffed. Each of them gave a nod in acknowledgement and headed out.
Once the dogs had left, Team Kakashi were not far behind, and they found themselves near the entrance they came through. "Make sure you have everything you need. We are about to confront some very dangerous people. Sakura, you have the antidotes still, yes?"
"Hai sensei, I have them secured against accidental breakage." She responds by patting her backpack.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." Came a familiar voice behind them. The four of them turn to see Temari running up towards them.
"Are you sure about this?" queried Kakashi as Temari stopped in front of them.
"She's not sure. She's going to stay here and guard the border. I'll be the representative for Sunagakure." Said another familiar voice, this one coming from the opposite direction of Temari and up above them.
The five on the ground looked up to the voice and saw Chiyo now standing at the gate above them. "What do you mean I'll be staying to guard the border? Gaara is my brother, and I need to save him!" Temari almost pleadingly said.
Chiyo jumped down from the gate and landed in front of the group, to the shock of the 3 younger Konohagakure shinobi. "The council won't let you go after what happened to both of your brothers. You know this girl."
"I'm guessing they are sending you then." She spat out, angry at being forced to stay at home.
"No, the council would have preferred it if no one joined them. Honestly it makes me sick seeing how far we have fallen, relying on another village to do what we ourselves should be doing." Chiyo uttered bitterly. "The council has no say on what I can do though. I'm a retired shinobi and they can't compel me to just sit by and guard. Sunagakure must have a hand in rescuing its own Kage and I'll be the representative."
"Are you sure you will be able to keep up with us old hag? I won't be carrying you if you fall behind. We don't have time to waste." Naruto shared his thoughts, still not happy at her for attacking Kakashi earlier and not apologizing for it.
"Don't you worry young one, I may look old, but I've kept my stamina up all these years. I won't be slowing any of you down. Plus, I have personal stakes in this matter."
"What do you mean by that?" Hinata pipped in.
"Sasori of the red sand. He's my grandson, and both my greatest apprentice and failure in puppeteering."
XxX
Hokage main office, 9PM, 2 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Tsunade was currently seated on the couch in her office. She had a few bottles of sake on the table next to her, all but two of them empty. Despite her and her clones putting more dents into her paperwork, she didn't feel good.
"Honestly my lady, I'd hoped you would have cut back on the drinking by now." Her attendant, Shizune, said to her. She was standing at the now closed door to the office.
"And what made you think I would cut back any time soon?" The Hokage uttered while pouring herself another cup.
"I had hoped the weight of the hat would have been enough incentive to sober up a bit. Clearly, I was wrong." Shizune lamented as she sat on the opposite end of the couch.
Tsunade snorted. "If anything, I need more sake to deal with the problems of this job."
"You and I both know you drink for a bigger reason than simply managing stress." Shizune quipped back.
"Watch it Shizune, I'm not in the mood for this kinda talk." she retorted to her assistant.
"Hai, my lady." she uttered in defeat; maybe next time. "So how did team Gai react to being told to back up Kakashi?"
"Gai was his usual Gung-ho self. I swear I don't know where he gets all that energy from. If we could harness that we would never have to worry about power again."
"It's good to have some people like that around, they really can lift the spirits of everyone around them." Shizune said back.
"That type of spirit can also freak people out if it's not contained. Gai understands this but when he's with Lee I swear those put a genjutsu on everyone around them when they get emotional." Tsunade recalled the one time she saw them going on and on about youth. She wouldn't want to wish such a sight on even Orochimaru.
"I'm glad Lee has made a full recovery. You spent a lot of time fixing him up and I know both he and Gai would do anything for you in return."
"Lee's a good kid, if he turns out even half as good as his sensei then I feel better about the future of the village." Tsunade remarked, slightly adjusting herself on the couch.
"What about Tenten and Neji? How did they handle the news?"
Tsunade laughed to herself quietly. "That girl, I don't know if she wants to worship me or wants to kill me. She really wanted to be my apprentice. This time though she managed to keep herself neutral throughout the briefing. Hell, she seemed happy to being put on such an important mission. Neji was his normal stoic self for the most part. I did see just a hint of a smile when he heard that Hinata was with team Kakashi."
"It's amazing how far those two have come. I had managed to hear how Neji used to treat her and how easily he had beaten her before the finals of the exams." Shizune stated.
"She's finally come out of her shell, while he's finally started to learn humility. I'm glad they are on good terms now." Tsunade agreeing with her assistant. Suddenly, the door to the office swung open, startling the two on the couch.
"Lady Hokage!" Said the ANBU captain as he rushed into the office, not even bothering to close the door behind him. At first, he was confused as the lights had been on, but nobody sat in the chair behind the desk. His attention was quickly grabbed by a voice behind him.
"Captain, what's the issue?" Tsunade said, putting her oddly full cup next to her and standing up.
"It's about Anko, and Sasuke!" Shouted the captain.
Tsunade got into her Hokage mode and went to close the door to the office. She then walked to her desk, did a quick succession of hand signs, and sealed the room from all outside purviews.
"Tell me everything."
XxX
Land of wind near border of Land of Waves, 10PM, 2 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
The quintet of Shinobi had been making excellent time after they left Sungakure. With Pakkuns keen sense of smell, he estimated if they kept up this pace, they would be at their target location around nighttime tomorrow. The Konohagakure shinobi's worries about Chiyo not keeping up were unfounded. She was currently in the middle of the four and didn't look out of breath in the slightest.
The group had been silently following Pakkun for a few hours now. All were focused on their specific area of concern. They didn't know the capabilities of those they tracked but being S-Rank was enough for them to be on guard. Once Hinata had done her periodic scan all around them, she decided to voice a question to the group.
"So, what are the bijuu?" she asked as they were moving through the trees.
"Tsunade sent you on this mission and you don't know anything about the tailed beasts? What was she thinking." Chiyo voiced her concerns aloud.
"In Konohagakure, all tailed-beast information is classified as S-Rank." Kakashi retorted back.
She scoffs at this. "Figures, I would have to be the one to inform Konohagakure on something like this." Her frustration clear in her voice. "The bijuu are living beings made purely out of chakra. Their incredible destructive power was coveted by all the villages long ago and eventually all the bijuu were sealed inside jinchūriki."
"You said all of them. How many bijuu are there?" Hinata asked further.
"There are nine. The sand has the one-tail, and the leaf has the nine-tails. Jinchūriki throughout history have always been treated as weapons for their respective villages. I've never personally seen 2 bijuu fight. That was before even more time. I know though that a fight between just 2 would level any of the shinobi villages. I could only imagine what would happen if a group somehow could control all 9 at the same time. They would be unstoppable." She said to the younger kunoichi.
"Speaking of this group, what can you tell us about Sasori of the red sand?" Kakashi queried the elder.
Chiyo frowned before she recalled information about her grandson. "I raised the boy myself after his parents were killed." She took a glance at Kakashi before turning back forward. "He took to puppeteering like no one had before. He could craft the highest quality puppets and wield them in ways only I could have before. He's the one who created the puppets used by Kankuro, I have no doubt that's how he beat him so easily."
Chiyo took a pause before continuing. "He's a boy who felt terrible loneliness and had attempted to fill in his need of parental love with puppets. Unfortunately for him it was a fool's dream and eventually he became cold. He got his moniker during the last shinobi war, so much blood was shed by his puppets that it stained the sand red. It was after the war that he eventually went missing."
Satisfied by this tale, the group continued their trek through the forest for another two hours until they finally crossed the border into the land of waves. Thirty minutes after they had crossed the border, Hinata picked something up from behind them.
"We are being followed." She replied to the group.
"How many do you see?" asked Kakashi.
"I see only one, but it's strange. It looks like it's 2 different bodies stitched together." Hinata added on. "What should we do about it Kakashi?"
"That doesn't sound like any backup from the leaf. Does the sand have any such person in their employ lady Chiyo?" Kakashi asks and receives a shake of the head no in response.
"Naruto, make a few clones and send them ahead and make it appear you are simply scouting ahead. Have them hide when out of sight and see if you can deal with our little spy."
"You got it sensei!" Naruto then made his signature hand sign and created 10 clones. With each knowing of the plan, they fanned out in front of the group. The rest of the non-clones continued as if nothing was a miss. Eventually, the clones got into position and waited for their uninvited guest to show their face.
The guest did arrive, and the Naruto clones agreed with Hinata's assessment of their follower. Not only did it look like 2 different halves bunched together, but it also looked strangely plant like. The upper half of its body was enveloped in Venus fly like trap. The creature's left side was white while its right side was black. The white side appeared human like while its black side had a single yellow eye while the black side simply had a solid-colored eye. Naruto may have been startled by a creature such as this if he had not already met the shark man in person before.
There was another strange thing about this creature. It had not landed on the branch like all other shinobi. No, it seemed to have just GROWN out of the branch itself, like it was a part of it. The Naruto clones took note of this and would have the original ask Kakashi later if there was a jutsu like that.
Once the guest was fully out of the tree, the Naruto clones sprang into action. Each one threw a kunai at the target. Each kunai multiplied from 1 to 50 in midair, leaving no room for escape.
"Oh dear." Was the only verbal response the creature gave. Seeing no way out and its cover being blown, the creature merged with the tree branch it was currently on and disappeared.
"Huh? Where did it go?"
XxX
Somewhere in the land of waves, 12:45 AM, 3 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
"It appears we have a group of guests coming our way." The white half of the creature said to the assembled Akatsuki. It suddenly twitched and amended its statement. "Make that two groups."
"How long before they each of them arrive?" asked the leader of the Akatsuki.
The black and white creature thought for a second before answering. "Based on their current locations and speed, I estimate the group from the direction of Sunagakure will be here at sundown and the group from Konohagakure 30 minutes before that."
"Did you find out who is in each group?" The leader asked.
"Kakashi leads the group from Sunagakure and the nine-tails jinchūriki is with him as well. Aman named Might Gai leads the group from Konohagakure." The plant man responded.
"Who is Might Gai?" The leader eyes his subordinate.
"He is a taijutsu master. He's not to be underestimated." Itachi quips in.
"We need to slow them down." The lead shadow pondered for a bit, thinking about who would be best to deal with the groups.
"We wouldn't need to slow them down if you had replaced Orochimaru's spot. As much as I hate his guts, he would have made this sealing much easier." Sasori interjects further. He's bitter that more of his time is being wasted because of his leader's laziness.
"We'll have to make do in the meantime." The leader retorts.
"I'll go after Gai. I have a score to settle with him from a couple years back." Grinned Kisame, his shark features making him look even more menacing look.
"Use the body replacement jutsu, we are currently using 30% of your chakra. It's best if you go and deal with Gai."
"Finally, I get to do a little slaughtering."
"What about Kakashi and the jinchūriki hnnnn?"
"Itachi, the nine-tails is your responsibility. You deal with his group." The leader said.
"Understood." Replied Itachi.
With orders given, the two of them slowly faded from the chamber. Meanwhile, Gaara was floating in the middle of the chamber, his life force and the bijuu being taken from his body. He had no control over his physical body, but mentally and spiritually he was fighting with everything he had to keep Shukaku inside him. He knew if he failed in this he would surely die.
Inside the mindscape of Gaara, he sat in front of Shukaku meditating much like the bijuu. Both had been able to slow down the extraction process but that was it. They couldn't figure out a way to stop it completely. Both were hoping that it would be enough time for Sunagakure to rescue them both.
"It seems they have paused the extraction for a bit." Remarked Gaara. "We have a few minutes to recuperate if the previous pauses are anything to go by."
"You know, as much as I hate being a prisoner inside you, I much prefer it over being controlled by those bastards."
Fittingly, Gaara's mindscape was a never-ending desert. The sun shone brightly upon the 2 seated figures. There was no wind in this place which made it eerily quiet. Normally Shukaku would have had chains anchoring him in place, but for them to survive longer, Gaara had removed them. They were now forced to work together to survive.
"I'll thank you for the compliment after we survive this."
Despite everything Gaara was doing, he was slowly feeling himself drifting away. Every time he tried to clear his mind to stop the pull on his life force, one of the Akatsuki would meddle with him and break his concentration. If it had been only one of them doing it, he could have managed to hold onto himself, but their sheer numbers and abilities made that impossible. For now, he would need to trust that his village would make it in time.
"You know kid, this might the most civil we have ever been with one another." Shukaku remarked.
In truth, he didn't hate his jailer personally. He hated humans in general with one exception. Throughout the centuries, him and his 'siblings' had been demonized and either hunted to be killed or captured and used as weapons in humanities little games. His initial host was the only human he had ever respected. Shukaku had almost started to like humans again during his stint in his first jinchūriki. It was all downhill from there.
His hosts past his first had all treated him as a monster, good for nothing but power. He quickly found a way to fight back though. He had made sure to keep his hosts awake as long possible, threatening them by saying he would take over if they slept. Yes, it was petty revenge, but it was the only way he could get back at his captors. He had done the same with his latest host for a while. That is until after he was released on Konohagakure, when he felt something change in his host.
"Keeping me up all throughout my childhood didn't really endear us to one another."
"It was nothing personal kid."
He knew the kid didn't fully believe that. Both had been put with each other against their wills, but it was Shukaku who had started the dysfunctional relationship. As loath as he was to admit, Gaara was innocent in the cruelty had had experienced in the past. He didn't care though, least not until after meeting a certain jinchūriki.
After that fateful meeting, Gaara had changed drastically. Gaara had started to reach out to him, to try and get to know him better. Gaara allowed Shukaku to see through his eyes and experience the real world for the first time in decades. Shukaku for his part decided to lay off on the insomnia aspect he had been a fan of to show he at least was receptive to his jailors attempts. He still didn't like his jailor, but it was no longera vitriolic hatred.
"How much longer do you think we can hold out?" Gaara asked his reluctant partner.
Shukaku took a second to examine just how much of him was left and came up with an answer. "We have less than 18 hours at the current rate."
Gaara silently cursed the situation he was in. At the very least he had protected Sunagakure from the massive bomb the Akatsuki used. No, that wasn't correct, THEY had saved Sunagakure. Shukaku had lent him the chakra needed to save everyone.
"Why did you lend me chakra earlier before our capture?" Gaara had been puzzled by this, but he never found the right time to ask.
"Simple, if I hadn't you would have died, and no one will have the privilege of killing you except myself."
Gaara knew he wasn't telling the full truth. The two of them had been living with each other for so long that Gaara could just somehow tell when his bijuu wasn't being entirely honest. He wouldn't press the issue though. They both needed each other's full cooperation if they were to survive past this day.
"Why did you become Kazekage and save your village?" Shukaku wanted to see the village burn. He thought Gaara would have wanted it as well, given his childhood. Instead, he somehow grew to care for the village that only treated him as a weapon. How was this possible?
That was both a tough and easy question for Gaara to answer. "I initially didn't want to be Kazekage, I only wanted to prove my existence. I had thought I could do that simply by killing. After losing to Naruto though, I realized there was another way to prove myself."
"By becoming Kazekage." Shukaku finished Gaara's line of thought.
"Once I became Kazekage, the village's thoughts on me changed. They no longer viewed me with only fear. Now they respected me." They still feared him, but that was secondary. "If they were willing to change for the better, I would at least meet them halfway and protect them. It's what's expected of any Kage."
Suddenly, the mindscape started to quake, signaling the extraction process was about to begin again.
"We'll continue later kid. We fight for both our existences now."
XxX
With Team Kakashi, 12 PM, 3 days since Kazekage retrieval mission start
Team Kakashi was continuing their trek through the trees. They had taken only a short rest at dawn to recoup some energy and had headed back out. After the incident with the plant man, none in the group had spotted anything out of the ordinary.
Naruto had once again found himself out of formation with his team. This time though wasn't because of any anger or frustration. It was simply him being so focused on searching for what was ahead of him that he lost track of those behind him.
"Naruto, slow down a bit, you are breaking formation again." Sakura said to him. She knew she still wasn't completely in his good graces. She wasn't going to stand by quietly and let him do something stupid. She was more than willing to call him out when he was making a mistake. She just needed to word it better. If she was going to push herself to be better kunoichi, she was also going to push him to be a better shinobi.
Naruto turned his head back and saw that Sakura was right. He slowed himself down just a bit and got back into formation. "Sorry about that, too busy looking ahead."
"Make sure to stay with us, you are the powerhouse, and we will need you in case of an ambush." Sakura added on to her earlier statement. Hinata in the rear was a little annoyed at Sakura calling him out. Nobody could see the small scowl she had on her face seeing Sakura call him out. True, he was out of position, but it was only slightly. Nothing to nag him about though.
Eventually, one of Naruto's clones dispelled and sent the original Naruto its memories. "Heads up, we have company ahead of us."
"Akatsuki?" asked Hinata.
"Hai, and its someone we know." Naruto grimily relayed. After a minute of further travel, four shinobi landed on the edge of the tree line.
Lady Chiyo narrowed her eyes when she saw the person in front of them. "Red eyes, a slashed through Konohagakure forehead protector. I finally meet you in person."
"Itachi Uchiha." Sakura coldly remarked. She now stood in front of the person who wants to capture Naruto. Who's brought untold misery upon her teammates. She wasn't going to let the bastard go without paying for what he had done to those precious to her.
Itachi stared down the group, not even flinching when they landed before him. His cold eyes drifted from member to member until they rested on the blonde jinchūriki and his sensei.
"Naruto, Kakashi, it's been a while."
Author Notes
Before I get into my actual thoughts and notes, I want to congratulate my brother for his wedding on this day, January 18th. Being your best man is an honor, and I hope too never do it again for you.
Title is from Imagine Dragons.
Now then onto my ramblings. We finally begin the Kazekage rescue arc proper. This arc will largely follow manga canon to a point. I don't foresee my changes to have fully matured until the pain and 5 Kage summit arcs. Most definitely after the 5 Kage summit arc will things take a drastic turn.
I got a comment on my latest chapter about using too many descriptives to talk about characters, so I purposely limited myself this chapter too see what everyone thinks Speaking of reviews. I really appreciate the feedback the previous chapter got. It makes writing so much easier when I know my audience enjoys what I'm doing as much as I do.
Another challenge I did was to have more scenes in a chapter than what I normally do. If you look back, you will notice I have about 4-5 scene changes in a chapter. This one I have over twice that amount. I want to get more practice with smaller scenes, so it doesn't feel like we are in the same place for too long. This will be helpful for the upcoming fight scenes
As for next chapter, I will keep to my every other week schedule, but chapter 10 may not be as long as my previous chapters. I have a place I want to end the chapter, and I won't purposely lengthen the chapter just to get to my normal length
And holy shit, after only 2 months I have over 200 followers on FF for this fic! Even more motivation to see this through to completion. I've already settled what my next fic will be, but I won't be starting it till this one is done. That will give me PLENTY of time to think of how it will change the Naruto world. Next fic will be AU.
As always, reviews and comments are much appreciated, and I'll see yall in 2 weeks!
