Kapitel 36: Journey to the Hidden Waterfall
"Gaara, we need to talk," said Shukaku. Surprise flickered across my face for a second but it only took me a moment to understand why. I had just said some pretty heavy stuff in defense of Shukaku. Our current deal was pretty decent, nothing out of the ordinary really. But now, I had gone and stuck my neck out in front of another Tailed Beast to stand up for Shukaku. That was a lot different than being nice to him or being patient.
"What is it Shukaku," I said politely. It was pretty odd talking to him while not in my mindscape. On top of that, I still had to keep up with Baki and watch my surroundings, which was quite a chore. Talking to Shukaku as I was right now was kind of like talking to someone you could feel and hear but not see. I felt his movements and expressions inside my mindscape but couldn't actually see him.
"Those things you said about me," he said unassuredly.
"What about them Shukaku?"
"I don't need a human like you coming to my defense. You don't know anything about me," he said with anger. This definitely hadn't been the reaction I had expected but I could understand why he was acting this way.
"I'm sorry Shukaku, I didn't m-"
"I don't need you, I don't need anyone! I certainly don't cower behind humans or view them as my equals," roared Shukaku. This wasn't good, I was losing ground in this conversation. I had meant those words as a compliment but I should have known better. Tailed Beasts we're rarely treated with respect, much less admiration. Shukaku didn't know what to do with it, he was freaking out. Some of the things he had just said weren't even directed at me it sounded like.
"Shukaku, you didn't cower behind me and you probably don't need me. You're a legendary Tailed Beast and I'm simply the son of the current Kazekage. But, as much as I hate to say this, we are stuck together," I told him. Shukaku bristled at my comment and I felt him tense up. The hairs raised on my body and a sick feeling settled in my stomach.
"I knew it, you were lying all those times you said you were glad to be with me! You just view me as something you are stuck with," raged Shukaku.
"No that's not what I me-"
My head suddenly felt like it was going to split, my seal on my back growing hot. Shukaku's chakra burned throughout my body, causing me to fall to the ground. I let out a scream as I felt Shukaku throw his full might at the seal.
"Gaara, what's wrong," I heard Baki say, a pair of hands suddenly holding me. They must have been Baki's, but I could barely comprehend anything through the pain. Somehow, I managed to concentrate enough to go into my mindscape. Inside my mind, the long hallways and water on the ground were shaking violently. I could hear Shukaku roaring and snarling, as well as the sound of metal groaning from him attacking his prison inside my mindscape. Finally making it to Shukaku, I was having a hard time standing as my body quivered in pain.
"SHUKAKU," I yelled at him. The tanuki didn't even flinch, he just kept throwing his power at the seal which held him back. A strange sensation started to creep up my right arm, one that I didn't like. I looked down at it to find that it was going into partial transformation, Shukaku's signature curse mark and sand talking my right arm over. That was it, this had gone far enough. I reached my left arm around to touch my seal since my right one had now gone numb. With the flick of my wrist, I slammed the seal all the way shut.
The metal bars that Shukaku had been banging on suddenly stopped shaking. Shukaku slammed into them again but this time he rebounded off of them, falling backward. He growled in frustration and launched himself forward again but it was futile. The seal was all the way closed, his chakra cut off from ever reaching mine. My body now only ached from the pain it had felt mere seconds ago. My right arm was starting to come back under my control, reassuring me that I had stopped Shukaku.
"Shukaku, either you stop right now or I keep the seal locked for good," I threatened. I really didn't want to do that and even if I did I would give him another chance. Right now though, Shukaku needed to calm down. Seeing Kurama and having the fox imply Shukaku was under my control had set him off. I hadn't realized just how sensitive Shukaku was about this or how little it would take to trigger him. All it had taken was a badly worded sentence to send him past his limit.
"I'm done groveling at your feet human," spat Shukaku. He paused only for a moment to say that before going back to thrashing himself against my seal. I sighed and say down in the water on the ground. This was starting to give me a headache. Leaving right now wasn't an option though, if I left then Shukaku would never trust me again. Fixing this here and now was my only option.
"You weren't groveling at my feet Shukaku, don't let the Nine Tails get in your head. What I said earlier was badly worded. What I meant was that you and I are in this together, I'll die if you leave my body," I told him forcefully. Shukaku stopped pounding against the bars and turned to look at me. The look in his eyes wasn't very friendly at all, it was cold.
"I hate to tell you this Gaara, but all I want is to get out of here. Do you know what it feels like to get ripped away from your home and shoved inside of another living creature? Do also know what it feels like to be trapped in an endless void, with only your captor to keep you company," he said with a cold edge to his voice. I cringed at how true his words were, I didn't know his pain at all.
"No, I don't know what that feels like Shukaku," I said quietly.
"Then stop acting like you and I are equals. I don't know what I was thinking to ever allow you to use my power," he grumbled. My head hung low, Shukaku's words making me think deeply. The Tailed Beast wasn't wrong about anything he said, I was his captor. He had also been confined to such a dull and small space for what probably felt like an eternity.
"Shukaku, I'm sorry for everything that has happened to you. I wish I could change it, I really do. But I have people counting on me, promises to fulfill, and a life to live. I can't let you be free and die now," I told him with pain in my voice.
"Then don't come begging when you need help Gaara. I'm done helping someone who does nothing for me in return," said Shukaku as he turned his back. That sentence made me flinch, anger rising inside of me. I had done things for him, I had given in to his rage and allowed him to talk, to see what I saw. Why was he playing the victim here? Neither of us was totally innocent of anything.
"I worked with you Shukaku when almost anyone else in my place would have never even spoken to you. I let you see and hear whatever I did, I even put up with your awful remarks," I screamed at him. Shukaku tensed up, slowly beginning to turn back around.
"Do you have any idea what it's like, for almost no one in your own village to trust you? Every person you meet has that look in their eyes, the fear mixed with hate. My own brother and sister didn't feel comfortable around me before you and I started working together," I vented angrily. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. All the memories of pain and the horrible looks everyone had given me were resurfacing.
"All I wanted was a normal childhood, one where I had friends and people that trusted me. Instead, I was turned into my village's ultimate weapon of destruction by being paired with you. All of those sleepless nights, the people I killed back when my seal was weaker. Don't act like I'm the only one to blame," I shouted to him. All those memories as a child, the fear on both the adults' and kids' faces when I myself was a child.
"I don't know why I thought it but I believed that you and I could become friends. We both know horrible pain Shukaku and neither of us asked for this to happen to us. But it's what we have, so please, can we continue to work together," I asked him as I sniffled. Shukaku had now fully turned around but I couldn't read this expression. He seemed shocked but also deep in thought.
"I'm sorry for doing this to you Gaara," he finally said as he walked closer to the bars.
"It's okay Shukaku, it's my fault too," I told him as I stood up and walked closer.
"I'm only going to say this once so you better listen. My anger towards humans is well founded and rooted deep inside of me. It causes me to lash out at your kind, especially you since I am locked away inside of you. But, instead of tossing me aside like all the rest, you saw me as who I am. Because of that, I hold great respect for you," said Shukaku quietly. I didn't say a word, this was a big moment for Shukaku and saying anything might ruin it.
We both stood about twenty feet from each other, the bars the only thing between us. I raised my arm, balling my hand into a fist. Shukaku looked at it for a moment before reaching his finger through the bars. The tip of his finger and my fist made contact, a feeling of calm rushing over me. We stood that way for several minutes, looking at each other and sharing the moment.
"What do you say? Think you can work with a human like me," I asked him with a smile. Shukaku let out and chuckle before locking eyes with me.
"As annoying and idiotic as you are, you are my only option. Maybe I will allow you to be my friend if you keep bashing people's heads in with my power," he mused with a grin. I laughed, I don't know what else I would use his power for if I wasn't bashing people's heads in.
"You still have to listen to me though, and I'm not giving our my power like it's free," said Shukaku quickly. I groaned a little, it would just be too easy if he let me use it for free. But it was to be expected when dealing with Shukaku.
"How about next time we see that Nine-Tail's we can show him just how wrong he is about us," I said confidently. Kurama and Naruto may have been the main character in the anime, but Shukaku and I would hopefully change that here. Shukaku paused and for a moment I worried if he was going to go crazy again. Instead, he cracked a devilish grin and tackled it with laughter.
"That is the first thing I want us to do together, I want us to kill that Nine Tail's brat," laughed Shukaku evilly.
"Uhh, maybe we could not kill him? The Nine Tails would just reincarnate and be free then," I said uneasily. I really didn't want to step on Shukaku's feet right after we had resolved our differences. At the same time, I didn't want to kill Naruto winch would be a huge asset later on.
"I guess you are right, I don't want that stupid fox to be free," admitted Shukaku reluctantly. Dodged a bullet there, good thing he had seen the logic. We released from our fist bump and I smiled at the tanuki.
"What are you grinning at," questioned Shukaku. I just shook my head and chuckled, leaving my mindscape with a confused Shukaku behind me.
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I opened my eyes to find Baki taking up my entire line of sight. The normally composed shinobi had an expression of worry etched on his face, his lone eye staring at me intensely. A look like this used to be so foreign that it would have surprised me. Nowadays though, Baki was a much less guarded person.
"Baki-sensei, if I didn't know any better I would think you looked worried," I said weakly. My body was still aching from Shukaku's attack and being in my mindscape had only temporarily stopped it. Now it was coming back at me at full strength, making me feel as if I had just been punched in the gut.
"Gaara, what is going on? You fell to the ground out of nowhere and you were unresponsive for almost fifteen minutes," said Baki with a graveness to his voice. The weak smile fell from my face and I looked at Baki closer. The worry I had pushed aside seconds ago now felt much more serious, Baki looked unsettling like this. If what he said was true, he had sat here for fifteen minutes wondering if I would wake up or not. The idea that Shukaku was taking me over probably was floating through his head during that time as well. How tortuous had that been to Baki?
"I'm sorry for worrying you sensei. Shukaku and I had a slight disagreement is all, it's fine now," I told him firmly. I went to stand up but Baki quickly stopped me. I glanced up at him in confusion to find his face now had an icy look to it.
"Gaara, I'll give you one chance to tell me the full truth. Do you have the One Tails under control? If you do not, we need to call off the mission right now," Baki said sternly. I paused for a second to think. Was everything between me and Shukaku alright? I was quite confident it was but what could I say to make Baki believe me? I doubted that words would sway him, he had seen firsthand what Shukaku had done in the past to Sunagakure.
"Shukaku, I need a little help," I said to him through my mindscape.
"Already? What do you need from me so soon," said Shukaku with annoyance. At least he had answered, that was a step up from before. Though I didn't believe he would be too happy to hear what I was about to say.
"Can you let me use partial transformation for a little bit to convince Baki that you and I are good now," I said kinda quickly. It sounded even more stupid than I thought it would. I could hear Shukaku groan in distaste at my request. Surprisingly, I felt Shukaku's chakra flow through me. I guess we really were making headway as a team if Shukaku would let me use his chakra for something like this. Taking his power, I morphed my right arm to look exactly like Shukaku's. Baki stumbled back, his hand darting to his kunai holster. I understood his fear and made sure to stop the transformation when it got to my shoulder.
"See Baki-sensei? I've got it all under control," I told him seriously. Baki observed me with his piercing gaze, looking for any kind of indication that I was lying to him. Suddenly, his right dart darted into his kunai holster and a split second later a kunai was only a few yards away from me. Baki was a highly experienced jonin, I didn't even see him throw the kunai. His actions took me by surprise, his kunai was too quick for me to possibly stop it. Shukaku's chakra abruptly raced through my body without my command. Something began forming behind my back at a rapid pace. Baki's kunai was roughly five feet away from my face when whatever had formed behind my back zipped past my face and stopped it. Looking closer, I found that I recognized what had just stopped the kunai. It was a smaller version of Shukaku's tail, long and covered with blue curse marks. It had the same jagged pine cone look to it as he did.
"Your welcome," grumbled Shukaku. Shukaku had been behind the movement of his chakra through my body and the formation of the tail. He had saved me from the kunai even when he definitely didn't have to.
"Thank you Shukaku," I said with shock. He had never done anything like that before, had he really changed so suddenly?
"Looks like you weren't lying," said Baki nonchalantly. I narrowed my eyes at him with irritation, he had just thrown a kunai at me and was now acting like it couldn't have killed me.
"Did you really have to test me like that? You're a jonin, what if Shukaku hadn't blocked that for me," I said angrily. Baki glanced at me, cracking a thin smile.
"Then I guess you would have had to catch it with your flesh. Come on, let's get back to the mission," he said as he leaped up into the trees. I sighed, I liked the old Baki a little bit better. He was much more predictable than this one. Using my partially transformed right arm, I grabbed onto a tree branch above. I then retracted it, causing myself to slingshot forward and go soaring into the air. The force sent me even farther than I thought it would, far above the treetops. For a brief moment, it felt as if I was flying. I closed my eyes and let the weightless feeling take hold of me while I slowly fell back to the ground. A few minutes ago I had been in a bitter and painful argument with Shukaku. Now, I felt more u burdened than I had in my entire life. I could only hope things would stay this happy.
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"Lord Gaara, you better come down here," yelled Baki from below me. Glancing down from my soaring position above the trees, I could see that Baki had stopped. For the last six hours, I had been having a blast by using my partial transformation to launch myself into the air. It was a much faster method than my normal leaping from branch to branch, resulting in Baki not having to wait on me. We had made good time in the hour we had been traveling, the Hidden Waterfall drawing closer. Using my partially transformed right arm, I extended it downward and latched onto a branch. I retracted it and brought myself back down to the trees, only a few dozen yards from Baki. Once again I extended my right arm and grabbed the large limb Baki was standing on. He was looking at me with slight skepticism but also a thin smile. I grinned back at him as I shot through the air, ending only a few feet away from him.
"Impressive Lord Gaara, you truly have done beyond what the Hidden Sand ever thought you would achieve with the One Tail," commented Baki conservatively. He of course wasn't overdoing it with the compliments but it was nice to have him recognize my progress.
"Thanks sensei, what are we stopping for," I asked as my partial transformation retracted back inside of my body. I doubted that I would need it for the last leg of the journey due to how close we were to the Hidden Waterfall.
"We are only several more hours from Takigakure so I thought it would be a perfect time for us to rest. We have until nightfall to get there and I don't want us to be anything less than full strength," said Baki as he leaped down from the tree branch. Tired? I was fine, what was he talking about?
"You're not tired because I took the brunt of your exhaustion, you idiot. Since you were using partial transformation it was my chakra," grumbled Shukaku. I had been having so much fun I guess I hadn't noticed I wasn't getting worn down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use your power in such a frivolous manner," I said to him apologetically. If this was going to work between us, I needed to respect Shukaku and his power. I couldn't be carelessly shrugging off what he did for me as I had done in the past a few times.
"It's fine, just be more aware of it in the future," said Shukaku as he slipped deeper into my mindscape. He was probably going to take a nap after I had worn him out so much. I hopped down from the tree branch and found Baki sitting against a tree. Looking closer, I noticed that he looked quite fatigued. His breaths were deeper and more frequent, and a slight sheen of sweat was also visible on his brow. Baki moving at full speed for such a long period of time must have really worn him out. He must have wanted to show he could keep up with me, but it had come at a cost.
"I'm sorry for making you so exhausted Baki-sensei," I apologized to him as I sat down across from him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Lord Gaara, I don't tire as easily as you may think," said Baki.
"How long will we stay here," I asked him while observing our surroundings. We had just crossed into the Land of Waterfalls from the Land of Fire, our environment was still dense forest. We had decided to stay off the main path and simply leap through the trees to travel to the Hidden Waterfall. We didn't want anyone to see my partial transformation so it was a good idea.
"We will rest for a few hours and then continue on our way. If we keep at a steady pace, we will meet the Hidden Waterfall team well before nightfall," said Baki as he got out his map. I stood up and walked over to see what Baki wanted to show me.
"Takigakure is a well-hidden secret of the Hidden Waterfall shinobi. Only those native to the village know the location of it and how to get there. A team of Hidden Waterfall shinobi will meet us in the general area of the village and take us there," said Baki as he pointed to an area north of our location. I nodded, the Hidden Waterfall hadn't been visited that much in the anime series. I knew very little about the village, such as its current leader was a kid named Shibuki and it produced Hero Water every hundred years. Outside of the Five Great Nations, it was the only hidden village to possess a Tailed Beast. Chomei, or the Seven Tails, who was currently sealed inside of Fu. Fu was a particular interest in line since she was also a jinchurki, she would be vital to the Akatsuki's plan in the near future. If I was going to prevent the war against Obito ane Madara, keeping all of the jinchurki safe was extremely important.
"Have you ever been to the Hidden Waterfall before," I asked Baki curiously.
Before he could answer, a piercing scream of agony ripped through the air. I flinched, my hand immediately going for my kunai holster. Baki seemingly teleported to his feet, a kunai already in hand.
"It came from over there," said Baki as he pointed to my left. I nodded and we both began to steadily walk towards where the sound had come from. We walked for several minutes without hearing another sound, both of us on edge. A clang of metal on metal rippled through the air, indicating a fight of some sort.
"What's the plan sensei," I whispered. Baki's eye darted around, surveying our surroundings. He was probably formulating a plan on what kind of action we should take. We were foreign shinobi in this land, one wrong move and a huge political incident could blow up in our faces.
"We see what the commotion is and then decide whether or not it is our place to intervene. Don't reveal yourself unless I signal," said Baki as he motioned for us to proceed.
"Understood," I said quietly. Sand slowly poured out of my gourd, forming my sand armor around my body. I didn't want to be caught off guard by anything that might make it past my sand shield. Right as we went to move forward, a sudden rustle of leaves and branches caused us to pause. It sounded like several people were running toward us, or at least something big.
"Prepare yourself," was all Baki managed to say before nearly a dozen figures burst into our line of sight. They were wearing black undersuits along with grey vests. They didn't look to be from any village I knew of, they also wore masks that covered everything but their eyes. The ninjas seemed quite surprised to find Baki and me in their way, they seemed to be running away from something. An uneasy feeling settled between the two sides, Baki and me glaring back at the strange shinobi.
"What are you doing," asked Baki with a demanding tone. The dozen shinobi didn't answer, they simply glanced at each other and then back at us.
"They are in our way, get them," yelled one of the ninjas in the back. That was all the production they needed apparently. Nearly half a dozen kunai were sent flying our way but were easily stopped by my sand shield.
"Take them down," ordered Baki as he leaped over my sand shield with inhuman speed. I let loose a grin and formed my sand into nearly three dozen sand senbon.
"Sand Senbon: Wall of Death," I said as I sent all of them flying forward. The effect was devastating, almost all of the ninjas were hit by a sand senbon or at the very least grazed by one. One towards the back of the crowd managed to put up an earth wall to protect him and three of his comrades. Baki zoomed toward the crude barrier, a family Jutsu brewing in his right hand.
"Wind Style: Wind Vortex Shockwave," he said as he slammed the swirling sphere of wind against the barrier. The barrier crumbled instantly and a massive shock wave sent the ninja cowering behind it flying. Two of them slammed into trees while the other two hit the ground with a crunch. Glancing around, most of the unknown shinobi were either dead or writhing on the ground in pain. One lone ninja managed to get himself to his feet even though he had two sand senbon embedded in his right leg. Just before I could send him back to the ground, two kunai whistled through the air and sunk into his back. The ninja's eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled back to the ground. Suddenly, nearly two dozen new figures emerged from the trees around us, all of them dressed like shinobi. Their headbands evened that they were of the Hidden Waterfall, meaning they were what the unknown ninjas had been trying to escape. My sand shield jumped up to guard me as a wave of shuriken was sent flying towards me. I easily stopped them, restraining myself from attacking the Hidden Waterfall ninjas. They obviously didn't realize we were helping them, or the fact that we had been hired by them for another mission.
"Stop, we are shinobi of the Hidden Sand. We have been hired by your leader for a mission and we're on our way to your village when we were attacked," yelled Baki. I noticed Baki still had his hand on his kunai holster just in case he needed to defend himself. I also readied myself in case the Hidden Waterfall ninja didn't believe us. A single Hidden Waterfall shinobi stepped forward, gesturing for the others to put their weapons away. They immediately put their shuriken and kunai away, indicating this woman was in charge. I commanded my sand back into my gourd which drew several suspicious looks from the Hidden Waterfall shinobi. Shrugging them off, I joined Baki as the woman finally made her way over to us. She had long brown hair which was put up in a single bun, along with a jagged scar that went from her left ear to her chin. I noticed she had several nasty scars on her arms and hands, all of them from burns from what I could tell. Her eyes were surprisingly warm for a shinobi with such a battle-hardened appearance.
"Greetings Hidden Sand shinobi, I am Azumaki Gikeno. I apologize for such a hostile welcome," she said.
"I am Baki, and the hostility is understandable due to the situation. If you don't mind us asking, why were you chasing these ninjas," questioned Baki. Azumaki paused for a moment, looking at Baki and then me.
"Since you are being hired by Shibuki I guess I can trust you. These rogue ninjas orchestrated an attack on several jonin in our village. We do not know the reason behind it but we have been pursuing them for quite a while. I am glad you helped us take them down," Azumaki said with a slight stiffness. I'd bet money she didn't like the Hidden Waterfall's business being handled by outsiders. Her tone said it all, as well as the glares from several other shinobi in the trees surrounding us.
"We were simply in the way of the unknown ninjas when they attacked us. Thanks to your relentless pursuit, we were able to stop them with liminal effort. The victory truly goes to you," I said with as polite of tone I could manage. Azumaki narrowed her eyes at me briefly and Baki gave me a glance of slight confusion.
"Thank you," said Azumaki as if she was being forced to say it.
I wasn't sure if what I had just said had been polite or extremely rude. Either way, we were now tangled up in the Hidden Waterfall's affairs. This whole thing had a bad feeling to it, these shinobi definitely weren't your average rogue ninja. They had been organized from what I could tell and had targeted the Hidden Waterfall with an objective. Azumaki probably hadn't told us the full truth either, which made me nervous. I understood the secrecy of a hidden village, especially to outsiders but it still annoyed me.
This was definitely going to be another issue that would blow up in my face as well as Baki's.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein