章 61: Chapter 61
Chapter 61
SHIKAKU NARA
Shikaku Nara looked at the team that had been gathered for the diplomatic mission to Kirigakure. Lady Tsunade was also present for the send-off.
"All right, then we will be off," he announced, and the other two shinobi nodded. Shinso Ken was present as their sealing expert and would assist in sealing the Sanbi.
"YOSH! LEAVE THIS TO US, TSUANDE-SAMA!" spoke the last member of the team, Maito Gai, as he gave the Hokage-sama a huge thumbs up before jumping away. Shikaku simply shook his head at his antics, though at this point in his career, he was quite used to them.
"Ok, then we will be on our way. Are you sure you want me to go on this mission," he made the last-ditch effort to escape from this mission, but Tsunade-sama simply raised a brow at that.
"Good luck with the mission, Jounin Commander," she said and, with a small nod, turned and began to walk back. Shikaku turned to face her apprentice.
"Let's go before Gut simply decides to race away," the boy nodded, and they both jumped. And soon, they were blurring past the lush forests of Konoha.
"So, what are the specifics? How exactly are we to reach Kiri?" the boy asked him.
"Well, Kiri has promised to provide us with transport after we reach the coast. There will probably be a ship with a small team there that will take us to Kirigakure to deal with the formalities, given that most of the particulars have been agreed upon. From there, we will have to see the situation with the Sanbi," and wasn't that a headache for Shikaku? He turned to face the kid and asked him the question.
"So, can you seal a tailed beast now?" he asked the kid, and the kid nodded, making him shake his head at this. Freaky little monster.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama did mention that they have a sealing tool that would assist me, but she has still taught me the sealing techniques that can seal the Sanbi," he replied, confirming Shikaku's earlier thought.
The kid really was a monster. Though calling him a kid was a bit wrong now. He was now in his last teen years and had been in service for about more than three years. He would be approaching his eighteenth birthday soon. Much like his son, and that thought made a smile appear on his face.
"Let's pick up the pace!" Shikaku ordered and then pushed more chakra to his feet, and they raised their pace to catch up to their last teammate.
"I think I can see him now," the kid muttered, and Shikaku would tend to agree as he spotted the silhouette in the distance.
"Well, that's good because there is no way I am willing to maintain this pace for the whole distance," he complained as the green back of Gai began to close up.
0000
TERUMI MEI
Kirigakure was one of the five great hidden villages. A village that had always been a bit different than the others, given its location. Unlike the other five villages located on the mainland. Kiri was an island. This gave them quite some advantages, given that they did not have to maintain a huge border on all sides.
Yet it also isolated them in a way. The isolation that had saved quite recently. The rebellion. A move from Kiri's shinobi against the tyrannical ways of the Fourth Mizukage to abolish the heinous traditions of the Bloody Mist. An all-out war that had weakened the village to a substantial degree.
Complete clans had been wiped out. Families divided. A shinobi force that had been left demoralized and directionless. This had been the state of Kiri.
But this was history now. History because of a single kunoichi. Terumi Mei, the Fifth Mizukage.
"So, Konoha's team is on its way, huh? They sure dragged their feet, didn't they," she spoke up as she looked at the village covered by the mist through the window.
"Yes, though I believe that they were being cautious given the recent betrayal from Suna and their other allies," came the reply in a thick voice. She turned to face the other person in her office.
Ao, The Locator. The commander of Kiri's hunter nins.
"You should have let me go and meet them up," she complained, and the man simply shook his head.
"It wouldn't have been appropriate. The Hokage is not present in their entourage, you going would have lowered the prestige of your status as the Mizukage," replied Ao making her narrow her eyes.
"And we still need to be careful with regards to the Sanbi," he added, making her shake her head.
Tailed Beasts. Monsters capable of destruction at such levels that they could level a whole village. And Jinchuriki, the shinobi that controlled those tailed beasts, were a village's greatest asset. An asset that Kiri was still lacking.
"Are you sure about the Yuki as the Jinchuriki Mizukage-sama," Ao asked once more, making her narrow her eyes. She walked up to her seat and sat down as she replied to his question.
"Yes!" and she was resolute on that. Many other candidates had risen up, yet the most suitable was Zabuza's little apprentice. Yuki Haku.
"Yuki Haku is a valuable asset without being a jinchuriki. His ice-release Kekkei Genkai makes him a high-value shinobi. I still believe that we should reconsider this," Ao spoke out, making her shake her head.
"My decision is final. Yuki Haku will become the next jinchuriki of the three tails," she commanded as she let go of her chakra, highlighting her status as the whole room was filled with killing intent.
Ao seemed to realize it as he tensed for a moment before lowering his head.
"As you wish Mizukage-sama." He acquiesced.
"Have you been able to locate Utakata," she suddenly asked with a narrowed gaze, and Ao shook his head.
"Not yet, but I have teams looking for him everywhere. He will be found," and Terumi did not like that. She did not like that at all.
Utakata, jinchuriki of the Rokubi, had gone missing during Yagura's reign. Hence leaving Kiri without its most important asset. She chewed her lip as she cursed Yagura once more.
"That freaking monster," and her emotions got the better of her as she felt the temperature of the whole room rise up. Yagura Karatachi, the fourth Mizukage. The man had risen to the position after the third great War as he had promised to revolutionize this village.
A revolution that would later become Kiri's worst nightmare, bringing the whole village to its knees. Clans wiped out, shinobi defections, and every disaster had almost ended Kiri. All because of one man.
She finally looked up once more and found Ao sweating due to the pressure in the room. She sighed and reigned in her chakra as she ordered Ao once more.
"I want you to double the force for this, Ao. Utakata must be found within days. He can not be allowed to roam free outside of our control for all this time," she ordered, and the man nodded.
"It will be done, Mizukage-sama," came his reply as he eased up slightly. Terumi leaned back in her chair as she thought about the new peace treaty.
"If the Hokage isn't coming, then is it Jiraiya of the Sanin that is being sent as the sealing master," she suddenly asked Ao. Tsuande-Senju and Jiraiya the Sage were amongst the best seal masters in the land. Masters of a dying art that had only ever been in decline ever since the massacre of the Uzushio.
"No, from their missive, his name was not on the team being sent," and Mei frowned at that.
"Then who are they sending? They do know that the whole alliance hinges on their help in sealing the Sanbi, right," she questioned, and Ao nodded as he took out a scroll and passed it to her.
"Yes, that much has been decided. Konoha is sending a small team. The seal master they are sending is named Shinso Ken. According to the reports, he is their Hokage's apprentice," and Terumi found the name quite familiar. She opened up the scroll and saw the list of the shinobi Konoha was sending.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the names.
"Oh, they have some nerve sending him here," she said as she saw the name of Maito Gai. Konoha's Green Beast. Son of a shinobi that had brought Kiri's Seven Swordsman to their knees single-handedly. She recognized the name of Konoha's genius commander. Shikaku Nara was a veteran, and then she finally realized why the Shinso' name had been familiar.
"He is the one that defeated the One-tails. Konoha's latest monster," she smirked. Konoha's monster was a term common amongst the shinobi forces of the other four villages. A term that perfectly defined Konoha's numerous prodigies. Monsters for these shinobi alone could change everything.
"Ohh! It will be interesting to see how he measures up against our own little monster now." She muttered as she thought about Zabuza's little genius.
"Well, they have faced each other once already," suddenly Ao said, making her snap her head towards him.
"WHEN?" she found herself asking as she did not remember any such mission. Ao frowned for a moment before replying to her.
"It was years ago when we went to recover Zabuza from the Waves village."
0000
UZUKI YUGAO
On the continent, a team of Konoha's ANBU raced past the trees silently as they rushed toward their destination.
"Are you sure about the reports?" questioned their commander, who wore her usual cat mask with her purple hair left free behind her.
"Yes, I reconfirmed the reports. All contact from Takigkure was suddenly cut off about a month ago. The whole village has gone radio silent.
And this made Yugao frown, for this had never happened. Never.
"Well, whatever it is, we will know soon enough," she said as they reached Taki's border.
"Commander, look there," and Yugao focused on the pointed area.
"STOP!" she screamed as the whole ANBU squad halted at her command. She pumped chakra through her system to check for any genjutsu yet found no trace of any foreign chakra at all.
"This is impossible! Impossible!" came the somehwhat shaking voice of her team member, and she would agree with him. Agree, for in front of them. There was no village. There was no Takigakure.
Instead, it was simply a huge crater. A crater that held no trace of life in place of a village that held one of the nine-tailed beasts.
"RUN A PERMIMTERE CHECK! AND THEN WE ARE RUSHING BACK TO VILLAGE!" she ordered as the team separated. And she immediately took out a scroll to send a missive back to Konoha.
"Hokage-sama needed to know about this immediately!"
0000
A whole village has just been wiped out, but why? What is so important about Taki?
Plus, Shinso is about to reach Kiri! What does the future hold for our protagonist?
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