บท 21: Gifts from the Hidden Artisan Village
"Why do you always knock yourself out whenever you fight? Aren't you strong enough to beat other humans without almost dying," grumbled a familiar voice. I sat upright and found myself in my mindscape. Shukaku stood in front of me looking very annoyed.
"You could at least ask for my help. I would have loved to crush that building myself," said Shukaku with envy. I sighed and shook my head at his comments. All he was upset about was that he had missed out on the destruction.
"Give me a break Shukaku, I'm doing my best," I mumbled as I rubbed my head. It ached in pain, probably due to an actual injury of mine in the real world.
"I would if you weren't so careless," snorted Shukaku. This is exactly what I didn't want to deal with right now, Shukaku whining to me.
"Is there a reason you pulled me in here to talk? I assume it was you that brought me here," I asked impatiently. I needed to get back to the real world, Temari might be in danger or Naki could still be on a rampage.
"I wanted to talk to you about our deal at these exams you are going to," said the tanuki seriously. I inwardly kicked myself, of course, he wanted to discuss the details. I had been pretty vague for a reason, I didn't want Shukaku getting out at the wrong moment and ruining everything. Unfortunately, Shukaku was too smart for that vague deal.
"What about the seal do you want to talk about," I asked. Maybe if I acted like I didn't know what he wanted then he wouldn't push too hard for it.
"When will I be allowed out? I want to stretch my power," he said greedily. This was a question I had asked myself several times since I had made this deal. I obviously didn't want him getting loose during the written part of the exam or the Forest of Death section. But which fight would I want him to get loose for? Rock Lee wasn't an option since that fight was inside so that left my fight with Sasuke in the arena. Yet, I didn't know if the Konoha Crush would still happen. Rasa was currently still alive but that could change. Orochimaru was a wild card right now and I would need Shukaku if I wanted to protect the Hidden Leaf. I also couldn't disobey orders if ordered to by Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage. It was a tough position but Shukaku needed an answer now and so did I if I wanted to plan ahead.
"There will be a fight with an Uchiha, either during that fight or some time after I will allow you to have some fun. When I say stop though you will stop. I won't let you out ever again if you don't listen," I said with an unwavering tone. Shukaku's face went from interest to anger and he slammed into the bars that held him. I didn't dare flinch, I needed to show heart in the face of a Tailed Beast.
"Why you little brat, you think you can control me? I'm Shukaku the One Tail," he roared loudly. Honestly, he was getting kind of predictable, Shukaku would always yell and throw a fit. Then he would not take to me for a while and finally expect to be allowed out.
"I don't want to control you Shukaku I'm trying to be fair. You and I know both you want out so why should I trust you? I don't blame you but some boundaries must be made," I explained to him. Shukaku wasn't an idiot, he knew I was right. I just had to get him to see reason, he was too valuable an asset to lose.
"I concede that your right human," grumbled Shukaku as he calmed down a bit. That was starting to annoy me, why did he keep saying that?
"My name is Gaara, not human. I call you your name instead of One Tail or Ichibi out of respect. Why can't you call me my name," I questioned. I was really getting tired of the one-sided respect between us. I understood that I needed Shukaku but he was really getting on my nerves with his attitude. Shukaku cocked his he in what seemed like confusion or uncertainty.
"Very well Gaara, I will call you by your name. Your respect for me is appreciated," said Shukaku softly. With that, he turned around and disappeared deeper into my mindscape. I was absolutely stunned by what had just occurred. Shukaku had actually agreed with me? He also hadn't pressed about the deal any further which was another surprise. What was going on? Was Shukaku changing because of how I now treated him? It honestly made me feel good to hear him say my name. It definitely had a nice ring to hear it from him.
Now that Shukaku was done talking to me, there wasn't a reason to stay in my mindscape any longer. I closed my eyes in my mindscape and opened them into the real world. The first thing I noticed was the immense pain I was in from head to toe. Specifically, my head and right shoulder felt like it was on fire. The next thing I noticed was that I could barely see because I was surrounded by rubble. I tried to move my arms but they were painfully punched under large slabs. I groaned and tasted blood in my mouth. Staying in my mindscape would have definitely been better than my current situation. Nevertheless, I had to deal with it and get out of here. I sensed my sand scattered around me, most of it from my now broken sand armor. Relief flooded me as I felt that my iron sand shell I had built around Temari was still intact. I could feel her shifting around inside of it but I couldn't let her out just yet. Huge pieces of rubble were pressed up against the shell, it would be tedious work to safely get Temari out. Right now though I needed to focus on myself. Using the sand I had gathered I began to lift the rubble that was resting on top of me. With a loud groan, it slowly but surely raised off of me. I winced as my injuries flared up from the shifting of debris. As far as I could tell they weren't too bad, just some cuts and bruises. I would have to get them checked out later to be sure of it. I slowly sat up in pain before stumbling to my feet. I was on top of a huge pile of rubble. I looked around and only saw small fires and dust in my vision. Scaling large chunks of what used to be the ceiling, I made my way to where Temari was trapped. Several huge columns had collapsed right on top of the shell it seemed. Moving them would be a very strenuous task for anyone who didn't have my talents. Thankfully I didn't have to worry too much about it. With a shift of the iron sand shell, the columns began to move as they were forced up. I had to admit it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I struggled to get the shell above the columns, all I needed was enough space for Temari to crawl out. What strength I had left wasn't enough it seemed because I couldn't lift it anymore. I was in a bind now because I couldn't just drop the debris back down, it would kill Temari. I fell to my knees as I desperately tried to lift up the columns just a little more. The weight suddenly vanished and the columns flew up into the air with a boom. I looked up to find Temari standing there with a grin, her iron fan in her arms. She must have used wind style to throw the columns up into the air. The then columns hit the ground with a resounding crash that caused everything to shake.
"You couldn't have done that earlier," I asked with an exasperated tone. Temari let a slight smile grace her face before it turned to worry. I realized I probably looked like hell. Glancing down at my arms, they were coated with dust and blood from cuts. I was starting to understand that surviving the collapse, even with sand armor had been a miracle.
"You've changed so much Gaara," said Temari softly. Confusion crossed my face when I heard her say that. What did that have to do with anything?
"I never would have thought you would save me someday. Thinking about it now, you've been so friendly and kind lately. You're hardly the Gaara I remember and I can't help but feel proud as your big sister," said Temari. Silent tears ran down her face which made me go still. What felt random to me wasn't for Temari. She had just been saved from the collapsing building by me. Sitting in my iron sand shell made her grasp who I now was.
I stood up and hugged her tightly. Temari hesitated for a moment and then returned the hug. We stood there in peace, enjoying the silence and aloneness. Feeling a pie of eyes on us, I was about to look around when I realized it was Shukaku. I considered confronting him but I decided to let him be. He only watched for a moment and exuded a strange emotion that I didn't recognize in him. He then disappeared back into my mindscape which left me baffled. Shukaku never ceased to surprise me.
"We should find Kankuro and Baki," said Temari as she separated herself from me. I looked at her and felt different, she wasn't just some moody sibling of mine that was also my teammate. Temari was my older sister, one of the few people that forced herself to be my friend throughout my horrible actions. Now she didn't have to force anything because she was proud of me. I had protected her as well as fought to save people, something I never thought I would do in my life a while ago.
"Your right, we need to regroup and find out what's going on," I said to her. We started off across the rubble, searching for other people. We found several corpses of Hidden Artisan shinobi and rebels but no one alive.
"You think Naki survived the collapse?" Temari sounded very hopeful I would say that he couldn't have but I knew better than that.
"I survived and he was right next to me. I didn't see his corpse when I got out so there is a possibility he's still around," I said grimly. Temari definitely wasn't put at ease by my comment, it instead made her even more nervous. Naki was dangerous without the Dragon Blade and had showcased no regard for his safety. He made a very dangerous opponent due to his lack of regard for his well-being. He did t seem like the type to just give up either.
"Gaara! Temari!"
We both stopped and turned to find Kankuro running toward us. He didn't have a scratch on him though he definitely looked relieved to see us alive. Omoda was following behind Kankuro and also seemed to be thankful that we hadn't been killed.
"Kankuro, it is good to see that you are okay," I said to him. Kankuro grinned and then jabbed his thumb to point at himself.
"It takes a lot more than that to take me down Gaara," said Kankuro smugly. I smiled slyly at his statement. Some things just never change and I doubt they ever will.
"What happened to Lord Naki," asked Omoda seriously. I turned to him and looked him over. His carefree and nervous expression from earlier was now gone. He looked older and more responsible which felt impossible in such a short time. I looked him in the eyes and found pain in them. Omoda wasn't a very aggressive guy and he had been shocked to find out Naki was planning a coup. Now, Lord Soshiro's office was leveled and dozens of Hidden Artisan shinobi were dead. It was enough to mature anyone and ruin any innocence they had in their bones. Vengeance was clearly Omoda's intention but I couldn't allow it.
"We don't know, he's probably dead," I told him bluntly. Temari cocked her head a little but I shot her an icy glare. She quickly got the message and played along with me. I couldn't have Omoda going off and getting himself killed now. Naki was way out of Omoda's fighting league.
"I should look for him. We cannot let him escape because we believe him to be dead," said Omoda numbly. He went to walk off but I grabbed his shoulder. He looked back with a surprised expression but that didn't last long. Omoda slapped my hand away but Kankuro stood in his way. Omoda's face twist in rage and he cocked back his fist to punch Kankuro.
"Stop Omoda, it's over," I told him firmly. The Hidden Artisan had suffered enough for today. I doubted any of us had the chakra to fight the Dragon Blade again anyways. It would be reckless to search for Naki when he could already be dead, as small of chance as it may be.
"No it's not, Naki might still be out there," he yelled with a crazy look. Before I could even offer a rebuttal, I figure appeared out of thin air and hit Omoda in the neck. Omoda crumpled to the ground unconscious.
"Are you all okay," asked Baki with a weary look. He now had bandages over his wounds that had been gushing blood in Soshiro's office with was reassuring. Still, Baki was pale and putting on the regular tough guy act. His legs had a slight shake to them and his eyes were much more tired than normal. I leaped forward and supported him, which he accepted without hesitation. Kankuro swiftly went to the other side and supported him as well.
"Why are we always getting into trouble," grumbled Kankuro. I had to admit, he held a valid point.
——————————————————————————
Lord Soshiro sent search teams looking for Naki in the rubble and around the village but he was nowhere to be found. The Dragon Blade also couldn't be located which made many Hidden Artisan shinobi frustrated. Isochi and a few other Masterpieces Makers were arrested for aiding Naki, Omoda personally bringing them in. It took a few days to get everything sorted out as well as for our injuries to heal. It was mostly Baki who we had to wait on with his being the most severe injuries. Omoda checked in on us a few times but he was mostly busy coordinating ninjas. Apparently, Lord Soshiro had promoted him to Naki's position which Omoda reluctantly accepted. When I first saw him I hadn't thought him much older or wiser than me. Now, he felt superior to me, as if he had grown up and fought in a war. Yashamaru had once told me long ago that certain people only blossom in specific conditions. I believe that Omoda had been gifted with an opportunity to make things better for the Hidden Artisan Village. Maybe someday he would even lead the village.
"Gaara, are you ready to go?"
I looked up from my thoughts to see Kankuro waiting on me patiently. I stood up and nodded to him. We were currently in the hospital room that Baki and I had shared while recovering. I had been gathering up the last of my things, including all my scrolls. They hadn't found my katana anywhere in the rubble but it wasn't like it would be any use to me. It had been cut clean in half by the Dragon Blade so it was useless now. I had felt a little guilty for a bit about breaking Baki's present to me. I quickly realized that he didn't mind that I had broken it, he was just happy it had come in handy.
"I hear Omoda and that Soshiro guy wants to talk to us before we leave. Might as well since we are already so behind schedule," said Kankuro with a shrug.
"Saving villages isn't a five-minute ordeal Kankuro. It may seem unimportant to us but this is their home," I reminded him. He simply shrugged and kept walking. We continued on our way to our meeting point, which was a crossroad outside of town. We passed by Lord Soshiro's office or what used to be his office. Dozens of workers were currently moving the rubble so they could rebuild. Several shinobi also stood on standby in case the workers found the Dragon Blade or Naki. At this point, I was starting to believe that Naki had escaped. Something told me that a collapsing building wouldn't stop him.
"We're gonna be a little late for the chunin exams but we should still make it in time to register," said Kankuro.
"Yes, are you nervous about the exams?" I was curious to see his response, it wasn't like Kankuro was weak but these were the chunin exams. Everyone there would have some kind of experience or unique skill set. I could only hope the matchups would stay relatively unchanged with the two new Uchiha's. It would be interesting to see their skill set compared to Sasuke.
"I'm sure we will be made chunin, just have to watch out for a few strong ninjas and pummel the others," Kankuro said offhandedly. His response was what I was hoping for, though I knew he would act differently when he arrived at the Hidden Leaf. The first interaction between Team 7 and the Sand Siblings was hard to forget. Kankuro would be run into by Konohamaru and then proceed to bully the younger kids. Naruto and Sakura would try to intervene but Sasuke would stop Kankuro with a rock. I would then show up and stop Kankuro from using Crow, startling Sasuke. I wondered if the encounter would be different, I certainly hoped it would not. I wanted to make a powerful first impression and the original meeting was perfect.
"You are right but do you think you will try to win the exams," I asked him.
"No, I'll leave that to you Gaara," said Kankuro without hesitation. Kankuro then looked at me and grinned, which made me smile as well.
"If anyone is going to win this thing it's going to be you," he said reassuringly. That made me feel a little better, knowing that he thought I could win against Uchihas.
"Thank you Kankuro," I said gratefully. We continued walking until we finally made it to the crossroad. Baki and Temari were already waiting for us there, both looking bored.
"Took you long enough," said Temari.
"We are already late, what's a few more minutes," I told her. That only seemed to annoy her more so I decided to keep my mouth shut.
"Hidden Sand shinobi, it is good to see you are doing well," said someone from behind me. We all turned to find Omoda and Lord Soshiro standing there. I hadn't seen Soshiro since the attempted coup and he now looked much better. He had bandages on his arm and chest but other than that he was totally fine. I noticed they had three ninjas standing behind them, each holding something.
"Thank you Lord Soshiro, we also are happy to see you are doing better as well," said Baki kindly. Leave it to him to be politically nice after all of what we had been through.
"Thank you, I wanted to see you before you left because we have tokens of our gratitude to give you each," said Soshiro warmly. Gifts? Now the old man had caught my interest, what would the Hidden Artisan have for each of us? The three ninjas standing behind Omoda and Soshiro moved forward and presented us each with a scroll. I carefully opened mine, not wanting to damage such an important gift. Using the summoning technique, there was a poof and a long black staff appeared in my hands. It was a bo staff unlike any I had seen before. Intricate silver and gold designs covered the staff, all of them being eagles. Twirling it around, it get surprising light and I couldn't recognize the black wood the staff was made from.
"That is the Eagle's Talon, a weapon taken from the battlefield long ago. It was said to be taken from a powerful shinobi of the Hidden Sand who wield immense strength and chakra. I thought it would be fitting to return it," said Omoda with pride in his tone. Looking at the ninjas who had each presented us our gifts, I could tell they were staring daggers at Omoda. This was obviously a sacred treasure that the Hidden Artisan had as a trophy. It must have taken a lot of convincing to give it back.
"What is it made of? I've never seen such lift yet solid wood before," I said as I twirled the staff a few more times. It was truly amazing how light it was but also how solid it felt. I ran my finger along with the wood and felt only smoothness and not a single notch or crack.
"We do not know, the shinobi who wielded it was an enigma. Even Sand shinobi from that time knew little about him. As for its sturdiness, we have tried to crack or dent it to no avail. Far as we can tell, it is just a few steps off of indestructible," said Omoda. Indestructible? If this shinobi had been from the Hidden Sand, where had he found such wood? The Land of Wind was a desolate and barren place, few trees could be found anywhere and those that you could find weren't very strong.
"Is there anything else you know about this shinobi? I'm quite interested in who he was and why I've never heard of him before," I asked Omoda.
"There are only three things I can tell you about him. One is he was alive during the Second Kazekage's reign, second is that he carried a contract scroll on his back. Lastly, the only name we have found him referenced by is the Eagle Sage," said Omoda. I froze where I was standing. This weapon was that of a sage? I needed to learn more about this Eagle Sage, since he was from the Hidden Sand there was a high likelihood of there being a place where I could become a safe in the Land of Wind.
"Thank you very much, would you happen to know what happened to his contract scroll," I said curiously. I knew I was pushing it but it was worth a shot to ask about it.
"The Hidden Leaf was also at the battle where we acquired that staff. It is possible they took the contract scroll from the sage," said Soshiro. This was perfect, I could investigate the contract scroll during the month I would be given to prepare for the final stage of the chunin exams.
"What did you get," I said as I turned to Kankuro and Temari. Kankuro held some sort of bird puppet, that was about as tall as his knee. He observed it with childish awe, flipping it all over to observe it.
"That's our attempt to make a puppet, it's not like traditional ones with all the hidden compartments and a crude body. Its name is Sparrow, it has unique wind seals on its wings that deliver powerful wind-style attacks. It has a few other secrets as well," said Soshiro with a chuckle as he watched Kankuro.
"Thank you," said Kankuro before turning his attention back to Sparrow. Moving into Temari, she now held two average fan blades in each hand. They looked like normal fans until I noticed the sharp metal edge at the end. Temari swung them and a concentrated Wind Scythe cut a tree in half. We all watched, stunned, as the tree toppled to the ground.
"Those fan blades are small and compact, built for accurate attacks or closer quarters combat. The sharp iron edge at the end is for when your enemy gets too close," explained Omoda.
"They are perfect," said Temari with a smirk. She then strapped them to her waist, putting the summoning scroll on the other side of her waist. Finally, I looked at Baki to find him admiring a blue blades sword. He quickly sheathed it before nodding in appreciation.
"We should get going. Thank you very much for your gifts," said Baki as he gestured for us to get going. Kankuro recalled Sparrow back to its scroll and I did the same for the Eagle's Talon.
"We are eternally grateful," said Soshiro as he began to leave. The three other ninjas quickly followed him, leaving only Omoda. Kankuro and Temari followed Baki but paused when they noticed I wasn't moving. I shooed them on and they nodded with understanding. They left, leaving just me and Omoda.
"I can't thank you enough for stopping me that day," said Omoda abruptly.
"I was just doing what was right."
"Still, I was being a fool and following rash emotions. I could have hurt you," he said guiltily. I walked up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's fine Omoda. Just do me a favor and don't get too caught up on it. You've got a big opportunity so don't waste it," I told him firmly. Omoda paused for a moment and then nodded in agreement. I let go of him and began to walk away.
"Gaara"
I stopped and looked back at Omoda. He smiled at me, telling me he was going to be fine.
"Give them hell at the chunin exams."
I grinned and nodded before jumping off into the tree line to meet up with my team.
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