Sound
Sasuke looked at the items, "Are these all of it?"
Chouji nodded, "Everything is here, Sasuke - kun. We even grabbed the broken fish bowl."
Sasuke used forceps to pick up a broken piece of the bowl, "Curious thing. What was in it?"
Ino turned a page on her board, "The owner claimed it was an octopus she was planning on making calamari. I find it suspicious though, if it was an octopus."
Sasuke, "Find it and bring it to me."
Chouji, "It? You mean the octopus?"
Sasuke, "If it really is an innocent little octopus then she is free to go as an innocent. But if it is not then.... "
Ino, "Ah! Understood! I will have it done in a few minutes."
Naruto meanwhile was running through the seal formation with Nagato who was looking at it curiously. The older Uzumaki knew that the younger one was a genius but to see it in person was a completely different matter. The seal in question was an air type seal to create a shield over cultivation areas which required a certain amount of dryness to be useful for certain plants to grow. Konan and Itachi were watching from a distance giving the two Uzumakis space to themselves. Sakura was on the other hand working with the merchants of Ame to make the seals that the two Uzumakis were working on saleable at a decent rate.
Sakura presented the contract she and the group created, "Itachi - san, Konan - san, we have come to an agreement."
Itachi took it, "I see, this is a good price for the seal."
Konan nodded, "Yes, this is acceptable for now. In the future, I expect the price to increase."
The dark haired man beside Sakura nodded, "Of course Lady Konan, that is our hope too. The two Uzumaki Lords have created multiple seals for us to sell slowly and steadily."
Konan, "Good, good, Makoto - san, I expect positive results."
Makoto nodded, "I shall take my leave now, my ladies, Lord Uchiha."
Itachi nodded, "Very well. Good day Makoto - san."
Sakura, "They look like they are having fun."
Konan chuckled looking at where Sakura was watching, "True, I have not seen Ato - chan this relaxed in years."
Itachi, "Naruto looks very happy too, I hope this alliance works out for their sake."
Konan picked up a cup of sake, "To a hopeful alliance."
Sakura did the same, "To a bountiful future."
Itachi, "To happy friends and family."
Konan's eyes twinkled at that as she drank the sake, perhaps making an alliance with Konoha would be easier than an enmity. Though that did end up causing a fall out between them and Tobi who was not at all happy with how things were going. The man wanted to extract the Kyuubi from the younger Uzumaki. Something that was completely unnecessary if Naruto himself was allying themselves with the rest of them. It had caused the Akatsuki to split into two groups a few weeks ago, with Tobi taking Zetsu, Orochimaru, Hidan and Sasori with him. On the other hand Kakuzu, Kisame and Deidara had decided to stay in Ame as long as they were treated right.
Konan sighed thinking about the fall out that happened not too long ago, though Pein or Nagato did not look like he cared much. He was always happy to welcome shinobi into his village and give them a place to call home, though Konan believes the main reason he was not so openly distraught was because of Naruto. The young man was a ray of sunshine with his bright smile, positive attitude and unlimited energy. He was always greeting them with a happy smile and had some idea or seal to talk about that could help people live better and easier lives. They had expected him to ask about the S - ranked nins that were obviously around the village but they had not.
Naruto had point blank told them, as long as the nin did not attack him and people who he considered family, he would not bother them. It was a very easy agreement in Konan's humble opinion though, she half wondered if there was something else his two teammates were planning. The Sun healer of Konoha was famous not just for her healing abilities but also for her petty revenge tactics. The less said about the protective, pyromaniac Uchiha the better it was for everyone else involved. Konan placed her cup down as she discussed the latest tax law Rain was planning on putting in place for the traffic that seemed to have increased. Itachi and Sakura gave their approvals as it was cheaper compared to Konoha and it could help keep the roads up to par.
Kyoko was rushing beside the ANBU, she was the bait according to the plan and would be bringing Orochimaru out of his hiding. Konoha wanted her last Sannin back one way or another and had decided to bring Orochimaru back before someone else got their hands on the slippery snake. Kyoko wanted to huff at that but understood why her village wanted the snake back, a dead body could carry secrets. Secrets that no hidden village worth their salt wanted their rival villages to know or learn about. They stopped at a stream for a break and Kyoko looked at the sky then at the three ANBU members, Inu, Sloth and Crane. Crane had been mostly quiet since they started but she did not mind, Crane used sign language to talk to her.
Kyoko, 'Better than letting the enemy know our position.'
Inu, "We leave in five."
Crane nodded, :Okay leader.:
Sloth, "Got it boss."
Kyoko, "Aside from the very obvious information, is there anything else we should know?"
Inu chuckled amused, "I am pretty sure if anyone will find out extra information it will be you, little sun."
Kyoko, "Should I get a mask too after this?"
Crane, :We will see.:
Sloth, "If we return successfully, perhaps we can. This mission was actually not ours."
Inu, "Primary objective is to try and get Orochimaru back. Secondary is to collect the dead bodies of the two missing ANBU members."
Kyoko hummed thoughtfully, "I thought there was something odd about this mission. Should have known it would not be simple."
Inu, "Life is never simple."
Kyoko hummed as they got up and started travelling only this time Crane henged himself using a seal into a younger boy. They would be going closer to the area near Sound and would be infiltrating it as a pair of orphans looking for better luck. It was not a secret that Sound had been welcoming many orphans over the years though no one ever saw those orphans again. It did sound like something Danzo would do so they had sent a group to infiltrate and find out what was happening. Only two out of the four man group returned from the mission the third with a concussion and the fourth in a coma.
Kyoko, "There, come on outoto. I heard we can get warm food here."
Crane who was now looking like a malnourished child nodded, :I hope this actually works.:
Kyoko smiled, "Hello, we were hoping for work and a place to stay."
The shinobi at the gate eyed them, "Papers!"
Kyoko, "Here, I got them, for both of us."
The shinobi hummed, "Everything is clear. You may enter. Next!"
Kyoko and Crane walked in without another word and looked around the place which was interesting to say the least. The two of them eyed the multiple mounds of earth that were raised from the ground acting as houses for the people. The village hidden in Sound was different from the other villages visually speaking and there were many teens and underaged kids. Kyoko did not know how to feel about it, Orochimaru is an S - rank nin but from what she was seeing he was actually a good leader to the people in Sound. She had a feeling this mission was going to be difficult emotionally rather than physically because she was someone who had a soft spot for kids.
A voice was overhead, "I heard that Orochimaru - sama will return home soon from the mission."
Another voice, "I honestly don't like that weird masked guy. He creeps me out and we have many strange shinobi around here."
A third voice, "Well, I am sure Orochimaru - sama can handle it just fine."
The first voice, "I hope so."
Kyoko shared a look with Crane and the two nodded subtly as they walked around looking for a place where they could stay. Crane followed after the young Kunoichi who seemed to be following a direction that only she could see and sense. His colleagues had talked about that peculiar habit of hers before and considering the fact she never got lost most just figured she learned how to sense using chakra. However watching her move with the look of a destination in her face, he had a feeling it was not exactly that simple. He wondered if he would learn more about how her mind worked during this mission, it would be interesting.
Kyoko, "Excuse us."
Crane, :We were looking for a place to stay.:
A teen boy came out, "You are new around here, aren't ya?"
Kyoko, "Yes, my brother and I are looking for work and a place to stay."
The boy eyed them, "You a mute?"
Crane, :Yes, I know sign language though.:
The boy, "The name's Jun and I am in charge of this place. I am in charge of counting the number of brats as they leave and return to this unit. I am also the one providing the food and clothing."
Kyoko, "Okay, that is good to know."
Jun, "Here is a change of clothes, you are both filthy. Go clean up and get ready to work."
Kyoko, "Let's go, outoto."
Crane, :Thank you.:
Jun, "Yeah, yeah. Do not expect others to know sign language though. You better act as a translator for the little brat."
Kyoko, "That would not be difficult."
Kyoko and Crane walked into the wash area and stripped off the dirty clothes they wore for their cover and started to clean themselves. Crane was using sign language to talk with Kyoko about how none of the kids seemed scared at all and seemed to look up to Orochimaru. Kyoko nodded and signed back wondering if the masked man was the same one that had spied on her and her team when they clashed before. Crane seemed to pause at that before signing back that they could spy and snoop around for details about the man. Kyoko agreed with the plan and went out after dressing up in the clean clothes and meeting Jun outside.
Jun, "Huh! You two are not that bad looking although you are too thin."
Kyoko, "Thank you."
Crane, :Appreciated.:
Jun, "Some food in your body will make you more attractive, do not worry. Now, for your work, come with me, you have cleaning duty."
Kyoko and Crane shared a look and followed the boy to what looked like water canals. There were already a few kids cleaning the place but there were multiple canals left still. Jun took them across the bridge to the ones in the middle and gave the two cleaning equipment. He proceeded to explain what they needed to do in order to clean the place up and after that left them to work. Jun told them to head directly to the building they were at after work was over for dinner or they would go hungry till next morning. Kyoko and Crane nodded and started to get to work keeping their ears open for information.
Sloth, "Will they be alright there?"
Inu, "We can only wait for them to contact us."
Sloth, "I don't think we will be facing Orochimaru any time soon. I do not sense his presence anywhere."
Inu, "Then we focus on our other objectives, collect information and the bodies of the two ANBU members who are missing."
Sloth, "What if they run into Kabuto?"
Inu, "Kyoko - chan has good control over her emotions. She will be alright and she knows this mission is very important."
Sloth, "How do you think Crane is holding up next to Kyoko?"
Inu chuckled, "Pretty sure he will be impressed by her insight and way of doing things by the time this is over."
Sloth, "It is a pity her mentality and attitude makes her a liability to being an ANBU. What was it she said again, she was loyal to the village, not the Leader of the village."
Inu, "Yes, that is why she will never be ANBU."