21 - Rena, Taken!
The party of six had come to a full stop in front of the eastern outer wall, the rock garden situated around them. As the group began to look around for clues, Gaara strayed from them, a single blade of grass catching his attention as it swayed in the breeze. His paranoia bubbled inside him as he wondered what they could possibly do without Sansa's guidance. As he continued to get lost in a sea of endless negativity, he could feel his previous insanity sinking back in, the echoes of what he used to be gnawing at his mind. He wanted to become stronger. He wanted more connections. He wanted to be a member of his village, for once in his life.
But he couldn't forget why they were here right now. The very village he wanted to dedicate himself to was going to murder the girl he loved. What if she was already dead and they'd been too late? Images flashed through his head as he imagined her purple-colored blood running through wooden floorboards, pooling in the cracks and overflooding. He could feel a myriad of emotions swelling within him, but he knew- he had to believe- it couldn't be like that. It shouldn't be.
A hand brushed across his shoulder and he jumped, turning back. He saw Kankuro, with a rather sympathetic look on his face, his eyes full of hope. Gaara could feel his brother's hand quiver as he touched him and he realized that Kankuro might still be afraid of him. "Gaara..." The red-haired boy's eyes remained plastered on his brother, "She's gonna be alright. None of us have to worry. It's not just Sansa and Baki who are fighting for her right now- It's us, too."
"What could a bunch of idiot Genin like you do?" Ikari's voice cut through the moment, receiving glares from most of the group, save for Su, who had turned in the opposite direction of Ikari to make faces at a cactus, "We have a failure," Su winced, "A tomboy and a useless cat," Temari's fist curled- she swore she would punch him if he didn't back off. Suno, on the other hand, was barely paying attention. "And whatever Tsukiyomi is." He shrugged. "But, as I said- we have three Hidden Sand Genin who completely failed the Hidden Sand and the rest of us are ill-equipped to take on an entire village."
"Keep talking and I'll wipe that annoying smirk off your face, you damn bastard!" Kankuro lunged forwards, his eyes burning with rage as he pulled Ikari by a strap on his chest, getting in his face. He curled his hand into a fist and drew it back, his intent clearly to aggravate the cocky boy.
"Oh, really? What can a puppet boy do?" Ikari shrugged, only to receive a swift thwack to the face as he was torn from Kankuro's grip. Kankuro was stunned as he stepped back, his sister cracking her neck and then her knuckles, one by one.
"Kankuro might have soft hands because he doesn't excel in Taijutsu, but I'm his sister. If need be..." Her glare deepened. "I'll be his hands and beat the ever-living shit out of you. I am skilled in physically strenuous combat." Damn. Ikari gritted his teeth as he bit back words of choice he'd have for that bitch, Temari. Still... There was plenty of time to mock and irritate Kankuro and definitely more than enough to teach Temari a lesson... later. It seemed like Temari had the same idea as he did.
The bickering would just hold them back. It had already cost them precious time. Each moment spent aggravating one another was another lost to time that they could never get back. Especially considering that it was about saving Rena, as well. This was a rather stupid situation they found themselves in, one Temari wasn't sure she could get Rena out of without the help of their father. Still... since her father was being a moron and decided to go and disappear, it was up to her to stop this. "Let's stop fighting. We need to get our priorities in check. We can fight after." As she turned away, Ikari rolled his eyes, but ultimately conceded- until the group heard a loud screech.
"What, what is it!?" Kankuro body flickered forward, seeing a small tuft of hair bounce back and forth as he, too, screeched.
"Hiya, Lord Kankuro, Lady Temari!" A girl bounced from side to side, her hair seemingly bouncing to the opposite as she did. Everyone's eyes followed it as she bounced and danced around the group, bewildered. "I'm Kasai! You know me, right? Right? Right?" She got closer with every statement, causing Kankuro to back up each time."Well, you see, Sansa decided I would be great for this missionandtoldmepeopleweregivingyouahardtimesoIfeltsupersympathetic and everything and I thought, woah,whatifIcouldhelpyouguys?Wouldn'tthatbereallycool and amazing andwhatever?Shetoldmeshe'dpaymeandeverythingandI'mreallyshotroncashrightnow beeeecause... Iblewitallonillicitmagsofhotwomen. I'lldoanythingtofuelmyaddiction. ANYTHING! SoIdecided,sure,whynot?I'mgoingtobringyoubackintotheHiddenSand! Don't worry, this passage is ANBU free!"
Nobody in the group could process how fast Kasai was speaking, nor the words that had flown out of her mouth at light speed. Kankuro stared at her, just trying to get his mind to catch up to her mouth as Temari rubbed her forehead with her palm. Ikari, on the other hand, burst out into laughter he could barely contain, causing Temari to give him a glare that shut him up instantly. However, Suno had picked out a single line in the sea of words she'd given them; "D-Did you say, hot women?" Tsukiyomi's head careened over to him, her eyes reflecting Suno, to which the boy knew to back down- quieted down faster than Temari had conquered Ikari.
"Please follow me!" Kasai's cheerful tone as she turned around and skipped over to the wall was more than Kankuro could really take. He squinted his eyes, taking in her appearance and thinking hard on where he'd heard her name. It was easy enough to come to a conclusion after ten seconds, he raised his hand and pointed at her.
"You're Kasai Kuki, of the Kuki Family, aren't you? People barely ever get into the Academy we have right now, there are less than twenty students in total." The Hidden Sand had a strange system in place. Outside of the Hidden Sand, you have a title, not a last name, but inside, there were a ton of Families- their version of Clans. They tried keeping their Kekkai Genkai and clan names secret via this formula, but the announcers still referred to them as of the Suna Family anyways.
"The Kuki Family? All of their members are ANBU." Temari said, staring at the academy student. Honestly, she had been studying the ANBU and thinking about joining them- mostly because she knew she'd never be Kazekage, nor would she have a chance. With that came the unpleasant thought that she would be married off soon, so the ANBU might be her only chance at having a choice for herself. Even if it wasn't the ideal line of work in the Hidden Sand, it was something she could still choose. She'd take that over just being a housewife for some guy she didn't even know. But beyond that... could the Kuki family be trusted?
"Hey, you better not be thinking what I think you are." Kasai's tone lowered, becoming dark and grainy, causing chills to run down Kankuro's spine. "Oh, the Kuki Family is corrupt or setting us up; this is a trap. Wrong. The Kuki serve only the Kazekage and his directives, even if the Kazekage is missing or dead. We'd never bring dishonour upon the Kuki name. We don't settle for anything less than perfection." Her disposition returned to normal, leaving Kankuro to continue edging away from her. "But, I'm not ANBU yet! Officially, at least. I'm still an academy student!" She gave the group an honest smile, bouncing on the spot. It was kind of scary someone so upbeat was getting into that line of work. Kankuro couldn't really see himself working as ANBU Black Ops.
The Kuki, like every other Family, had an Elder on the Council. That Elder had a stunning amount of sway with the Kazekage, being dead loyal and favoured. It was how they gained their prestige in the first place, having founded the Village with the First Kazekage as support. They never lead the Sand Black Ops, even though any member of the Kuki Family becomes one. They preferred taking orders and having less responsibility, though. This was all things Kankuro knew in preparation for his appointment as Kazekage. This type of information couldn't be found anywhere else.
But there was something else. The Kuki didn't just gain their position by being pushovers. Their Kekkai Genkai was extremely coveted by their clan, which made them perfect ANBU in the first place. The Hiding In Shadows Technique was strange; nobody quite knew what it did. Only three of the Nine Families had Kekkai Genkai, but the Kuki possessed the one that was the most speculated about...
Their affinity for stealth is what made them choose the path of the ANBU to begin with. Their Kekkai Genkai was nearly impossible to turn off; if nobody perceived them and they didn't speak, it was like they weren't there. If you were looking for them, directly for them, you could find them, but you'd have to have some scope of awareness. Someone with the Byakugan or Sharingan could probably find them, but it'd be much harder for someone without them. Kankuro had heard that this was just the base of the technique and everything beyond it was much stronger. "Are you going to follow me or not?" Kasai said, letting chakra flow through her palm as she placed it on the ground, sand shifting around her and pouring into an opening that suddenly exposed itself. It revealed a darkened, lengthily passage that went to places unknown; a gaping maw that exposed nothing of the journey to the other side.
"This path..."
Sand from above poured down in torrents; even as Temari walked under one, she sputtered, rushing out of the sudden waterfall, brushing the sand from her hair as much as she could. It was cool, although of course that would be the case; it was after the sun had set and they were underground. "Temari, we can't wait here forever," Kankuro said. His face was plastered in worry as they heard the heavy stomps of the Shukaku overhead; every moment, every jolt, would cause sand above their head to become dislocated and fall. She could see why he was saying they couldn't stay; she couldn't keep pacing back and forth. He was worried about the collapse of the roof.
"We have to wait a little longer, Kankuro."
"Sansa wouldn't let Rena stay in the village on her own. I'm sure she's already out."
"Before even us? We were one of the first in the tunnel. How can you be so sure when you know she's late to everything? She's so absentminded, she might have gone to bed in her own bedroom!" The two ended up waiting a little more. Eagerly. But even after the steps of the Shukaku quieted, even after Rasa came to get the rest of the villagers...
She never showed up.
Temari could feel her heart pang painfully as she remembered what had to be one of the worst nights of her life. There were few times she considered painful. Losing her mother was her first memory. Losing one of the only people who didn't treat her as just the child of the Kazekage was another. Not just that, but a friend, as well. As she nodded, the party began their descent into the evacuation tunnels, Temari glancing around to see if it had changed any. It seemed wrong that she couldn't feel the ground shaking as she walked through it, nor roars echoing through the long hall. Wooden beams supported the earth; it had been created by Rasa with hard-packed sand. She could smell the earthy scent of home, which calmed her despite everything she had on her plate.
"Is this tunnel safe?" Ikari asked as Su tried walking into it but ended up falling down the stairs, not knowing that there were any. He simply turned around, looked at her, chuckled and shrugged before going off into the darkness. "Whatever. I'll find out on my own." As she struggled to get up, Kankuro walked over and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.
"Be more careful, okay? We're on a time crunch."
Although his words seemed harsh to anyone else, Su nodded, determined. She had vowed to protect Rena and something like this wouldn't stop her. If she had to, she'd break in and steal her and escape the Hidden Sand. She didn't know where they'd go, but she'd definitely find a place. No matter what... she'd save Rena. The girl gave her a second chance, something that was rare in this world. A chance at life. A chance at something more than what she had. For that, she knew she would be loyal until the day she was killed or died of old age. Her home was wherever Rena was. She definitely couldn't go back to the Hidden Mist, after all...
As Kasai walked, it seemed like the group just got quieter and quieter. Nobody was really willing to go into the specifics and with Temari agonizing over her arranged marriage to someone she didn't know, she wasn't in the mood either. With Rena's impending doom, none of them wanted to. Ikari, on the other hand, was ahead of the rest of the group. His eyes trailed to the ground, hiding knowledge that the others didn't have. His thoughts drew back to it.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. You guys, hide here." He'd said, waving off Tsukiyomi when she got up to follow them. "What, are you interested in something? Interested?" She stopped, giving him a glazed-over look as she turned away and walked back over to the group. As he walked further into the brush, his companions disappearing, he could feel a chill run down his spine and he knew. He spun, only to come face to face with Owari- and the two children that had been by her side. He got on one knee, bowing his head. "Lady Owari."
"Initiate." She nodded as he got up, his eyes still downcast. "I have someone I'd like you to meet." His eyes followed her gesture up to a woman with lavender colored hair up to her waist. Something was off about her, something he couldn't really put his finger on. She seemed rather supple in terms of body, but her skin was an off-color... he swore he could see black blotches move under certain parts of it every now and again. He realized... her skin itself was also lavender. But... the Hikari's body was quite literally evolved and developed over hundreds of years and several generations. The only way her skin could be lavender was by choice, although it was barely noticeable. "This is Fuyuki Hikari. She will be both your assistant and your superior on this mission. Listen to everything she has to say and if you require anything, she will provide it for you."
"Hello." A smile stretched across Fuyuki's face. It was eerie, but what was even stranger were her legs as she stepped forward. At first glance, they were long and graceful, but they were also covered in cloth. It seemed like the women of the Hikari preferred gaudy trappings rather than convenient ones, although they didn't really require mobility with their movesets. "Pleasure to meet you. I shall be the first operative you work with."
"There's more?"
"For now, Fuyuki will be your first and your introduction. Any details, you are to report to her. You will find an alternate entrance to the Hidden Sand and let Fuyuki in; the same will happen with the rest. When you find a place to stay, these operatives will remain with you. Fuyuki will be replaced in a month or two by another operative, bearing the Hikari name."
"How do I know they aren't an imposter?"
Owari let out a delicate laugh. "That's quite impossible. I've gone to very, very exquisite detail to make sure that nobody knows we exist. If a few hundred people need to die for that cause, it means nothing. We are entirely... nothing. The world cannot conceptualize we exist. The people would rather cower than think that we, the boogeymen who once stalked the night, could ever make a comeback. They've wiped tales of us from their villages. They've erased us from their history books, all because they think that their once-hero, now hailed as a rogue, disgraced and disgusting, destroyed all of us. But that couldn't be further from the truth. For all my son was, he was significantly lacking in one aspect; he underestimated everyone. No, he underestimated me. A foolish thing to do, especially when you consider that I was one of the ones who taught him everything I knew. Well, almost everything. Well, nearly nothing, actually. For all the dark and evil secrets I kept from him, he found out one and thinks he knows everything... and goes beserk, trying to murder us all."
"Your son... who was he?"
She paused, her eyes moving to the left as she recalled. "Once upon a time... I slept with a man and bore him five children. He knew of my origin. I even left the Hikari for him because he peaked my curiosity so much- he distracted me from my clan. My children died, one by one, but the only thing I had taken with me were Sansa and Rena. After a while, I'm sure Rena's condition alarmed my son. My other son, one who died much later, right before the events that led to our clan being nearly eradicated, wasn't nearly as inquisitive into the subject. When he died... things changed." Owari trailed off as she glanced at the sky. Ikari could swear her eyes were full of sorrow, but her expression changed into a smile. "In the end, I always knew I could make powerful children. None of them had what it took to inherit or unlock our Kekkai Genkai..." She paused, then shook her head. "I suppose it's correct to say I had six children with him, but I discarded the one that was born with both. It was beyond broken and wouldn't have survived for more than a month. Rena has always been and will always be my priority as the child with the most potential out of any I have ever bothered to create. Trash, no matter how powerful that trash is, will never have the opportunities she does. Therefore, who cares if someone can bring the world to its knees as long as Rena can destroy it?" Owari's laugh was hollow and empty. "This story bores me. I'm not in the mood to tell you anything more. Since you're so concerned about impostors, I will personally bring the next operative and recount to you some more of my tale later on."
"A-Ah. Understood." He didn't really know how to process the story. It was all so confusing. She had other children that died...? But Sansa had been there too. Since she hadn't erased anyone's memories from the Hidden Sand, did she hope one of them would tell Rena? He couldn't understand the motivation behind her actions. It was as if all she did was simply for... entertainment.
"For now, depart. I will return to the place I am meant to be; where you are meant to be, as well. But until your mission is complete, you cannot take your rightful place amongst the other Hikari."
"There are other Hikari?" Ikari asked, excitedly.
"Our clan is far from dead, initiate. Although our current base of operations only has a few of many, we had a fallback plan. There are Hikari in every village, ones who are waiting for us. Bred and born there, trained and raised by their grandparents and parents, all across the world. Just in case something happened to the main village."
"So what my parents told me is true. You have sleeper agents everywhere."
"No, initiate, not sleeper agents. Loyalists to the Clan, awaiting our signal, training in secret. People we simply have to retrieve when we are ready to wage war upon this world."
"War?"
"Don't you think the world is all the more beautiful when painted in blood?" Owari turned away, the twins following. They had been dead silent the entire time, as if they were on autopilot. Owari had noticed him looking at them as she craned her head back. "Don't worry about them. They're just sleeping. Don't disturb them; the last thing we need is more of their outbursts."
"T-They can sleep and walk at the...?"
"It's one of few special skills taught by the Hikari. In war, mobility is key. They're not normally awake during the day. We use Blood Synchronization to locate and determine where one another are and from that their blood moves on its own as they sleep. In a sense, your blood is controlled through your dreams to steer you in the direction you want to go." Ikari hoped he would learn something similar to that. To think they were so prepared for war... he had truly stumbled upon a higher purpose, something to die for.
That was everything to him.
The group had finally come to the exit, ascending the stairs, only to shield themselves from the glare of the sun. The pathway was surrounded by ANBU, who readied their weapons, led by someone who definitely wasn't Sansa. "You are to be detained and imprisoned for your insolence. And you, Kasai, will be barred from joining the ANBU. I thought you would have known better than to do what you've done."
"Oh? I'm sorry, was this not the right place to bring them?" Kasai tilted her head before bouncing up to them, a smile on her face. "You don't understand! I was already ordered to detain them!"
"What?!" Both the ANBU and the group couldn't hide their astonishment at their bold claim.
"In the name of Lady Sansa Hikari... this group is under arrest for questioning on the subject of what happened in the Hidden Leaf." It was clear that although the ANBU wanted to protest in some way, it was impossible for them. So instead of asking, they moved forward, one reaching out to grab Su.
"Hey!" Kankuro stepped in front of her, raising his arm and barring them from touching her. Su's cheeks flushed pink, not that Kankuro saw that. His kindness was overwhelming; she didn't know how to describe the feeling. He was always so gallant and thoughtful.
"Stop."
The man turned his head to a woman with a familiar voice. She was in full ANBU getup, her short black hair framing the mask perfectly. He sighed, pulling the sharp object from Rena's skin, causing her to sigh in relief. As he spoke, chills ran down Rena's skin. "Sansa, don't you know that interfering with sanctioned business is a crime punishable by death?"
"I'm a Kunoichi, Sensan. I know the risks of the life of a Shinobi, so I no longer fear death. No need to threaten me with it." She held her hand out and the man, Sensan, placed the torture tool in her palm.
"Don't fucking balk just because that thing looks like your kid. Whatever it is, it's Orochimaru's now." Rena trembled at his name but it seemed like the ANBU was even more afraid as he fell over, the objects on the pan he'd been looking through clattering to the floor around him.
"Excuse me, Sensan? Don't you know ANBU protocol? You're in violation of Sect Five. This is also punishable by death, which means I will not balk on defending our village's honour." Sansa placed a hand on a sheath attached to her back, her blade sliding out smoothly and gently nicking his throat. A small well of red blood dripped in a thin line down his skin. "By your twisted logic, you skipped into ready to cut open a child who may- or may not- be a pawn of Orochimaru without asking a single question first simply because the Elder Council ordered it makes you forget your position." He trembled, but Sansa's blade was steady. It didn't falter through a single beat, not affected by his moving. It remained stationary. "You... work under me. Appointed by the Kazekage himself... in this trying time, you dare violate ANBU protocol? You're a disgrace. Consider yourself demoted. Go home- you're one of the basic soldiers now."
"Y-You can't just..."
"I can't?" Her voice was like ice. "Are you going to keep telling your superior commander what they can and can't do? If you just wanted to commit suicide..." She bent down, getting uncomfortably close to him. He tried to move away, but the wall was behind him. "Then I could just fire you, you know."
"N-No! Not that!"
"In truth, you hoped I would fear death, didn't you? But in the end, I'm much more suited for this job than you could ever be. Someone as sick-minded as you... has no place in my ANBU Black Ops." She raised her hand, her index finger pointing at the door. "You're lucky I'm not firing you, Sensan. The fact that you're part of one of the Nine Noble Families is the only thing saving you from that. Get out."
He scrambled to leave, his glare apparent on his face as he realized he could do nothing to combat Sansa's absolute control over the Black Ops. Damn that bitch! He thought. Even though she only has the support of a quarter of the ANBU, she's still... way too much of a match for anyone to take her position!
As he slammed the door behind him, Sansa reached up, removing her mask and placing it on a nearby stool as she walked over to Rena. Her face was solemn. "Sorry, kiddo." As she flipped the tool in her hand, she didn't seemingly have any plans for it. "I've gotta get information out of you, so please cooperate."
"S-Sansa..."
"I don't want to do this any more than you don't want it done to you. My job is all I've got here, Rena. If the Kazekage is gone... I can't protect anyone without the power of the ANBU behind me. I can't save anyone. This world is about to get a lot more dangerous... which means that I need to stay strong, now, more than ever. Someday, we're gonna look back on this and laugh, but until then..." Her eyes glistened with tears as she leaned down by her child, pressing the blade to her skin where the man had begun to cut. "What do you have to do with Orochimaru?" Her eyes narrowed, her grip on Rena's arm tightening as the girl squirmed. "And don't you dare lie to me. I'm not afraid to make you bleed for the sake of the village."