Chapter 10
In the end they conclude that they’re going to have to destroy Akatsuki themselves. Akatsuki moves in two-man cells, so the jinchuuriki will move in groups of three. Of course, this means they’ll need to recruit. Gaara doubts the new Hokage will let Naruto run off to hunt down S-rank criminals, and he’s never met either of the jinchuuriki who are rumored to live in Thunder Country. They may be able to convince Shibuki to let Fuu go hunting with them—and of course Fuu herself won’t be hard to convince.
So Gaara and Utakata head for Taki, and Han and Roushi for Kumo. With only the two of them, Gaara can carry them on sand platforms, but Utakata refuses. He carries himself inside a bubble, not looking at Gaara. It hurts a little, but he knows Utakata will stand with him when it’s important. They just have slightly different ideas of what qualifies as important.
Shibuki has already been informed that they’re coming, so they don’t even stop by the Uchiha apartment before arriving at his office. Predictably, Utakata is silent, so Gaara has to do the talking. He bows, and says, “First, Shibuki-san, I want to thank you for letting us visit your village despite the possible danger to your people. It means a lot to all of us that you welcome us but don’t try to use us as tools of war.”
“Gaara-san,” he says, looking bemused. “Itachi may have overestimated the danger of having a jinchuuriki visit for a week out of every month. I won’t call her paranoid, but she is very cautious. Ah, and this is Utakata-san, right?”
Utakata gives him a shallow bow and says nothing. “To get to the point,” says Gaara, “we’re here because of Akatsuki. Itachi has told you the details. We intend to eliminate the threat—the jinchuuriki are working as a group. We were hoping you would let Fuu join us, and that Itachi would be able to help us track down the members of Akatsuki with her information network.”
“Fuu does not have the skill to face Akatsuki,” says Shibuki. “She is low jounin level, barely an A-rank ninja. She’s also headstrong and reckless, and there’s nobody more likely to get herself killed. And anyway, she is the fastest line of communication to Itachi if she stays here. That’s how your connection works, isn’t it?” Gaara’s eyes widen, and Shibuki nods at him. “Yes, I’ll give Itachi permission to help you. We need to keep tabs on Akatsuki anyway. And if you give us two thirds of the bounty money I’ll lend you an S-rank jounin.”
“Can we have Shisui?” asks Gaara. He’ll be an asset because he already trusts the jinchuuriki, and his doujutsu is unique among all the jounin of Taki.
Shibuki laughs. “If Itachi will allow it. You’re going to stay at their house, so you might as well ask them when you get there.” He picks up a brush and a piece of paper from the pile next to him, writes something, and stamps it with his personal seal. “Here’s his mission order.” Gaara takes it and bows (Utakata doesn’t) and they leave for the Uchiha apartment.
Itachi isn’t home yet, but Shisui declares that he’ll make her let him go even if she doesn’t want to. Utakata lets Fuu rope him into chopping vegetables for curry—Gaara hears him telling her how to find and prepare local poisonous plants—while Shisui makes onion pancakes. Itachi and Sasuke come home from training, tired and happy, but when Shisui shows them his mission order they both frown. They look almost identical in their worry, except for the ten-centimeter height difference.
“This isn’t the kind of mission I would normally approve for you,” Itachi says. She edges around Shisui to get to the sink and wash her face. “There’s a high chance you’ll be badly injured, and none of the jinchuuriki have any skill with healing.”
“Untrue,” says Utakata in his flat, quiet voice. They all look at him, and he scowls at his vegetables. “I know natural medicine and some chakra-based techniques.”
“But you’re not as good as Itachi,” Sasuke says. Utakata shrugs.
Fuu turns around to look at Itachi and Sasuke. “Don’t be such worrywarts. Shisui is the best ninja in the village, and he’ll be with two jinchuuriki! Even though I should be the one who gets to go.” She puffs out her cheeks, pouting.
“No,” say Sasuke and Itachi in unison. “Dumbass,” Sasuke adds. “If Shisui’s in danger, you’re in twice as much danger. You don’t have as much experience. You’re not even a jounin yet.”
“I really am the best option,” says Shisui apologetically. He leans over to kiss Itachi’s forehead, and taps Sasuke’s with two fingers. “I’ll try extra hard not to die, promise. But this is for everyone, not even just the jinchuuriki. Who knows what Akatsuki would do if they got their hands on all the bijuu?”
“Probably Gaara has the best idea,” says Sasuke.
Gaara pauses while everyone looks at him. “The man—I think the leader of Akatsuki, or at least the one in charge of sealing—implied he needed to seal the bijuu in a specific order. That was why we had an opportunity to rescue Utakata and Han, they weren’t sealed immediately. I would guess they meant to combine the power of the bijuu somehow into one big weapon. They also had something called the World Tree. Shukaku said… Can you remind me?”
The corpse of the ten-tails, says Shukaku irritably, as if he shouldn’t have to say it twice. Our old man made us out of its chakra. If they seal us the right way they can bring it back to life. No clue why they’d want to, it’s probably fucking impossible to control.
“The World Tree can be turned into a super-powerful bijuu by having the other nine bijuu sealed into it. So, yes. One big weapon that they might not even be able to control, in addition to killing the eight of us to make it.”
Shisui lets out a low whistle. “Wow. Yeah, that sounds like something that I want to prevent. Sorry, Itachi, I’m overriding your veto this time.”
“I understand,” says Itachi softly. “I don’t like it, but I understand how important it is.”
“Then it’s settled!” says Shisui, with what Gaara thinks is probably a fake grin. He claps Itachi on the shoulder. “Tomorrow we’ll go out there and kick some ass!”