Chapter Text
All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast
Sunagakure-no-Sato, 1342-Seiyō, January 11th, Year 62 of the Shinchu-Jidai
With a new year upon him, Rasa was feeling like a brand-new man. Suna’s greatest issues were behind them, the Daimyō was coming around to supporting the village more, and unbeknownst to most of the world, Rasa held a shinobi with an exceptionally strong Kekkei Genkai in his pocket.
Truly, the old year had done away with much of his stress and had bolstered the feeling of jubilation that had taken Suna with this year’s New Year’s celebration. The whole village was ecstatic for the first time in years, which brought its own issue.
Rasa wasn’t sure when the other foot would drop. Konoha was infamous for being the target of most villages’ ire, being as prosperous and powerful as consistently as it was. But Suna recovering so suddenly? That might paint a target on their backs. Missions had been clean so far, but Rasa had to be wary of any more changes to the status quo.
With a hefty sigh, Rasa stood up and looked out the window over his village. He only had one more major appointment for the day, but that appointment held the potential for so many more problems in the future. But, it would be rude to simply ignore a request to meet.
That and it is useful to know where vipers are before they can bite you.
The door to the office opened, the Chūnin manning the reception desk sticking their head through the gap.
“Yondaime-Sama, your Two-o’clock is here.”
Rasa nodded, waving for the Chūnin to let his guest into the office. The door opened once more, closing only moments after a slender woman walked into his room, voice saccharine and amused.
“Yondaime-Sama.”
Rasa waved his hand as he sat in his chair.
“I would prefer if we could have this conversation honestly, Orochimaru. No henges or disguises.”
The woman cackled.
“My apologies, Rasa, but I cannot simply undo this. Side effect of one of my jutsus after all, I will be like this for a few more days.”
Rasa sighed.
“Very well. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? You were vague in your letter, so I was unsure of what you might be looking to gain from contacting me directly.”
‘Orochimaru’ smiled.
“Well, the truth is, I am at a bit of a loss. When I first wrote to you a few weeks ago, I was under the impression that the recent rumors about Suna were all a façade. ‘An improved relationship with Konoha’, ‘a bustling economy’, ‘Suna shinobi being seen abroad’? It sounded like every bit of typical Hidden Village propaganda to prevent showing weakness.”
“But, here I am, and Sunagakure-no-Sato is far better than it was the last time I was in the area. It is almost as if someone wanted to take away my bargaining chip.”
Rasa’s eyebrow raised as he evaluated the Sannin in front of him.
“It sounds like you were planning on offering me a solution to one of our problems. What were you expecting to get out of it?”
Leaning back in their chair, Orochimaru stroked their chin.
“A change in the status quo. Konoha has stood at the head of the other villages for decades, preaching peace and this collective ‘Will of Fire’, but like all good hypocrites, they have done their grand share of plundering and self-serving destruction. What I want, Rasa...”
Orochimaru leaned in.
“... What I want is your assistance in bringing down Konoha.”
Rasa crossed his arms, unamused.
“So you mean to use Suna to start a war?”
Orochimaru chuckled.
“Use? Don’t be ridiculous, my dear Kazekage, I have no intention of using you to accomplish my goal. I intend to build a new village from the smoldering ashes of the old. One that is honest to its core tenets of breaking new ground and achieving the impossible. I am trying to make friends before our debut of course. A legitimizer, if you will.”
Rasa was unasmused.
“Our relations with Konoha have improved as of late. What would benefit Suna to stab them in the back so quickly?”
“Sarutobi is a master of manipulation and hypocrisy. You may be better off now, but it is only a matter of time before Konoha undermines you to keep their position on top. Iwa and Kumo know better than to trust them, Kiri is still in the throes of internal calamity, and the less said about Ame the better. Suna is in the best position to benefit from the downfall of Konoha, which is why I sought audience with you first.”
Rasa raised his eyebrow.
“You do not think Kumo or Iwa would be a better choice here?”
Orochimaru frowned.
“Not at all. Neither would likely be willing to deal with my fledgling village in the aftermath, given their domineering position towards Konoha and any of its associates, former or otherwise.”
A look of disgust and contempt crossed Orochimaru’s feminine features.
“And that’s not to mention Kumo’s policy towards Kekkei Genkai. I fear at least a third of the surviving population would be caught in an utterly savage sacking in the aftermath. I cannot abide by such barbarism, especially when its unnecessary, I have proven as much in the past.”
Rasa contemplated the situation. It was clear the Sannin was serious in attacking Konoha, which wasn’t that much of a surprise since they are a Nuke-nin from there.
“What amount of force were you looking to deploy against Konoha?”
Orochimaru’s grin stretched back over their face.
“I was thinking something along the lines of fifteen-hundred of your shinobi. As many Chūnin and Jōnin you could provide within that force. I would naturally provide an equal amount.”
“So let me get this straight, you want me to commit nearly our entire professional force against Konoha, and you can match that with a village that isn’t even on the map?”
“Of course! You would be shocked with what dredges can be found left behind by their own villages. But more importantly, I imagine you are concerned about entering into some shady arrangement with a known Nuke-nin against the strongest village on the continent, so let me address those concerns.”
Orochimaru raised a single, slender finger.
“I have an insider, and I have it on good authority that Konoha only has around twenty-five-hundred shinobi on active roster and another six-to-seven thousand potential reservists. With your fifteen hundred and my fifteen hundred, we will be able to join forces into a single overwhelming surprise attack, destroying or subduing Konoha’s strongest in one fell swoop.”
Another finger joined the first.
“The quality of their shinobi has diminished significantly since the last war, and Konoha is at this point a paper tiger of aging warriors and fresh fodder. If we attack before anyone else, we will have the initiative to alter the course of the continent for the foreseeable future, free to turn the remnants of Konoha against Iwa or Kumo if they attempted to follow up.”
One last finger was raised.
“And finally: Between my fledgling village and Suna, we can quickly secure control over trade and production of all goods between the western deserts and the central woodlands. None of the small villages would be willing to cross us, and we could easily match Iwa and Kumo, even if they joined forces.”
Putting their hands back in their lap, Orochimaru sat quietly and waited for Rasa’s response.
“Naturally, I would be cautious towards any provocations towards another war. But...”
“Yes?”
Rasa closed his eyes and crossed his arms in his chair.
“I cannot discount the very advantageous position it would put Suna and Kaze-no-Kuni as a whole. This could be a very beneficial plan.”
“Yes, so you accept?”
“No, actually.”
Orochimaru’s smile dropped as Rasa opened his eyes.
“Not that I am rejecting your proposal. A significant deployment of that many shinobi cannot be approved by me alone, but by Suna’s council. I can bring it up at the next meeting of course, but it will be some time before I can have a definitive answer for you. This plan wasn’t expecting to happen immediately, was it?”
The serene smile returned to Orochimaru’s face.
“Ah, well no. I was intending this to happen next summer, actually. Konoha will be hosting an invitational Chūnin exams for whatever villages want to attend. My village will be making its debut then, and the event will be perfect cover for our forces to arrive without too much suspicion. We will be watched of course, but they will be distracted by the visiting contingents and not by forces sneaking in from the outside.”
Rasa nodded.
“I see, well. Let me write down the information you so graciously shared with me and I will see what the council thinks. Do you have a way I can stay in contact or will you be visiting in the near future to check back in?”
Standing, Orochimaru began walking towards the door.
“I will return in a month or so, give this time to resolve itself. Have a happy new year, Rasa.”
Once Orochimaru left the room, Rasa’s shoulders slumped. There were so many things that could go wrong with this, but the gains were also too tempting. Normally, he would go to Chiyo or Yashamaru, but Rasa was certain that they would either be dead set against it or unwilling to work with Orochimaru at all. Rasa felt he was going to need someone else in on the loop, preferably someone who could go unnoticed.
Nohara Ayame was making her way home from working at the glazier when she noted the muted presence tailing her. They weren’t one of the ANBU that started watch Seiko a few years ago, but someone different. Familiar, but different.
Ayame didn’t show her awareness, keeping to her usual route home. They weren’t aggressively tailing her, keeping up but staying just out of visible range. It wasn’t until she was unlocking the door to her home that the tail rapidly approached. Just as they appeared behind her, Ayame whirled around with a hidden stiletto, aiming for the jugular.
Only, the knife never made contact.
Instead, the thin blade bent and diverted after hitting a cloud of gold dust.
Whoops.
“Ah, Rasa-Sama. Fancy seeing you here.”
Rasa’s gold dust disappeared and the man snorted.
“Good to see you are still in fighting shape. May I come inside?”
Taking that as a sign she wasn’t going to be punished for attacking the Kazekage, Ayame nodded.
“Of course, right this way. Would you like some tea?”
“If you would, thank you.”
Ayame went into the kitchen and quickly prepared a kettle of green tea. When she finished, she carried it and some cups on a tray to the family low table where Rasa had already taken his seat. Once she began pouring the tea, Rasa laid a very familiar privacy seal on the table and fed his chakra into it.
“What we discuss here is not to leave this room nor is to be discussed anywhere else other than this house, do you understand.”
Hesitantly, Ayame nodded and finished pouring the tea between the two. With a small nod of thanks, Rasa took the first sip.
“Regarding your status as a spy... and do not dispute this, I do have need of you in that capacity for Konoha... I have been contacted by Orochimaru of the Sannin with a proposal to attack Konoha within the coming year.”
Ayame was about to defend herself until Rasa finished his sentence.
“Are you serious?”
Rasa nodded, sipping at his tea.
“He came in as a woman, probably related to the rumors of him developing a way to swap bodies, like a permanent henge. He asked for Suna’s assistance in the attack, with hefty benefits for the village if we accepted.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him that that type of approval is beyond my office, but I will be bringing it up at the next council meeting, since they would need to vote on it. Which is why I am here.”
Ayame shook her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Orochimaru was planning to approach Suna because we were in a bad position only a few years ago, with growing resentment towards Konoha. His approaching of Suna seems a bit too convenient, especially given the coup attempt a few months ago. I believe this to be a trap and I wanted to reach out to Konoha beforehand.”
Ayame’s face scrunched up, replying in a mocking tone as she poured herself some more tea.
“Then do that? Where do I fit into this?”
“Orochimaru has a spy in Konoha.”
Ayame’s face fell.
“He told me the amount of troops Konoha could be expected to have, as well as the plans for when to attack when they would least expect it. If I contacted Sarutobi-Sama now directly, Orochimaru would be aware of my indiscretion and is likely already preparing for such an outcome if he was behind the coup attempt in November.”
“So you want me to go and make contact, since I have not been active in a long time.”
Rasa nodded.
“Presumed dead even. A former-kunoichi settled in another village visiting her extended family? That is not suspicious. In fact, it’s a pretty common occurrence.”
Downing the last of his tea, Rasa looked back at Ayame.
“I don’t believe a war would be good for anyone at this point, especially one that would leave Suna as the more well known attacker, assuming it succeeded at all. I think we could create a trap for Orochimaru and whatever army of Nuke-nin he has assembled to attack Konoha, but we will need time and discretion on our side to avoid any issues.”
Ayame nodded.
“Alright, what’s in it for me?”
“Recognition as Nakahara Ayame for one, which my uncle and I denied you for years on rightful suspicion of your loyalties, as I am sure you are familiar. That, and I will grant your Hitai-ate as a shinobi of Suna, with the requisite pay of an ongoing S-Rank mission and your acceptance into the forces if you so choose.”
Hedging her bets, Ayame pressed.
“And if I decline?”
Rasa chuckled.
“Then I will give the mission to your daughter and hope she keeps working miracles with her missions. Unfortunately, she has made more of a name for herself and is still a genin, so her ability to handle this kind of mission will be closer to a suicide mission by comparison.”
As if she swallowed soap, Ayame recoiled at the thought of dragging Seiko into any more complications with Konoha. She already mentioned Shimura by name, which was severely bad news, and Ayame likely could not handle any more stress if Seiko was thrown headfirst into a diplomacy mission this early in her career. Especially because Shimura would worm his way into it.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Can I tell my husband?”
Rasa started to shake his head before he stopped.
“Actually, yes. Kenshin is reliable, and I would hate for him to try to figure out why I would suddenly grant you shinobi-status on such short notice. Rumors and all.”
“Ah, I see. Well, do you have any particular things you want me to accomplish Rasa-Sama, or do you want me to play this more by ear.”
Rasa shook his head.
“No, the less I hear about your activities, the more confident I can be denying my involvement. I will be briefing your daughter’s team in the future if this does become important, but I want you to update Yashamaru directly, as I will place him in charge of the Suna side of this.”
With a pair of nods, Rasa canceled the privacy seal and stood up.
“Well thank you for the invitation to tea Nakahara-san, I will be sure to send over my right hand to handle any more of your suggestions in the near future. Take care now.”
With a bow, Rasa left the house.
“Thank you for your visit, Kazekage-Sama.”
Ayame shut her door with a huff. She had a loooooot of work to do. Seiko was going to be so mad.
In a windowless chamber, statues of the current and former Kazekage towering over them, the Suna Council met for its regular biweekly meetings on the village. The councilors, each representative of a segment of the population or a clan or great family, all gathered in their sandy robes and white ghutrah at a large circular table of sandstone.
Presiding over the meeting was Rasa. Despite being the Kazekage, he had no vote in these situations, a measure to prevent the Kazekage (always a Tetsufū) from giving their clan an additional vote. His clan of course, was represented by his cousin Tetsufū Kinuha, an older woman with a weaker grasp on Jiton, but experimental in the same way as Rasa. She was interested in copper, mainly in rust prevention, something Jihei himself was researching for his own iron sand before he disappeared.
Besides them, there were another sixteen members on the council. Ten were elected or appointed to represent portions of the village specifically, usually serving part-time or in a rotating capacity. The positions were referred to as panels, and usually represented specific parts of the population as opposed to physical areas. The other six were representatives of the other two clans and the four great families; The Rinha Clan, the Shirogane Clan, the Fude family, the Hōki family, the Nabe family, and the Ono family.
From Rasa at the head of the table and Kinuha to his right, the remaining members following the curve of the table were:
Senior, 1st Panel; Akai Ebizō, Head of Suna’s Research Division, representing the elderly men.
Senior, 2nd Panel; Akai Chiyo, Head of Suna’s Puppet Brigade, representing the elderly women.
Senior, Rinha; Rinha Harese, Head of Suna’s Medical Division.
Senior, 3rd Panel; Nosu Baki, representing Suna’s male shinobi.
Senior, 4th Panel; Kazahara Kameko, representing Suna’s kunoichi.
Senior, Hōki; Hōki Ikanago, patroness of the service industries.
Senior, Nabe; Nabe Gōza, patron of the laborers.
Senior, 5th Panel; Iwana Jōseki, representing the merchants.
Senior, Ono; Ono Manami, patroness of the performers.
Senior, Fude; Fude Ryūsa, patron of the craftspeople.
Senior, 6th Panel; Hattori Sajō, representing the needs of families in the village.
Senior 7th Panel; Okano Tōjūrō, representing The Daimyō’s contingent in the village.
Senior, Shirogane; Shirogane Ibushi, Deputy Head of Suna’s Puppet Brigade.
Senior, 8th Panel; Koda Yūra, representing Suna’s Academy and Suna’s children.
Senior, 9th Panel; Imada Asami, representing Suna’s single adults and orphans.
Senior, 10th Panel; Bando Keiji, representing foreigners and non-citizens residing in Suna.
With a signal from his hand, Rasa ordered a gong rung. The Council was in session.
“Thank you all for attending, we have a very important item on today’s agenda which only came up in the last week. I, in my capacity as Kazekage, have been approached by Orochimaru, formerly of Konoha, regarding the formation of a joint force to attack and destroy Konoha next year. The village has been offered numerous benefits for joining, but Orochimaru requested nearly all of our professional manpower, a full fifteen hundred shinobi he plans on matching with his own forces. First to comment... Iwana-san.”
A gruff, middle-aged man lowered his hand.
“Rasa-Sama, we have only just begun recovering our economy due to our positive relationship with Konoha. A war will do no good for business and will likely drive us immediately into a recession if we were to join. Even if I can agree Konoha has grown too fat, the best way to exploit that would be through beneficial trade instead of conflict. The merchants cannot support this cause without guarantees our caravans will have markets for our goods, which Konoha currently represents a sizeable portion of.”
The ambitious and hot-headed Okano Tōjūrō followed him with his own comment.
“The Daimyō has held firmer faith in Konoha for the last few years due to the size of their village’s forces and their flexibility with regards to missions. What possibility does Suna have even considering attacking Konoha, the strongest village on the continent?”
Rasa looked at the man.
“Orochimaru apparently has a spy in Konoha. He said that Konoha will be hosting an invitational Chūnin exams next Summer. Their professional forces right now are estimated to be around twenty-five hundred shinobi, with probably one hundred more the following year in the form of fresh recruits . Most of those shinobi could be in the village during the attack, but there is also a high chance a quarter or more of them could be out of the village on missions when the attack takes place, according to Orochimaru’s plan.”
Chiyo swatted down on the table.
“On what grounds can we trust this Orochimaru? He is one of Konoha’s Nuke-nin. Regardless of whatever benefits he might have promised, Suna will have to put its neck on the line according to his plan, and we have no guarantees that he will follow through. I know I wouldn’t trust my grandson if he showed up out of the dunes with some scheme to attack Konoha.”
Rasa raised his eyebrow.
“Even if the risk was worth it?”
“Especially if the risk was worth it. Nuke-nin do not survive getting in deep with a village unless they plan on joining, and I don’t see this Orochimaru character jumping to become one of us.”
Rasa crossed his arms.
“That is true. His explanation was that he intended to ‘raise a new village on the ashes of Konoha’, or something to that effect. Orochimaru did imply that his new village was going to be the centerpiece of the attack, likely to bolster legitimacy for the new village should it succeed.”
The elaborately painted fingernails of Ona Manami tapped on the stone.
“How very dramatic, striking the strongest village in the middle of the exams and declaring your own village on its ashes. It is theatrics like this that tend to sway the Daimyō and the public alike. Were there any discussion of long-term political ramifications of this attack or was it assumed other villages would not get involved?”
Rasa shook his head.
“We only discussed the baseline proposal. I could not promise troops the Council had not authorized for a sizeable deployment, so I was tabling any further planning for after you all have had a chance to debate the issue and vote on it.”
The council nodded. Ebizō warily raised his ancient hand.
“Is there any particular reason he wanted Suna’s assistance with this matter?”
“By his own admission, Orochimaru was originally attracted to us for our previous economic weakness. However, his arguing was that out of the great villages, only Suna was approachable due to our more amicable attitude towards Konoha. We are not allied with them, but we are also not hostile like Iwa or Kumo.”
Kazahara Kameko raised her hand before speaking.
“Would they not take the opportunity to join the fight if it started? Could this not spiral into a Fourth Great Shinobi War?”
Rasa nodded.
“It is not out of the realm of possibility. Orochimaru felt the main factor in this invasion would be speed. If our combined forces were ready and active before Konoha could react, it would be weeks before Iwa, Kumo, or even Kiri would be in a position to mobilize an effective invasion force themselves. Even then, assuming Konoha’s population did not revolt or foment an insurgency, it would still take at least two of the villages joining forces to match a potential alliance with Orochimaru.”
When no one jumped to continue asking questions or commenting, Rasa spoke up.
“We can hold off on any further discussion of this for at least another week. Orochimaru is not expecting an immediate rejection or agreement with his proposal, so we have plenty of time to ruminate on this issue. All in favor for a special session next week?”
The assembled councilors all raised their hands
“Alright, we will discuss this further then. Now, onto other matters; Nabe-san, I believe at the last meeting you presented a request from several of the labor groups regarding a general wage raise that was tabled? Are we all ready to pick up that topic? All hands for yes?”
Eleven hands raised.
“Alright, Nabe-san, you have the floor.”
It was a typical day in Suna. That in itself was a problem for Seiko, because something was up. She had just finished a series of small D-Rank missions with her team; renewing some adobe walls around Suna, helping with the greenhouse harvest, and tracking down a misplaced coinpurse. It was early afternoon, and when she visited the glazier her mother usually worked at, the head glazer told her that her Ayame had taken a vacation to visit family in Konoha.
Which was weird, because she didn’t mention it to Seiko the day before.
Seiko was back home in minutes to find Ayame had packed up and left, with a little note explaining her trip to Konoha. Not accepting the lack of forewarning, Seiko turned her attention to the one person who likely had his hand in this mess.
It didn’t take too long for Seiko to arrive at the Kazekage tower. She quickly made her way through the building, maneuvering around the few administrators and visitors with ease until she came to a stop in front of the Kazekage’s office. Before the receptionist could tell her to stop, the door opened. Rasa motioned for Seiko to enter after checking with the receptionist about any immediate meetings on the schedule.
Seiko walked behind the man before sitting down in front of his desk. Once seated, Rasa looked the girl over.
“Your mother is on a mission.
{How did he know what you were going to ask about?}
The shock on Seiko’s face must have been obvious, because Rasa chuckled and continued talking.
“In thanks for her loyalty to Suna and in light of recent events, I allowed your mother to become a shinobi and sent her on an S-Rank mission to Konoha. The mission is... not so much dangerous, but complex and in need of a lot of discretion. Since the coup in November, I am uncertain of the loyalties of some of our best shinobi, so I wanted someone who could blend in and be above suspicion for any spies among the ranks.”
Seiko slowly nodded her head.
“Ohhhhhhh kay, that does make sense. I take it you this involves communication with the Hokage then?”
Rasa nodded.
“Yes, but we will leave it there. The fewer people in on plans in motion, the lower the chances the plans will be discovered. Your mother will likely be back in a few weeks, so you need not worry about her. In the meantime, I wanted to ask you about your team.”
“My team?”
“Yes, it has been a while since you all graduated, and I wanted to check in with you about how you all were doing. You have had a fairly quiet string of missions since the coup, no major issues or anything drastic.”
Seiko nodded.
“Yes, it has been a lot smoother. Everyone is doing well. Junko-Sensei has actually gotten a bit better at teaching since we started. You probably already know this, but Akio seems to be on the cusp of developing an advanced nature transformation.”
Rasa closed his eyes and smiled.
“Indeed. It is good to hear you are all doing well. But yes, I did know about Akio. Are you aware of his extended family?”
With the shake of Seiko’s head, Rasa launched into his explanation.
“The Koizumi family is related to a pair of families that at one time nearly became a clan within Suna. Since they never fully established themselves, the different branches became separate and tended to ignore one another. Like my own clan, these families possessed a powerful Nature Transformation Kekkei Genkai; Shakuton.”
“During the last few years of the Sengoku-Jidai, these desert dwellers had such powerful flames that even Uchiha Madara sought some of them for marriage contracts into the Uchiha, to advance their own mastery over heat and flame.”
“Alas, Kekkei Genkai are... complicated, and no one has yet figured out how they are consistently passed on outside of strict population control, like in Konoha’s situation. Shakuton remains rare, and even its most famous user was just one of our heroes; Moeru Pakura. You actually resemble her a lot with your current hairstyle, though the colors are different.”
“Regardless, Akio-kun was the most likely this generation to develop the Kekkei Genkai, and it appears he has been succeeding, if your account is true.”
Seiko nodded. Before Seiko could talk about Kenshirō, Yume interrupted her thoughts.
{Ane, he kind've brushed off questions about Ayame. You did mention Orochimaru was likely going to approach the village. Do you think Kā-san’s mission might be related to that?}
Seiko’s eyes narrowed.
“Say, Rasa-Sama, has Orochimaru been in the village lately?”
Rasa’s eyes immediately hardened.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, with the coup back in November, I can only think of two people who would likely have the resources and pull to put that together, and those people would be Sasori and Orochimaru. I would hedge my bets on Sasori, given his history and ties to the village, but I wouldn’t go trusting anything Orochimaru might promise either. Sasori at least gave me a fighting chance as a puppeteer. I don't think Orochimaru would be as... sentimental.”
Rasa gave her a hard leer.
“Should I worry about a possible security breach within the village or are you trying to give me advice?”
A wide smile took over Seiko’s face as she took in Rasa’s growing irritation.
“Yes.”
Hindsight
Outskirts of Sunagakure-no-Sato, 2013-Seiyō, February 14th, Year 62 of the Shinchu-Jidai
In the darkness of the sand dunes beyond the immediate entrance to Suna stood a cold and irritated Koda Yūra. Normally, he would be in his apartment at this hour, but he had been compelled to leave the village and stand in the cold desert wind to wait on Sasori.
Yūra hated Sasori, primarily for being a Nuke-nin and a traitor, but also for this blasted mind control. He wasn’t sure how long he had been ensnared, as his memories were consistently wiped clean, but they always came rushing back whenever the technique compelled him to be somewhere. Sasori wanted information, and so Yūra complied.
The Sennō-Sōsa-no-Jutsu was truly a nightmare to be caught in.
The sand shifted to his right, and Yūra was relieved to find his ‘boss’ clamoring over the nearest dune in that mighty puppet armor of his.
“Have there been any new developments since the ‘Coup’?”
Yūra could only sigh internally as his body began speaking for him.
“The village has recovered and is doing fine. The two framed counselors were executed, making way for myself and another man to take the new seats. There was one special session that took place last month regarding a large-scale deployment of our forces.”
Sasori chuckled inside Hiruko.
“Well, that is news! Who is the Kazekage going to attack?”
“Orochimaru apparently made contact with the Kazekage about attacking Konoha next year. The meetings had mixed feelings, but ten of the seventeen did vote to authorize the deployment.”
“So the Kazekage will be attacking Konoha as an ally of Orochimaru.”
“I don’t know.”
Sasori and Yūra stood motionless for a moment, Yūra entirely confused as to why his brainwashing was not confirming what he heard at the meeting.
“What do you mean you don’t know? You were there for the meeting!”
“Yes sir, but the actual deployment is being organized by the security council, so I don’t know if we will be attacking Konoha or Orochimaru.”
Yūra paled internally as his confusion grew. What was happening?
Sasori murmured to himself.
“Interesting, it appears that Rasa might be setting up a trap rather than just following along blindly for once. This might become interesting.”
Turning Hiruko’s head back towards Yūra, Sasori barked out his final commands.
“I want you to find out what the Security Council is planning. It appears Suna might be setting up a snake snare, and I would prefer to trap my prey rather than let my old village get its hands on him. Leave here and forget, I will reach out again when you know more.”
Sasori turned away and slowly crossed the sand once more.
Yūra though?
Yūra silently got up from his bed and made himself a glass of water. He was parched and a little confused. Didn’t he just drink his water before he got in bed?
Ta-no-Kuni, 1142-Chūō, March 4th, Year 62 of the Shinchu-Jidai
On the edge of a large rice paddy, Yakushi Kabuto was cutting firewood, both as a necessity and as exercise for his now fully healed wrist. Sasori had been... uncharacteristically angry that night in November, and Kabuto was still struggling to figure out what had changed.
When Kabuto first met Sasori, the man was cold and emotionless, efficient to a fault and uncompromising towards perfectionism. The Sasori Kabuto saw in the tent not so long ago was different. It was as if that girl lit a fire that wasn’t there before. Sasori wouldn’t admit it, but he cared about someone other than himself or his puppets, and that in itself was confusing.
Why would he suddenly change for some child? More importantly, why was Kabuto so conflicted about the behavior?
The teenager had been in a minor state of depression since November, wondering about his own memories and his time under Danzō, then Orochimaru, then Sasori, and now both.
Kabuto was always following someone’s lead, but the thought that he was simply someone’s lackey or right hand man was beginning to bother him. Kabuto was just about to pull another log to split when the crack of sandals on the stone slab just outside of the clearing caught his attention.
“Orochimaru-Sama.”
The Sannin smiled like a cat that had cornered a mouse.
“Kabuto-kun, I have returned, and with intriguing news I might add.”
Kabuto set his axe down and brought over some of the wood to a small stone circle, preparing a fire to cook a meal.
“How was Kaze-no-Kuni?”
Orochimaru held his hand to his forehead and feigned a sigh.
“They truly have the worst environment. Hot during the day, cold at night, drier than it has any right to be, and how the sun just roasts the skin. Truly I detest the place, but, I have accomplished my part to play.”
Kabuto continued to listen to the Snake Sannin as he unsealed some prepared ingredients and a Wok with stand to make lunch.
“The Kazekage, or really the Suna Council, agreed to deploy troops to Konoha next year, though only around twelve-hundred instead of the larger fifteen-hundred we were looking for.”
Kabuto narrowed his eyes as he splashed his oil. He was not expecting an agreement so soon.
“The planning stages will take time of course, but we have fulfilled our obligation of getting a foreign village in on the plot. Shimura might not be pleased it wasn’t Iwa or Kumo, but Suna will likely be enough for him, especially if the Jinchūriki attends the exams next year.”
Kabuto looked up from his frying at Orochimaru.
“Are you sure it is wise to agree to a plot with Danzō?”
Orochimaru laughed.
“If you are asking if I trust the man, I must ask you to be serious, Kabuto-kun. One must never make an alliance with someone that they don’t also have plans to betray in the event of their own betrayal, after all. You should know this, given what I saved you from. Besides... I have my own designs on the Warhawk.”
Rubbing at his chest, Orochimaru continued.
“Shimura cannot help but yearn for that wretched hat from that senile old man I used to call Sensei. They are both old fools, clinging to false promises and dreams denied. While Shimura is busy preparing to take over from Sarutobi, he won’t be in a position to watch his own headquarters. His dream will be in sight, and if all goes well, he will succeed, only for his dark deeds to be thrust into the light right as he tries to call himself Godaime...”
“He will have his time as Hokage, and we will snuff it out with the assistance of his own village to boot. Otogakure-no-Sato will be able to start fresh with the dispelling of the illusion of ‘peace’ that was Konoha.”
Snickering, Orochimaru looked back at Kabuto.
“However, if things do not go in our favor, we will still come out unscathed. Sarutobi will die, that I can assure, but we can always ruin Danzō and steal the last Uchiha from under Konoha’s nose while letting Suna take the fall. It will all come together marvelously, and we only need to wait a little over a year longer.”
Kabuto, finishing his cooking, was not convinced. Danzō was well versed in contingencies and likely had one for Orochimaru as well. And Suna wasn’t as desperate as they were supposed to be either, so the sand dwellers may be thinking the exact same thing.
As Kabuto unsealed the serving bowls and utensils for their Champurū, he held back a sigh from his current master’s arrogance.
With a shared ‘Itadakimasu’, the pair began to eat. Regardless of what would happen in the coming year, Kabuto would make his way out. He has enough intel to throw his lot in with anyone who comes out better or worse, so he will just wait a little longer before committing.
If he has to in the first place, that is.
Gentle winds carry the Sand
the Lotus too, blooming in its warmth
but a storm is building, the blood fresh
set upon the Old Cradle and its unwashed sins