Sakura stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the tree-covered training ground with an approving eye. It was virtually identical to the area where Tsunade had first taught her how to enhance her attacks with chakra. It would be a good place for Karin to learn.
She glanced at her student. Karin's training outfit brought to mind Sakura's own red dress. Though with the muted colors and the gaiters, it was far more practical than Sakura's had ever been. Sakura's bright clothing and pink hair made her a target on the battlefield, but she was strong enough now to wear those colors with pride.
"Most medic-nin learn basic medical jutsu first and have much more experience with chakra manipulation before they even begin this method," she began.
Karin snapped to attention. Her body quivered, betraying her excitement, even as her face remained calm. Sakura added bio-feedback as another thing for the girl to practice.
"However, given the recent kidnappings, Tsunade-shishou and I agree that you should start learning the offensive applications first. This will also help you control your chakra when you begin performing medical ninjutsu on patients," explained Sakura.
"And what are we doing, Sakura-sensei?" asked Karin. "You said we would be evaluating my hand-to-hand abilities today, but now you're talking about chakra control."
Sakura grinned as she pulled on her gloves. "Any shinobi can use chakra to enhance their strength and speed. By constantly flooding the muscles with chakra, hits can do m-uch more damage."
She channeled chakra into her and punched the ground. Her fist sank into the ground up to her wrist. She let Karin look into the hole and then motioned for her to move back.
"Medical jutsu require perfect chakra control, and with that sort of precision trained medic-nin can apply the most chakra at the perfect instant to have the greatest impact," she continued.
Sakura hauled back her fist and punched the ground again. This time earth shattered into thousands of pieces forcing Karin to jump back or fall over. Sakura was pleased to see the girl managed to land on her feet. She smirked at the awed expression on Karin's face.
"That's called Cherry Blossom Impact," said Sakura. "Your goal for today is breaking the first layer of the earth by gathering chakra in your fist and releasing it the moment you hit the ground."
"Awesome," said Karin. Her expression grew curious. "But then, if I'm going to be practicing, then what will you do?"
Sakura flexed her hands. "You'll be learning the same way I did. In the field, you'll be under constant attack and still have to perform perfectly. Prove to me that you can do it, and I'll stop for the day."
"Oh," said Karin nervously. "When do we start?"
"Right now."
Sakura punched at Karin, who dodged, and hit a tree, which exploded on impact. Karin had one advantage over Sakura, when she first started training, and that was her already impressive stamina and chakra reserves. Sakura had started out with perfect control and been able to build up her reserves over the years, but she would never possess the massive strength and stamina of Tsunade. If Karin learned Tsunade's technique, well, Sakura would have to see if she was capable first but the potential was huge.
"Now, the original purpose of this technique is to scare off your attackers so you can heal your teammates without interference," said Sakura. "You'll want to aim at rocks and trees so I can't get close."
Karin darted toward Sakura and punched the dirt. She had started channeling chakra too early and only made a small dent in the ground. She had been able to channel chakra into her hand though, otherwise she would have broken a bone.
Sakura quickly covered the mark with a strike of her own, breaking the top layer of the soil in all directions. She didn't have to use her Cherry Blossom attack every time. That would be a waste of chakra.
Karin continued to retaliate throwing punch after punch at the ground, at the trees, at the occasional large rock. Every strike was a little closer to perfect. She always managed to get out of range of Sakura's hits too, even it meant jumping into a tree or throwing herself on the ground. She received less damage that way than by staying still and being hit by shrapnel which meant she could keep going.
Sakura was impressed despite herself. She hadn't really expected for Karin to get it on the first day. Sakura had collapsed from chakra exhaustion before she managed the first time, but Karin was still going even as the afternoon stretched and the shadows grew long.
At one point, Karin landed behind Sakura intending to strike at the large boulder she had at her back. Sakura jabbed back with her elbow, exploding the rock before the other girl could make contact. She used less chakra than usual, so the boulder only split into a few pieces rather than several. She didn't hear Karin moving away and worried that she may have been caught in the explosion anyway.
When Sakura turned to look, Karin was standing still wearing an expression of amazement. It quickly shifted to calculating as Sakura watched.
"You can use chakra with any part of your body?" she asked. "Even the feet?"
Sakura gave a rueful smile. She had never taught a complete beginner before, so she probably could have explained a little more. And while the Academy at the curriculum had advanced since she graduate, they still left potentially dangerous ideas like tree-walking to be taught to actual genin by their jounin instructors.
"You can channel chakra from any part of the body even the feet," confirmed Sakura. "Though the bottom of the foot is the hardest area to use for that purpose."
Karin didn't seem to hear that part. "If you can use the feet, then it's like kicking a ball at the just the right point…"
Sakura watched in amusement as Karin eyed a nearby oak. The girl pulled her leg up and struck the tree with a roundhouse kick at just about chest-height.
Splinters flew everywhere. The crown toppled to the earth as Karin's kick reduced the tree-trunk to little more than sawdust.
"Was that right, Sakura-sensei?" asked Karin as she turned back around.
Sakura marshalled her stunned expression into something more appropriate for a teacher. "That was excellent, Karin. But using your feet is supposed to be harder than using your hands. Not the other way around."
Karin shrugged though she was obviously pleased. "I play a lot of soccer. You have to hit the ball just right or it won't go where you want it, especially if it's spinning. Then I had to learn how to add reiatsu to my kick too when Hollows started attacking."
"Oh?" asked Sakura. "I guess reiatsu really is a lot like chakra then, if you can use it the same way."
Karin had grown tense while Sakura spoke, but after a moment, her shoulders relaxed and she took a calming breath. "Naruto we could trust you, so Ichi-nii thought I would be okay if I told you about reiatsu and that sort of thing, if you want to know."
Sakura gave a fond smile. Of course Naruto thought she was trustworthy. She looked over the destroyed training grounds. It was probably enough for today.
"I just want to test one more thing, and then we can talk about it," she said.
Karin tensed automatically when Sakura reached for a pocket in her vest. Sakura grinned at her response.
"No, no more of that kind of testing. Though we will try again tomorrow, and you will need to use your hands," she said.
She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and held it up for Karin to see. "This is elemental paper. It's made from a tree specially nurtured to be sensitive to chakra."
"What does it do?" asked Karin curiously.
"Shinobi use it to determine their elemental affinity," explained Sakura. "Every person has a natural affinity for one of the five major elements though it is possible to learn an additional affinity with practice. My affinity is earth."
She channeled a bit of chakra into the paper. It turned to dirt and crumbled. She brushed off her hands and retrieved another piece for Karin.
"And I just put some chakra into it?" asked Karin.
"That's right," said Sakura.
Karin stared at the paper. A moment later, it went limp in her hand as it grew soggy.
"Looks like you have a water affinity," said Sakura. "There are lots medical jutsu where that affinity can be useful. It's also supposed to be common among the members of the Uzumaki Clan."
Karin gave a tiny smile. "Maybe there's something in one of grandfather's scrolls. They have all sorts of things in them."
"Scrolls from Uzumaki Mamoru?" asked Sakura raising her brow. "It's possible, just check with me or Naruto or Iruka-sensei before you try anything."
"Of course," said Karin quickly.
Sakura gave her a pointed look. She knew Naruto. If Karin was anything like her cousin, she would jump into a situation without considering the consequences.
Karin raised her hands to ward off Sakura's glare. "I won't. Not like some people."
Sakura lessened her glare. Probably the brother. He was Kurenai's problem for now. If necessary, Sakura could suggest to Naruto that Ichigo might hurt himself practicing on his own. Naruto could stop it but would probably work himself into a panic in the process. There hadn't been any evidence of that sort of behavior yet; though she had heard a few rumors about the kidnappings and his practice with Team Gai.
"Tell me any way," said Sakura. "Most of Uzu's techniques have been lost. There might be something we can use. Now, what can you tell me about chakra?"
Karin hesitated. She glanced into the trees. Sakura realized after a moment that she was looking for the ANBU who was tasked with security detail.
"ANBU-san can stay out of hearing range, if you think he needs to," said Sakura. "But they are trusted with the most secrets in the village."
"Then Tsunade-sama can tell them," said Karin flatly. "You might want to sit down."
Sakura raised her brow and took a seat on a piece of shattered rock. She gestured for Karin to sit across from her and prepared to listen.
Karin outlined the whole situation from start to finish. They weren't from some distant country beyond the borders of the Elemental Countries; they were from a different dimension entirely. In Karin's home dimension, there were several planes of existence, one of which was Soul Society, the afterlife. Her father was a shinigami, a spirit from Soul Society, who guided lost souls to the afterlife and fought evil spirits called Hollows. Her mother had been a human from a clan of spiritual mediums, which also fought Hollows, which was how her parents had been able to meet.
Their heritage meant Karin and her siblings had been born with great spiritual energy, reiryoku, which could be felt and manipulated as spiritual pressure, reiatsu. The reason healing kidou didn't work on normal humans was because it was designed for use on bodies composed of spirit particles, reishi, or put more simply, healing kidou repaired damage done to souls rather than physical bodies.
By the end, Sakura had her answers, but she had a thousand more questions. "You're not a human?"
Karin actually rolled her eyes. "We're all human. But that's the problem. The Central 46 think they have power over everything having to do with spirits. But we're alive, so we're not subject to their authority. Ichigo is really strong. The Central Chambers ordered his death—and ours too—so they could have his power. It's why we had to leave."
Sakura closed her eyes briefly. That explained so much, or at least, why there were only rumors about Ichigo after two full weeks in the village. She would hesitate to reveal her abilities, even those that would marked her as a valuable medic-nin, if she had to take refuge in another village. Not that Sakura would be able to hide in a ninja village. As Tsunade's premier apprentice, she was almost as recognizable as her master.
She looked at Karin. "But to travel to a completely different dimension, is that even possible?"
"If it weren't, we wouldn't be here," said Karin bluntly. "But Naruto said it might be possible. You'd have to ask him or Tsunade-sama. She got some sort of book from grandfather that convinced her."
"I think I will," said Sakura. "Not that I don't believe you…"
"But it sounds unbelievable," said Karin. "I understand. I grew up seeing ghosts and sometimes I don't believe it. Dad never said anything, even after mom died and Ichigo almost—
Karin cut herself off. Normally, Sakura would have been supportive, or at least sympathetic, but she was still trying to process everything. Beneath the shock there was anger on behalf of her student, but it was buried deep.
Instead, Sakura rose to her feet. "I'll walk you home. Then, I think I'll go track down Naruto and ask him. We'll start up again tomorrow."
"Okay," said Karin sounding relieved. She wobbled a bit getting to her feet. "I guess I'm more tired than I though."
Sakura suspected it was a combination of exhaustion from training and relief from talking about her situation, but she wasn't going to point that out to Karin. No doubt the girl knew already.
"We're trying to land you in the hospital as a doctor, not a patient," she said. "Be sure to get plenty of rest and eat a big meal to restore your chakra."
"Yes, Sakura-sensei," said Karin as she carefully picked her way across the ruined training ground. "Speaking of patients, you need to schedule an appointment for Kakashi-san."
Alarm filled Sakura overriding her shock for the moment. "Kakashi-sensei said he needed an appointment?"
"Yuzu forced him into it," said Karin. "She can be very insistent. You should make him get one before her technique wears off."
Sakura relaxed slightly. That sounded much more like Kakashi. She was surprised that Yuzu had managed to get a verbal agreement. Then again, there was a reason the girl had joined T&I. Just the other day Ino had told her the rumor that T&I's newest member was really an escapee from hell and had learned all of her techniques there.
Sakura froze as the realization struck home. "When Ino-chan said Yuzu escaped from hell?"
"Ichigo busted her out," clarified Kari stopped beside Sakura. "But yeah, Yuzu was really in hell. Ichigo implied it was just a really tough prison, if anyone asks."
"I don't think they'll be asking me," said Sakura forcing her legs to move.
Yuzu had been in hell? How? Why? Sakura wanted to ask, but she didn't want to know. She would ask Tsunade-shishou first. If what Karin had said about her family history was true, then maybe the rest was too. She would leave the issue of Yuzu up to Anko and Ibiki. She had her own Kurosaki twin to worry about.
By the time she had dropped off Karin, Sakura had worked herself into a frenzy—on the inside at least, she didn't want to scare her student. She used to Body Flicker to reach the Tower and then stalked up the stairs to the Hokage's office. The matter was urgent but unfortunately not urgent enough to warrant using the window. Each step gave her time to think and shape the anxiety she was feeling into more productive rage.
Sakura glared at the secretary's desk as Shizune announced her arrival and burst into the office the minute she heard shishou's voice.
"This is crazy. It's insane!" she shouted barely keeping the hysteria in check.
Seated behind a massive pile of paperwork, Tsunade managed to look sympathetic. "Thank you, Shizune. Shut the door behind you, please."
Shizune bowed to Tsunade and nodded at Naruto, who was seated at his much smaller desk catty-cornered to Tsuade's. She gave Sakura a reassuringly smile, even if she didn't know what was going on, and shut the heavy wooden doors to the office.
"Shishou, Karin told me she was from another dimension," said Sakura.
Her first charge had brought her to a stop mere centimeters from Tsunade's desk. Now Sakura leaned on it for support. There was a curiously clear spot, where the varnished wood was normally hidden beneath reports. Tsunade must have cleared it out in advance.
There was a faint creak as Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Did you believe her?"
The question caught Sakura flat-footed. Surely, her teacher had heard the story. She wouldn't have accepted any of the Kurosakis into the ranks if they were lying about their origins.
"It sounds crazy. But she went into so much detail, and her brother and sister back her up. I mean, who would make something like that up? And why?"
Tsunade pulled the letter and a book out of a drawer. She unfurled the scroll and laid it front of Sakura.
"Take a look at this," she said.
Sakura briefly skimmed the contents of the letter. When she was done, she looked up in confusion. "It's a letter of introduction from the last Master of Uzushiogakure."
"And what's at the bottom?" pressed Tsunade.
Sakura raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "The signature?"
Tsunade pointed at a blank spot next to the signature. "Right there is a seal designed by Uzumaki Mamoru. It can only be seen by people with significant Uzumaki blood."
Sakura stared at the scroll again. She reached out a tentative hand and touched the spot. She couldn't feel any ink beneath her fingers. "Really? I can't feel anything either."
"Of course not," said Tsunade. "That's the point. Pink-hair or no, you are not a descendant of that clan." She flipped open the book. "Now look at this."
Sakura studied the book. She could see ink on the page, but it didn't resemble any language or code Sakura had ever seen. There were just vaguely letter-shaped swirls.
"It's gibberish," said Sakura. She narrowed her eyes. "Please tell me that Uzumaki Mamoru did not invent a language that could only be read by his clan."
"That would be awesome," piped Naruto.
Sakura and Tsunade both glared at him. "Not helping," they snapped. Naruto ducked his head to avoid their stares.
Tsunade flipped the book close and tapped the cover. "While that would have worked, Mamoru made the book himself with seals that would make the book unintelligible to people not of Uzumaki blood. It's an amazing blend of genjutsu and fuinjutsu."
"So?" asked Sakura. While examples of advanced fuinjutsu were rare and always interesting to observe, she couldn't see the point.
Tsunade raised a brow.
Sakura blushed. "Only someone with Uzumaki blood and excellent grasp of sealing techniques, like the Master of Uzu, could have possibly made the book. Right. What does it say?"
"There are five parts." Tsunade held up a hand displaying all five fingers.
"First, the beginning has proof of identity, records of secret deals between Uzu and Konoha that only the Master or Hokage would know. Second, a brief description of the seal he used to transport himself and why he did it. Next, there's a description of his arrival on Earth and how he met his future wife, the late Kurosaki Tsukina. Part four includes a history of the Quincy, which describes their abilities and their many conflicts with the shinigami of the Court Guard Divisions. At the end, it seems he was using it as a journal describing his on interactions with Hollows and mentions of his daughter, Masaki," summarized Tsunade. She lowered her closed fist with a look of resignation on her face. "The last entry mentions swarming Hollows, but there is no follow-up. I can only assume he was killed."
Sakura folded her arms and glared at the floor. That was a fairly comprehensive record. Obviously, Uzumaki Mamoru had wanted to leave enough proof that any future hokage would be convinced of his descendants' honesty. Furthermore, he had anticipated needing such a record in the first place. Perhaps, he had expected his descendants to return to the Elemental Countries one day. If there was bad blood between the Quincy and Soul Society, then he might have foreseen the need of an escape.
"Hey, baa-chan, can I have a look at that journal?" asked Naruto crashing through Sakura's thoughts.
Tsunade casually chucked the book at his head. "Read it if you want. Just don't show it to anyone including the Kurosakis. I want some way to independently confirm what they tell us."
"Gotcha," said Naruto tossing a casual salute. "Whacha thinking about so hard, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura raised her head. "Karin said the Central Chambers ordered their deaths so they could have Ichigo's power and the girls' too. Do you know what she meant?"
Tsunade glanced at Naruto. "You're the one who heard the story."
Naruto turned an unusually dark gaze on Sakura. "Karin told you that their mom was a Quincy and their dad was a shinigami, right?"
Sakura nodded cautiously. That had been a fairly important point in family's history. On Earth, people normally couldn't see reiatsu, so if their mother had been a regular human, she wouldn't even have noticed their father fighting an evil spirit.
Karin had also mentioned that the same stricture didn't appear true in the Elemental Countries. Sakura had been able to see the glow of Karin's healing kidou, and several shinobi had seen Ichigo's zanpaktou. That meant all the shinobi, and probably most of the civilians, had enough spiritual power to see ghosts or shinigami on Earth or be a tasty snack for a Hollow.
"Well, near as I can tell, Ichigo ended up with shinigami powers in addition to the Quincy power he inherited from his mom. His combined heritage made him super-strong," explained Naruto. "They didn't say exactly how strong, but he's at least equal to the best fighters in Soul Society, so I'm guessing a lot."
"Ichigo's significantly stronger than Karin and Yuzu in terms of spiritual power and more familiar with the techniques the shinigami and Quincy use," said Sakura to eliminate any doubt. "She mentioned it in her interview."
Tsunade made a note. "It's good to have that confirmed, though we had already suspected. Send me a transcript of your interview when you have a moment. Keep going, Naruto."
Naruto rolled his eyes and shared a quick grin with Sakura. Then his face grew serious again. "The Central Chambers is the government of Soul Society. But they aren't fighters, not like the hokage or even the daimyo. So when they realized they couldn't order Ichigo around because he was human, they got upset—scared and angry."
"She did say being a human was the trouble," murmured Sakura. A sinking feeling was growing in her chest.
"The orders to the regular army were to kill Ichigo," said Naruto. His voice deepened into a growl and his eyes flashed red. "But they also sent secret orders to some scientist, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who also happens to be a captain in their army, to capture Ichigo's soul, and Yuzu and Karin's too, before he crossed over. The Central Forty-Six wanted the scientist to figure out how to copy Ichigo's power into other shinigami, so they could have their own super-army. Who does that sound like?"
Sakura paled and glanced at Tsunade. "Orochimaru."
Tsunade grimaced. "It sounds similar to his experiments, yes. Except this scientist in Soul Society had the government's backing."
"So he would have gotten away with capturing and experimenting on them," said Sakura. Her terror warred with her rage on behalf of her student. "They're on the run from the government of the afterlife. Of course, they had to leave."
"That's what I thought when I first heard it," agreed Naruto he sounded a touch too casual.
Sakura knew he was angry. She had seen the evidence already. It sounded like a horrible jumble of Naruto's awful childhood and the tragic story of the three Sannin rolled into one terrible nightmare. At least, Sandaime-sama had tried to protect Naruto from the weight of the kyuubi, and he had banished Orochimaru and disbanded ROOT, even if neither of those attempts were successful in the end. It was far more than this Soul Society had done for Karin's brother.
"You can understand why we're keeping the Kurosakis' personal history under wraps." said Tsunade. "Though this kidnapping situation is making that difficult."
"Oh?" asked Sakura latching on to a more comfortable subject. "How is that, shishou?"
Tsunade sighed. "Attempts have been made on Ichigo twice already. Both times in the presence of Team Gai. Coupled with what Ichigo revealed at Team Three's welcome dinner at the Hyuuga Compound, Neji is growing suspicious. He's already reported this morning, independently of Team Gai."
"Is it something I should know about?" asked Sakura glancing between Tsunade and Naruto.
Ichigo had yet to go to the hospital for a mandatory physical nor had Yuzu. Though, they had both given blood to determine their relationship to Naruto, and Yuzu had her health evaluated by the Academy's nurse. Sakura had given Karin a physical to demonstrate how the process differed from the ones she was used to in Karakura—very little truth be told. She would rely on Anko, or Ino, to bring in Yuzu before she started serious work in the T&I HQ. For Ichigo, she might have to speak to Kurenai to arrange an appointment.
Naruto chuckled. "It should definitely make his check-ups go a lot faster."
"There is that," admitted Tsunade.
Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Shishou had designed the parameters for a medical check-up herself. There were no short-cuts. "What aren't you saying?"
"Ichigo has the power to instantly, or nearly so, regenerate any damage done to his body," said Tsunade.
Sakura gaped. "You're joking." No, of course they weren't joking, but… "He can do that with reiatsu? Karin said it's almost impossible to heal physical damage with healing kidou because they're reiatsu based. That's why she had to modify them in the first place."
"Did she now?" asked Tsunade sounding intrigued. "Well, here's the kicker. Apparently, Ichigo's ability is a modified Hollow technique. Neji thought this was of particular interest because most of Ichigo's self-reported combat skill was developed in fights against Hollows."
Sakura's mouth dropped open in surprise, and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
"He used a Hollow technique?" she barely contained a shriek. "Aren't those the evil spirits? The ones the Quincy and the shinigami fight?"
Naruto nodded. "I know, right? But don't worry, he doesn't eat people."
Sakura just closed her eyes and shook her head. "Can it get any more complicated?"
"None of the Quincy techniques Ichigo mentioned to the Hyuugas or used against Team Gai match ones described by Uzumaki Mamoru," said Tsunade. "I would like you to ask Karin about them and submit a report to me."
Sakura blinked. She hadn't been expecting an answer or orders like those. "You can't just ask Ichigo? He'll know if I ask Karin."
Tsunade and Naruto exchanged a look. Sakura watched the silent communication with amusement. She could know what Naruto thought in a glance and understood her teacher's directions without a word, but she had never been able to interpret what they said to each other.
Naruto's shoulders slumped. Apparently, he had lost the debate. "Ichigo doesn't like to talk about his abilities. So you'll probably get a more complete answer out of Karin."
"We'll need to know specifics if we want to add their kekkei genkai to the village register," added Tsunade. "We don't need to know how it works, just what it means to be a Quincy."
"Okay," said Sakura still a little stunned.
She had had so much doubt when she arrived, and now she was receiving a mission, as though inter-dimensional travelers were no big deal. Maybe, Naruto and Tsunade were used to the idea by now, but she was still trying to understand.
"Now that that's settled," said Tsunade. "Break out the sake, brat! My apprentice needs a drink."
Sakura's confusion cleared. Shishou had probably drunk herself into a stupor the first time she heard the Kurosaki's story. When you were drunk enough, everything made sense, and on the wrong-end of a hangover, your head hurt too much to argue.
Sakura gratefully accepted a saucer and downed it one swallow. When she looked up, Naruto and Tsunade were watching her expectantly.
She stared back levelly and channeled inner-Sakura, who always seemed to know what to do in these situations. She held out her cup.
"I'm going to need a lot more sake."
-0-0-0-0-0-
Suigetsu stalked through the crowd. He wasn't exactly suited for this sort of mission. Sasuke was the one with the self-control and the face that could blend in anywhere; Karin had the brains to remember a dozen background stories and the personal details of every person she talked to; Suigetsu was just the guys with a sword, a shark-toothed grin, and battle lust; and right now, he had none of those things.
He dropped onto to a stool at the bar and grimaced when the motion pulled at the collar of his tunic. He irritably jerked the brown fabric back into place. It was no wonder civilians moved so slow, everything they wore was heavy and loose. He could barely recall a time when he wasn't wearing shinobi garb. Not that stupid civilian clothes would interfere if he had to knock some heads together.
The innkeeper appeared in front of him. A thick white beard with the occasional strand of brown covered most of his face, and he appeared to be smiling, but there were worry lines on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes. "What can I get for you?"
"A beer, a good one," said Suigetsu.
"Right away," said the man and he hurried off.
In a moment the innkeeper was back. He leaned in close when he set down Suigetsu's mug.
"You need to get your redheaded friend out of here as soon as possible," he said quietly.
Suigetsu stilled. "Oh, why is that?"
The innkeeper tilted his head slightly. "The men in the corner, they've been targeting traders that come through. They're looking for members of the Uzumaki clan. Why, I couldn't say, Uzu was destroyed decades ago."
Adrenaline flooded Suigetsu's body. This was the sort of lead they had been trying to find. He kept his face as calm as possible.
"Red-hair isn't a sure sign of being an Uzumaki," said Suigetsu quietly. Still, practically every Uzumaki Suigetsu had heard of had red hair, except for Naruto.
"They don't care," said the innkeeper harshly. "They spend money like it's water, so the pay must be good. Be careful." He pulled back. "If you need anything else, let me know."
Suigetsu took of sip of his beer as the innkeeper wandered off. If the men in the corner were paying customers, then the innkeeper was either a very honest man or a very corrupt one. He could either be warning them in truth or setting them up for capture on the way out of the village. Suigetsu considered it some more, well, if they were going after traders, then that was bad or business, or maybe the old man had a little red-headed grandchild and was worried about his family.
Suigetsu snorted into his mug. That was why he left the thinking to other people. There were just too many options. He preferred fighting, and killing, any day of the week.
He set down his beer and leaned against the counter, turning ever-so-slightly to get a look at the guys in the corner. What he saw made him frown.
They were shinobi—they had to be given the way the held themselves—and probably missing-nin too. Not famous missing-nin, like Atkatsuki had been, or even highly-ranked shinobi, jounin would know better than to broadcast like that. They were probably genin, who ran off after failing the Exams one too many times, or maybe some very low-ranked chunin at best.
But guys like that shouldn't have lots of money. They had to compete with other, better missing-nin for jobs the villages wouldn't take or for ones at lower prices than the villages would charge. They should be holding tight to every coin they could for when work was scarce. Unless, they expected their sudden windfall to continue.
Suigestu finished off his beer and dropped the change on the bar. He included a little extra for the information. Whatever the inn-keep's motivations, he had identified the trash for Suigetsu.
The swordsman sneered at the group in the corner and stalked out of the inn. He wasn't very well going to lead them straight to their room, even if it would be an easy job to get the room number from the innkeeper's books.
Suigetsu had only walked half a block when the group of shinobi tumbled out the door. He rolled his eyes and kept going. Keeping his awareness of the group he looked for a good place to have a confrontation.
Eventually he darted into the space between two buildings. With Kubikiribocho, there wouldn't have been enough room for him to fight. Relying on the own strength of his body, which was substantial after all these years of carrying the heavy blade, he would have just enough space to confront two attackers at a time and no more. He could even flee down the opposite end to the other street, if they didn't have any back-up. He doubted they had back-up or that he would need to flee. Even without a sword, he was still a member of the elite Team Taka.
Suigetsu turned and waited for the group of missing-nin to either pass by or follow him in to the alley. A moment later, he was rewarded as a trio appeared in the empty space between the buildings. A fourth was standing by in the street proper. That was the full group from the inn, and Suigetsu didn't know if there were more.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
The one in front stepped forward. He was shorter than Suigetsu but had more bulk. With hazel eyes and tanned skin, there were a dozen places this missing-nin could have once called home. There wasn't even a forehead protector to show his former affiliation.
"Call down, buddy," he said. "We've got a business proposition for you."
Suigetsu bared his teeth in fierce mimicry of a grin. "You conduct much business in alleyways, Buddy?"
Buddy grinned back. Not intimidated by or not noticing Suigetsu's sharpened teeth. "Sure, when it's of a sensitive nature. We don't want to scare the townsfolk too much."
"What the fuck do you want?" repeated Suigetsu. It pissed him off that this pathetic missing-nin was playing around with him.
"You're new at this, living without a village, I mean," said Buddy. "You've got no shinobi gear and no weapons. Even if you are good, you can't convince civilians to hire you if they don't think you're a real shinobi."
Suigetsu glared at the idiot. He wasn't an infiltrator. He was a killer. So what if he couldn't pretend to be a civilian properly? It was a useless skill for someone like him.
"If you think I'm going to join your group, you've got another thing coming," he growled.
Buddy waved a hand. "No, no. Nothing like that. Just a trade."
"A trade?" asked Suigetsu warily. "I don't have anything to trade."
"Sure you do," said Buddy. "We'll give you some start-up money, if you hand-over that red-headed girl."
"You want to buy Karin?" asked Suigetsu honestly stunned.
Buddy grinned. "She's an Uzumaki, right? I heard her give that as her name. And she's trained a kunoichi too. If you give her to us, then you'll get something out of it. But if you keep going, well, Uzumaki are in high demand these-days. Someone else might just take her. It's not like you two have a good relationship either. So it's win-win."
Suigetsu moved. Unencumbered by the weight of Kubikiribocho, he moved like lightning. He snapped his palm up and into Buddy's nose. The bone shattered and pierced his brain. He dropped to the ground like a sack of meat. His two friends stared, and the guy in the street turned to see what had happened.
"You killed Dai, bastard!" screamed the one on the right.
He pulled a kunai and charged. Suigetsu used the man's momentum to shove him into the wall. Then redirected the swing of the kunai into the missing-nin's throat. With all of Suigetsu's considerable strength behind it, the blow severed his spinal column and drove the kunai into the wall leaving the man's limp body hanging off it.
Suigetsu turned his sight on the other two missing-nin. The one in the alley was staring in horror. Definitely a former genin. He might have killed some bandits, but he had probably never gone up against another shinobi in a death match before.
"If you think I'll let you buy Karin, you've got another thing coming," said Suigetsu grinning. It had been a long time since he killed someone. Sasuke probably wouldn't mind once he explained the situation.
"You—you just—
The other shinobi, the one in the street, made a pitching movement with his hand. A moment later, a flash-bang went off blinding Suigetsu. When he had blinked his vision clear, the two living nin were gone and he was left with a couple of dead bodies.
Suigetsu huffed and nudged Buddy—the now deceased Dai—with his toe. He didn't melt or do anything weird. So he was probably a real shinobi unlike those weird fake shinobi that had first attacked them for Karin.
With a shrug, he jumped to the roof of one the buildings. It was only a few quick hops before he was back in the room he was sharing with Karin and Sasuke.
Perched on the window ledge, he studied the tableau in front of him. Sasuke was wedged into a corner. He had that wide, startled-deer expression he wore whenever Karin got too grabby. One would think, after three years under Orochimaru's tutelage, he would be accustomed to having someone lust after his body—even if it was for very different purposes. Karin, on the other hand, had paused and was drooling slightly. She had probably been caught up in some perverted fantasy and stopped before she could seal the deal.
Suigetsu coughed. Both shinobi jumped slightly. Karin's blissful expression turned to rage.
"What are you doing coming in through the window?" she shrieked and threw the nearest object to hand.
Fortunately, it was just a pillow. Suigetsu caught it with ease and tossed it on the other bed as he entered the room fully.
"You smell like blood," said Sasuke. "What happened?"
Suigetsu shrugged. "Some guys followed me out of the bar downstairs."
"And you felt the need to kill them?" asked Karin. "We're supposed to be maintaining a low-profile."
Suigetsu sneered. "Are we, Miss Uzumaki?"
Karin stuck out her tongue but didn't say anything. No one knew Karin's real clan name. Suigetsu suspected she might have forgotten it too after her parents died. Naruto had told her, if she wanted, she could use Uzumaki as her clan name, since they were related, but this mission was the first time she had done so.
"What happened?" repeated Sasuke.
"They were missing-nin, four of them. They wanted to buy Karin, but their asking price was too low. It pissed me off, so I killed two, and two ran away," said Suigetsu looking away.
There was stunned silence from the rest of the room instead of the outcry Suigetsu was expecting. So, he looked back at the other members of Team Taka. Karin had gone pale. Her expression was caught between astonishment and horror. On the other hand, Sasuke was red with anger. There was killing rage in his eyes, and he had unconsciously activated his sharingan.
Suigetsu swallowed nervously. "That's basically what happened."
"They wanted to buy me?" asked Karin. Her voice squeaked in alarm.
"They've been kidnapping people with red-hair looking for descendants of the Uzumaki Clan," explained Suigetsu. "That's what the innkeeper told me anyway. They thought we were missing-nin and offered to buy Karin for some start-up money. Probably because as a kunoichi, she'd be too difficult to kidnap without an accomplice."
"And two ran away?" asked Sasuke. He had dismissed the sharingan but was still angry.
"Yeah," said Suigetsu. "I don't know if there were any more or not."
Sasuke pushed himself off the bed. "Get your stuff. We're leaving."
Suigetsu and Karin exchanged alarmed glances.
"But aren't we supposed to meet the Jugo and the ANBU squads at this inn?" asked Karin.
Sasuke grimaced. "If they were taking prisoners, then it means they probably left guards behind. I want to find them before they have time to regroup. We can meet the team from Konoha on the way. They won't be here until later."
In a matter of minutes, they had changed into their uniforms, assembled their gear, and after stopping to examine the dead bodies, which were depressingly lacking any useful information, they started to track the two remaining shinobi.
Between Karin's sensor-type abilities and Sasuke's tracking abilities, honed by the sharingan and advanced training with Kakashi, they found the missing-nin's hideout, a ridiculously clichéd cave, in short order.
"Six shinobi—one of them is inside the cave—and fourteen civilians," said Karin. "None of the shinobi could rank higher than chunin based on their chakra-reserves."
"Should be easy," said Suigetsu. "What do you want to do, boss?"
Sasuke shot him a look. "We need one alive to question."
Suigetsu scanned the group. "That one over there in the tan jacket. He actually had a brain in his head."
"Alright," said Sasuke. "Karin, secure that one."
Karin nodded. "Got it."
"You and me, boss?" asked Suigetsu.
Sasuke's voice was flat. "We'll kill the rest."
Suigetsu grinned. "Awesome."
In the end, it was decidedly less than awesome. Karin was able to secure the (relatively) intelligent shinobi with her chakra chains before knocking him out. The others were pathetic. Whatever meagre skills they might have possessed had deteriorated after so much time preying on civilians. The one that ran out to join the fight was even worse. He didn't even have the brain to grab one of the civilians as a hostage. Suigetsu didn't feel bad killing the missing-nin, but the fight was over too fast.
"Check on the prisoners, Suigetsu," said Sasuke.
Suigetsu snorted. Surely, Karin being an Uzumaki herself and a less threatening girl was a better choice. "Fine. Fine."
The swordsman sauntered into the cave. The entrance was a surprisingly large tunnel and the floor sloped away deep into the ground. Suigetsu could see a light gleaming from further inside. The bottom of the cave was flat, so didn't have to worry about tripping.
The end of the tunnel emerged into a small cavern. There was a lantern backed against a piece of mirror that provided illumination. In the dim light, Suigetsu could see the kidnap-victims. There were six adults, mostly middle-aged, though one was old enough to have gone completely grey. The rest were all kids. Only one old enough to be considered a teenager.
Suigetsu held back a bitter laugh. All of them were cuffed in chains rather than simple rope. He had seen much worse and had much worse done to him during his days with Orochimaru, but the sight still brought back strong memories. Still, it seemed excessive to use chains on civilians. Maybe some of their earlier captives had been shinobi.
There was a flash of movement in the corner of Suigetsu's eye. He took a step back and brought his right arm up to block.
Someone bit deep into his arm. If he hadn't so quickly, then it would have been his throat. Suigetsu let the limb liquefy slightly, and his attacker crashed to the ground with a cry.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" demanded Suigetsu as he solidified his arm.
"You can't keep us here. It's inhuman," shouted the man.
He charged again. This time Suigetsu was ready. It was simple enough to grab the man's head and hold him back. He had red hair, Suigetsu could see that much in the dim light, but his face didn't resemble Naruto's that much. The fierce, determine light in his eyes was the same though.
"At least, let my children go," screamed the man pushing with all his might against Suigetsu's grip. "Please!"
Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Idiot. We're rescuing you."
The man stopped struggling. "What?"
"I said, we're rescuing you dumbass," said Suigetsu. "Now sit down so I can get these chains off."
The man dropped to the ground stunned. Suigetsu nodded in satisfaction. When he looked up, thirteen other pairs of eyes were staring at him all wide with hope.
Suigetsu huffed and removed Kubikiribocho from its harness. There wasn't enough room for him to really swing. But he wouldn't need that much force against regular iron. After a few quick chops, the chains were broken enough for the whole group to head to the surface.
Suigetsu blinked as he emerged from the tunnel. It was nearing dusk, but the light was still much brighter than that of the lantern. Still, the change was enough that he missed it when Karin slugged him in the head.
"You idiot! Why did you break his hand?" she screeched.
Suigetsu put a hand to his head wincing. "What are you talking about?"
Karin pointed across the clearing. One of the prisoners was holding his bleeding hand and looking sheepish.
"I didn't do that," said Suigetsu.
"No, I did that to get out of the cuffs," said the man.
Suigetsu glared. "You're the one that bit me."
Karin and Sasuke both looked turned to stare at the man. He was much older than them in his late thirties or possible forties. His hair was a dark red and his face was thinner than either Naruto or Karin's, but there was still something about him that screamed Uzumaki.
"Sorry about that. I'm Maku Kyoya. Thank you for freeing me and my family," he said. "We're very grateful."
"You're all part of one family?" asked Karin in surprise.
"Yes, this my wife. My father. My little sister and her husband and our cousin. And all of our children," said Kyoya. "We run a trading caravan. We go all over."
It was easy for Suigetsu to identify which was which. Kyoya's siblings and cousin had red hair while the two who married in were dark-haired. The old man had gone grey quite some time ago. He looked weak, perhaps from his time in captivity, but it was possible that he was that old.
"But you're based in Land of Wind, right?" asked Sasuke.
Kyoya nodded. "That's right. How did you know?"
"You look like Gaara," said Sasuke. "Except older."
"Gaara?" asked Kyoya puzzled. "Wait, you mean the Kazekage?"
Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "You know anyone else named Gaara?"
"Hey, we're not shinobi," said Kyoya. "We're just civilians. People at our level don't even think of the Kazekage, much less remember his name. We don't even know why we were attacked in the first place."
Kyoya emphasized his point with a dramatic gesture. Unfortunately, he used his broken arm. Suigetsu rolled his eyes as the man dropped to the ground with a groan. There was a panicked cry from Kyoya's wife and children.
"Karin, we won't be able to move fast enough to meet with Jugo if he's injured," said Sasuke.
"Of course," said Karin.
She bounced over to Kyoya and stuck out her arm. "Bite me."
"What?" demanded Kyoya.
"If you bite me, I can cure your arm," said Karin. "And then we can go, so hurry up."
Kyoya looked suspicious. "You're kidding."
"Bite her arm and let's get going," said Suigetsu. "Those guys were selling you to someone, and we don't want to stick around."
"Will it really work?" asked Kyoya's wife. With her dark hair, pale skin and dark eyes, she was almost as pretty as Sasuke. Only the dust on her clothes and the calluses on her hands indicated she worked for a living.
"Of course, Maku-san," said Karin.
The wife shoved her husband's head at Karin's arm. "Do it."
Suigetsu held back a snicker. Kyouya was as whipped by his wife as Naruto was by Sakura. The swordsman glanced over the entrance to the cave one more time.
The bodies of the missing-nin had been sealed away by Sasuke and Karin as had their prisoner. It still looked like someone had been attacked here, but Team Taka was not concerned about leaving evidence behind in this case. The mess would also send a warning to the group trying to meet up with the kidnappers.
When Suigetsu looked back, Kyoya was standing and waving his arm in amazement. Three of the kids were crowding around him staring though one little girl was definitely watching Karin.
"Let's get going," said Sasuke. "We'll want to rendezvous with Jugo and the escort before they reach town."
"My father can't walk very fast," said Kyoya anxiously.
Karin scoffed. "I'll carry him. Obviously."
"But you're just a girl," protested Kyoya's cousin.
The three shinobi stared at him in disbelief. Suigetsu just shook his head. Civilians were idiots about this sort of thing. Always.
"She's a kunoichi who just healed my husband," said Kyouya's wife. "She's probably much stronger than us. Children hold hands. Walk in the middle."
Under the chiding direction of the clan matriarch, the small group got underway. Suigetsu was impressed by their stamina. Even the children were moving quickly after several days in a bad situation. Then again, most of them were of Uzumaki stock, which meant they had great stamina.
Luckily the kidnapper's hideout had been between the town and the road to Konoha, so they didn't need to walk very far. The missing-nin had probably scouted the cave because of its proximity to the main thoroughfare, so it would be more convenient to transport their living merchandise.
They reached the road without incident and had been walking away from the town toward the Land of Fire for about ten minutes when a man in a mask dropped out of a tree. A few of the children shrieked while the adults cursed, but they settled down when none of the shinobi acted alarmed.
"Who are they?" asked the ANBU. Suigetsu was pretty sure his design was Cicada. He also flashed a series of hand-signs to confirm their identity.
"Civilians kidnapped to sell to a group interested in the Uzumaki," said Sasuke while he formed the appropriate countersigns.
"You mean they were after us because of that?" demanded Kyoya. "My father was barely more than a child when Uzu was destroyed. We're not even shinobi."
"We'll meet up with the rest of our comrades and discuss it," said Sasuke coldly. "We don't want to stay on the road longer than we need to."
Suigetsu rolled his eyes and looked Karin. Rather than sighing fondly over Sasuke's cool demeanor, she actually looked worried. Well, she would have been the victim of an attempted kidnapping if Suigetsu hadn't killed those guys, so maybe it was to be expected.
Another five minutes of walking and they joined with the two ANBU teams and Jugo at a temporary campsite. Suigetsu smirked quietly at the joyful expression on the berserker's face when they came into to view. The way it suddenly switched to concern and panic at the sight of civilians was more alarming, but with Sasuke present there was no way for Jugo to go off on a rampage.
While Sasuke conferred with the ANBU, Suigetsu helped Karin distribute some of the ANBU's extra food and water rations to Kyoya and his family. Usually children made faces at the bland, dry taste of energy bars, but all of the kids wolfed theirs down as quickly as possible. Suigetsu envisioned a lot of vomiting children in the future and hoped they would go separate ways before then.
While the children were distracted, Kyoya approached Suigetsu. There was a grim look on his face.
"Shinobi-san," said Kyoya. "Will you tell us why those missing-nin captured us? We weren't the only people in our caravan, but the rest were killed when we were attacked. Surely slavers would want a larger group."
Suigetsu scowled. "Did we tell you already? Those guys were selling you because you're descended from the Uzumaki Clan."
"You said that, but I have a hard time believing it," protested Kyoya. "Who even keeps track of Uzumaki these days? My grandparents even changed their name when they fled Uzu after the war."
Suigetsu shrugged "We're looking for information about that ourselves. Do you think your father would know?"
Kyoya stared. "Know what? Why people are after us?"
"If there's any group that had a specific grudge against the Uzumaki," clarified Suigetsu. "There aren't many people left who remember what Uzu was like, so if your father remembers something. It could be helpful."
"Father's health has been poor," said Kyoya carefully. "Even before we were attacked. I don't know if he can tell you anything."
"It wouldn't hurt to try," said Sasuke appearing behind Suigetsu.
The swordsman concealed a flinch and glared at the last Uchiha. Just because he was the one the ANBU wanted to deal with didn't mean he was supposed to be super sneaky like them. Intimidation tactics pissed off Suigetsu when he wasn't the one using them.
"Karin," said Sasuke.
Karin nodded and approached the oldest member of the Maku family. He was sitting down just a little beyond his grandchildren with his daughter and nephew keeping an eye on him.
"Excuse me, grandfather," said Karin at her most polite. "You grew up in Uzushiogakure, right?"
The old man stared at her blankly. After a few laborious breaths, he said, "That's right."
"Do you remember anyone who particularly opposed the Uzumaki?" asked Karin.
The old man closed his eyes. His whole body shivered. Karin cast a worried look over her shoulder at Sasuke.
"If he doesn't remember anything, then we're no worse off than before," said Sasuke.
"Against the clock," sang the old man in a childish voice. "Out of time. Against the clock. Under the lock. Beware the hands of the backwards clock. Out of time. Under the lock. Against the clock."
He kept going until his throat dried out leaving the whole company to stare at him in shock. His daughter quickly shooed Karin aside, so she could give him more water.
"The hell was that?" demanded Suigetsu feeling distinctly unsettled. "It was creepy as fuck."
Next to him, Kyoya bowed slightly. "I apologize that we couldn't be more help."
"What are you apologizing for?" grumbled Suigetsu. "Like Sasuke said, we're not any worse off."
"Of course," said Kyoya, but he still looked concerned.
Suigetsu supposed that he had been hoping his father would know something. Surely, an enemy with a face was much less frightening than one without. At least Kyoya and his family had encountered real shinobi rather than those bizarre melting fakes that went after Karin. The kids didn't need to see anything like that.
"We'll be going our separate ways," said Sasuke.
"What?" asked Kyoya. His voice was loudest, but several of the children also cried out in alarm, and the other adults looked panicked.
"Team Cicada will guard you here overnight then escort you to a Konoha outpost on the other side of the border. After that, they will contact a Suna patrol to take you home," said Sasuke. "We'll continue with Team Wren to look for the buyers."
"I see," said Kyoya. "Thank you."
He bowed again more deeply this time. The rest of his family, from the smallest child to the old man, also stood and bowed in thanks.
Team Taka said their good-byes and led Team Wren back to the cave. There was nothing else to be found. No other shinobi had come to disturb the bodies, so Team Taka had probably eliminated all of the kidnappers. In the end, Team Wren decided to stay alone to confront the buyers, while Team Taka proceeded to the next town to look for more rumors. It was after dark but returning to their original inn would be foolish.
"You got to rescue that family," said Jugo as they made their way down the moonlit road. "That must be nice."
Suigetsu huffed. "The fight was boring. None of those guys were really skilled. That idiot Maku Kyoya gave me a harder time." Saving the family was nice, but he wasn't going to admit it.
"Hopefully this will give us the break we need, and we can track down this group hunting Uzumaki," said Sasuke.
Eying Karin, Suigetsu hoped Sasuke was right. Karin had agreed to be bait, but until now Suigetsu had forgotten what that meant. If they weren't careful, then Karin would be the one tied up in a cave waiting for who knew what sort of destiny.
Suigetsu wouldn't let that happen to her. Neither would Sasuke or Jugo. They were a team, and if they ran into trouble, Konoha would send help. Then these guys hunting the Uzumaki would be wiped out permanently. Keeping that cheerful thought in mind, Suigetsu walked confidently along with his team. Everything would be fine. No matter how many people he had to kill to make it so.