"My god..."
Sora had long since fled the battlefield, but not before promising that she would return to finish what she started. Preceding her departure was chaos and mass destruction, as well as a heavy loss of life in both the Uchiha and Senju ranks.
The time had come for the two opposing sides to come together and discuss any further plans, but before they could do that, they had to deal with their dead.
"I hope you understand that we can't take your people with us," said Tsunade to Fugaku as the pair watched their respective shinobi begin to tend to their comrades.
"We weren't asking you to."
Tsunade scowled at Fugaku's cold voice, and not too long after they were joined by Sasuke and Itachi. As they did, the Hokage received intel on her earpiece, and turned her attention away from the gathered Uchiha.
"Come in, Tsunade-sama."
"Gaara. Sora has fled, and I'm sending my troops back now. Over."
"Got it. And what about the Uchiha? Over."
"We've got the leaders here wishing to hold a meeting. Do we have permission to bring them back to the village? Over."
"How many people are we talking about? Over."
"Three."
"That's fine. See you soon. Over."
Tsunade sighed as she finished her conversation with Gaara, and looked warily at her foes.
"This is as far as your troops can go," she instructed Fugaku, pointing to the Uchiha shinobi who were dealing with their friends. "Only you and your sons may proceed to the village with us. That being said, you're going to be under strict surveillance, so I strongly discourage any of you from making any rash decisions."
"Of course. Why don't you lead the way?"
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at Fugaku, Tsunade turned on her heel and began making her way down, being joined shortly after by Kakashi, Neji and Hinata. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.
"Hinata, where has that idiot gone off to?" asked Tsunade as the Hyūga joined her at the front. Kakashi and Neji fell to the back of the group, keeping their eyes on the three Uchiha walking before them.
"I-I'm not sure, Tsunade-sama," said Hinata in a timid voice, not knowing herself. "I last saw him heading back to the village a while ago. I think he was helping transport the bodies back."
"Well, make sure he doesn't make a surprise entrance during our forum," said Tsunade under her breath, careful to make sure that their guests couldn't hear her. "Gaara and I have many things to discuss with them."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
***
Sitting boredly in her room with none other than Shibuki as her guard, Kannon stared glumly out of her window. Hours had passed since Gaara had left her, and yet she hadn't heard back from him.
"Do you want to play a board game?"
The Kurotsuki raised an eyebrow at the former prison guard's sudden words, and turned around to see him walking into the room with a stack of board games in his arms. He grinned as he made his way towards Kannon on the balcony and set them down on the table in front of her, making her snort at his childishness.
"Really, Shibuki? A time like this, and you want to play board games?"
The young guard pouted as Kannon teased him, and sat down across from her.
"Look, my instructions were to keep you here, and to keep you happy," he said forlornly, looking down at the village. It was a ghost town. "What else are we supposed to do?"
"I'm perfectly content just sitting here," shrugged Kannon, to which Shibuki sighed and lay his head down on the table, adjusting his earpiece so that he could lie more comfortably.
"It's so boring," he complained. "At least at the prison I could have fun! The prisoners were so entertaining. Babysitting you is as boring as being a lifeguard at a professional swimmers' relay."
"Are you saying I'm boring?" scoffed Kannon, making Shibuki groan loudly.
"No," he chimed. "You're an invalid, so you have an excuse. No doubt if you were in tip top fighting form we'd both be out there kicking ass."
"Amen to that."
A peaceful silence fell between the pair, and then Shibuki's earpiece received a call. As soon as he and Kannon heard it, they both sat up straight, with the guard fumbling to answer it in time.
"Shibuki speaking. Over," he said with a little excitement, eager to hear what was coming through.
"I need you to bring Kannon to my office," came Gaara's voice, clear as day. Kannon let out a little sigh of relief- he was still alive. "Use the wheelchair in the corner of the room to bring her over. I don't want her walking the distance. Over."
"Understood. Shibuki out. I mean, over. Kazekage-sama."
Staring incredulously at the guard's words, Kannon laughed at the goofy look on his face.
"Yes! Come on, let's goooooo!"
"I really don't need a wheelchair," said Kannon as she slowly lifted herself out of her seat. It was a mission, but once she was standing, she steadily made her way towards her room. Standing nearby in case she needed support, Shibuki guided Kannon towards her designated wheelchair, helping her sit down before wheeling her out.
"I know, but I have to follow the Kazekage's orders," said Shibuki.
Their journey to the Kazekage's office was a short one, and once they had reached it, Shibuki parked Kannon right in front of the closed door.
"Thank you, Shibuki," she said softly as she struggled to get up. The young guard helped her up, and when she was standing, she knocked on the door. A few seconds later it was flung open, revealing a battle weary Gaara.
"Shibuki, they need some help out by the front gate," instructed the Kazekage. Shibuki bowed in understanding.
"Understood, Kazekage-sama."
"Don't you mean... 'Shibuki out'?" mused the Kazekage, making Shibuki sweatdrop.
"I, uh... I was a bit excited then, Kazekage-sama..."
"That's fine. Shibuki out."
Gaara snickered as the shinobi let out a little laugh before shooting off, leaving him with Kannon, who was leaning against the door frame for support.
"Why are you standing?" he scolded, although was put back in his place when the Kurotsuki pushed past him and made her way into his office.
"So, how did it- what?"
Kannon stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Sasuke sitting at the meeting table, who was joined by two other dark haired men. Across from them were Tsunade, Kakashi and Baki, none of whom looked too pleased with the situation. Well, Tsunade and Baki didn't look too pleased. She couldn't tell what Kakashi looked like under his mask. She just assumed.
"Surprise! The Uchiha have agreed to put aside their differences for the time being, so that we can deal with Sora."
Gaara gently linked his arm with Kannon's as he guided her to the table, pulling out her seat between him and Baki. She shot wary looks at the three Uchiha as she settled in, suspicious already.
"Well, well, well. Sasuke, you look so different when you're not in that orange jumpsuit."
Kannon snickered as said Uchiha shot her a dark glare, making Gaara sigh.
"Very funny."
Tsunade tapped the table, gathering everyone's attention before she could speak.
"Now that we're all here, let's discuss things. Originally..."
As the Hokage spoke, Kannon's train of thought trailed off, and she found herself analysing everyone's appearance. If there was one thing they had in common, it was that war torn look. Aside from Baki, the others had cuts and bruises, and some had singed hair. Their clothes were all dirty and almost torn, while their hair looked equally messed up.
"... right, Kannon?"
Kannon blinked as everyone focused on her, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Right," she said straight away.
"Sora has made it clear that she plans on returning to the village," continued Tsunade. Kannon let out a breath of relief as the spotlight moved away from her, and made sure that she paid attention now. "We can't be sure that we'll have more opportunities after this one to take her down, so it has to be done now. Kannon?"
Damn it, Tsunade!
As everyone looked back to the Kurotsuki, she cleared her throat and piped up.
"Um, yeah," she said with a small shrug. She did everything in her power to avoid making eye contact with Sasuke, who looked like he was ready to murder someone. "You guys are from the Uchiha clan, am I right?"
"Yes." The man with the long hair answered on behalf of his apparent colleagues. Kannon cleared her throat.
"Um... you wouldn't know how our clans took down Sora, by any chance?" she asked in a skeptical voice, wanting to hear from them before she explained how everything was going to go down.
"Not that I'm aware of, no. Sasuke tells us you know the way, though."
"I was just asking to see if there were any other ideas," said Kannon defensively. The man with the long hair nodded at her to continue. "Okay, so... wow, sorry, I didn't expect everything to fall into place like this. So, when Sora was first taken down, the four clans- Uzumaki, Senju, Uchiha and Kurotsuki- split up into two teams. The Uchiha and Kurotsuki worked together to wear Sora down. They combined their strength to knock her around for a bit, and weakened her enough for the Uzumaki and Senju to step in.
"Once the Kurotsuki and Uchiha brought Sora down, the other two clans leapt in at the opportunity and began her binding and extraction. The Senju held her down while the Uzumaki completed the extraction, sealing away her chakra. However, since she wasn't a human being, she was still pretty much alive even with the chakra taken away from her. At that point, the Uzumaki then sealed away her spirit, because they didn't want it to escape and cause a ruckus somewhere else. We destroyed her body along the way."
"So do we just do things the exact same way?" asked the long haired man. Kannon shook her head.
"No... the thing is, since Sora is in a human body now, she's as vulnerable as a human is. Meaning, she's not immortal, and the best thing for us to do is leave her spirit in that human body. When the body dies..."
"... Sora dies. Right."
At the mention of the body dying, Sasuke stood up.
"We have to kill Tera to get rid of this bitch?" he exclaimed, taking everyone except Kannon by surprise.
"Tera?" asked the older man in a skeptical voice, looking up at his son with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, assuming that removing one's chakra will kill you, then yes," replied Kannon in a small voice, throwing Sasuke into a rage. She winced as he inadvertently activated his Sharingan, but before she could say or do anything, she found herself surrounded by a wall of sand.
"Sasuke!" She heard the long haired man scolding the Uchiha. "We're here on peaceful terms! Sit back down!"
"Be angry all you want, but you won't lay a hand on Kannon," came Gaara's cold voice, making Kannon's heart flutter.
Ah. So it's Gaara.
Staring at her protective wall of sand, Kannon gingerly raised her good arm, waving to get everyone's attention.
"Oh- sorry." The sand dispersed back into the gourd Gaara was carrying, and Kannon cleared her throat as she continued.
"It's that straightforward, huh?" asked the older man, who was still shooting Sasuke fishy looks. He had since simmered down, and was sitting down crossly with his arms folded across his chest.
"Yeah, but... the only Uzumaki we have is Naruto, and in terms of sealing abilities... uh..."
The older man raised an eyebrow at the mention of Naruto's name, and beside him, the man with the long hair snickered under his breath.
"Don't count us out quite yet," said the old man. "It just so happens that we have an Uzumaki who is skilled in sealing. Right, Itachi?"
"Yup. We have one."
Kannon pursed her lips, genuinely surprised by this revelation.
"Karin."
It was Sasuke who spoke next, and Kannon felt Gaara tense up beside her as he did.
"Oh- it's a woman?"
"She's the head doctor for the project," said Sasuke bitterly, shooting Kannon a look of pure disdain. "She delivered Ayumi."
"Oh- nice," said Kannon weakly, unsure of how to take the Uchiha's words. The man named Itachi sighed, and the older man looked curious.
"Just so it's equal, we'll fill the Uzumaki and Uchiha spots, hm?" said the older man, tapping his fingers on the table top. "It wouldn't be fair if we let you put that buffoon Naruto in charge of the sealing. Nor would it be beneficial to any of us."
"He's not a buffoon, he's just not skilled in sealing," shot back Kannon, offended for her friend. "Naruto is an amazing ninja!"
"He's also a traitor, but I guess for the sake of peace, we'll forget about that, won't we?" snarled the man, slamming his fist down onto the table. Rubbing her temples, Tsunade shook her head at the incensed Uchiha. First Sasuke, now Fugaku. She could only hope that Itachi would remain the sane one.
"Look. Our clans have to work together, but we need one representative from each clan to lead the way," she said, cutting off any arguments before they could begin. "Naturally, I'm Senju. Kannon, are you okay with being the second representative? Does it have to be you?"
"Well, not necessarily, but I would prefer it..."
"If you're still in your present state, then I'm putting Kakashi in your place. Agreed?"
Kannon sighed as the Hatake nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Taking charge of the meeting once more, Tsunade glanced at the trio of Uchiha, only one of whom she believed to be a suitable candidate.
"Itachi, I trust you'll represent your clan well."
"Woah, woah, woah, you think you get the right to choose?" snapped Fugaku, igniting even more fury.
"Neither you nor Sasuke are suitable for the role!" argued Tsunade. "If you have a problem with that, then I strongly suggest that you leave now."
Sasuke looked at his father, waiting for him to up and leave. However, he didn't. And that surprised Sasuke.
"Fine. Itachi and Karin it is."
Although Sasuke was taken aback by his father actually listening to what Tsunade had said, Itachi looked rather calm.
"I look forward to working with you," said Itachi, nodding at Kannon. "And even if we don't end up working together, I'm sure working with Kakashi will be just as fine. Though I must say, I'd choose working with a beautiful woman over him any day."
"Ha ha, very funny," said Kakashi dryly. Kannon saw Gaara ball his hands up into fists under the table, and without letting anyone know, she reached over and patted his thigh reassuringly.
"Thanks," she said eloquently. "You're not too bad yourself."
"Enough with the flirting," scowled Fugaku, getting to his feet. "My men and I will be setting up camp outside of your village. You won't have to worry about any sneak attacks or anything. We won't be dealing with you until this menace is gone."
"At least for the time being, we can be allies," said Kakashi. Sasuke and Itachi followed their father's leave, rising and making their ways away from the table.
"Don't get used to it."
Before following his brother and father out, Sasuke shot Kannon one last cold, livid glare.
If there was anyone he wanted to blame, it was her.
The three exited the room, and much to Kannon's surprise, it sounded like Baki let out a loud breath of relief.
"Why didn't you guys speak?" Kannon asked the two Suna nin.
"Because it's none of our business. Sadly, we're only your mediators," said Baki, standing up and shaking the front of his robes. "Kazekage-sama, I'll be down at the gates helping bring everyone in. Please join us when you can."
"I will."
With that, the councilman took his leave, and Kannon looked over at Tsunade and Kakashi.
"How long do you think it'll be before Sora returns?" she asked, feeling much more relieved that the Uchiha had left.
"No one knows. She could be back tomorrow, for all we know. You must realise that it's highly unlikely that you'll be fit for battle by the time she returns. Can you give us a more in depth description of how we're meant to take on Sora? Do you really think four individuals can take down Sora on their own?"
Kannon frowned as she tried to remember her memory, tapping her head as she did so.
"No... each representative led their own team," she said slowly. "But those representatives are the ones who delivered the final blow. If I remember correctly, only the sealer worked alone. But everyone else had people around to help them, and whenever one got tired or injured, they were switched out and replaced."
"So instead of everyone going up on Sora at once, you think it's better if we concentrate our forces and move in rotations?"
"Instead of everyone individually attacking her and then losing momentum, if we can keep the force going on her at full strength, no doubt she'll be worn down eventually," said Kannon with a thoughtful look. "And that way, we can minimise the risk of losing shinobi."
"I see." With that, Tsunade turned to Gaara. "That being said, Gaara. Are you in, or not?"
Gaara frowned at the thought. He had already faced losses from dealing with Sora, but it was nowhere near as bad as the Hokage's losses. Her already dwindling numbers had been cut down even more as a result of the attack, and he knew she lacked the manpower to handle the Uchiha if they were successful in taking down Sora.
"We'll be on standby," he said. "If you need us, we'll be right there."
"Much appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to go check up on my soldiers."
Getting to her feet, Tsunade bade everyone goodbye before she left, promptly followed by Kakashi.
"I guess I shouldn't hold you back, then," said Kannon softly, looking over at Gaara. "Hey, thank you for that."
"When I said I wouldn't let Sora touch you, I also meant to say that I wouldn't let anyone touch you," he murmured quietly. Kannon nodded.
"Thank you."
"That being said, I need to go check up on my own forces. Do you want to come? Or do you want to go back to your room?"
"Ugh, please let me come with you!" cried Kannon, throwing back her head in exasperation. "My room is so boring! Not even Shibuki could help!"
"I figured," chuckled the Kazekage, holding out his arm for Kannon to hold onto as she stood up. Although he was glad that she was fine, he was more disgruntled about not having dealt with Sora this time around. If Kannon did get better and stronger, she would get her way and he wouldn't be able to intervene. The last thing he wanted was for her to have to take down her own friend, but at this point in time, it seemed inevitable.
"You know, Kannon, how do you really feel about tackling Tera?"
Gaara asked the hobbling Kurotsuki as he helped her back to her wheelchair in the corridor, holding her tightly.
"It doesn't matter what I feel," she said softly, squeezing the Kazekage's hand. "It's a necessity. What I feel isn't important."
She patted Gaara's arm as she made it to the door, and limped her way across the hallway to her wheelchair.
"Come on, slow poke! Am I pushing myself to the gate?"