"Lord Kazekage," another voice called to him softly, just after Naruto and Hinata disappeared. Gaara recognized the Hokage's caretaker, and raised his hand to stop his troop.
"Thank goodness I found you," Shizune told them as she jogged over, "The Hokage needs to talk to you, and Lord Kankuro and Lady Temari right away."
"Hear that," the puppet user said, "Lord Kankuro."
Temari rolled her eyes at her younger brother.
"Can this wait until morning?" the blond Kunoichi yawned. But medical Jonin shook her head.
"She said to tell you this is an X-Rank situation."
Gaara raised an eyebrow, and then addressed his confused siblings.
"Take the others to our hotel, and join us as quickly as you can," he instructed them, then asked of Shizune, "We will be at your headquarters, correct?"
She nodded.
"Then lets go," he began to move, but she interrupted him.
"I found you by accident. I am here to bring back someone else," she countered regretfully, "Although if Lady Tsunade is correct, she should be here shortly."
Before she finished the statement, a young couple emerged from the Golden Shoe. The woman had waist length brown hair and dark, and almost navy blue eyes. The man was slightly taller with short blond hair and green eyes. The man jumped slightly when he saw the crowd in the street, but his girl just pulled him along.
"Anko Mitarashi," Shizune said, and the woman froze. Then she took another step.
"Give it up, Anko," the dark eyed doctor smirked, "I know it's you. The Hokage wants to see you, right now."
"Damn it," the serpentine shinobi dismissed her jutsu. Her normal appearance returned, though her red and purple gown remained, "Come on, Shizune."
"No Anko, now," the ranking Jonin said sharply.
"Alright," she groused, then whispered to her companion, "Sorry."
"You coming with us, dusty?" she asked Gaara. Though most of the Sand Ninja were shocked by her impertinence, the Kazekage was amused. He nodded.
"Then hurry up," Anko ordered, "And maybe I can get back before he falls asleep."
When they reached Konoha Ninja Ops, Shizune did not lead them up to the Hokage's office. Instead she led them down, underground. Three floors beneath the earth, they followed her into a small, darkened room. The first thing they noticed, before their eyes adjusted, was the large two-way mirror, and the four lit computer monitors. After they became accustomed to their dim surroundings, the Kazekage and Anko realized they were not alone. The Hokage and Kakashi Hatake were waiting for them.
Anko looked through the glass, curious as to what was going on. In the stark room on the other side were Ibiki Morino, and a young man she did not recognize. Probably eighteen or nineteen years old, he was wearing typical, if somewhat shabby ninja clothes, and a headband she could not quite make out due to the glare. His hands were in ninja manacles, and her wrists chained to the chair. Numerous ninja scrolls were wrapped around his arms and chest, connected to laptops. The whole setup was in the middle of an advanced Genjutsu seal.
"Why have you summoned me here?" Gaara asked. The minor rise in his normally flat voice indicated his intrigue.
"I'm not going to say," Tsunade told him. Anko started to protest but the Sannin cut her off.
"I don't want to color your opinions before you hear this. And I think we should wait for the Kazekage's advisors.
Both of the newcomers accepted this, Gaara graciously and Anko not so much. Shizune excused herself to wait for the other Sand Siblings.
"Alright, your audience is here," Ibiki told the young man, "Let's take it again, from the top."
"My name is Shin Busata, and I am a Genin of the True Hidden Sound Village," the youth shifted his head, and they could all see his headband now. It was an inverted half-note with a sharp symbol beside it.
"I have come here to request that the Hidden Leaf Village assist in the liberation of our village."
"What the hell is he talking about?" Kankuro demanded, just before Anko could express a similar sentiment. Though Shin could not hear them in the interrogation room, Ibiki received the question through his earpiece. The scarred ninja relayed it to the petitioner, though more politely.
"I suppose it will be easier to understand if I explain the history of the Hidden Sound," the self-proclaimed Sound Ninja offered, "Because, you see, the Otogakure was not originally the brain child of Orochimaru. Though he helped them to build it, that village was the dream of two other shinobi. My parents."
"My mother was born in the Village Hidden in the Mist, the daughter of a wealthy textile magnate. She became a ninja, against her father's wishes. Though he could not prevent her from becoming a Genin, he blocked her attempts to find a teacher after graduation. She was eventually able to find a Jonin who was above her father's influence or bribery. But it was not enough, because my grandfather was able to use his power over the tenth Mizukage to thwart her attempts to take the Chunin Exam. In time she grew frustrated, and plotted to leave her home. She was able to make use of some less scrupulous Jonin, and faked a decommissioning. Thus, she was able to leave the Kirigakure with all of her abilities, but without being labeled a rogue Ninja."
"My father would be known to you. Jiro Busata was a Chunin from this village," the young man continued, "He was a medical specialist, and thought Shinobi should be researching more simple and mundane jutsu to help civilians in everyday life. His team was sent on a mission to remove a bandit clan from the Land of Rice. But either the feudal lord lied, or he simply undervalued the rogues, because my father's two teammates were killed, and he was left for dead, with a wakizashi broken off in his right lung."
"That was when my mother found him. Though she was not an expert healer, she knew enough to keep him alive, long enough for him to teach her the techniques she needed to save him. It was very close, and she spent months nursing him back to health. They fell in love, and shared their mutual desire for a more open spread of knowledge. That was the genesis of the Village Hidden in the Sound. Not a military outpost, but instead a ninja college. A place where any jutsu would be taught to any person who offered equal compensation in knowledge or money."
"Soon after my father recovered, and they were married; my parents met Orochimaru. They did not know he was exiled, they just knew that he was a living legend. And he shared their love of knowledge. So they entrusted him with their vision, and he offered to help them. Emboldened by their new ally, my parents began to gather scrolls and books of Ninjutsu, and to consult with retired ninja and honorable rogues. But they still lacked for two things..."
"Soon after I was born my grandfather died, leaving everything to his only surviving family member. My mother returned to the Hidden Mist for the time in years. But she only remained long enough to empty her bank accounts, and sell off her companies. Now my parents had the money they needed. When they met up with Orochimaru again, he had acquired the other resource they lacked, a location."
"As they began to build their village, they were blinded to the Serpent's darkness. While they recruited learned masters, and talented beginners, Orochimaru recruited anyone who would agree to follow him. While my parents followed the edicts of the Council of Shadows, Orochimaru readily practiced forbidden jutsu. While they focused on gaining knowledge, he accepted any mission that was offered."
"Seven years ago, they could no longer deny what was happening. Orochimaru had joined with the Akatsuki, a group known to them. Sound Ninja had been accused of assassinations in the Lands of Earth and Fire. They went to confront Orochimaru, even though they were no match for him. And he killed them."
He paused for a second, "My mother knew they would die. She warned me, never to oppose Orochimaru. She said I should keep our people safe, and to wait."
"And now the time I have waited for is come. Orochimaru is dead, and Kabuto Yakushi has taken control of my parent's village. But many of those who remained neutral out of out of fear of Orochimaru now side with the True Sound. And some of those who were loyal to the Serpent will not follow his apprentice."
"However, we are not strong enough on our own. Orochimaru taught his followers more advanced killing techniques, and would not send us on missions. So even though our numbers are now equal, or even greater, we are in general weaker and less experienced. But with the help of the Hidden Leaf Village, we can defeat our mutual enemy."
"What does he suggest?" Gaara asked. Again, Morino relayed the question.
"We wish to hire Leaf Shinobi to eliminate Kabuto and his strongest soldiers," the Shin explained, "Though we may not have all of the funds needed to pay for such a mission, we are also willing to offer access to our libraries, for free, for one year, once the mission is complete."
"Well?" Tsunade asked Anko and the Sand Ninja.
"It's a trap," Anko insisted incredulously, "I can't believe you're buying this load of bullshit."
"With the Honesty Genjutsu, plus all those detection scrolls, it is unlikely he could lie," Temari countered, "In such a long speech, he should have tripped up at some point."
"Also, this fits with some of the of the questions and inconsistencies we had noticed about the Hidden Sound Village. Why would Orochimaru build a village? It's not in his character," Kakashi pointed out, "And where did he get the money?"
"We investigated his story," Shizune added, "His mother, Hana Aino, was a Hidden Mist ninja, until she retired at age sixteen. And she did inherit a substantial fortune when her father died. And as for his father..."
"I knew Jiro Busata," Tsunade interrupted, "He was always going on about how we should teach civilians simple jutsu to make their lives easier. The kid looks a lot like him. Of course, it would be nice if we could do a DNA test, but the blood types match up."
"Fine," the purple-haired Kunoichi snapped, "So maybe that part of it is true. But that doesn't change the fact that the most important part is a lie, and that makes this a trap."
"What do you mean?" Gaara's tone was, as always, even.
"OROCHIMARU ISN"T DEAD," she shouted. She down the zipper of her gown, and nearly ripped the fabric as she yanked it down. She did not care that she was exposing herself to them, as she turned to show them the livid black mark where her neck met her shoulder.
"If Orochimaru were dead, I would finally be free of him, free of this curse!" she told them, "I was told the only way this seal would go away was if Orochimaru removed it, or if he died. It's still there, still burning every second of every day. So that bastard can't be dead."
"Anko," Shizune said softly, "We don't know for sure that Orochimaru's death will remove the curse mark. That's just speculation. We don't know enough to be sure."
"More likely," the Hokage interrupted, "Even after the snake dies, it will take weeks, or even months to fade away."
Anko glared at Kankuro, who was staring at her mostly uncovered chest. Only after he noticed her, and looked away, did she put her dress back into place.
"I don't buy it," she said, slightly less vehemently.
"We have reports to support that," Kakashi handed her a dossier, "During the incident with the vampire, Naruto told Sasuke about Orochimaru and Itachi's past. Afterwards, Sasuke took almost ten days to make a journey that should have taken two. He was in the Sound hideout for just over three hours, and left with two of Orochimaru's strongest young recruits. Orochimaru has not been seen since, and Kabuto has been issuing orders that are contrary to Orochimaru's previous plans."
"All part of the plot," Anko's voice told them she knew she was reaching.
"Then why involve us," Temari asked, ignoring the Leaf Jonin's argument.
"Two reasons," the Hokage smirked, "The first is simple survival."
"I have considered the possibility that this is a trap. That kid's plan calls for eight teams, give or take," she told them, "But if instead the Leaf and Sand each send six teams, we'll have fifty percent more people on the ground, with less risk to either village. That gives us a better chance either to escape if it is a trap, or to win if this is real. Plus for the second part of his plan, with shinobi from both of our villages making use of their facilities, they will have better support to solidify their control of the village."
Kankuro and Anko both displayed a small surprise, not having realized the full reason for Busata's offer.
"That is why you called this an X-Rank mission," Gaara observed.
"That term again," Kankuro frowned, "What's an X-Rank mission?"
The Kazekage looked at the Hokage, who shrugged back.
"It is a special designation of the Council of Shadows," he explained to his siblings, "A level beyond S-Rank. X-Rank missions are missions that require the direct action of one of the five Kage, or the combined power of two or more Hidden Villages."
Temari nodded her understanding.
"The second reason," Tsunade resumed, growing somber, "Is the intelligence Gaara provided me with; the fact that Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Kabuto were present in the Sunagakure when the fourth Kazekage and his advisors were murdered. Kimimaro is long dead, and now it seems Orochimaru is gone."
She looked directly at Gaara, "Kabuto is your last chance at any kind of justice or revenge."
Gaara nodded, and his sister shuddered, recognizing the dark, hateful gleam in his pale blue eyes.
"I presume the intent is to mask the attack behind the Chunin Exam," the leader of the Hidden Sand said evenly.
"Yeah, with their participating teams in the Land of Water, it gives us that much more of an advantage."
"Then we had better start planning," Gaara stated.
"Ibiki, bring our guest to Map Room number one," Tsunade instructed over the microphone, so Shin could hear her, "but for now, let's leave the manacles on."
The Tokubetsu Jonin nodded, and began to disconnect the lie detectors.