Chapter Eight
Title: A Leaf in the Wind Country
Pairing: Gaara/Sasuke eventually.
Warnings: Fairly AU after Gaara’s abduction by Akatsuki, many of the things from the manga are the same, some are not. For one, Gaara still has Shukaku.
Summary: Sasuke has accomplished his goal, Itachi is dead, but instead of returning to Konoha, he turns to the Kazekage of Sunagakure. But why? Is there a new threat to the villages of Sand and Leaf?
Link to previous chapters.
Onto fic.
Author's Note:
Question from Parimonylaw: Hi, I really like your story, and I have a question for you, if you don't mind: If Kadu have ties with Akatsuki, he must at least had hear about Uchiha Itachi... I find careless and absent-minded that Sasuke let slip that he is also an Uchiha, not thinking that Kadu could perfectly came to the conclusion that they are related somewhat and that would lead to the discovery of his facade and plans. Even if Itachi is dead. Is all part of the plot?
Answer: That's actually going to be addressed in the plot, but I'm glad you asked. I will say that Sasuke can't exactly conceal who he is, even if he and Gaara had tried to lie about his identity from the start, there are people in Suna who would recognize Sasuke and KNOW Gaara knew his identity. That would cause a lot of uncomfortable questions and suspicions; both for Sasuke and for Gaara (such as "Why is the Kazekage concealing this foreign ninja's identity? We all know he's that Uchiha from Konoha and they fought together in the Chuunin exams when we attacked Hidden Leaf." or "Did Uchiha use Sharingan on Gaara? Is the Kazekage being manipulated? Controlled?") Even if they had lied only to Lord Shin (or simply attempted to not mention Sasuke was an Uchiha) they have NO IDEA who Kadu's spies are and what information Shin will be getting from those spies.
So the best way to alleviate suspicions would be to be to act "normally". Normally, in this case, being that Sasuke is supposedly now working for Gaara, and both have no idea Kadu is anything more then a powerful Lord of Wind Country. In that case, why would Sasuke hide his identity? There would be no reason for him to lie to Kadu, unless he distrusted Kadu (more then usual shinobi paranoia at least). And if he showed evidence of distrusting Kadu, Kadu would have to ask himself “Why does he distrust me?” and that’s the question Gaara and Sasuke really, really don’t want Kadu asking himself.
Part Eight: Playing Parts
Shin had one of his body guards arrange dinner and the night’s entertainment. Sasuke accompanied the Lord as befitted his role of part companion part body guard-The second role was more traditional. Leaving aside the fact that Sasuke would rather kill Kadu then protect him, the Lord’s own body guards were his real protection, Sasuke’s role was more for formality, a symbolic gesture from the Kazekage that even in Suna, Gaara was looking out for Shin. It almost made Sasuke smirk, though he was the only one who would appreciate just how much Gaara was looking out for Kadu-Specifically looking out for the knife Kadu might try to twist into his back.
Kadu had reservations at one of Suna’s more expensive restaurants-It was a place frequented by the upper crust of Sunagakure, clan heads, council members, and the richer civilians. Sasuke’s share of any expenses would be paid for by the Suna government, as it was considered another part of his role to entertain the visiting dignitary, and entertainment included playing dinner companion.
Sasuke remained himself during the dinner with Kadu; he acted neither overly cold nor was he overly polite-his personality just wouldn’t let him put on the diplomatically polite mask of false friendliness. Kadu showed no signs of being offended by Sasuke’s abrasiveness, in fact the first time Sasuke replied to one of his comments a little acidly, Kadu had laughed.
“It’s good to see youngsters that aren’t afraid to show some backbone to a venerable old man.” He’d said amiably. “One gets tired of sycophants after a while. Especially at my age. I admire a young man with a spine; young Temari just as fiery, though she shows a feminine discretion that does her credit. But we are men, it is not so unbecoming for us to speak our minds.” Shin had sipped his wine, eyes turning up at the corners as he smiled. “I’m sure you’ve met Temari? Yes. Of course. You might think of courting her, you would make a handsome couple.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Kadu laughed again. “What if I am? I’m quite fond of the girl, and I think I might become fond of you as well. We older folk like to meddle in the lives of you young ones, especially in matters of love. It comes from boredom; once you get to my age you’ll understand.”
Sasuke highly doubted Kadu ever suffered from boredom, not with the intricate extent of his power networking. “All the same I’ll pass. I’d rather not get on the bad side of a powerful kunoichi, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Ahh well, if you say so.” Kadu’s eyes twinkled merrily behind his spectacles. “Or is it perhaps that you already have someone special?”
“Not really, I have more important things to concern me then romance.”
“More important then romance? My dear boy what do they feed you young shinobi? Not to boast, but I was quite a ladies man at your age; what could possibly be more interesting then romance for a healthy young man?”
“Romantic ideas can get you killed as a shinobi. I want to advance my rank and standing, not die in a mission because I was distracted by thoughts of a woman.” Sasuke shrugged, sipping his own tea. “Our wits are our biggest asset; as far as I have observed romance is the antithesis to clear thinking.”
“Ah. Ambitious. Ambition is another healthy outlet I suppose, but it saddens me to see such a fine young man speak in such a jaded way. But then, I do not live the life of a shinobi. I will pray that someday your mind will be persuaded by the romantic. Being too serious isn’t healthy for a young man either; everyone needs to relax.”
Again Sasuke had to suppress a wry smirk. From what he knew of Shin the man never relaxed his guard. The entire conversation was likely a way of sounding out Sasuke. The irony was not lost on the Uchiha. “I’ll take that under advisement Lord Kadu.” He replied, face neutral.
“That is your polite way of telling me you disagree. Very well, I see you are a driven man, I will respect that.” Kadu leaned back in his chair smiling. “So I will simply pry in a different direction. How are you liking Suna? Coming from the Fire Country I imagine the climate and customs are all a bit alien to you.”
“… It’s hot.”
Kadu gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “I cannot fault your most astute observations, dear boy. It is, indeed, hot here.”
Sasuke allowed a small smirk. “It’s different, yes. The Kazekage is much… Younger then the Hokage. That itself makes the place different.”
Shin tilted his head, still smiling, but the light reflected off his glasses in a way that reminded Sasuke of Kabuto. “Indeed, our Kazekage is young, but he is strong, and has proven himself quite resourceful for his age. We all expect great things of him.”
Sasuke just shrugged in reply.
“Ah, perhaps I am making you uncomfortable; let us talk of less personal things. I have plenty of time to play the nosey old man, hmm? The play isn’t for another hour, and we’ll be spending plenty of time together. Tell me, do you play shogi?”
Kadu had a private booth in the Suna theatre. He was joined before the performance by two members of the Sunagakure government council, whom he greeted and chatted with while they waited for the performance to begin. Sasuke noted their faces, memorizing the conversation as he feigned interest in the play program. When the lights dimmed for the performance one of the men left, the other stayed to watch the show with Kadu. Sasuke watched Kadu and the councilor discreetly, but both men showed nothing more then interest in the show.
The play was some classical tragedy; Sasuke automatically followed the plot and observed the acting with disinterest, in case Kadu wanted to discuss it later. His main attention was divided between the two men in the both and the body guards outside of it. One of them had discreetly followed the councilor that had left-Yamasaki-and he hoped Kankurou was out there and watching, because he had no excuse to leave and find out why one of Shin’s body guards had business with a council member of Suna.
Gaara arrived at intermission, taking the seat formerly occupied by the second council member. The Kazekage didn’t engage in much conversation between the two, but he also ignored Sasuke, which left Sasuke free to observe all three. As far as he could tell Gaara was fairly bored by the play, though he doubted anyone who wasn’t Gaara’s siblings would have been able to tell. At the end of the performance Kadu invited the councilor- Kuramoto Yoshiki-and Gaara to join him for tea. Both accepted the offer, and Sasuke informed them that he would retire for the night.
He left in the direction of the Jounin barracks when they parted outside the play house, but doubled back and followed the three men and two body guards back to the hotel. He waited, watching, until Kuramoto exited the building, not long after Kuramoto left, another figure exited, one of Kadu’s bodyguards. Sasuke was already suppressing his chakra, but he damped it further before following the two. He didn’t have to go far before he saw the bodyguard hand Kuramoto his coat, but he knew there would be some sort of correspondence in that garment. He tailed the councilor back to his compound; Kuramoto Yoshiki was one of the key members of Suna’s conservative faction, if he remembered correctly. All he needed was a glance at the correspondence before the councilor read it, likely it would be destroyed after that. Sneaking into the compound was simple enough, the guards were few and relaxed, Suna was their home, and aside from the usual political maneuverings, it was a generally peaceful time for the village.
Sasuke attached himself to the ceiling of the office and waited tensely as Kuramoto went about preparing for bed. The coat was draped over the desk chair, and the councilor began making himself a drink. It seemed to be a small age before the councilor left the room. Not sure how long he’d have, Sasuke dropped down and quickly hunted through the council member’s cloak. He found some random odds and ends, and a dinner invitation from Kadu that Sasuke could not recall the Lord giving Kuramoto. Scanning it with his Sharingan to make sure he could reproduce every detail, Sasuke quickly replaced everything and arranged the coat as it had been.
He had barely slipped out the window when the councilor returned to the room. Sasuke froze, still partially visible if Kuramoto wanted to look out the window; in the darkness if he stayed still and the councilor wasn’t really looking, he might be missed, but if he moved the movement might draw his target’s attention.
It made Sasuke’s shoulders itch with tension to have to stay frozen in such an obvious location, but he dared not move. After half an hour of listening to the sounds in Kuramoto’s room, Sasuke smelled something burning, and then the lights dimmed. The squeak of the office door prompted Sasuke to drop quickly into the darkened yard and make his way stealthily to the Suna government building.
Gaara was waiting in his office when Sasuke arrived. The Kazekage didn’t say a thing as Sasuke hunted up paper and pen and then sat to write. As Sasuke reproduced the dinner invitation, down to every scratch and squiggle, the Uchiha reported his observations. Gaara didn’t comment but he did listen intently. When Sasuke was done he handed the paper to Gaara, who scanned it.
“I suspect it’s code, I think Kuramoto burned the letter after he read it. I could attempt to crack it tonight if you wish.”
“No, you need to sleep. I’ll be relieving Kankurou’s watch soon. I can decipher this while I observe Kadu.”
“Alright. Goodnight.” Sasuke stood and left the Kazekage studying the letter.
For the next few days Sasuke’s routine was more or less the same. Sasuke accompanied Shin during the day, entertained the Lord or watched who he interacted with, left at night, reported to Gaara , and then went to bed. He was beginning to get a feel for who might be in Kadu’s confidence and who might just be an influential acquaintance. Kuramoto and Yamasaki were Sasuke’s top suspects as being neck deep in Kadu’s plots. There were three others, two older Jounin and a Chuunin, that often visited Kadu or found excuses to bump into the lord. Sasuke pegged those three as likely spies.
Gaara had failed to discover any cipher in the dinner invitation, and Sasuke and Kankurou had had equally little luck when the Kazekage had reluctantly asked them to attempt to find a code. Sasuke had to conclude he’d missed something, or that whatever Kuramoto had burned that night Sasuke had followed him had not been the dinner invitation, but some other correspondence Kadu had managed to slip the councilor. He had no way of knowing and with no means of finding out; he’d have to accept his ignorance. It grated somewhat, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Sasuke was also glad for Gaara and Kankurou’s mostly unseen presences. While Sasuke kept an eye on Kadu himself, Kadu’s two body guards would occasionally slip away, and it would have irked Sasuke that he had no way of knowing what they might be up to, if he hadn’t known Gaara or the puppet master would keep an eye on them.
Sasuke was also getting a good idea of how dangerous Kadu himself was. The man’s charisma was unbelievable. He took time every day to play shogi with Sasuke, during which time they would drink tea and Kadu would tell stories about his grandchildren or ask Sasuke innocent seeming questions about all sorts of things, from the Uchiha’s taste in past times to Sasuke’s opinions on anything from lunch to the Kazekage. In many ways Shin reminded Sasuke painfully of Sarutobi. He had the same grandfatherly aura about him that the Third Hokage had had, and that charming, guileless smile was certainly convincing. Not to mention their discussions were always interesting, since Kadu made no attempts to conceal he was educated and brilliant, though he wasn’t condescending or vain about it either. Shin also seemed to project genuine interest when he listened to people, it effectively flattered everyone he talked to, from the council members of Suna to the serving maid at the tea house he favored.
But Sasuke was watching, and every now and then the sly, calculating look behind those rectangular glasses reminded Sasuke exactly who and what he was dealing with. Even still, the Uchiha was beginning to wonder what kind of Daimyo this man would make; he didn’t seem particularly tyrannical, and the underhanded and terrible things that had been done by Kadu’s agents seemed so out of place with this calm, sociable Lord.
“You look pensive Sasuke.” Kadu smiled gently, placing his piece on the board without hesitation.
Sasuke shrugged.
“Ah. Are you perhaps restless? You have, after all, been chained to a rather boring fellow for nearly a week now. A hot blooded young man like you is used to more action. I even hear you would spar with our Kazekage now and then, before I came about.”
“I would hardly call you boring, Lord Kadu.” Which was the truth. “As too sparing with the Kazekage, I’m the only disposable shinobi in the village, I’m sure I’ll be dragged back into it when you leave.” Sasuke contemplated his next move, wondering if Shin would take that bait.
Shin raised an eyebrow at that. “Disposable? Why would you speak about yourself that way? I’m sure you’re very talented for the Kazekage to wish to spar with you.”
Sasuke moved and looked up at Shin. “I’m very talented.” He replied with a sneer. “But I’m not a native. If I get a little injured in practice no one will care much.”
Kadu frowned disapprovingly and sipped his tea. “Sasuke.” His voice was gently scolding. “I’m sure that’s not the case at all. Fatalism is not suited for the young.”
“It’s the truth all the same.” Or a warped version of the truth.
“Well.” Shin lapsed into thoughtful silence as they played a few rounds. “I’ll have to have a word with the Kazekage.” He said at last.
“What?”
“He’s wasting valuable talent, or letting it get resentful. That’s a very childish thing to do. Even if you weren’t born in Suna, I’m sure you had good reasons for coming here. Didn’t you lad?” Kadu looked up, meeting Sasuke’s gaze. The Uchiha knew he had to explain his defection from Konoha, it was what Shin was expecting.
“… Yes.” Sasuke said, feigning reluctance. He’d prepared for this, he knew what he’d say. “My clan was killed years ago. I spent… A long time hunting down the man responsible. Once I’d dealt with him… Well, Suna was as good a place to start again as any.”
“Who could do such a thing? Wipe out an entire clan?” Kadu feigned horror, and Sasuke had to fight not to laugh at the hypocrisy; worse things had been done with Shin’s knowledge, on the Lord’s orders.
“…” Sasuke ducked his head, using his hair to hide his expression, in case his disgust showed. “My brother.” At least the emotion in his voice was real, even if it was directed at Kadu and not at the dead Itachi. He suspected Kadu knew the story already; Sasuke would have found out in Shin’s shoes.
“I am… Sorry.” Shin’s regret and sympathy were so artfully real, it was only because Sasuke knew better that he wasn’t actually fooled. Once again Sasuke considered how very dangerous the man was. Sasuke was playing a very deadly game, trying to out-act this star player. “I shouldn’t have… Forgive an old man his foolish curiosity. But this means the Kazekage is dreadfully abusing your sacrifice, to go through all that and finally settle here, only to be unaccepted.” Shin shook his head.
“It’s in the past.” Sasuke said abruptly, sipping his tea but letting his scowl show. He hoped he’d caught Kadu with that little display, but the man was good. Very, very good. Sasuke was abruptly reminded of Kakashi. What’s under the mask? Just another mask. The thought made him almost melancholy.
They finished the shogi game with talk of more innocent things, but Sasuke couldn’t help his nerves from singing with tension. Either Kadu had bought the sob story, in which case Sasuke expected Kadu or one of the body guards to approach him at some point before the Lord left. Kadu had no reason not to buy the story. Sasuke had been entirely truthful, just selective in what he’d revealed. Everything Sasuke had said could be backed up by facts if Kadu chose to investigate it. Or. Or Sasuke had blown it, and Kadu would know he was being played along, and he’d have to ask himself why.
Sasuke didn’t have to wait long for his answer. Three days before Kadu was scheduled to leave the village, the Lord invited Sasuke to have a drink with him in his hotel room. Sasuke consented, opting for tea as he always did when Kadu asked him what he would prefer.
Once the two had settled in and talked for a while, Kadu smiled.
“I’ll miss our shogi games when I go, my boy.”
“Playing with you has been interesting.” Sasuke said by way of reply.
“Ah, I’ll miss your refreshing attitude as well. But I know the Kazekage won’t be able to spare you.”
“What do you mean, Lord Kadu?”
“I could do with a likely lad like you to help me out in my affairs, Sasuke.” Kadu said seriously, holding Sasuke’s gaze. “But I know that Suna is hurting for shinobi as is. I couldn’t take you from our good Kazekage. Still…”
“Still?”
“Well, occasionally I have little errands I need done by a trustworthy fellow, and I don’t always feel quite right, just asking any of the ninja here to do them for me. Of course I would pay well for the services, but I’d hate to let our hard-working young Kazekage know I’m not entirely confident in all of his staff. He’s so serious, I don’t know how he’d take it.”
“Lord Kadu, are you asking me to do work for you… On the sly?”
Shin winced, “The way you put it Sasuke, it sounds entirely distasteful.”
“I’ll do it.”
Shin raised an eyebrow.
“I warn you that the Kazekage keeps me on a short leash, but… I’m better then that. I can do your little tasks. It will be a challenge to do it secretly.”
Kadu smiled. “I knew you were a young man who liked excitement. Really, the Kazekage should give you more reign, I’m sure you can do amazing things.”
“I can.” Sasuke said, completely confident. “But how will you get my assignments to me?”
“I have ways.” Kadu smiled in a fatherly way. “But will you be able to keep things discreet?”
Sasuke stared at Kadu, “You wouldn’t have asked me in the first place if you didn’t think I was capable.”
Shin laughed. “Ah, you are a good young man. I hope when I return I will have the pleasure of your company again.”
Three days later Kadu departed with his bodyguards. He waved fondly to Sasuke and talked for a few minutes with Gaara before setting out. Sasuke watched in mixed triumph and predatory anticipation. Gaara and Kankurou both had interesting bits of information and leads to follow from their spying, and Sasuke had the juiciest prize of all; he just had to wait for one of Kadu’s agents to contact him with his tasks, and then they could really begin to map out the extent of Shin’s plans.
For those interested, Shin Kadu’s look is vaguely like that of Kou Shoka from Saiunkoku Monogatari. Anyone spot the mathematical reference in this chapter? Yeah, I’m a dork.
Pairing: Gaara/Sasuke eventually.
Warnings: Fairly AU after Gaara’s abduction by Akatsuki, many of the things from the manga are the same, some are not. For one, Gaara still has Shukaku.
Summary: Sasuke has accomplished his goal, Itachi is dead, but instead of returning to Konoha, he turns to the Kazekage of Sunagakure. But why? Is there a new threat to the villages of Sand and Leaf?
Link to previous chapters.
Onto fic.
Author's Note:
Question from Parimonylaw: Hi, I really like your story, and I have a question for you, if you don't mind: If Kadu have ties with Akatsuki, he must at least had hear about Uchiha Itachi... I find careless and absent-minded that Sasuke let slip that he is also an Uchiha, not thinking that Kadu could perfectly came to the conclusion that they are related somewhat and that would lead to the discovery of his facade and plans. Even if Itachi is dead. Is all part of the plot?
Answer: That's actually going to be addressed in the plot, but I'm glad you asked. I will say that Sasuke can't exactly conceal who he is, even if he and Gaara had tried to lie about his identity from the start, there are people in Suna who would recognize Sasuke and KNOW Gaara knew his identity. That would cause a lot of uncomfortable questions and suspicions; both for Sasuke and for Gaara (such as "Why is the Kazekage concealing this foreign ninja's identity? We all know he's that Uchiha from Konoha and they fought together in the Chuunin exams when we attacked Hidden Leaf." or "Did Uchiha use Sharingan on Gaara? Is the Kazekage being manipulated? Controlled?") Even if they had lied only to Lord Shin (or simply attempted to not mention Sasuke was an Uchiha) they have NO IDEA who Kadu's spies are and what information Shin will be getting from those spies.
So the best way to alleviate suspicions would be to be to act "normally". Normally, in this case, being that Sasuke is supposedly now working for Gaara, and both have no idea Kadu is anything more then a powerful Lord of Wind Country. In that case, why would Sasuke hide his identity? There would be no reason for him to lie to Kadu, unless he distrusted Kadu (more then usual shinobi paranoia at least). And if he showed evidence of distrusting Kadu, Kadu would have to ask himself “Why does he distrust me?” and that’s the question Gaara and Sasuke really, really don’t want Kadu asking himself.
Part Eight: Playing Parts
Shin had one of his body guards arrange dinner and the night’s entertainment. Sasuke accompanied the Lord as befitted his role of part companion part body guard-The second role was more traditional. Leaving aside the fact that Sasuke would rather kill Kadu then protect him, the Lord’s own body guards were his real protection, Sasuke’s role was more for formality, a symbolic gesture from the Kazekage that even in Suna, Gaara was looking out for Shin. It almost made Sasuke smirk, though he was the only one who would appreciate just how much Gaara was looking out for Kadu-Specifically looking out for the knife Kadu might try to twist into his back.
Kadu had reservations at one of Suna’s more expensive restaurants-It was a place frequented by the upper crust of Sunagakure, clan heads, council members, and the richer civilians. Sasuke’s share of any expenses would be paid for by the Suna government, as it was considered another part of his role to entertain the visiting dignitary, and entertainment included playing dinner companion.
Sasuke remained himself during the dinner with Kadu; he acted neither overly cold nor was he overly polite-his personality just wouldn’t let him put on the diplomatically polite mask of false friendliness. Kadu showed no signs of being offended by Sasuke’s abrasiveness, in fact the first time Sasuke replied to one of his comments a little acidly, Kadu had laughed.
“It’s good to see youngsters that aren’t afraid to show some backbone to a venerable old man.” He’d said amiably. “One gets tired of sycophants after a while. Especially at my age. I admire a young man with a spine; young Temari just as fiery, though she shows a feminine discretion that does her credit. But we are men, it is not so unbecoming for us to speak our minds.” Shin had sipped his wine, eyes turning up at the corners as he smiled. “I’m sure you’ve met Temari? Yes. Of course. You might think of courting her, you would make a handsome couple.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Kadu laughed again. “What if I am? I’m quite fond of the girl, and I think I might become fond of you as well. We older folk like to meddle in the lives of you young ones, especially in matters of love. It comes from boredom; once you get to my age you’ll understand.”
Sasuke highly doubted Kadu ever suffered from boredom, not with the intricate extent of his power networking. “All the same I’ll pass. I’d rather not get on the bad side of a powerful kunoichi, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Ahh well, if you say so.” Kadu’s eyes twinkled merrily behind his spectacles. “Or is it perhaps that you already have someone special?”
“Not really, I have more important things to concern me then romance.”
“More important then romance? My dear boy what do they feed you young shinobi? Not to boast, but I was quite a ladies man at your age; what could possibly be more interesting then romance for a healthy young man?”
“Romantic ideas can get you killed as a shinobi. I want to advance my rank and standing, not die in a mission because I was distracted by thoughts of a woman.” Sasuke shrugged, sipping his own tea. “Our wits are our biggest asset; as far as I have observed romance is the antithesis to clear thinking.”
“Ah. Ambitious. Ambition is another healthy outlet I suppose, but it saddens me to see such a fine young man speak in such a jaded way. But then, I do not live the life of a shinobi. I will pray that someday your mind will be persuaded by the romantic. Being too serious isn’t healthy for a young man either; everyone needs to relax.”
Again Sasuke had to suppress a wry smirk. From what he knew of Shin the man never relaxed his guard. The entire conversation was likely a way of sounding out Sasuke. The irony was not lost on the Uchiha. “I’ll take that under advisement Lord Kadu.” He replied, face neutral.
“That is your polite way of telling me you disagree. Very well, I see you are a driven man, I will respect that.” Kadu leaned back in his chair smiling. “So I will simply pry in a different direction. How are you liking Suna? Coming from the Fire Country I imagine the climate and customs are all a bit alien to you.”
“… It’s hot.”
Kadu gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “I cannot fault your most astute observations, dear boy. It is, indeed, hot here.”
Sasuke allowed a small smirk. “It’s different, yes. The Kazekage is much… Younger then the Hokage. That itself makes the place different.”
Shin tilted his head, still smiling, but the light reflected off his glasses in a way that reminded Sasuke of Kabuto. “Indeed, our Kazekage is young, but he is strong, and has proven himself quite resourceful for his age. We all expect great things of him.”
Sasuke just shrugged in reply.
“Ah, perhaps I am making you uncomfortable; let us talk of less personal things. I have plenty of time to play the nosey old man, hmm? The play isn’t for another hour, and we’ll be spending plenty of time together. Tell me, do you play shogi?”
Kadu had a private booth in the Suna theatre. He was joined before the performance by two members of the Sunagakure government council, whom he greeted and chatted with while they waited for the performance to begin. Sasuke noted their faces, memorizing the conversation as he feigned interest in the play program. When the lights dimmed for the performance one of the men left, the other stayed to watch the show with Kadu. Sasuke watched Kadu and the councilor discreetly, but both men showed nothing more then interest in the show.
The play was some classical tragedy; Sasuke automatically followed the plot and observed the acting with disinterest, in case Kadu wanted to discuss it later. His main attention was divided between the two men in the both and the body guards outside of it. One of them had discreetly followed the councilor that had left-Yamasaki-and he hoped Kankurou was out there and watching, because he had no excuse to leave and find out why one of Shin’s body guards had business with a council member of Suna.
Gaara arrived at intermission, taking the seat formerly occupied by the second council member. The Kazekage didn’t engage in much conversation between the two, but he also ignored Sasuke, which left Sasuke free to observe all three. As far as he could tell Gaara was fairly bored by the play, though he doubted anyone who wasn’t Gaara’s siblings would have been able to tell. At the end of the performance Kadu invited the councilor- Kuramoto Yoshiki-and Gaara to join him for tea. Both accepted the offer, and Sasuke informed them that he would retire for the night.
He left in the direction of the Jounin barracks when they parted outside the play house, but doubled back and followed the three men and two body guards back to the hotel. He waited, watching, until Kuramoto exited the building, not long after Kuramoto left, another figure exited, one of Kadu’s bodyguards. Sasuke was already suppressing his chakra, but he damped it further before following the two. He didn’t have to go far before he saw the bodyguard hand Kuramoto his coat, but he knew there would be some sort of correspondence in that garment. He tailed the councilor back to his compound; Kuramoto Yoshiki was one of the key members of Suna’s conservative faction, if he remembered correctly. All he needed was a glance at the correspondence before the councilor read it, likely it would be destroyed after that. Sneaking into the compound was simple enough, the guards were few and relaxed, Suna was their home, and aside from the usual political maneuverings, it was a generally peaceful time for the village.
Sasuke attached himself to the ceiling of the office and waited tensely as Kuramoto went about preparing for bed. The coat was draped over the desk chair, and the councilor began making himself a drink. It seemed to be a small age before the councilor left the room. Not sure how long he’d have, Sasuke dropped down and quickly hunted through the council member’s cloak. He found some random odds and ends, and a dinner invitation from Kadu that Sasuke could not recall the Lord giving Kuramoto. Scanning it with his Sharingan to make sure he could reproduce every detail, Sasuke quickly replaced everything and arranged the coat as it had been.
He had barely slipped out the window when the councilor returned to the room. Sasuke froze, still partially visible if Kuramoto wanted to look out the window; in the darkness if he stayed still and the councilor wasn’t really looking, he might be missed, but if he moved the movement might draw his target’s attention.
It made Sasuke’s shoulders itch with tension to have to stay frozen in such an obvious location, but he dared not move. After half an hour of listening to the sounds in Kuramoto’s room, Sasuke smelled something burning, and then the lights dimmed. The squeak of the office door prompted Sasuke to drop quickly into the darkened yard and make his way stealthily to the Suna government building.
Gaara was waiting in his office when Sasuke arrived. The Kazekage didn’t say a thing as Sasuke hunted up paper and pen and then sat to write. As Sasuke reproduced the dinner invitation, down to every scratch and squiggle, the Uchiha reported his observations. Gaara didn’t comment but he did listen intently. When Sasuke was done he handed the paper to Gaara, who scanned it.
“I suspect it’s code, I think Kuramoto burned the letter after he read it. I could attempt to crack it tonight if you wish.”
“No, you need to sleep. I’ll be relieving Kankurou’s watch soon. I can decipher this while I observe Kadu.”
“Alright. Goodnight.” Sasuke stood and left the Kazekage studying the letter.
For the next few days Sasuke’s routine was more or less the same. Sasuke accompanied Shin during the day, entertained the Lord or watched who he interacted with, left at night, reported to Gaara , and then went to bed. He was beginning to get a feel for who might be in Kadu’s confidence and who might just be an influential acquaintance. Kuramoto and Yamasaki were Sasuke’s top suspects as being neck deep in Kadu’s plots. There were three others, two older Jounin and a Chuunin, that often visited Kadu or found excuses to bump into the lord. Sasuke pegged those three as likely spies.
Gaara had failed to discover any cipher in the dinner invitation, and Sasuke and Kankurou had had equally little luck when the Kazekage had reluctantly asked them to attempt to find a code. Sasuke had to conclude he’d missed something, or that whatever Kuramoto had burned that night Sasuke had followed him had not been the dinner invitation, but some other correspondence Kadu had managed to slip the councilor. He had no way of knowing and with no means of finding out; he’d have to accept his ignorance. It grated somewhat, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Sasuke was also glad for Gaara and Kankurou’s mostly unseen presences. While Sasuke kept an eye on Kadu himself, Kadu’s two body guards would occasionally slip away, and it would have irked Sasuke that he had no way of knowing what they might be up to, if he hadn’t known Gaara or the puppet master would keep an eye on them.
Sasuke was also getting a good idea of how dangerous Kadu himself was. The man’s charisma was unbelievable. He took time every day to play shogi with Sasuke, during which time they would drink tea and Kadu would tell stories about his grandchildren or ask Sasuke innocent seeming questions about all sorts of things, from the Uchiha’s taste in past times to Sasuke’s opinions on anything from lunch to the Kazekage. In many ways Shin reminded Sasuke painfully of Sarutobi. He had the same grandfatherly aura about him that the Third Hokage had had, and that charming, guileless smile was certainly convincing. Not to mention their discussions were always interesting, since Kadu made no attempts to conceal he was educated and brilliant, though he wasn’t condescending or vain about it either. Shin also seemed to project genuine interest when he listened to people, it effectively flattered everyone he talked to, from the council members of Suna to the serving maid at the tea house he favored.
But Sasuke was watching, and every now and then the sly, calculating look behind those rectangular glasses reminded Sasuke exactly who and what he was dealing with. Even still, the Uchiha was beginning to wonder what kind of Daimyo this man would make; he didn’t seem particularly tyrannical, and the underhanded and terrible things that had been done by Kadu’s agents seemed so out of place with this calm, sociable Lord.
“You look pensive Sasuke.” Kadu smiled gently, placing his piece on the board without hesitation.
Sasuke shrugged.
“Ah. Are you perhaps restless? You have, after all, been chained to a rather boring fellow for nearly a week now. A hot blooded young man like you is used to more action. I even hear you would spar with our Kazekage now and then, before I came about.”
“I would hardly call you boring, Lord Kadu.” Which was the truth. “As too sparing with the Kazekage, I’m the only disposable shinobi in the village, I’m sure I’ll be dragged back into it when you leave.” Sasuke contemplated his next move, wondering if Shin would take that bait.
Shin raised an eyebrow at that. “Disposable? Why would you speak about yourself that way? I’m sure you’re very talented for the Kazekage to wish to spar with you.”
Sasuke moved and looked up at Shin. “I’m very talented.” He replied with a sneer. “But I’m not a native. If I get a little injured in practice no one will care much.”
Kadu frowned disapprovingly and sipped his tea. “Sasuke.” His voice was gently scolding. “I’m sure that’s not the case at all. Fatalism is not suited for the young.”
“It’s the truth all the same.” Or a warped version of the truth.
“Well.” Shin lapsed into thoughtful silence as they played a few rounds. “I’ll have to have a word with the Kazekage.” He said at last.
“What?”
“He’s wasting valuable talent, or letting it get resentful. That’s a very childish thing to do. Even if you weren’t born in Suna, I’m sure you had good reasons for coming here. Didn’t you lad?” Kadu looked up, meeting Sasuke’s gaze. The Uchiha knew he had to explain his defection from Konoha, it was what Shin was expecting.
“… Yes.” Sasuke said, feigning reluctance. He’d prepared for this, he knew what he’d say. “My clan was killed years ago. I spent… A long time hunting down the man responsible. Once I’d dealt with him… Well, Suna was as good a place to start again as any.”
“Who could do such a thing? Wipe out an entire clan?” Kadu feigned horror, and Sasuke had to fight not to laugh at the hypocrisy; worse things had been done with Shin’s knowledge, on the Lord’s orders.
“…” Sasuke ducked his head, using his hair to hide his expression, in case his disgust showed. “My brother.” At least the emotion in his voice was real, even if it was directed at Kadu and not at the dead Itachi. He suspected Kadu knew the story already; Sasuke would have found out in Shin’s shoes.
“I am… Sorry.” Shin’s regret and sympathy were so artfully real, it was only because Sasuke knew better that he wasn’t actually fooled. Once again Sasuke considered how very dangerous the man was. Sasuke was playing a very deadly game, trying to out-act this star player. “I shouldn’t have… Forgive an old man his foolish curiosity. But this means the Kazekage is dreadfully abusing your sacrifice, to go through all that and finally settle here, only to be unaccepted.” Shin shook his head.
“It’s in the past.” Sasuke said abruptly, sipping his tea but letting his scowl show. He hoped he’d caught Kadu with that little display, but the man was good. Very, very good. Sasuke was abruptly reminded of Kakashi. What’s under the mask? Just another mask. The thought made him almost melancholy.
They finished the shogi game with talk of more innocent things, but Sasuke couldn’t help his nerves from singing with tension. Either Kadu had bought the sob story, in which case Sasuke expected Kadu or one of the body guards to approach him at some point before the Lord left. Kadu had no reason not to buy the story. Sasuke had been entirely truthful, just selective in what he’d revealed. Everything Sasuke had said could be backed up by facts if Kadu chose to investigate it. Or. Or Sasuke had blown it, and Kadu would know he was being played along, and he’d have to ask himself why.
Sasuke didn’t have to wait long for his answer. Three days before Kadu was scheduled to leave the village, the Lord invited Sasuke to have a drink with him in his hotel room. Sasuke consented, opting for tea as he always did when Kadu asked him what he would prefer.
Once the two had settled in and talked for a while, Kadu smiled.
“I’ll miss our shogi games when I go, my boy.”
“Playing with you has been interesting.” Sasuke said by way of reply.
“Ah, I’ll miss your refreshing attitude as well. But I know the Kazekage won’t be able to spare you.”
“What do you mean, Lord Kadu?”
“I could do with a likely lad like you to help me out in my affairs, Sasuke.” Kadu said seriously, holding Sasuke’s gaze. “But I know that Suna is hurting for shinobi as is. I couldn’t take you from our good Kazekage. Still…”
“Still?”
“Well, occasionally I have little errands I need done by a trustworthy fellow, and I don’t always feel quite right, just asking any of the ninja here to do them for me. Of course I would pay well for the services, but I’d hate to let our hard-working young Kazekage know I’m not entirely confident in all of his staff. He’s so serious, I don’t know how he’d take it.”
“Lord Kadu, are you asking me to do work for you… On the sly?”
Shin winced, “The way you put it Sasuke, it sounds entirely distasteful.”
“I’ll do it.”
Shin raised an eyebrow.
“I warn you that the Kazekage keeps me on a short leash, but… I’m better then that. I can do your little tasks. It will be a challenge to do it secretly.”
Kadu smiled. “I knew you were a young man who liked excitement. Really, the Kazekage should give you more reign, I’m sure you can do amazing things.”
“I can.” Sasuke said, completely confident. “But how will you get my assignments to me?”
“I have ways.” Kadu smiled in a fatherly way. “But will you be able to keep things discreet?”
Sasuke stared at Kadu, “You wouldn’t have asked me in the first place if you didn’t think I was capable.”
Shin laughed. “Ah, you are a good young man. I hope when I return I will have the pleasure of your company again.”
Three days later Kadu departed with his bodyguards. He waved fondly to Sasuke and talked for a few minutes with Gaara before setting out. Sasuke watched in mixed triumph and predatory anticipation. Gaara and Kankurou both had interesting bits of information and leads to follow from their spying, and Sasuke had the juiciest prize of all; he just had to wait for one of Kadu’s agents to contact him with his tasks, and then they could really begin to map out the extent of Shin’s plans.
For those interested, Shin Kadu’s look is vaguely like that of Kou Shoka from Saiunkoku Monogatari. Anyone spot the mathematical reference in this chapter? Yeah, I’m a dork.