Chapter 58
If you get this letter, it means the messenger birds can still find you. I never bothered to learn how they do it, but it probably still means you need to cover your tracks better. That sick bastard Kabuto is still looking for Sasuke, and he can summon snakes now. I don't know much about snakes, either. How well can they smell things? Either way, he can summon tons of them, so he can probably still use them to track you somehow or another.
Leave Sasuke somewhere. Let him be Konoha's problem, or let Kabuto find him. I don't care. But don't let his bullshit drag you down. He's not worth dying for. He hasn't done a damn thing to earn your loyalty, and I doubt he's good enough in bed to be worth the risk. I doubt anyone is.
I may never understand why you keep looking after his helpless baby ass, but it's time you looked out for yourself instead.
Suigetsu
Karin crumpled up the note and threw it into the fire. The words echoed in her head, in Suigetsu's voice even though she hadn't heard it in months. She shook her head of the thought and started dismantling their camp.
---
Sumire glanced back at the village gates one last time as they disappeared. Hibiki turned to look at her, her face unreadable behind all the gear.
“Really, I feel silly putting the two of you to all this trouble. I am, of course, honored by your concern, but it seems a bit much just for me,” Hibiki said.
Sumire forced a smile. “You were our guest. Hospitality is important.”
She knows we don't trust her, Sumire thought, keeping her smile in place. She's not stupid, after all. We don't know a thing about her. We don't even know what she looks like. I know Tsunade-sama sent a fact-finding mission to Amegakure when she showed up. Pity they didn't come back before she decided to go home. It would be nice to know what to expect.
She glanced at Shikamaru. They had been partnered for the escort mission. Sumire suspected the Hokage was hoping he could pick up on some revealing details. Her own assignment made less sense to her, unless Tsunade was hoping she could be diplomatic.
“Was your stay enjoyable?” she asked after a few miles.
“Yes, everything was fine,” said Hibiki. “The hotel Shizune-san found for me was very nice.”
“Were you able to do any sightseeing?”
“Oh, no, I mostly stayed in my room.”
Sumire kept smiling. If Hibiki had left her hotel, all she would have needed to do to blend in would be show her face. Still, she was willing to bet there were Anbu agents following her every move.
“Please let us know if you need to stop at any time,” said Sumire. “The weather is getting warmer, and I imagine your rebreather gets rather warm.”
Hibiki chuckled, the sound made tinny by her gear. “Thank you, but I prefer to keep it on. Call me paranoid if you wish, but I like to know exactly what I'm breathing.”
Sumire nodded, though she could feel her smile freezing. Was that comment directed at her? Did Hibiki somehow know about her poisons? Her specialty wasn't exactly a secret, but as far as she knew, she hadn't garnered an international reputation. Had Hibiki managed to do some spying after all, or were her words unrelated? A part of her also wondered if Tsunade had placed her there just in case things went south. After all, not all of her poisons needed to be inhaled.
“I'm sure you'll be glad to get home,” Sumire said, her voice light.
Hibiki shrugged. “Perhaps, but this trip was a nice change of pace from my usual work.”
“Oh? What do you do normally?”
“This and that, same as most shinobi.”
The conversation tapered off, and Sumire looked to Shikamaru again. He had barely spoken since they left the village, and not at all for the past several hours. He wore a look of concentration, though their movement kept him from sinking down into his signature thinking posture. She supposed he was busy with his own thoughts, though she wished he would contribute to the conversation, if not to fish for information then at least to break the silence.
By the end of the day, they had reached the border of the Land of Fire, and as dusk closed over them, they made their goodbyes to Hibiki, watching as she crossed into her home country. Sumire and Shikamaru retreated a few miles through the darkness, away from the border, before making camp. As dinner began to cook, a faint smell of game stew wafting into the air, someone joined their camp.
“Sai,” Shikamaru said, nodding to their new companion.
“What have you been doing out here?” Sumire said lightly, not expecting an answer.
Indeed, Sai just smiled and ladled out a portion of stew for himself. Sumire glanced at Shikamaru, who shrugged. They both knew he was with Anbu. The answer seemed obvious, though he was probably not allowed to tell them.
“Shikamaru's been quiet all day,” she said, looking back to Sai. “And I'm afraid you won't be much inclined to make conversation either.”
Again, he smiled at her, letting his silence answer for him. She sighed theatrically.
“I've been trying to remember what I know about Amegakure,” Shikamaru said, scowling at her.
“It's not much, is it?” she asked. “They're fairly secretive.”
He nodded. “I think we learned a little of its history back at the academy, though. They're in the middle of us, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. I think it's been the battleground for more than one war. Lots of refugees. Really isolationist, when they can get away with it.”
Sai nodded, still silent as he ate.
“But beyond that?” Shikamaru shrugged.
“Maybe the archives will be more helpful,” Sumire said.
Shikamaru muttered something about it being troublesome, and went back to eating.
---
Balancing Mirai on one hip, Kurenai answered her door. Sasaeko stood on the stair landing and looked up from inspecting her shoes when the door opened. She sketched a quick, almost panicked bow, and peered up at Kurenai.
“May I help you?” Kurenai asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I have a favor to ask.”
“You'd better come in, then,” Kurenai said, remembering the food and baby goods the girl had brought last year as she stepped aside.
Sasaeko slipped off her shoes and came in, closing the door after herself. Kurenai led her to the couch and sat, pulling Mirai fully onto her lap. The baby cooed at her mother, and tried to grab a lock of her hair.
“What is it that you need?” Kurenai asked, dodging the grasp.
“I was hoping you could teach me about genjutsu, actually,” Sasaeko said, taking a seat. “I had hoped to learn from the best.”
Kurenai suppressed a smile at the compliment. In her lap, Mirai squirmed, nearly headbutting her. “I'm afraid I've been rather busy, what with having an infant in the house.”
Sasaeko blushed, but met her eyes. “I wouldn't ask you to train me for nothing. In exchange for your help, I could babysit. For free.”
“While we're having lessons?”
“I spoke to my mother, ma'am. She said she could watch Mirai during our sessions, if you agreed. I would babysit at other times, as long as I didn't have another mission, and you would have a chance to go out, or rest, or whatever else you liked.”
Mirai caught her by surprise, her little baby hand slapping Kurenai's nose. She winced, then managed a smile as she took her daughter's hands and wiggled them, earning a laugh from the baby.
“And this would be for free, you said?” Kurenai asked, shooting her a glance.
Sasaeko nodded, her hands clenched together in her lap.
“All right,” Kurenai said, and all at once the girl relaxed. “Now, how about you tell me about your challenge from a few weeks ago...”
---
“How was Amegakure?” Tsunade asked, not looking up from her snack as Sai slipped silently into her office.
“I do not know what I was expecting, but that was not it,” he said, and she looked up.
“Tell me.”
“Pein is worshiped as a god, and Konan as his angel. While in many ways the city is divided, the reverence for their deceased leaders is very common, or at least the appearance of it is. There are... shrines. Most are small and informal, but it looked as though a few were growing into permanent fixtures. It is slowly organizing into a codified religion.”
Tsunade arched an eyebrow. She wished she still had some sake left. Still, at least those two were no longer around to take advantage of the devotion. With a pang, she wished Jiraiya were still around. He had known them much better than she ever had, and he'd spent more time in Amegakure.
“In spite of how long the man has been dead, and the reverence toward Pein, there are still loyalists to his predecessor Hanzou.”
“Are we certain he's dead?” Tsunade asked.
Sai nodded, though he didn't elaborate. “The loyalty is more to his ideas and to the power structure that was in place during his reign. Underlings who miss being in control. They are only one of many factions. Most are simply contenders for ruler, jockeying for position. They are currently ruled by committee, but it is a tenuous peace.”
“How many factions?”
He shrugged. “The specific makeup of the factions changed even for the short time I was there, and new ones sprang up. Still, one that seemed stable was quite relevant to us. They blame Konoha for Pein's death, and push isolationist policies.”
“Does anyone there like us?”
“Some of them like Naruto.”
She sighed. “And Hibiki?”
“As far as I was able to tell without shadowing her directly, she is who she says she is. It seems the council nominated her to represent them to us. This may be because she is part of the largest faction, though it is not the majority.”
“Does she like us, at least?”
“She is loyal to Naruto, and her group at least bears no ill will toward Konoha.”
“I suppose that's the best we could ask for,” Tsunade said sourly. “Your thoughts on the matter?”
“Amegakure could descend into anarchy at any moment, if it has not done so already since I left.”
Tsunade groaned and waved a hand, dismissing him.
---
Reikoku was summoned to a closed meeting with the Hokage. After the minor incident at the flower viewing party, this sparked rumors that far outstripped the severity of the actual event. One that was popular, if not widely believed, was that she had killed someone. Less popular but more believable to many was that she had been involved in a duel. The more realistic gossipers suggested that she had tracked down the ex-shinobi and vandalized his house.
Regardless of the supposed reason, everyone seemed to agree that she was in trouble with the Hokage. However, as she left the office to rejoin her teammates in the waiting room, she seemed unperturbed.
“What did she want?” Ikari asked, sliding his feet off of the couch.
“It's none of your business,” Reikoku said, though she smiled at him.
“Is everything okay?” Uwaki asked, standing.
“It's fine,” she said, and rolled her eyes. “Come on, let's get some lunch.”