The dry air the Sand invading in every crevice and place, Gene was sure by now she even had sand sticking to her everywhere despite the coats and two layers of clothes.
The coat was fluttering in the soft winds and the Suna Shinobi who led them were walking ahead confidently and unbothered by the sands. Tsukiko at some point had to discharge her Geta as she slipped in them, changing to sandals. At some point, rocks and large mountains appeared in the distance. The stone was colored like the sand and rose into the sky.
If Konoha was an insula of buildings hidden deep in the forests, then Suna was a kingdom of dry rocks and sand. They followed along a hidden away path between the stones and rocks. The difference was startling, Konoha had its hidden highways in the tree branches here they were between towering sandstone.
"Welcome to Suna little Cousin.", Anuk said and blow them a Village appeared, build inside the sandy stone it spread outside in a circle like structure cut by a few streets that spread out starlike right from the middle what looked like it might be the Hokage office. "Is that the office of the Kazekage?", Gene asked, pointing at the big roundish building.
"Jep currently it's the Yondaime Kazekage Rasa his wife Karura, my BFF is currently pregnant with their youngest."
"Our Hokage had his first Kid a while ago, Naruto is a cutiepie."
"He is Jinchuuriki, no? Rasa is planning on making his youngest one as well, but I worry, Karura has never been the healthiest and the pregnancy has already taken its toll, but she refuses to tell Rasa about it."
"He is treated fairly well but Konoha is used to Jinchuurikis and their ways, how is it in Suna?"
Anuk frowned and shrug her shoulders. "No good, the Jinchuuriki is seen as a weapon not as a human and are also treated as such, in my close surroundings people learned to shut their mouths if they want to survive but you know people, and sadly it's not like I can decapitate them all, only a few." she said and gashed her teeth. "I don't know what they are thinking. Idiots."
"I cannot disagree with you.", Gene agreed and behind them Tsukiko came up and stared down at the village as well. "Wow, at least you have no stony faces announcing to the world where you are, that if far better than Konoha."
"Boss, the Kazekages are no less revered, and he dislikes Konoha, you are offering the same services far cheaper since you have more Shinobi and more high ranker Shinobis even if the average is better here oh and watch it, Taijutsu users are not very respected here."
"Are they."
"Yes, I know one or two people who would make good Taijutsu users but for various reasons are not allowed to become Shinobi and are thus not very well treated, non Shinobi in general are...well, they forget who puts food on their tables."
"Some things always remain the same, no matter the world." Tsukiko muttered with the same kind of melancholic and hard tone as her cousin, the two suddenly seemed far away, distant.
Anuk made certain they were all accommodated, all of them receiving their own rooms sandwiching the delegation forming a line of defense around the room of the main negotiator who then would have a conversation with the Kazekage and an envoy from his Daimyo. As soon as the doors were closed, Gene pulled out her notebook and opened it. A few pages were written full, narrow small writing on them, it were names, a seemingly endless List, most of those names were crossed with only two remaining.
Obito Uchiha
Madara Uchiha.
Her last two subjects on whom the traitor inside the Uchiha could be, she might have been pulled off the mission since it made no sense for her to investigate covertly once it was out and knows she was investigating to Mikoto-san, but still she couldn't leave it alone. Going a few pages further she had her second investigation, the lab, she had to know who this lab belonged too and up until now she had exactly two people who could possibly carry that kind of knowledge in Konoha, but she also wanted to investigate people from other villages.
No matter how brazen she would not put the possibility off someone there was involved, although it could also be remains of the Root, but Tsukiko said the Root was very thoroughly ripped out of Konoha and Gene believed her.
Orochimaru
Tsunade Senju
Tsunade Senju hadn't been seen in ages traveling around and Orochimaru, she only met him twice, she did not like him but the Kage level Shinobi was mostly off on missions and while creepy was generally very quiet and low-key, almost too low-key, especially since the Root had been investigated in full force.
There was also one person in Suna whom she needed to talk too, another person who could know at least someone who was capable of pulling it off.
Chiyo, and there is that red chess figure, not many play chess in Konoha, it is only common among the people from the Forgotten, and they don't have a motive in bringing us into this world or plying a game of chess with our souls.
Gene closed her eyes, so many questions and no answers in sight, it was almost depressing, but she had to solve it, for those kids, for figuring out why she was here and most important to protect Konoha, except Anuk everyone in this world who meant something to her lived there, and she wouldn't let them come to harm, not when she could help it.
First, I will investigate Suna for any clues, and have a conversation with that healer, Chiyo, when the Kazekages wife is pregnant I will find her most likely not far off.
