Chapter 05, Of Mentorship and Politics.
Year 56 since Konoha founding. Third Shinobi War, one month after Uzugakure’s destruction. Konoha-no-Kuni.
It took a whole week to both Kages to iron the treaty. It wasn’t just an alliance treaty, as it covered maters of trade routes, taxes for this said trade routes, exchange of information on their respective bingo books and military intelligence, requests for formal assistance during mission, ninjas and civilians medical care if judged necessary, exchanges of ressources, and many other maters. While both Kages talked, their aides would sometime add their thoughts. Each having it’s own opinion. Hiruzen had made known he didn’t wan’t Konoha’s bord to endanger the alliance. He had a livelly argument with his old friend Danzo Shimura about it. The old ninja being of the opinion that Konoha should not give away the Uzumaki knowledge to it’s enemies. Koharu Utatane advocated that said knowledge was Kushina’s and that her opinion matered while Homura Mitokado only wanted their village to have as much adventages as possible. After all was said, Hiruzen’s position got reinforced after the signature.
The sand ninjas were leaving Konoha and a farewell party said their goodbyes to their new ally. Hiruzen was accompagnied by the full council, and civilians and other ninjas were surrounding them, curious about this foreign ninjas. As soon as the delegation left, many did the same. Danzo walked away, stopping by a small stall to buy some dango, letting the young civilian keep the change as he bowed happily, not an once of deviousness visible on him.
Some time later, he could be seen mistakenly give the wrong order to another custumer. His emotions too strong for him, obviously. Fortunatly, the midleage lumberjack didn’t take offense of the mistake, before he left too by the gate for his day of work.
As the Kazekage’s palankin was walking away escorted by his guards and what was left of Sasori’s team, the sand puppeter was observing them from the top of the village’s wall. He would not go back to his own village for the next three years.
Behind him, Jiraiya was waiting for him, letting him take the time he needed for his goodbye.
- Your apprenticeship will have to wait for a little time alas. Konoha’s chunin exams are starting. Kushina-chan, Nagato-kun and Konan-chan will join it. As the only Uzumaki-fuinjutsu master of the village, we had to hide her talent to avoid unnecessary attention until now. During the chunin exam where Minato-kun was promoted, we had her stepping down on purpose before the third trial.
- How does your team have five members, sainin-sama ?
- Konan-chan’s previous one was K.I.A while she was on recovery. We still don’t know who did it. Jiraiya said, his face a mixture of anger and sadness.
- I appologies for my rudness, sanin-sama.
- You had no way of knowing about it, and it’s better for you to learn of it from me than from her. Konan-chan is still on edge about that. I would appreciate if you don’t talk about it next to her.
- Understood, sainin-sama. Said Sarori, his face a little stonned. It was a bad habit he starded to get recently, with the number of news dropped on his lap.
Jiraiya accompagnied him back to the small appartment that was given to him. The lease was takken care of by Suna-no-kuni. The only expenses left for him was his food, clothes and fuinjutsu material.
Sasori went to his drawing table, preparing his ink the way Kushina and Jiraiya told him to.
Jiraiya allready told him his hands were really steady and his fingers nimbles, wich would help him grandly in fuinjutsu. As Sasori was working on his calygraphy exercises, Jirayia was looking through what the sand chunin did with the small appartment. This one had a one and a half bathroom, toilettes, dining room, one room and two small closets.
In just five days, Sasori was able to add shelves against all the available walls to empty what storage seals of supplies he had. Said shelves were now perfectly organised, revealing differents kind of puppets parts : joints, arms, legs, bodies, heads, internal mecanisms to launch projectiles, to articulate the puppets, stacks of sanbons, of kunais, hiden blades, somes ropes, differents kinds of vials listed by numbers, letters and colors.
The last shelve was the most orderly, as it contained all the necessary tools the puppeter needed. Saws, hammers, wood plane, wood file, bit and brace, hand drill, nail set, auger bit, try square, scratch awl, wood chisel, caping saw, differents size of sand’s grains in their bags, clamps, needle nose pliers, standard pliers and many others.
The appartment also contained at least fifteen different traps automated or not whose presence the toad-sanin appreciated. It said mutch about Sasori’s training and ability to stand prepared.
Even now, Sasori was only using one of his hands to draw in ink. The second one was apparently laying on the desk, immobile. Not a single tremor could be seen on it.
Jiraiya finaly took his leave, saying his farewell as the sand-nin closed the door.
Two doors next was Konan’s and Kushina’s appartment, then Nagato’s and Minato’s. Both having the same design as Sasori’s, but with a supplementary room. The teen weren’t here right now, as they were training for the last two day before the chunin-exam. But should they have been here, they would have tried to stay quiet, so as to not disturb the young couple of administrative chunin living next door.
Forests North of Konoha.
The dog was sniffing the large blood pool on the ground, looking for a trail, before turning to the nort-east, growling. His partner made hand-signs behind him. Explaning the situation to the tracking team. They quickly followed the nindog, letting the anbu squad behind them secure what remained of this unlucky genin team. The Inuzuka ninja and his partner were more than pissed after they found one of their clansmen slaughtered. Not that the reste of his team prevailed better. For what they understood, the jonin sensei tried to cover for his students, only to lose an arm before suffering from a point blank explosion. Most likely a suicide attack. Their guardian dead, the genin were then killed rapidely one after the other. An Hyuga branch family, a Senju and a civilian born jonin. Messages were allready on route to inform their clans and families.
