Kankuro never asked to be a leader. Sure, he tended to intimidate people, but he was just some guy with a bundle of sticks for a weapon. But now, he was someone people looked to when someone needed to order people around. Kankuro chuckled. Obviously, morale must be bad if they’re looking to him for leadership.
The streets of the imperial city were deserted, all civilians at home due to the curfew. Kankuro was currently at the front of the group of ninja, planning to go to one of the resistance’s many safehouses in the area. Baki was still knocked out, one of the Sound nin carrying him.
Kankuro then noticed that the newest member, that Uzumaki kid that managed to beat Gaara, was at the back of the group, looking downcast and barely keeping pace. “Uzumaki,” he called, “match pace with the rest of us. We need to get there by midnight.”
Naruto perked up, as if noticing Kankuro for the first time. “Oh yeah…you’re Gaara’s brother…that Batman wannabe.”
Kankuro twitched as he heard one of the Sound nin laughing. “My name is Kankuro. Kan-kur-oh. And I’m your superior officer, so shut up and get moving.”
Naruto looked as if he’d make a retort, but instead sighed and went back to moping.
It was then that Kankuro realized he had to do something he absolutely loathed about authority…pep talks.
“Uzumaki…Temari wasn’t your fault. It isn’t your fault and you’re an idiot for thinking it is your fault. Even if you had saved her, chances are circumstances would be pretty similar to the way they are now. Hell, the fact that she’s their prisoner isn’t that huge a deal, for three reasons.”
“One, the resistance makes it a priority to give information on a need-to-know basis. Only the highest ranked member of a cell knows the important information, and that’s Baki, who hasn’t told anyone what the big plan is. Fortunately, he saw fit to share the safehouse locations with me. Temari doesn’t know anything they’ll find interesting.”
“Two, on the intel we have on the Emperor, it’s that he HATES it when the Guard ask him to use the PC to get rid of us. He thinks the Guard is just perfectly capable of dealing with us by themselves, and they’re just being lazy. Even if Temari caves in and gives him our names, (which is all the Emperor needs to alter someone) he’s not going to turn the PC on us. He’s not using the PC to attack us directly unless we start storming the palace or something like that.”
“And most important…Temari’s been through worse. True, Hyuuga is a bitch…but Temari is a bitch from Suna. She’ll be fine.”
At least, that’s what I like to think, said a nagging voice in Kankuro’s head. Kankuro quickly brushed the thought aside.
Rather then having the uplifted look Kankuro had been aiming for, Naruto had a confused expression. “So…what? Everything’s fine except that your sister is a prisoner, we just lost a bunch of guys and a base?”
“Actually…this works in our favor, if only because he’ll finally do something.”
Naruto turned to see that the speaker was Baki, now awake, though leaning on the Sound nin for support.
“You see Uzumaki, one of our more powerful members has refused to enter the conflict directly until things start coming out of our favor. Now that we’ve just lost one of our HQs in the city…he’s got no choice but to act.”
The Imperial Palace.
A great line of soldiers, was marching into the barracks hall. A Guard captain noticed one of the soldiers was out of formation.
“You there, back in line!” shouted the captain.
The soldier swiftly sidestepped back in formation. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.
And that is how Orichimaru, while wearing the skin of a soldier, marched right into the Palace barracks.
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(Posted Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:47)
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