Chapter 104: The Jinchuriki is Captured
In the Raikage's tower, the Third Raikage was getting ready. He had taken off his Kage robes and was now in his ninja gear.
"By now," he said, "Blue Bee and the others should be getting close to Konoha."
"Yes," Dodai said. "I wonder if there will be any problems."
"If there are," the Raikage said with a grin, "Konoha loses an elder. If there aren't, Konoha loses a Jinchuriki. Either way, the Cloud wins. Hahaha. With the Uzumaki siblings and Samui, who is an expert in the Iron Armor Seal, we have a backup plan even if things go wrong."
Dodai nodded. Though Dana hadn't been involved in the planning of this mission, they had considered all the possibilities.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Lord Raikage," a ninja reported, "the summoning array Lord Dana left behind has been activated. A message has arrived."
The Raikage's spirits lifted. He took the scroll and read it. The message was short. A smile spread across his face.
"That kid," he said, "he's found some kind of opportunity. He's learning something incredible."
"Should I send a reply?" the man asked. "The snake is still here."
"Just tell him 'OK'," the Raikage said. "Let him focus on his training. An opportunity like this must be seized."
He had gathered enough combat power for this mission. He didn't need any more. He was planning on going himself.
In his deep, underground base, Danzo was in his office, flipping through a stack of intelligence reports, looking for something.
"Lord Danzo," one of his subordinates reported, "they've arrived."
"Who are they?" Danzo asked, his voice low.
"I don't know, my lord," the Root member said, shaking his head. "They have maintained their transformations and refused to dispel them. There are five of them. They came from the coast."
Danzo rubbed his temples in frustration. As he had expected, the men his Cloud ally had sent were not so honest. It was a shame the Foundation didn't have any Byakugan users to see through their transformations. But the arrow was already on the bow. It had been difficult enough to create such a massive security breach in Konoha. If he failed now, he might not get another chance.
"How many men are guarding the exit of the barrier?"
"Eleven, my lord."
Though he believed the men his ally had sent were likely pawns, he could not afford any mistakes. "Send two more squads," he ordered.
This was a risky move. He was prepared to sacrifice his connection to his Cloud ally to see it through. From the fact that they were unwilling to show their true faces, he suspected his ally might have his own plans. Of course, it was also possible that they had realized they were pawns and were being cautious. But no matter what, he had to get the Nine-Tails. He could not fail.
As evening fell, Kushina Uzumaki was walking through the streets of Konoha, her head bowed.
She was almost fifteen now and had long since graduated from the Academy. But because of her special status as the backup Jinchuriki, she couldn't go on missions like her classmates, and she didn't have a team leader. And now that she was the official Jinchuriki, her entire life was arranged by the village's leadership.
She had never had many friends, and lately, she had become even more reclusive. Every day, besides studying the sealing jutsu as ordered by the village elders, she would just go home to her empty house and eat and sleep.
Today was no different. In this foreign land, no one cared how she felt, or if she liked her current life. Her red hair would occasionally attract the stares of the villagers, but it was mostly a mixture of surprise and alienation.
But today, someone called her name.
"Kushina! Over here!"
A golden-haired boy with a bright smile was waving at her from a distance.
A flicker of emotion crossed her otherwise blank face. He was one of only two people in this village who would ever greet her.
The boy said goodbye to his teammates and ran over to her.
"Kushina," he said cheerfully, "are you heading home? I just got back from a mission." The little sun, Minato Namikaze, began to recount his latest adventure.
"...the bandit was so mean, but when we finished the mission, the villagers were so nice and treated us to a meal."
"I envy you," she said, her voice low. "You can leave the village, go on missions. Unlike me. I can never leave."
Minato stopped talking. He looked at her sad face and, after a moment of silence, said, "Kushina, let me treat you to dinner. I just got my mission pay. We can invite Mikoto. You can have whatever you want."
She was tempted, but in the end, she just shook her head. "No, I'm going home. And Mikoto's cousin is having some trouble. She won't be able to come out. Maybe next time. Goodbye."
She then quickened her pace and left him behind.
"Hey, Kushina!" he shouted after her. "What about tomorrow? We can go see Mikoto! We can bring a gift!"
"Sorry," she said without turning back. "We'll see about tomorrow."
After turning a few corners and making sure he was out of sight, she stopped and clenched her fists. "I'm such an idiot," she muttered.
Her mood sank even lower.
By the time she got home, it was already dark. She pushed open the door and entered the empty courtyard. She thought about making something to eat, but it seemed like too much trouble. She just lay down on her bed. It didn't matter if she was healthy or not. No one cared. If she just fell asleep, everything would be fine.
As she was lying there, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. Was there someone on the ceiling beam? Was she seeing things?
"No way," she muttered to herself. "It's probably just a stain."
But just as she was about to dismiss the thought, three ninja dropped from the ceiling.
Before she could even react, one of them struck her in the stomach. The sudden blow knocked the wind out of her, and her chakra went into a chaotic mess.
A sealing jutsu, was her last thought before she lost consciousness.
"I can't believe a Jinchuriki this weak is unguarded," one of her attackers said, surprised. "Were the guards drawn away? It seems Konoha's internal strife is quite severe."
Hiroto Uzumaki looked at the unconscious Kushina, also finding the situation strange.
Kayo looked at the girl, who was about her age and had the same color hair, with a complex mix of emotions. To meet a fellow clansman under these circumstances...
Samui lifted Kushina's shirt to confirm the seal had taken effect, then slung her over her shoulder and gave a signal to the two siblings.
The three of them headed for the village walls.