Interlude 11
Sunagakure
Rasa, Fourth Kazekage
"Hm. Exactly as simple as the report claimed." Elder Ebizo mused, staring through the one-way glass and into the theater chamber. His hands folded together and hidden within the sleeves of his loose black robes. "Ryoma-boy did not exaggerate that."
In the theater chamber, Jonin Ryoma was in the final stages of assembling the first of four limbs. The process involved taking several blocks of wood, cutting them down to the correct sizes, sanding them until smooth, applying a protective lacquer, and then putting everything together with semi-standard joints. At many points he would pause to test the fit or joints, often puppeting it himself to ensure everything connected smoothly, but that was purely a quality-control measure.
The last step was simply attaching a padded interior and the leather straps that would secure the limb in place. There were no hidden components attached, no shiki, no seals- not even an interior section. Blocks of wood, metal joints, protective varnish, and leather straps- that was the sum total components required to construct the replacement limb.
Straps cut into place, Ryoma carried the limb over to the bed and attached it to Tsubame's stump. His movements were quick, efficient, and not all that concerned with making sure she was comfortable.
"Here- stay still I need to put this on you." They heard him say, slightly muffled through the wall and speakers.
"His bedside manner is lacking." Medical Captain Aoi grumbled. Old and stern, with brown hair tied back in a bun and red sash over her waist.
"She hasn't managed to extend a chakra string far enough to move the kunai yet." Elder Chiyo commented with a focused expression. "I suppose that's not needed if the limb is attached, is it?"
Quietly, they watched him secure the wooden limb to her body. A few moments later- the arm began to twitch. Over the course of the next minute or so, the arm jerkily began to twist and rotate, forming a vague approximation of normal movement with great concentration.
Slowly, carefully, the arm reached down and grabbed the kunai by the handle. The kunai was carried up to hover before Tsubame's field of vision, where it was clutched motionlessly.
"...Got it? Neat. Gonna go finish the rest now." Ryoma stepped back and went back to work, sounding polite but bored by what he had just done. Moments after he had turned around, tears began to spill down Tsubame's expressionless face, silently drenching her cheeks and spilling down onto her pillow.
"...A lot like Sasori, huh?" Elder Ebizo asked with a dry tone. Tsubame gently set the kunai down on the other side of her body, and silently moved her arm in slow but increasingly complicated motions.
"Maybe a bit too much like him." Elder Chiyo muttered belligerently.
"Elder Chiyo, did you know this was possible?" Rasa asked, calmly but pointedly, staring at the slowly rotating limb.
"Hrm. I've had a few thoughts about it- certainly." Elder Chiyo replied, closing her eyes and face scrunching up. "I was thinking that if my arthritis gets any worse, I'd just cut my hand off and replace it. It's not like I'd need my ninjutsu anymore now that I'm retired."
Elder Ebizo sent her a disgruntled look, which she ignored.
"But it remained a theoretical?" Rasa asked for clarification.
She nodded. "Never tested it myself, not yet." She thought it over for a few moments more, before grunting. "And I certainly didn't consider it to the point of replacing my whole body. I'm not certain what I'd need to keep in order to pull something like that off."
"...But you could do it?" Medical Captain Aoi asked sharply, giving the slightly older woman a focused stare.
Chiyo returned the stare with one of her own. "...A human body is merely one puppet, and not a very complicated one at that. I can operate the entire Chikamatsu Collection at once, operating 'myself' would be easy." She sighed, before returning her gaze to the room beyond the glass. "The hardest part would be the container for my vitals."
The Chikamatsu Collection. A series of ten masterwork puppets created by the original inventor of puppetry, Monzaemon Chikamatsu, Elder Chiyo's mentor in the art.
"The eyes didn't surprise you." Rasa observed plainly.
Elder Chiyo gave another grunt. "Hmp… One of the secrets of the Chikamatsu Collection is the ability to see through the eyes of your puppets- but it's not a technique I was ever able to replicate with other eyes. I intended to teach it to Sasori when I retired, but…"
"You weren't able to replicate it with other eyes? Is that correct, Honored Elder Chiyo?!" Puppetry Captain Gentai asked in a firm and polite tone, raising his hand and lightly chopping it in emphasis.
"Quiet down, blabbermouth! I can hear you!" Chiyo scolded, smacking at his hand before answering. "And no- I wasn't able to replicate it with other puppet-eyes, and I wasn't about to disassemble any of the Chikamatsu Collection to figure out what the secret was."
"And Jonin Ryoma replicated the technique with wood and paint." Security Commander 'Taicho' growled, his calm voice rumbling with irritation at one's underlings. "I will have to update his file again- My subordinates failed to mention this ability. Negligence or ignorance, which is a form of negligence."
"Perhaps a different technique is required for each eye material?" Elder Ebizo mused. "What's Ryoma-boy's natural affinity again?"
"Earth." The ANBU Captain rumbled. "With a developed affinity for Wind."
"Are wood and paint earth-aligned materials?" Logistics Commander Roban mused, reaching a hand up to scratch at his goatee. "That doesn't sound quite right."
"The report outlines the technique as Jonin Ryoma knows it- he considers it a category called 'Kanjutsu'!" Gentai proclaimed with a firm nod. "An unorthodox category based around ninjutsu that expand the senses! I will attempt to replicate the technique and report my findings."
"Limbs, eyes, ears. How many ninja can be brought back into active service with such replacements?" Rasa glanced at his Security and Logistics Commanders, making sure they knew he was addressing them.
"Hm. Maybe eleven." Roban replied with a hum. "I've a few working in desk-work right now, and they'll need to train up a replacement before taking missions again, but I'm sure they'll jump on the chance to get back to field work if you ask, Lord Kazekage."
"An indeterminate amount. They would need to be recalled from their cover." 'Taicho's orange goggles glinted in the light of the audience chamber. "I would advise careful consideration before that is done." Crippled ninja disguised as beggars, destitutes, and prostitutes, distributed throughout the Elemental Nations in key locations and acting as long term informants. A relatively standard tactic, as far as Rasa was aware.
"I'll take that under consideration." Rasa stated bluntly, hands crossed behind his back. The ability to gain more rumor and random sightings in a handful of locations was of questionable utility compared to the ability to press crippled shinobi back into active, standard service. "Gentai, assemble a puppetry team to develop replacement limbs and eyes as an ongoing mission, a team that does not include Jonin Ryoma. You will contact Captains Arada and Kakuhon about integration of shiki and seals into these replacements, explicitly under my orders."
"Yes Lord Kazekage!" Gentai saluted, clicking the heels of his boots together as he did.
"Honored Elder Chiyo- I request that you work with Medical Captain Aoi to develop a full-body-replacement method." Rasa continued, turning to side-eye the elder puppeteer. "If you decide against it, I will simply request Gentai form another team for the sake of this project."
"Hrgn… I'm retired, you know, brat?" Elder Chiyo leveled an unimpressed look towards him. Rasa returned the look with a flat stare of his own. Eventually she closed her eyes and huffed. "Give me a week to think it over."
Acceptable. He turned his head towards Aoi. "Medical Captain- either yourself or a dedicated team on this project."
"I'll handle it myself- Buddha know's the next generation isn't worth a thing." Aoi huffed, closing her eyes. A moment later she threw her wrinkled head back and cackled. "Besides- I could use a hot young body again, ehehe-hah!"
"Wretched old prune." Elder Chiyo grumbled hypocritically. "You couldn't lure a man when you were young either."
"Your jealousy is noted, old sponge."
Rasa leveled a stare at both women, getting them to quiet down before turning back to the glass.
Ryoma was fitting the second limb onto the leather harness, looking slightly perturbed by the dampness of the pillow and the steady stream of silent tears that flowed down Tsubame's face. This perturbed expression only intensified as the newly fitted arms were used to lock around him in a crushing hug, her face buried into the crook of his neck and unsteady 'thank you's coming clear through the microphones.
Somewhat awkwardly, he brought his hands down to return the hug, his eyes moving over to them on the other side of the glass.
"He looks confused." Logistics Commander Roban observed dryly.
"He's like Sasori- nothing he's doing here is special to him. He figured it out long ago and never thought to share, because it wasn't that difficult for him. And if it's not difficult, then everyone else surely figured it out a long time ago." Elder Chiyo sighed. "My grandson was a bad influence on him."
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That was the biggest problem with the Jonin- he was just a bit too much like Sasori. "Taicho, once this observation period is concluded, offer 38-102 an open position near him. Bodyguard or something along those lines. Her limbs and techniques with them might be improved over time by the proximity."
The unspoken duty was that she'd be watching him to ensure he didn't defect. Taicho's orange goggles glinted again as he nodded shallowly.
"It will be done, Lord Kazekage."
In the theater chamber, Ryoma slowly extracted himself from the crying woman and got back to work, brows furrowed.
"Might be prudent to have explosive tags applied to the limbs as well." Elder Ebizo commented. "No need to let them slip into enemy hands, even as simple as they are- especially as simple as they are."
"A wise suggestion, Honored Elder Ebizo."
—
Special Jonin Mari took the news of Karura's death as well as he could have reasonably hoped for. Professionally, with only a few tears and no apparent grudge towards himself.
He walked through the outer terrace of the central HQ and across the narrow bridge of sandstone that led towards the Security Center's outer lip.
He made sure to redact any individuals involved in the sealing save for himself- it would not do to have his ninja feuding under his nose. Any blame for her death should fall squarely upon his shoulders- he was the one who approved of the procedure in the end.
From the outer lip, he walked down the stairs towards the back of the building, where the Suppression Chamber was located.
Mari's only request was the right to take on babysitting duties for Gaara, citing that it was only right for her to help her friend's children.
Rasa didn't have it in himself to argue against that, and having another agent other than Yashamaru willing to watch Gaara without himself around would only be beneficial. Even with this, he made sure to give precise instructions about how to handle his son, and how to best escape the crushing sand of the demon.
He stopped at the door, seeing it unlocked. His eyes narrowed as black rings formed around them. The metal hinges pushed the door open for him, revealing the chamber within. Currently empty.
He entered the chamber, the rings of black around his eyes disappearing as the chakra-suppressing seals surrounded him. A crib, a few blankets, a handful of toys, and nothing more.
He walked out of the chamber, raising his hands into a seal and closing one eye as he moved. Sand rose from the ground, swirling together and compressing into the shape of a perfectly rounded glass eye. The eye sped upwards, spinning around rapidly to take in the surroundings.
If Mari had tried to escape with the Jinchuriki, then he'd have to exe-
…There she was, sitting in the shade of one of the central HQ's leafy acacia trees with Gaara in the crook of her arm, napping in the filtered light of the sun. The other arm was missing from her shoulder. Small piles of sand, scraps of wood and metal, and torn cloth littered the small garden.
His scowl lightened as he changed directions, walking towards the garden and passing by a handful of ninja in the noon air. They saluted as he passed by, but would quickly retreat into buildings and away from the hot desert winds. Even early into spring, the sun was relentless with its glare.
A gentle, wordless lullaby drifted over those winds, growing steadily clearer as he approached the exterior garden. He dispelled the Sand-Eye as he rounded the corner, letting the jutsu fall apart and drift away on the breeze. He could see the garden with his own eyes now.
The HQ garden served mostly as a place to put clients who complained about being cooped inside constantly as they waited for their contracts to be approved and sent on their way. A small section of ground filled with soil transplanted from the Land of Rivers and planted with several Acacia trees to keep it well-shaded. The ground was covered mostly in heat-tolerant flowers and well-groomed pebbles, with a single well in the center which was capped by a roof to dispel yet more heat.
Karura liked visiting the garden, keeping meticulous care of the various trees and shrubs.
Rasa almost couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He pushed away his distractions and focused again on what was currently important.
His gaze fixed on the form of the Special Jonin and the Jinchuriki.
She was, as he observed earlier, currently missing her replacement arm. The scattered fragments of the limb decorated the garden and mixed in with small piles of sand. Gaara was nested into the crook of her arm as she leaned back against the base of one of the trees, humming a gentle lullaby.
Her sleeves had been torn off, revealing her arm and the stump where an arm used to be. There was a gentle but unnatural breeze surrounding her, indicating that she was maintaining a wind jutsu.
Her eyes cracked open as he approached, then opened all the way to greet him. "Ah- Lord Ra- er- Kazekage! Are you done with that meet-whatever?" She spoke gently, not rising to bow. "I'd uh- rise to salute but, I think I might have trouble with that- eheh?"
He stared down at her for a few moments, glancing over at a pile of sand and scrap wood, before turning back to her. "...The demon's sand almost crushed you."
"Oh, yeah- Gaara got a bit fussy because he was hot and got my arm." She explained in an apologetic tone. "B-b-but it's okay! I can go bother Ry-oh uh… A guy about getting another one!" She smiled brightly, eyes closed and nodding confidently.
She was not especially diligent about maintaining operational security, he observed dryly. "I can take you off the list of candidates to watch my son, if you-"
"No!" She bounced up, eyes wide and expression worried. Gaara fidgeted, immediately bringing her attention back to him before she could continue. "Oh- sorry baby- I didn't mean to be loud- shushushu, okay? Mari's sorry."
Rasa watched, slowly letting the black rings around his eyes dissipate again. Mari calmed his son down again, giving his head a gentle nuzzle with her forehead, and humming a delicate tune.
His chest hurt. He looked away, focusing on the piles of sand and debris.
"Please don't, Lord Kazekage, he's a really sweet baby- he didn't mean it- I understand." She quietly pleaded. "I can just get another arm, it's fine- I don't mind losing it."
"Your ability to care for him will be severely limited with a single arm." He pointed out, turning his gaze to the neighboring acacia tree.
"Ah- I already figured out how to get around that, Lord Kazekage! Please look!"
He forced his flat gaze back to the woman holding his son. She smiled brightly at him, a string of chakra reaching down and connecting with the pile of torn cloth that used to serve as her sleeves.
The cloth rose, tying itself around the base of her stump and shaping itself into the vague form of an arm, fingers composed of torn sections at the end, which reached into her vest and pulled out a bottle of nutrient-enriched baby formula.
With arm made of cloth, she shook it around briefly, an overly pleased smile on her face. "See? I'm still totally capable! Please praise me a lot, Lord Kazekage!"
In truth, Rasa was already tired of thinking about replacement limbs, something he had been doing all of today so far. "I see."
She giggled, cloth hand raising to cover her mouth. "Hehe- I suppose it's hard to impress you, Lord Kazekage."