chapter 103

Infiltrating Taki was… laughably easy, really.

Eiji could hardly believe that was all the security there was in a ninja village, minor or not. Then again, not many people had access to Senjutsu, so he guessed he couldn't really fault them all that much. However, even with liberal use of arts that few had at their disposal, it'd been too easy. It had the boy a little on edge, if he was honest.

"Relax, that's just you," Kage told him, and Eiji could almost see him rolling his eyes.

"He's right, Eiji, we are good so far," Hachi agreed and he took a deep breath in and shook off his unease.

There'd been no pops between his Shadow Clones. Which meant that his team and them had gotten in with no problem so far too. 'Honestly, I expected some trouble with this part,' He thought to himself as he started moving through Taki in a Transformation Technique. It was time to put all that time of practice in Iwa to test, he supposed.

He hadn't personally done that back then, but this slight change of situation taught him something. Tsuchigumo found it extremely amusing that people didn't know who he was and couldn't see through the disguise. Why? Neither he nor the twins had any idea, honestly, but they just basked in the little one's enjoyment. It was a delight to see her bouncing around or, in Eiji's case, hear her bark/laugh. It was nice to keep the mood up, if nothing else.

Time passed while they were in Taki, and he crossed paths with his Clones and team more than once. They exchanged some information, but it was mainly things that they already knew. They also hadn't found anything about Fu in particular though, but they did find out about the situation. 'So, the reports are true.'

Taki's civilian side was alienating the Jinchuriki. To a point that was worse than Konoha with Naruto, actually, which Eiji found… annoying, to say the least. The fact that it wasn't a grudge or fear, but a purposeful decision only made it worse, really. They hadn't gotten much from the ninja side, but that was to be expected. Still, he had some people very experienced with espionage, he expected it wouldn't take them much to gather some intel on that front.

For the moment, he kept his Senjutsu active as much as possible to try and pick up something. It was his best bet, really. He might be able to go covert without too much trouble, but that and actually getting information were two very different things.

[Senjutsu of the Spiders has gone up a level.]

Honestly, he didn't really need to be good at espionage, not with Senjutsu available.

[Senjutsu of the Spiders- Lvl 16

The user gathers and balances natural energy with their own chakra to increase Physical Stats and gain a sensing ability.

Physical Stat Increase - 160%

Sensing Range - 640 meters]

Senjutsu gave him senses that were, all in all, terrifyingly good. Anything that happened within its range could be picked up on, anything. And the range was growing more and more as time passed and he continued leveling it up. It was really the only thing he needed to try and get some information, really. Only problem was that it was a bit overwhelming, especially when he had to try and listen in on all the conversations taking place and try to filter them.

That part didn't go too well. Senjutsu sense was great when used on focused targets. All but absolute, really. However, spread out like this? That was a little more complicated.

Eiji saw this as a training experience, actually, which helped him deal with the headaches and frustration more than a little bit. After all, it was likely that he'd have to do more espionage missions in his life. He'd need to know how to do this better for the next time. However, it would have been nice if the first mission he had to do this wasn't so… world affecting.

That was his luck though, and he'd just have to deal with it.

At least Taki was nice, so there was that. It was no major village and it showed though. It wasn't as imposing as Iwa, nor as lively as Konoha. If he had to describe it though, he'd use similar words to the later, but on a smaller scale. There were trees everywhere, but much smaller than those in Konoha. There was the river, making a circle as if marking the village's location. And sometimes, there'd be the sound of the waterfall the place was named after.

The people were nice and friendly. Not welcoming and warm like Konoha. Not hardened but resolute like Iwa. They were just… nice. A bit plain, but overall it didn't make the experience horrible, at least. It did make it a little boring though. Eiji would have preferred if there was something interesting to keep him from wanting to drift off.

God knew he'd have fallen asleep if not for the twins.

"Yes, we are a blessing from above. Focus on the conversations, Eiji," Kage barked at him. Maybe he was spending too much time with Tsuchigumo. "I heard that!" The man protested, as his sister giggled.

Eiji didn't pay him too much mind though. He was fairly sure that he was complaining because if the boy himself wasn't paying attention it meant that he had to. They were all working together to pick up stuff, after all.

"You are not wrong," Hachi confirmed although even she, normally calm and placid, sounded a little annoyed. Nobody was a fan of the current mission, it seemed. With any luck, it wouldn't be too long. "One can only hope."

"Take a break, guys," Eiji told them, earning a sigh in relief from both. "Go and keep Tsuchigumo some company, yeah? She must be even more bored than us since we are always busy lately."

"Will do," Kage replied instantly, apparently not caring that he was giving away how much he wanted to do just that. Maybe the male twin was past his denial already?

"He definitely is," The female twin confirmed. "And stop calling us twins," She growled.

Eiji just chuckled.

[}-o-{]

Eventually, they got results out of their little operation. The only problem was that Sasori was the one that got it. He didn't expect much from Jirobo or Temari, but he had Kabuto and Yugito in the team too and they were good at espionage and infiltration. It was just unfortunate, he supposed.

So, with that less than ideal find, Eiji had to triple check to see if what the puppet master had gotten was actually something. And that's where the previously mentioned experts came in. That and lots of Senjutsu usage.

As it was, they at least could confirm the intel.

Intel that got them on their way to Fu. Taki was making a stupid desicion on how to handle their Jinchuriki, but what they were doing kind of right was that they didn't have her around like Konoha did with Naruto. Then again, Konoha could afford to have Anbu and Jounin looking after the blonde at all times. Ninja that were actually pretty good in their own right.

Taki, however? They had no such thing and compensated for that by hiding the girl from the world while they tried to make her into a weapon.

"Am I boring you?" The woman in front of Eiji said, in that tone that all men knew meant 'danger'. He finished his yawn and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," He said, and while Yugito didn't react in any way, he could just tell that she wanted to laugh. 'Man, was Senjutsu always this overpowered? I don't remember it being like this in the series,' He mused.

"Not from your notes and not from what we've gathered," Kage told him, confirming his suspicions.

"I just," Eiji continued. "Haven't been sleeping that well lately," He said as an excuse for his 'poor' behavior.

"It's fine. You've had a lot of work to do, haven't you?" Yugito asked under her disguise. With the scope of their search area shrinking, the group had started doing things in pairs and such from time to time, especially when they came across each other.

So far, Eiji had been Jirobo's younger brother, Tayuya's twin brother and Kabuto's best friend. Was it a little weird? Definitely, but it was how the job went sometimes. Eiji was just glad that he seemed to be good at acting. However, he'd almost been a bit caught off guard when Yugito decided to play couple though, he'd admit, but he'd learned to just roll with it before.

He was almost positive she'd done so to mess with him.

"We found something," Eiji heard Tayuya say in his ear and he almost reacted. Almost, but not quite, since he'd picked up her approach with Senjutsu. Instead, he just looked at Yugito. She'd gotten the message too. Then, their genjutsu specialist started relaying the information she'd gotten with Temari.

"Now that's a pair I'd like to see," Hachi commented, clearly amused by that particular combination. Eiji couldn't really blame her. It did sound like a disaster waiting to happen.

It turned out that they hadn't actually been the ones to find something. Jirobo and Kabuto did, actually, and the chain of communication had brought it to Tayuya and she to him. From there, it turned out that the little byplay of yawning and what not was useful, since Yugito took that as an opportunity to suggest they go somewhere else.

They were getting closer.

As for what they would do once they found Fu, well, he had a few ideas. One in particular, sounded a little… risky, but it convinced him more and more as he thought about it. Maybe he was being affected by the world's strange logic that seemed to rule things from time to time… Or maybe he was just strange himself.

"Or both," Kage pointed out, which was… fair.

From there, the situation sort of snowballed. The more they could reduce the area they had to search, the easier it was to come across more clues. Soon enough, they were finding each other pretty often through the village.

And at that point…

[Senjutsu of the Spiders has gone up a level.]

His Senjutsu was starting to cover a good piece of land that they had to search. From there, it was him that started picking up clues. Or, at least, he could hear a lot of stuff and with his clones helping filter even more, it got easier and easier the more they reduced the searching zone. It still took his espionage specialists to decipher some of the things they picked up, but Eiji was fine with that. He had his strengths and his weaknesses… And besides, he was learning while he was at it. Maybe, eventually, he'd be an all rounder.

If not, then, well, that's why he'd formed a team in the first place. His Suicide Squad would cover his back… most of them, at least. He was still kind of on the fence with Sasori, for very obvious reasons. Maybe he'd get there?

"Unlikely," Kage all but scoffed.

"Not happening," Hachi agreed.

If he was honest, Eiji would admit that they were right. There was no way he'd ever trust Sasori. The Sound ninja had the advantage of being young and more able to change. They'd also been picked up by Orochimaru, who was a bit of a manipulative bastard. Even Kabuto, who was the more sketchy one had changed quite a bit and they'd all seen it happen. Which showed that they hadn't been given much of a chance to begin with, something that Eiji already knew.

Sasori though... he'd turned like he did all by himself.

There was also the fact that showing any kind of favor for Sasori would antagonize Suna. They were in a position where that wasn't much of a problem at the moment, but still, there was no need to push their luck on that. Thus, the puppet master would remain a prisoner that could fight on his side if he wanted and only that. No chances for redemption like the rest of the Squad.

It was that or dying, at least, and Eiji had a feeling he knew what the answer of the man would be.

That also meant he could backstab them at any time though, which made the situation a little complicated.

"How I wish I didn't need him," He grumbled to himself. Alas, Sasori was a great asset and he was reasonably under control. After all, who in their right mind doesn't fear death? Or, more specifically in this case, the void, Eiji supposed. He was enough of a threat to keep the puppet master in place, hopefully.

"I think you are underestimating how much of a danger you are to… anyone, Eiji," Hachi pointed out, although he wasn't sure how right she was.

"Eiji, you are a Pseudo-Jinchuriki with Senjutsu…" Kage added bluntly, sounding completely unimpressed.

"When you put it like that…" Eiji mumbled in his mind.

"Idiot," The twins said in unison, like the twins they were. "Stop calling us that." They said again, completely ruining their own argument. Exasperated, Hachi huffed while Kage bristled.

Eiji for his part, decided to end the conversation in the best way he could possibly think of.

"Go, Tsuchi," He said, then tuning out the consequent cries for help.

[}-o-{]

"So, what's the plan, Fearless Leader?" Tayuya asked, for once not playing her flute as she laid lazily over a tree branch, arm and leg falling off to the side. The rest of the team gathered next to said tree as they prepared to discuss the next course of action. It had been a good few weeks and Eiji thought it necessary to pull out and go through the plan once more now that they had more information. Also to relax for a bit, because while the espionage experts might be fine, the rest probably weren't, just like him.

If the way his non-spy members were acting was any indication, he'd been right. Tayuya's example was the most noticeable on that front. Temari, for her part, seemed to not even be paying attention to the game of shogi she'd started with Yugito. Jirobo was doing his best Chouji impression and scarfing down food like his life depended on it while he sat against a tree.

Eiji himself thought he needed at least a moment to pull himself together, honestly. Even with Hachi and Kage to share the load with him if they needed to and Tsuchi offering moral support, he still felt like the infiltration had drained the energy right out of him.

"Fearless Leader?" Tayuya called again, snapping Eiji from his thoughts.

"Right," He said, and even to himself, he sounded tired. Thank God for his mind companions. Without them, he'd be worried that his weariness had affected his plan making. With them to confirm that it was solid, he pushed forward. "We are almost there on the Fu front. So, we take a break while my clones just hold the fort and then we charge back in to finish this thing. I'm already fucking tired of this shitshow."

"Careful, you are sounding like Tayuya there, Eiji," Temari pointed out with a weak smile. He just sighed.

"No offense, guys, but espionage sucks," He said instead of replying to the Suna kunoichi.

"It's not for everyone," Yugito said simply, shrugging to herself as she contemplated Temari's move on their game. Sasori just gave him one of his flat, puppet looks. Kabuto, interestingly, didn't comment either.

"Anyway, we can stay here for a day, maybe two. After that, we gotta go back. The clones can't hold up for that long and the longer we stay away, the less convincing their act will be, I'm sure. I'm good, but I'm not that good," Eiji explained, getting nods and some relieved sighs from his team. "Kabuto," He called then, making the silver haired boy turn towards him.

"Yes?"

"As I said, we are almost done gathering information about Taki's Jinchuriki. I want you to try and get more information about Taki itself while we set to finish the main mission. Do you think you can?" Eiji asked. It wasn't part of the mission, he'd admit, but it was a perfect moment to do that. A minor village, it might be, but it could still have some useful things. Most importantly… "Intel on previous Jinchuuriki should be a priority, but anything that seems remotely useful will be fine."

"I can do that," Kabuto agreed easily with a nod and Eiji could almost see the plans forming on his face.

He was the only one that Eiji felt remotely comfortable sending on a side-mission like that, which was… something. He wouldn't let Sasori out of his sight unless he really needed to. No need to give the puppet master more chances to backstab him than he'd already get. As for Yugito, she was still a Kumo ninja first and a member second and Eiji had no delusions on what that meant in a situation like this one.

No, Kabuto was the best and only option.

"If past me could hear me now," He thought with a mental grin.

"You'd think yourself absolutely mad," Hachi commented, sounding just as amused.

"I mean, you are," Kage pointed out.

[}-o-{]

"God fucking damn it!" Tayuya all but shouted. "How'd you come up with a game that's worse than Uno?" She asked him, incredulous.

"Tayuya, you are one of the unluckiest game players I've ever seen," Eiji told her with a grin. "And can I just say? It's hilarious."

"I hate you, all of you."

"Three against one, from Land of Bears to Land of Mountains," Sasori said, interrupting the conversation. Interestingly and shockingly enough, the puppet master had taken to the little strategy game he'd introduced for this break quite well.

"Fuck," Yugito cursed, picking up one die while looking apprehensively at the three dice in Sasori's hand. Yeah, Eiji understood, the guy had made a hole in her defenses there. Good thing was, Eiji himself would attack him from another front… It wouldn't save Yugito, but… Well, you win some, you lose some.

Her sacrifice would be remembered.

[}-o-{]

"This is a bad idea," Tayuya whispered in his ear as he walked, but he just continued walking. He'd made up his mind, and that was all there was to it. There was really no easy way to do this. All plans had a chance of failure, especially in this case, and there was just no way to guarantee even a good failure.

So, he'd go with this.

Senjutsu told him everyone's position. Yugito, the farthest of the bunch, since she'd be the one to most likely give them away, if that came to pass. Temari, not that much closer, ready to take flight on her fan if she needed to get anywhere. Jirobo and Kabuto to one side, prepared to either jump in and do some damage control or keep people out of the way if it came to that. Sasori to the other with much the same objective. Yuki, meanwhile, walked dutifully next to him. It was, maybe, a risk, but the dog would have none of his plans to keep her away and he'd allow her that much.

"A really bad idea," Tayuya repeated from where she was, the closest to him on Kabuto and Jirobo's side, in case they needed to protect her too.

To be fair, nobody was a fan of the plan, not even Eiji himself. However, as sad as that was, it was the best they had, in his opinion. Some of the others disagreed, but he disagreed just as much with their options. Really, there was just no easy way to do this, he might as well do things his way if that was the case.

"Fearless Leader, I swear, if this goes badly," The genjutsu expert continued grumbling. Eiji had half a mind to just dissipate her technique on him, but that wasn't a good idea. Not for the mission, at least, because God did it sound like one to him at that moment.

Eventually, he reached the clearing and walked in.

"Hello," He greeted simply, making the other person there all but jump as they turned to him. "Fu, the Seven Tails container," He said as he looked her up and down. She looked just like his notes said she would, although there was supposed to be a spark there that wasn't present at the moment. He'd noted her as "possibly energetic". The girl looked all but dead to the world. "It's nice to meet you."

She didn't reply for a long moment, although Eiji could see the way her eyes locked on the Konoha symbol on his arm. He'd left it there on purpose, after all. Contrary to what he expected, she didn't immediately charge at him or start shouting or anything. Instead, she just looked at him and then spoke, calmly.

Things were already looking pretty good, it seemed. There was no need to use Tayuya's plan just yet.

"Why are you here, Weaver?" She asked. He was almost surprised that she knew of him, but then again, they were training her to the best of their abilities. She probably knew of most ninja that had made a name for themselves.

"I'm here to offer you a chance to get away from here."

"To Konoha," She finished before he could continue, understanding instantly. "And why should I even consider that?" She asked this time. Eiji noted that she sounded… resigned, might be a word for it. To what? He didn't have the slightest idea, but that's what it was.

"Because it'll be better than what's going on here," He answered, looking around the clearing, but meaning Takigakure. "It won't be all good, I admit. Our own Jinchuriki isn't too happy with the place. But at least he gets freedom to train as much as he wants to without being run into the ground. He gets to have a life, even if it's a little harder than normal due to his condition," He told her.

There were many approaches to this. He could have lied through his teeth to manipulate her, but that had the possibility of being too obvious or causing trouble once his lies caught up to him. He could just say "to hell with it" and pull an Akatsuki, kidnapping her and dealing with that later. He didn't like those approaches though.

"That's all you have to say?" Fu said, seemingly almost surprised.

"You aren't a stupid person, I don't think. I don't approach those types, honestly. I prefer people that don't need a whole speech to know what's going on. I think you can fill the holes well enough on your own, can't you?" He reasoned, and he noticed somewhat of a trend there. 'Didn't I say something similar to Sasori?'

"You did," Hachi confirmed.

"And if I refuse?"

She wouldn't, Eiji knew that. She had no ties inside this village whatsoever. There was nothing keeping her in the village at all. No Ichiraku, or Jiji, or anything like Naruto had had. Only things she had were superiors, constantly pressuring her to be better and disappointed in her, and civilians that avoided her on the previously mentioned superior's orders. He couldn't see how she wouldn't take a chance for a better place.

"Do you know about Akatsuki?" He asked instead of answering, immediately making the girl stiffen and narrow her eyes at him. "I'm here to stop them from getting to you. I'll remain here for that mission and if we take them out, I'll go. You can think over the offer in the meantime. Although, I urge you to keep it to yourself."

"I'm guessing someone will be around to know if I want to talk to you?"

"Considering our mission is literally to protect you, yes, I think there will be," He replied with an amused half-smile. Her cheeks turned the slightest pink in embarrassment at not having realized that. "That's all I had to say. I hope you make the right choice, Fu. You could do better than this."

And with his piece said, he turned to leave. Tayuya could only keep him hidden with her genjutsu for so long, after all. With any luck, Fu, at the very least, wouldn't run to tell her superiors about them. That'd turn the situation messy. Although, to be fair, there was no subtle way to steal a Jinchuriki, so that was a guaranteed thing anyway.

"Wait," Fu called then, although she was already standing next to him. "You are not lying, are you?"

"I'm not," He answered simply, although he couldn't see how she would know if he was lying or not. He was pretty sure her Jinchuriki powers didn't involve anything like that.

"I'll go with you."

"No way," Tayuya whispered in his ear, disbelieving, and he had to suppress a smug grin. "No fucking way it was that easy."