chapter 104

"So, I know this is a bit unexpected-"

"A bit?" More than one person in the team asked, interrupting Eiji who simply grinned wryly at them. He couldn't really fault them, really. He himself hadn't foreseen things going as they had.

"I'm just that awesome, guys. Deal with it," He said, getting more than a few eyes rolled at him. Then, he turned his attention to the squirming green-haired girl next to him. She was the picture of awkwardness, but he guessed that made sense, considering the situation. "You'll get used to these people, I'm sure."

"I, uh, look forward to it?" Fu said hesitantly.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Eiji told her, deciding to just get the ball rolling and see where things went. Fu wasn't supposed to be an addition to the team, so there would be no problem if they didn't get along or something. He knew his little band of misfits would at least be professional… At least enough to not make her regret her decision… hopefully.

"First, that's Tayuya," He started, making the redhead all but preen at his words. "She has the foulest mouth around and she's a bit of a brat, but she's good deep down… really deep down. Try and not murder her if you can manage… I won't hold it against you if you don't though."

"Gee, I feel the love, Fearless Leader," The girl in question deflated, giving him a glare.

"She also gives nicknames to everyone, so don't take offense when she does the same to you. Next we have Temari," He continued, signaling the blonde who gave the Seven Tails Jinchuuriki a little wave in greeting. "She's my Second In Command, if I'm not around, you listen to her."

"Nice to meet you," The blonde nodded to the temporary new addition to their group.

"Then we have Jirobo, he's a little quiet and a not-so-little intimidating, but he's good," He explained moving on to the boys for a little bit. "Kabuto Yakushi, resident medic and spy. He looks like a nice guy, but don't let that deceive you."

"Are you trying to make her feel safe or scare her, Eiji?" The aforementioned gray haired boy asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"A bit of both," Eiji replied with a grin. "This is Sasori. Never be alone in his presence. I'm serious. He was part of Akatsuki and I got him working with us, but don't trust anything he does or says."

At that, Fu awkwardly shuffled a little further from the aforementioned man. That was good, as far as Eiji was concerned. The fact that the puppet master didn't say anything didn't discourage her at all, that was for sure.

"And this is Yugito Nii, the Two Tails Jinchuuriki," He introduced last, making the girl perk up, eyes wide as she looked at the older blonde and the rest of the group. "She's somewhat nice, I think."

"I think you could have sounded more doubtful if you tried, Eiji," The blonde commented, raising an eyebrow at him while he grinned unrepentantly.

"And this is Yuki, the best of the bunch, as simple as that," He introduced them, placing a hand over the ninken's head. The dog, for her part, barked happily at the girl. Truly, she was the friendliest, so she was also his hope to make the girl feel somewhat welcome. "And that's everyone, I think. Welcome to the Suicide Squad. Hopefully you won't be too scared of us by the time we reach Konoha," Eiji finished.

"... Suicide Squad?"

"That's the part she focuses on?" Yugito mumbled in disbelief while Tayuya barked out a laugh.

"Because we really have no business surviving the shit we are sent to do," Eiji replied with a wry smile. "Also, Tayuya won't let the name go, so it's what it is."

"I… see?" The girl said hesitantly.

"Don't worry too much. I know they are a weird bunch. Hopefully, you won't fit in too well. I gotta have someone normal around," Eiji said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Riiight, who wants to burst his bubble?" Tayuya asked, looking around the group.

"Eiji, no offense, but you might be the weirdest of us all," Yugito deadpanned at him and he recoiled, placing a hand over his chest.

"I'll have you know I'm perfectly normal," He protested, although even he himself had to chuckle at that while some of the others accompanied him, or outright laughed like Tayuya. "So, hopefully I haven't scared you off already," He commented, turning towards Fu, who was looking around slightly wide-eyed.

He could have definitely handled introductions and such much better, he knew that. However, he liked being honest and Fu had already taken the leap of faith with them. Really, it should take much more than this to make her regret her decision. There was also another little thing that Eiji had wanted to make clear in a slightly more subtle way and he hoped he'd managed to make it come across.

Fu looked a little overwhelmed though, which didn't help him determine how successful he'd been in his side-objective.

"No, no, it's… it's fine," The girl replied hesitantly, which didn't help much. "It's fine," She repeated, looking around, taking the group in.

"Temari, if you could take it from here, I have to go over some things with Kabuto. After that, we are moving away from here, everyone. I hope you are all ready to go. I wanna get away from here before shit hits the fan," He said, getting several affirmative responses from everyone as they started moving, finishing whatever they needed to before they had to move away. Some, already prepared to leave, simply sat down to do their own thing, like Sasori who immediately pulled one of his few puppets to tinker and Tayuya who started playing her flute.

"So, did you find anything interesting?" Eiji asked as he pulled Kabuto aside.

"A few things," The silver-haired boy started.

[}-o-{]

[Fu]

She was pretty sure she was dreaming or something.

There was just no way this was real, after all. What were the chances that, when she needed it the most, someone would come to save her? When everyone shunned her, when the other ninja kept on asking more from her, when she was growing more and more tired everyday, when the only thing driving her was Chomei… This person, Eiji Satou, the Weaver, appeared just like that, offering her the way out that she'd been hoping for.

Fu knew she'd been desperate, but surely this couldn't be an illusion or something, right?

"Certainly not a genjutsu," Chomei whispered excitedly. "This is all really happening."

Fu also knew she'd been desperate, but surely she hadn't just fallen for a trap, right?

"That… I'm less sure about, but they've been truthful so far from what I can tell," Her somewhat childish partner hesitated. "Wait, give me a sec," The Seven Tails added before going silent, much to Fu's confusion.

'Hm, now I wonder if this is a trap,' She thought to herself as she looked around. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, mostly. Some were checking their equipment, others just sat down to wait. That's when Fu's eyes found the one Weaver had said was Yugito Nii. She knew her, she'd seen her photo during her training, and still, she couldn't help but doubt if it was truly her.

Another Jinchuriki, right in front of her.

That wasn't the most surprising thing though. Fu had heard of the Weaver's team too. Everyone knew that something had gone on in Iwa and that the Weaver had been there with a team. The Rock had done its absolute best to cover up as much information about the whole thing as they could. Or so the intel that Fu had been given said, at least.

Now she knew that they'd been at least mostly correct. Maybe she'd get to know the whole story now that she was apparently traveling with them?

"Do you know about Akatsuki? I'm here to stop them from getting to you."

Had they been in Iwa for a similar reason? It was a possibility, Fu supposed. However, why would a Konoha nin be in Iwa to help? That was a little harder to fit into her theory, but that was the only theory she had at the moment. 'It also explains him too,' Fu thought as she nervously eyed Sasori of the Red Sand.

"I wouldn't be too worried," Someone said, making her jump a little. "Forgot I was here?" Temari, Fu was pretty sure she'd read about her being the sister of the currently appointed Kazekage, daughter of the previous one. "A little overwhelmed, are you?" The blonde asked with an amused expression.

Fu could only smile nervously at her. She was kind of zoning out a lot, she supposed.

"You said… I shouldn't be worried?" She asked, trying to not let her mind wander off again. She was kind of surrounded by possibly hostile people… Possibly hostile people that she'd willingly gone with because it might be a better choice than staying where she was. God, her situation sucked.

"About Sasori," Temari answered, wearing a grimace of a smile. "He makes me nervous too, but Eiji has him under control."

That was a lot more… capable than the Weaver was supposed to be according to Taki's intelligence. Then again, even Taki itself knew they weren't the best around, so all information came with a warning that it might be inaccurate. Regardless, the Weaver wasn't supposed to be the S rank that would be needed to at least stand up to Sasori, let alone "have him under control".

"I know," Temari continued, apparently reading her expression quite well. Then again, Fu had never been too good at acting, much to her superiors' disappointment… Well, that was one way to ruin her mood. "Eiji's entirely too strong, honestly. You'll see when we get some distance and we can start training. If you are lucky, you might even get away with not joining."

"Don't say that," Yugito Nii said then, giving a wry smile to the other blonde. "We need some help to try and win, you know? I wouldn't say no to another Jinchuriki."

"Hm, I don't know how much help I would be," Fu commented, feeling more than a little lost in that conversation. She did note something though, Temari hadn't reacted in any overtly way to the other Jinchuriki. 'Do these people not care about that?' Fu had to wonder. Although, the Sand ninja might be used to such presences, what with her brother being the One Tail container.

"Well, it'd depend, how in tune are you with your Tailed Beast?" Yugito asked and Fu perked up.

"Don't answer that," Another voice said, although Fu couldn't tell where it came from. It sounded like the redhead that was playing the flute, but she couldn't be the one talking.

"It's her, with a genjutsu," Chomei informed her, making Fu blink. Well, that was one way to use illusions, she supposed.

"Also, Eiji told you not to ask about that, but you just couldn't help yourself could you, Bimbo Number Two?" The redhead, Tayuya, continued. "Eiji's gonna have an opinion about that."

The commiserating look Temari sent Yugito said plenty, but so did the paling of the Jinchuriki's face. 'How strong is the Weaver really?' Fu had to wonder, slightly wide eyed.

"She still all but got the answer to her question," Another new voice, Jirobo this time, pointed out.

"I didn't even-" Fu started, before being interrupted.

"Your face couldn't be easier to read if you tried, dumbass," Tayuya told her, rolling her eyes as she continued playing. "I think I'll call you Dumb Fu."

All of a sudden, Fu knew why the girl's introduction had been like it was. She could only feel bad for the rest of the team, if they had had to put up with her for a while already. She could tell it was going to be a chore to just not smack her.

[}-o-{]

[Eiji Satou]

"Man, I almost feel bad," Eiji commented, sitting on a tree branch over where his team was currently training. Fu was currently sitting next to him, since she wasn't actually part of the team and hadn't looked too eager to join in. "Taki hasn't even come close to finding us. It feels like I'm bullying Chunin or something. No offense."

"Ah… I don't… really care," Fu replied hesitantly. She'd been kind of skittish ever since she joined, which Eiji was grateful for, really. It told him that she wasn't doing so just like that. She had doubts and was trying to find answers. To be honest, he'd be a lot more suspicious about how things had gone if not for that.

"Hm, if you say so," He said simply, keeping an eye on everything through his Web Sense. He also had two clones practicing senjutsu. Furthermore…

Eiji's eyes moved to the side, where a group of clones were gathered around scrolls, books and notes. He'd started working on it after stopping in Konoha and talking with a few people. Getting the information had been easy, but then again, the higher ups back home wouldn't say no to him for much.

"Chomei says you feel weird," Fu said out of the blue, making him blink and turn towards her. "They say you feel like a Jinchuriki."

Eiji felt Tsuchigumo perk up in his mindscape, instantly paying attention to what was going on. He'd actually been wondering about that. Could Bijuu feel each other? 'Guess that answers that question,' Eiji mused. 'Brings up some others though, like why haven't Naruto or Yugito mentioned it? Is it just a Seven Tails thing?'

"Was there a question somewhere in there?" He asked, tilting his head and giving her a half-smile. She hadn't actually asked anything. She'd just pointed out what her Bijuu had said, really.

"Oh, uh, I was just curious as to… why?" Fu added, not sounding very sure about that.

"Hmm," Eiji thought, considering what to say. Obviously, talking about Tsuchigumo was out of the question. When said beast projected confusion, he decided to address that first. "Because people are already hunting chakra beasts, girl. I don't want people to come after us too. Once we deal with Akatsuki, we can start telling people about you. Sound about right?"

He felt her sit and consider that. Then she barked, and he instantly got the meaning through the mindscape. She agreed with that, but only because he was nice and the twins agreed. Also, she seemed especially intent on meeting Naruto and the rest of the group when the time came. Even more so than the other Tailed Beasts, which was interesting.

"Remember what I said about Konoha's Jinchuriki?" Eiji said out loud then, when Fu looked to be getting more and more nervous. She nodded instantly, before seemingly processing his words and tilting her head. "He's been my best friend for years now."

That certainly didn't seem to be something she expected.

"Once we reach Konoha, I'll introduce you to Naruto. He can be a handful, but I think you'll get along," Eiji told her, omitting the fact that Naruto could get along with most people, really. "We are practically brothers, as far as we are concerned."

"That… really? Aren't you… afraid? The Nine Tails incident was…"

"It cost me my parents," Eiji told her plainly. "But Naruto didn't have anything to do with that. Also…" He was going to add how he'd understand if a trapped prisoner raged once it was broken out, but that felt like a little much to him. "Anyway, I don't hold that against him."

"You really don't, do you?" Fu asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You keep asking questions like that, but I don't know what I could do to convince you that I'm not lying," Eiji replied with a helpless shrug. "You are slacking, Jirobo, and I can see it!" He called then, turning to the training team for a second before turning back to Fu. "Anyway, yeah, I mean that."

"Is that why though?" Fu, perceptive as she was, questioned.

"I think? This is the first time I hear about this, so I wouldn't know. There's Yugito too, now. I also had to fight against Gaara and Killer B," He listed. 'Wow, I have lots of excuses for this, huh?'

"Good thing too," Hachi pointed out.

"I guess that could be it," Fu mumbled. "Can I ask, why did you offer to take me out of there?"

"Because having another Jinchuriki would be great for my village," Eiji answered bluntly. He could lie, of course, but she had to know that was the reason. Anything else would be stupid and unreasonable, and she didn't strike him as that kind.

"I see… Nothing else?"

"Well, the fact that your situation was terrible was a big plus, I'll say," Eiji easily admitted. "I'd hate to see Naruto in that situation, so I wanted to get you out."

"Do you know what it'll be like once we reach Konoha?"

"Well, my guess is that they'll have people keep an eye on you for a good while, to make sure you didn't just come to spy or backstab us," Eiji mused out loud. "I wasn't really told. My mission was to protect you and get you to come with us if I could manage. With that done, I don't have any orders regarding this, really, besides getting you to Konoha safely."

"I see," Fu whispered. "Do you think… I could join the training sometimes?" She asked then, looking down at the team that was still sparring against one another.

"Sure thing, we could always use someone strong added to the training," Eiji agreed easily with a smile as he regarded the team. "Adding some variety can only help, otherwise we get used to one another," He added.

"Ok then, I just might," Fu mumbled, although Eiji could see some life appear behind her eyes and a smile forming on her lips. "Thanks."

"Don't know what you are thanking me for, but you are welcome," He replied.

[}-o-{]

"Dumb Fu was the right nickname, it seems," Tayuya commented, not even bothering to try to get out of the wires that were holding her against a tree. To be fair, some members of the team had given up on that front, partially at least. Most of them instantly started looking for a way out that was not just struggling against the threads.

Instead, they started looking for the alternative way that Eiji usually left for them. Sometimes it was a specific wire that was wrapped around a particularly weak branch. Sometimes if two of them pulled in a certain direction it'd work better than just doing so randomly. Sometimes he'd give them questions that they had to answer. Sometimes he made one of them come up with the challenge.

"How was I supposed to know that you have a monster for a leader?" Fu whined in a way that reminded Eiji strikingly of Naruto. "Seriously, how did you get so strong?"

"He's leading around an ex-Akatsuki member and a Jinchuriki that's much stronger than you. What did you expect, Dumb Fu?" That was a valid question. Did Fu think he was in charge just because of politics or something? Either way, he'd shown her exactly why during the first and only training session she'd joined. She'd also said she'd do some more, but so far she'd rejected every offer.

"Girl has a good sense of self-preservation," Kage commented with a chuckle. He was in a good mood. He'd gotten to do the first half of the spar before giving control to Hachi who had taken care of tying the team up in wires.

"That's… fair," Fu reluctantly agreed.

"Aren't you gonna join anytime soon? It's always nice to have someone else," Jirobo asked with a grimace.

"Try moving your left leg, Yugito," Kabuto called, eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher that day's way out with the Two Tails Jinchuriki and Temari. "That wasn't right," He added, grimacing as the action he suggested tightened a wire around his arm.

"If only to make it a little easier on us," Jirobo finished, grimacing from where he stood, completely tied up by wires and left on the ground. Everyone had thought that was taking him out of the equation, which was funny. Eiji had actually tied a thread around his toe that would cause a chain reaction and free Temari if pulled just a bit. It looked like it'd take them a while to find that one though.

"Yeah… I think I might join the next one. It takes some getting used to," Fu commented with an uneasy smile.

"You don't get used to it, Dumb Fu. Trust us, we know," Tayuya grumbled.

[}-o-{]

"You have good defense, I'll admit, but you gotta work on your offense. Otherwise, you'll be depending on your teammates a little too much," Eiji said as they traveled. Fu had taken to keeping him close, for some reason. It might be due to some of his warnings about team members though, he supposed. Jirobo was still pretty cool though and there was Yuki too, but they didn't seem to get more attention or anything.

He'd have asked her, but he thought that might just make her uncomfortable.

She probably had her reasons, he supposed.

Regardless, she'd also started joining the training exercises more and more as the days passed. From there, it had devolved into her wanting advice and suggestions and such. Eiji was all for it though, he quite liked training with the group and the team. Although, he seemed to enjoy training in general.

"Aren't you and all of Konoha, like, teamwork's biggest fans, Fearless Leader?" Tayuya asked then.

"I'm all for working together with others, yes. But if you overspecialize, you can easily become a burden to your team. A weak link, depending on the situation. So, at the least, one should be able to defend and attack. Besides that, do whatever you want," Eiji replied with a shrug. "That's just me though, lots of ninja don't go for either of those. As a Jinchuriki, I think you'll need to cover your fighting well."

"He's not wrong," Yugito agreed. "I specialize in infiltration, sabotage and espionage, but I was still trained to fight."

"I see…" Fu mumbled. "Any ideas?"

"Well, you have a bunch of insect oriented techniques and seem to go in a more supportive direction with all of them. I think threads-"

"No!" Several team members screamed.

"That'd be a little like I was stealing your style, I think," Fu muttered nervously.

"Thank God, I won't ever call you Dumb Fu ever again, Skitter," Tayuya exclaimed.

"Skitter?" Fu whispered to herself.

"Anyway, I think maybe-"

She was interrupted when a blade flew by, aimed at Eiji. Tilting his head to the side in reflex, he felt the thing scratch his cheek before flying away. The entire group then stopped, before Jirobo instantly punched to his side. The sound of wood breaking echoing in the forest.

"So, he did turn traitor, the freaky bastard," Tayuya snarled, looking at the remains of Sasori's puppet.

"Sure did. He had some loyalty in him, unlike a whore like you, hahahaha!" A voice called then, laughing in a way that Eiji could see unnerved Fu quite a bit. The rest of his team simply stood on guard, turning towards the people that had Body Flickered in. "And now, for our next trick, we take out upstart douche."

"Meanwhile we can play a bit," A new voice said, appearing right in front of the team. "I'm sure someone will pay pretty well for your heads."

"Kakuzu and Hidan," Temari said.

"You know it!" Hidan shouted from somewhere behind the trees. "Shouldn't you be more focused on your, what was it? Fearless Leader?"

[} Chapter End {]