Sidestory 06: Zabuza + Chunin Airibi + ????

Staring out of the top floor of the mansion he and his Shinobi had 'liberated' Zabuza would look into the distance towards the crashing waves onto the beach. Turning his head slightly, he stared at the bridge that was still being worked on. 'Soon we'll be able to send the Genin over as well.' "You wish to still follow through with this plan Zabuza-sama?"

Turning around, Zabuza would face Haku, a bundle of emotions he ruthlessly suppressed boiling up as he did so. Staring at the kid he raised until Yagura took him away, Zabuza would for just a few moments be silent before nodding his head. "Yes, we need more information, and with the current position of our spies inside of Konoha we can't get what we need."

Haku's face remained blank, but Zabuza could feel the disagreement wafting off of him, although like always Haku didn't say it. "I see? If that Yamanaka Jonin comes then?"

Another twang pulled up inside of Zabuza but he ignored it, "How many Chunin teams does Konoha have? Alongside the fact that we specifically told Tazuna what to say, do, and how much money to offer, and the information to tell - Konoha should label it a B-Rank mission."

Haku nodded, but still, the disagreement was obvious. 'Is it because he's still too soft? I'd have thought the Mizukage would have hardened him by now.' "Very well Zabuza-sama." With a small bow, Haku would walk out of the room. 'I'll keep the scouts out, but we shouldn't be seeing them for another week and a half to two weeks depending on how fast Konoha processes the mission, how fast the old man gets there, and how fast they take to travel back.'  

-A week later-

Zabuza's fist slammed into the desk fracturing it before he began to hurriedly pace back and forth. "They're at least half a week early! It makes no sense. Even at the earliest possibility - they should only just be setting out now. We know how long it takes for Konoha to process missions when the client doesn't pay extra, and they make clear it's not an immediate emergency!" 

Haku closed his eyes for a moment taking a deep breath, before exhaling. "Zabuza-sama. It's a genin team with that Jonin Yamanaka. They're a genin team - it's clear that they are on a C-Rank. So either Tazuna-san didn't do what we told him, or..."

Zabuza gritted his teeth, "A different spy recognized the ploy and was trying to thin the herd of Jonin, all while messing with our plans." 

Haku nodded. "Perhaps even both. What we do know is that Tazuna didn't tell them, they wouldn't have sent merely one Jonin and a Genin Squad after all, no matter how strong that Jonin is." Haku moved closer to the table, his Jonin flak jacket gleaming in the light of the window as he did so. "What we need to do is decide if we fall back or regroup, organize, and attack them all at once."

Zabuza calmed down, his eyes regaining their tranquility before he shook his head. "Falling back is unacceptable. Ten Jonin, One Hundred Chunin, and a bunch of support staff - simply put we couldn't fall back without the Yamanaka knowing they're too good of sensors for that. No, we have to regroup and strike them. Based on the reports from that idiot, while she might be a Kage-level Shinobi, she should easily fall to our combined forces alongside ourselves."

Haku stared at the table for a moment, his face still blank, before he slowly nodded. "Indeed. But I still find it strange that we have no previous reports of this Yamanaka Jonin."

Zabuza chuckled slightly at that before waving his hand to shake that thought away. "Don't be surprised. Including Kiri, all of the Great Five Villages have immensely powerful Jonin that aren't known. Sometimes they're random ANBU, sometimes they're a base commander, or sometimes they're just ordinary Jonin who only became Jonin in their late 20s. Besides the amount of Shinobi, secret Jonin like these are another part of what makes The Great Five, the Great Five."

Haku's eyes widened slightly before he nodded. "Mizukage-sama hasn't taught me that yet." 

Zabuza had a small smirk on his face before he slowly pulled up his bandages to cover his mouth and chin. "It's why it was so stupid for Ameyuri to decide to attack that squad when she saw the last Uchiha was on it. She should have expected at minimum an Elite Jonin, and in the end, without her swords, Ameyuri is merely a slightly better Jonin. If anything, she's lucky." Shaking his head he began to walk towards the door, "Now come on Haku. Time to give our new orders."

-Airibi-

As the Kyuubi Jinchuriki left the room for a brief moment his eyes would turn sinister and a wide smirk would spread across his face. 'Orochimaru-sama, I wonder if you'll enjoy seeing this?' Pulling out the actual mission scroll, he chuckled slightly to himself. 'Aah, I'll have to leave Konoha now. But knowing that Uzumaki, she probably already realizes that the mission is somehow tampered with, but will still go on it anyway. The confidence of the strong. Besides, who else could go?' Standing up he'd stretch slightly. 'Aah, oh well. Back to Oto, I go.' 

For a brief moment his neck twinged, before it faded away. 'Mhm....' With that burn, he'd begin to pull on his chakra and something other before forming a hand sign. 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'. A clone filled to the brim with chakra would appear, and he'd slowly leave the office, the clone taking his place. 'Should last a few days. Oh, the look on their faces when they realize I'm just a clone!' Holding back a mad cackle Airibi slowly descended the stairs. 'What a shame. I'll be 'rewarded' and punished by having to go through the Second Stage process.' There was no fear in his heart, merely a deranged insanity that he managed to hold back from showing on his face as he stepped out of the Academy that also held the D/C/B rank mission rooms. 'I wonder if I'll die? Will I survive? HAH! Won't it be fun?!?' 

With that thought he began to slink through the streets of Konoha towards his apartment. 

-??????-

Watching as Airibi left Konoha he'd adjust his glasses slightly. "Shall I kill him Orochimaru-sama?"

The ground shifted as Orochimaru appeared from the ground, inhuman yellow eyes piercing into his own. "No Kabuto. Let's see if he's worthy, besides a bit of initiative in a servant can be good. Clear his tracks for me, will you?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yes Orochimaru-sama. Shall I kill the ANBU that try to follow?" Orochimaru thought for a few moments before a hissing chuckle escaped him.

"No, no. We wouldn't want Naruko-chan to be angry with us, would we? Especially after giving her such a present." Orochimaru licked his lips, glee showing in his eyes. "I wonder how she'll do in a few months."

Kabuto chuckled, "As amazing as always Orochimaru-sama, I'm sure of it." A wide grin spread across Orochimarus's face, before with a last chuckle he crumbled into rocks.

Adjusting his glasses again Kabuto's face went blank. 'How lucky Airibi. You get to try to survive the Second Stage of the Curse Mark.' Rolling his neck slightly Kabuto would slowly pull out a Kunai. 'But now I need to clean up your tracks.' He blurred away from the scene.