preview to AIC 28

 
 
 “I want to thank you for all of your work.” Her voice wasn't entirely steady. “All three of you exceeded my expectations. I'm sorry that I had to leave you in Konoha. You acquitted yourselves honorably.”
 
 
 Yuusaku didn't meet her eyes. Ryuusei shrugged insolently. “At least you got us out. Thanks for that.”   
 
 
 Kensuke glanced between his teammates, as though he didn't know how to deal with either of them. “Did I lose track of the days, or is it two days earlier than we were supposed to be released?”
 
 
 She managed a smile. “The second. I called in a favor to Konoha, since I was already there.”
 
 
 He let out a soft, “huh.” Then he shook his increasingly shaggy hair. “I'm glad for the opportunity to train under you, Mizukage-sama.” Kensuke ducked a bow. “How may we serve next?”
 
 
 Aiko worried at her lip, because she hadn't quite decided that. “I think that you are all qualified for a field promotion to chuunin, unless there's objections?”   
 
 
 Ryuusei stood a little straighter, eyes shining. Kensuke didn't stop a smile.
 
 
 'I need to talk to Yuusaku,' Aiko decided. 'Something is wrong.'
 
 
 She left her thoughts off her face. “Very well.” Aiko raised her tone. “Nishikawa-san!”
 
 
 Her assistant pulled the door open silently.   
 
 
 “Three vests, please,” she requested.
 
 
 The administrator broke out into a surprised smile and looked over the three new chuunin. “I see.”
 
 
 Kensuke hastily straightened his lapel. He gave a desperate glance around the office and then leaned forward to stare into his reflection in a flower vase and arrange his bangs. He had them to his satisfaction by the time that Nishikawa-san returned with three vests. Kouzui was a step behind with a camera and three red envelopes tied with gold rope.    
 
 
 When Aiko's team turned back to her, she was already holding three gold-lined letters of commission. Carefully, she placed two of them on the desk and stepped out to the front.   
 
 
 Yuusaku sucked air in through his teeth and elbowed his closest teammate. The three backed up.   
 
 
 One by one, she read their names and gave them their envelope and letter of commission with a bow. The camera flashed, Nishikawa handed her a jacket, and then the camera flashed again as the new chuunin took a photo with her one by one. They were perfectly dignified photos, the exact same she would do for any chuunin promotion commemoration. But instead of dismissing them, she gestured for a group photo. “Team picture,” Aiko said calmly.
 
 
 Even Yuusaku cracked a smile.
 
 
 They posed like idiots for that one, as was traditional. Aiko slung an arm over Yuusaku and Ryuusei's shoulders and was left with her feet dangling mid-air when they stood. Kensuke bullied his teammates into holding him up and struck what he seemed to think was a cool pose with crossed arms making peace signs. The camera flashed once and Aiko began to move, but Ryuusei hastily asked for one more photo.
 
 
 Aiko felt oddly peaceful, listening to Yuusaku give Ryuusei a hard time for apparently closing his eyes. They were up to some shit.
 
 
 “Three,” Nishikawa said patiently but firmly, ending the squabble. “Two.” Aiko plastered on a smile. “One.”
 
 
 The camera flashed as Yuusaku and Ryuusei dumped their teammate onto the floor. Ah. That was it. She disentangled herself.
 
 
 “Thank you, Nishikawa-san.” She nodded to him and pretended not to hear the squabble starting between her chuunin. “Five copies of each photo, if you wouldn't mind.”
 
 
 “Of course,” he said serenely. “Gaara-san would like to see you.”
 
 
 Aiko nodded. “Show him in when we are finished, then.” When Nishikawa and Kouzui were gone, she turned her attention back to her students and allowed herself to feel a little pride. They had come a long ways. “Congratulations,” she said, loud enough to get their attention.
 
 
 They scrambled for a modicum of dignity.   
 
 
 “I'm proud of all three of you.” She made sure to make eye contact. “Stop by the front desk on your way out, you've been reassigned living quarters. You'll be having career counseling soon, so please think about your options. In the meantime, you'll be doing in-village work. The reconstruction is largely done, in that all emergency needs have been taken care of. But Ryuuseu's earth jutsu and Yuusaku's and Kensuke's water jutsu are going to be put to use for city works.”
 
 
 It was kind of cute how they all slumped at that.
 
 
 “In addition, I would like you to help supervise someone.” Aiko felt a smile creep up. “The genin Uzumaki Karin, a young relative of mine who has recently joined the village. You will familiarize her with the village, be her temporary team, and ensure that she does not wander too far.” Aiko raised her eyebrows. “As she has ties to both Grass and Sound, it is prudent to keep an eye on her for the time being.”
 
 
 Kensuke perked up after learning that they also had a sneaky mission. “Yes, mizu-sensei-kage,” he chirped out.   
 
 
 She eyed him, but suspected her expression was more indulgent than scolding. “Dismissed, soldiers.”
 
 
 Gaara was in her office the moment the door shut behind the new chuunin.
 
 
 Aiko gave a pointed look to the pile of sand that had accompanied his whooshing entrance.   
 
 
 The other redhead seemed not to notice. “I see you are well.” Gaara stated. “I have investigated. Saito-san is not responsible for the attempt on our lives this afternoon.”
 
 
 Her brows shot up. “Good evening, Gaara,” Aiko said. “But hold that thought.” She pulled the door open quietly and waved her hand to catch Nishikawa's attention. It took a moment. When he looked up at her, she put her finger in front of her lips, glanced pointedly at the departing backs of her newest chuunin, and waved Nishikawa to come in her office. He stood at his desk frowning at her a moment, but then hurried over quietly. “Yes, Mizukage-sama?”   
 
 
 “Add a note to Yuusaku-kun's packet summoning him for a meeting at the next available time period,” Aiko explained quietly. “You can do that before they pick up their paperwork, right?”
 
 
 Nishikawa nodded. “Of course.” He bowed and hurried out.
 
 
 Only then she relaxed. Gaara was waiting with crossed arms and a bored expression. “Sorry about the wait.” She glanced around her office and chose to sit on the couch at the back. “Thank you for your work. How can you be certain?”
 
 
 “Many other people have been poisoned at a local restaurant,” Gaara said. He seemed bored, except for the restless way sand lashed at the carpet. “A shipment of the imported tsukemono has been deliberately contaminated. I do not know how to determine if this happened when it was produced in Nadeshiko, or if that was done en-route.”   
 
 
 Aiko winced. “Any deaths?”
 
 
 “One,” Gaara said bluntly. “After that, we understood that the shipment had been compromised. All but two jars have been accounted for and gathered as evidence.”
 
 
 “Those two?”
 
 
 “Missing. The inventory lists them as remaining in stock.”
 
 
 “Right.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Thank you, Gaara. Where is Saito-san?”
 
 
 Gaara watched her impassively. “She can only be released on your orders, as it was you who incarcerated her.”
 
 
 Aiko nodded. “Probably good precedent. Very well. Security!” She offered a smile to the hard-faced man who answered her summons. “Please have Saito-san released from custody and give her the option of taking tomorrow off of work as a paid holiday.”
 
 
 He nodded and flickered away.
 
 
 A bell interrupted anything else. Aiko sucked on her lower lip and leaned back to listen. It wasn't the chime that meant it was 5 pm, it definitely wasn't the abominable noon screaming sound, it was.... “A ship coming in to harbor?” she asked Gaara.
 
 
 The teenager frowned in thought. “No. That's a three-toned bell.”
 
 
 “Ah.” She considered it for a minute. “I have no idea.”
 
 
 Gaara crossed his arms. “Is there anything else you would like to speak of?”
 
 
 Actually... “Yes,” Aiko decided. “I need to have a talk with Utakata and Mei, and you'll be present. Please have them found and brought to my office by 8.”   
 
 
 Gaara hesitated.
 
 
 She raised an eyebrow.
 
 
 He left, taking most of his sand with him.
 
 
 Aiko eyed the carpet. She leaned over and pressed the intercom button. “Can I have someone bring a hand vacuum and the architectural plans made for diplomatic housing, as well as the soil reports on areas C-48b and F-2d? Thank you.” She leaned back, trying to remember what else was ongoing. And then she sighed and pushed the button once more. “I'd also like Sakurai in my office as soon as possible. Thank you.”
 
 
 Sakurai-san was the first to make it to her office, because he was honestly a good employee. She offered him a seat and a smile.
 
 
 He looked unnerved.
 
 
 She let the smile drop and passed over the collection of papers. “I want to construct two diplomatic compounds as quickly as possible, in these two areas. One is for Sunagakure, because Gaara and I are going to propose a cooperative program and we have to be able to offer accommodation. The other is for Konohagakure. I want to place Suna's here, nearer to gate B and this satellite office, since the idea is that we could solve our manpower issue and their lack of missions in one fell swoop. I want Konohagakure separated. I want to avoid any interaction and communication. Ideally, they should not know the other is present. Your thoughts?”
 
 
 The young jounin pursed his lips. “When do you expect each group?”
 
 
 Aiko shrugged. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “I want Sunagakure involved more than I need Konohagakure, and I want to be able to host larger numbers of Suna nin. So I want to prioritize that construction.”
 
 
 “Do we have access to Yamato-san?” Sakurai asked.
 
 
 She had to shake her head. “No, but I can replicate what he does. I will need someone on-site telling me what to do, however. I assume we'll need electrical and plumbing contractors on site simultaneously?”
 
 
 “Yes, and it would speed up operations if appliances and major furnishings were purchased and located nearby before we get to that point.” Sakurai frowned into the air. “When do you want to begin? I can have a construction team freed up for this project after tomorrow.”
 
 
 “Than that's when we'll start.” Aiko stretched. “I'll keep my schedule free starting from 9am, day after tomorrow, until 5pm or so. Let's see how that goes. Hand the floor plans over to the relevant personnel as soon as possible and have them write up what we will need to order. We can use that one warehouse as storage- the one on the old harbor's middle point, it isn't being used currently.”
 
 
 “Alright,” Sakurai said under his breath. A line was forming about his brows. “I have some ideas- I need to talk to the relevant persons and get back to you on timeline and funds. Is there anything else?”
 
 
 She shook her head. “No, sounds good. Thank you for your time.”   
 
 
 Gaara returned not long after to wait silently on the couch. Mei was next, nodding coolly and sitting as far away as possible. When Utakata made it in, Aiko gave him a thin smile and called for refreshments. Once everyone was settled in for a long conversation, she checked the privacy seals, had security step outside, and took herself over to sit by Gaara.   
 
 
 Mei silently rose and took a seat that was a bit closer. Utakata sat across from Aiko.
 
 
 “Thank you for coming so quickly. There's a lot to go through, and you won't all be involved in everything. This is just an overview.” Aiko tapped a nail on her coffee cup. “First of all, Mei-san, you'll notice that Yamato has been returned to Konohagakure. I took him and two of his guards to Konohagakure to interfere with an operation by a terrorist group that we'll be discussing later. May I assume that you've already heard of this from your remaining personnel?”
 
 
 Mei nodded, looking a little less stiff. “Yes, she came to find me quickly. The others have not yet reported back.”
 
 
 “They got back into the city the same time I did, about an hour ago. They're probably looking for you, but they'll have checked through the hospital and debriefing by now.” Aiko resisted the urge to cross her legs. “We were preventing a group known as the Akatsuki from kidnapping the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. The organization wants to collect all 9 bijuu, seal all the chakra together, and make a weapon out of it.”
 
 
 Utakata put his teacup down with a clink. “Unpleasant.”
 
 
 “I would go so far as to say it is rude,” Sanbi critiqued. He was probably making a joke but it was really hard to read him sometimes.
 
 
 “And why I didn't take you or Gaara,” Aiko readily admitted. “If it went to the worst, we can't afford to hand them multiple jinchuuriki. Gaara, frankly you are too young and inexperienced to fight back against shinobi of that caliber. Utakata, you're better but not enough that I felt it would offset bringing another potential victory for Akatsuki to their door. Mei, you're very frightening and I think you would make them cry. I hope to use you in addressing this problem at the source, for protecting Kirigakure's interests at least if not my ambitions to keep all bijuu out of Akatsuki's hands.”
 
 
 There was a moment while everyone absorbed that, someone looking a bit more smug than the others.   
 
 
 “I killed one today, leaving 9 active members of Akatsuki, I think,” Aiko said, counting on her fingers. She frowned. “Er. Eight. One of them is my informant and on-again off-again friend and mortal enemy. We are currently allies. He is the one who came to tell me about the incident. I think that Konohagakure and Sunagakure might be persuaded to help us address this. I suspect that we will be receiving a visit from Jiraiya of the Sannin in the near future. He could be of significant help. He is Konoha's spymaster, and also knew two of the major players personally in their childhoods.”
 
 
 Mei tossed her hair, wafting an orchid perfume. “Is this ally the person from whom you've received coded communications in past?”
 
 
 “Yes,” Aiko confirmed. She flashed a smile. “We'll call him Tobi for now. His existence does not leave this room. Hopefully, he'll meet with us to plan.” She slipped her feet out of her shoes and tucked them up onto the couch, folded under her legs. “Next topic: Orochimaru. Konoha believes that he has the Ichibi in his possession and wants us to help hunt him down and give it back to Sunagakure to reaffirm their alliance. I need to kill Orochimaru for a couple of reasons, starting with the fact that he is far too dangerous to have as an enemy if we have a country such as Konoha willing to work with us to hunt him down. So although we are inviting Sunagakure here and they will encounter Gaara, we want to keep his survival quiet from Konohagakure as long as possible to keep their assistance.”
 
 
 Gaara snorted softly. When she looked at him, his expression was blank.   
 
 
 'At least he's pretending to respect me. The pretense is important. He's a good little student.'
 
 
 “The final order of business is strictly information, so that none of you know less than Konoha.” Aiko glanced down at her lap and then held her chin high. “The Sandaime was coming to slightly incorrect conclusions, so I was forced to tell him something accurate before he make an assumption that was less helpful. I have a personal interest in Konohagakure's politics, because the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is my brother, and the Yondaime Hokage is our father.” She ran a hand through her hair. “That's a little awkward, I know.”
 
 
 “Ah,” Gaara said, as though something was finally making sense. Mei's face was controlled and blank.
 
 
 Utakata took a sip of tea, put his cup on his lap, and leaned forward. “This is one of your more foolish claims,” he said. If she was reading him correctly, his tone actually meant 'you are full of shit'.
 
 
 Aiko winced. “It's true. Sorry.” She shrugged one shoulder. “For safety reasons, my parents kept us secret. My informant removed me from Konoha after he killed my parents and completed my training. The list of people who know about any connections between the Yondaime, Uzumaki Kushina, and their offspring is very short.”
 
 
 At that, Mei's impassive demeanor finally broke. She leaned back. “I thought that the Kyuubi killed the Yondaime Hokage?”   
 
 
 “Um.” She frowned. “Not really. It- he was released by Tobi in an attempt to capture him. I think. It might just have been about the catharsis of killing my father, to be honest,” Aiko admitted. “I never got a very clear answer, but Tobi was a Konoha shinobi who my father left for dead in the last war, and I think he has a grudge about it. He has a lot of grudges. As a person, he is easily 45% resentment.”
 
 
 Sanbi clicked his jaw. “And this is who you plan to work with?”
 
 
 “Ah,” Mei said faintly. She blinked slowly. “And this person trained you?”
 
 
 Aiko nodded. “But we had a falling out a couple of years ago and only recently returned to speaking terms.”
 
 
 Utakata and Mei made eye contact. She chose not to contemplate what was being wordlessly communicated, because it could not possibly be flattering.  
 
 
 “Your self-awareness at least does you credit.”
 
 
 She clapped her hands to squash their negative bullshit. “So!” Aiko said brightly. “Now we are all caught up. Mei-san, I'll want your help stifling communications between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, and you will be point on helping  locate Orochimaru. Utakata will be helping with planning Akatsuki-related work, not least because Konoha is going to feel a bit safer working with a jinchuuriki who they can be certain shares at least that common interest. Gaara is going to be in charge of directing strategy with Sunagakure and investigating the poison incident-”
 
 
 Utakata made an alarmed sound.
 
 
 “You forgot to mention the poison earlier,” Gaara pointed out. He looked bored. “A contaminated shipment of tsukemono entered the country. Aiko-sensei and I were offered some, but I believe that to be coincidence. Therefore, widespread suffering was more likely the intention than a specific assassination.”
 
 
 “Thank you,” Aiko said. She nodded at her apprentice. “Keep me updated. I think that's all?” She searched her memory. “I'm going to contact Tobi and thank him for his information, as well as let him know how the encounter turned out and ask for his assistance.”
 
 
 “You said that one Akatsuki was killed?” Mei asked. “Who has died, and who remains?”
 
 
 Aiko offered a thin smile. “Yes. And I honestly owe that to Tobi's information as well. I'll get you the list of Akatsuki membership later. Uchiha Itachi is dead. I'm not certain if Konoha or Akatsuki retrieved the body. But the mission was a success- Naruto was returned to Konoha, and we had no casualties.” She frowned. “Well. There were some serious injuries to Naruto's team at the time that Akatsuki took him, but they'll probably recover.”
 
 
 “Naruto-kun's team?” Utakata leaned back in his chair. “That would be... Hatake-san, the Uchiha boy, and that little girl with the circular clan marking. You may know better than I, but it is difficult to imagine that Uchiha Itachi has treated them gently.”
 
 
 Mei made an interested sound. “Really? Hatake is involved? Konohagakure doesn't have many jounin of that caliber. His recovery time or permanent weakening would pose a blow to their forces.”
 
 
 'Wow, I do not like hearing that. She's not even being a dick about it, it's just true. Still not a fan.'
 
 
 Aiko kept her expression neutral. “He'll probably recover.” She stood and brushed a wrinkle off of her slacks. “Meeting adjourned, I'm calling it a night.”
 
 
 She waited until everyone else had left, then cleaned up her desk. Once her office was put to rights, she checked the clock.
 
 
 “It's a little late,” Aiko hedged. She shifted her weight to her right foot and dug her left toes into the carpet. “Maybe I shouldn't... I'll make it quick.”