The Nine

Chapter 8

Snow Country was a beautiful place. Pristine white snow covered the grounds, making one wonder if grass ever did grow there once upon a time. The same angelic snow filled the air, creating blanket after blanket of ice cold white sheets. Mountains riddled the vast landscape. The great peaks stretched further into the sky than the eye could see, penetrating the ever present grey clouds.

Trees were few and far between in this land. Although wildlife was scarce, many animals survived here and prospered. A young arctic fox trotted along in the deep snow. His heavenly fur moved along the surface of the snow like a shark's fin, leaving a trench as he moved. He suddenly stopped and lifted his head high to sniff the air.

A snowflake settled upon his sensitive nose, giving rise to a soft snort and a shake of the head. The fox lifted his nose once more and sniffed. There! A new scent.

The young fox continued to wade through the dense snow towards the new, enticing scent. Perhaps it was more food! He had only recently begun to hunt by himself. Soon he will be an adult fox, and foxes needed to know how to hunt for food. Having no family, he didn't have to hunt for others.

White pointy ears stood up suddenly. The fox paused. The sound of crunching snow! He was nearby to the source of the scent. Crouching lower, he scanned the snowy field ahead of him. Two figures could be seen travelling through the dense snowfall. They were large in size compared to the little fox, but they definitely weren't bears.

Tonight's meal would be generous.

The hungry fox burrowed into the snow and headed towards his meal. He left no trace of his progress above the snow from underneath. Thank gods for his fur.

The scent was upon him accompanied by the sound of footsteps wading through snow. The fox waited patiently for the opportune moment to strike his prey. He would take the first meal out in one strike, then deal with the other. His eyes narrowed and he barred his teeth. His back-end swayed in preparation for the pounce from beneath the snow.

Now!

Snow erupted from the ground. The fox opened his mouth, teeth glinting, ready to latch onto his prey's throat.

He saw his meals face glance at him with a dull blue eyes. His throat came closer…. Closer…. And then it stopped getting closer. What's going on? He looked around to see that he was being held by the scruff of his neck by his meal. His eyes widened fearfully. Oh gods, he was going to be eaten! He squirmed and tried to paw the hand free to no avail. He looked back into the black-ringed eyes of his captor and looked at him with pleading eyes.

The captured fox examined the one who would be his end. He wore a cloak which covered his whole body, except for the now out-stretched hand. Red tufts of hair peeked from the hood that he wore and large goggles covered his eyes. A scarf was hiding his lower face from view, most likely to keep protected from the cold.

The other meal appeared from behind the red-haired meal.

"What is that, Gaara?" He asked. The fox squirmed once more. They spoke the language of the humans! Their scent was different to that of the humans from there though, how was he to know? He just knew they would kill him now. His life was over.

Gaara turned around more to give his partner a better view of the animal. "It's a fox it seems. One of the snow habitat," he said, examining the small creature. "I think it thought we were food."

His partner leaned forward whilst removing something from one of his pouches. His hand extended from his cloak containing some beef jerky. He offered it to the fox, which stopped squirming at the scent of meat, and then ate it greedily.

"You sure it's wise to waste our rations on local animals, Utukata?" Gaara asked annoyed at the wastefulness.

Utukata shrugged nonchalantly, "Perhaps he'll be our first friend," He smiled at his companion. "We could use all the help we can get in this unknown place."

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow at him, "You think a fox would help us?"

Utukata approached the young fox still held tightly by Gaara. He lifted his gloved hand and stroked it behind its ear. The fox lent into the hand, enjoying the sensation. The jinchuuriki then spoke to the fox as if it was a normal human, "Will you take us to the nearest human settlement, young one?"

The fox looked Utukata dead in the eye, as if expressing itself through unspoken words. Gaara shook his head, "This fox has no idea what you're-." Suddenly the fox made a sound and nodded its head.

Utukata gave Gaara a smug look beneath his scarf and spoke, "Drop him, he won't run."

Gaara placed the fox back on the ground. The fox sat there for a second looking at his two captors turned friends. He guessed a proper meal could wait, who knows; maybe he'll get a bigger meal as a reward for helping them!

The fox took off in a run in a seemingly random direction, startling the two jinchuuriki. Gaara shook his head and crossed his arms, "I told you he'd-."

The small animal then stopped and looked behind him at them, tilting his head inquisitively. Utukata once again sported a smug look.

The two jinchuuriki followed the fox for several hours. They traversed through the dense snow fall and over hills; steep and otherwise. They eventually came to a cave hidden at the base of one of the snow peaked mountains. The fox led them into the cave.

Gaara entered and removed his hood and goggles, then lowered his scarf. The action was mimicked by Utukata.

The cave was small, but was large enough to accommodate all three travellers. A belt of small icicles decorated the entrance of the cave, creating an icy portcullis. The ground was dry, but cold; however it was enough to make an adequate fire to keep them warm.

Gaara sat down upon a flat, raised rock formation in the cave. Utukata stood by the entrance of the cave, observing the thickening snowfall, "It looks like a snow storm is coming." He turned around and walked towards Gaara and the small fox. "He must be able to sense the change in the weather. It's quite remarkable really."

Gaara nodded absently and shifted his gaze to the panting animal.

'He must've fatigued from the travel, must be strenuous wading through the snow when you're that size,' he thought. Gaara was not a heartless person, contrary to popular belief among people who didn't know him. He was quite a compassionate man, if the right chords are struck within him. He reached into his cloak, and removed a small strip of beef jerky.

The fox suddenly jerked his head at the scent of meat, eying it hungrily. Gaara offered it to him, "Thank you for guiding us."

The beef jerky was snatched quickly and eaten even faster. The fox then looked at Gaara and nodded his head. Gaara raised an eyebrow. He looked over at Utukata who was summoning firewood from a small scroll, "He's intelligent, that's for sure."

Utukata glanced over his shoulder at the fox, who resigned to scratching itself, "Of course, I'm a good judge of character after all." He turned back around, arranging the wood on the ground to allow the fire to breathe.

Gaara shook his head, "Right." He leaned back on his hands and glanced out of the cave. The wind had picked up now, carrying the snow in an array of swirling patterns throughout the fields. Some were small tornados, some were waves, and others were just masses of snow being buffeted around in a mindless typhoon. The swirl of the snow reminded him of Whirlpool Country.

The jinchuuriki had come a long way, both as friends and as leaders. The idea of equality between them had been drilled into their lives for years now. But Gaara wasn't sure. With the return of Akatsuki, or someone dangerously similar, they needed one true leader. Sure, Naruto was an unofficial leader at present, but Gaara knew that the time would come when he must make a stand. That time was coming.

His thoughts were interrupted by an icy breeze brushing over his pale features. Adjusting his scarf over the lower half of his face, Gaara raised a single hand in the direction of the cave entrance. Sand scurried out of his gourd, floating through the air silently. The young fox stirred at the strange show and barred his teeth defensively. Utukata placed a soothing hand upon the fox's head, settling him for the most part.

Sand gathered at the small cave's mouth around the edges and made its way inwards to close the gap. The cold breeze stopped as the last grains of sand sealed the hole. Gaara lowered his hand and edged closer to the growing fire.

Utukata waved a hand in front of his face, "The smoke?" He asked, with a slight cough.

Gaara glanced at the top of the, now closed, cave entrance as a small chunk of sand made way for the fire's smoke to travel through. He looked back at Utukata with a dead stare, "Happy?"

"Ever so." Utukata reached into his cloak and pulled out a map. Placing it onto a relatively flat nearby rock he unfurled it. Gaara positioned himself comfortably next to the other jinchuuriki, allowing the fire's light to wash over the parchment. "Right, we're nearly there I'd say. We're here…. I think." He pointed to the base of a row of ink-drawn mountains on the map.

Gaara shook his head and sighed, "You think?"

Utukata shrugged, "The snowstorm kinda messed up my navigating, not my fault."

The sand jinchuuriki leant forward slightly to get a better view of the map, "So how much farther?" Gaara wasn't an impatient person. Quite the opposite in fact. But the cold was actually starting to get to him; he was used to sun and blistering heat.

His partner trailed a gloved finger along the map, following the trail of mountains. He halted his finger at the base of a cluster of mountains, "Here's where the outpost is reportedly stationed. A few more hours I'd say."

Gaara nodded thoughtfully, it wasn't that far but the raging snowstorm halted their travels indefinitely. He glanced over at the small fox lounging by the fire, "And what of him? If we just need to follow the mountains we can find the outpost without help."

Utukata rolled up the map and stowed it away on his person. He stood and found a comfortable place beside the fire, "You're right. We'll part ways when the storm recedes."

With a nod, Gaara joined the others by the fire. Enjoying the warmth, he closed his eyes and entered the deepest depths of his mind to converse with his inner demon.

Gaara opened his black ringed eyes to a different scene all together. Sand rolled down in waves from holes lining the walls surrounding him. Intricate engravings laced the sandstone walls. Gaara looked up at the great beast which resided half buried in a large pile of sand at one end of the large room. A gaping hole in the ceiling shone a bright light down upon the mountain of sand, supposedly creating warmth for the lounging Bijuu.

The jinchuuriki took a step forward onto a slap of stone, one of many which created a bridge across a swirling vortex of sand. Shukaku's eyes snapped open suddenly, startling Gaara. Sand swept out from all corners of the room like snakes, encircling Gaara. The prowling sand bound Gaara, only leaving his head, and lifted him off the ground towards the waiting Bijuu.

"Little Gaara comes to visit. It's been a while, why have you come?" Shukaku lowered Gaara to the ground and released him, allowing him to move freely once more.

Gaara folded his arms and spoke, "I wish to know your thoughts on the situation at hand."

Shukaku stirred, resulting in sand rippling off his body and cascading into the vortex below. "My thoughts? My thoughts matter not on the outcome. Akatsuki has returned, and we must prepare, it is simple."

Gaara's brow furrowed, "But who is the new leader? Pein is dead. Madara is dead. Danzo is dead."

The great sand raccoon's laughter bellowed throughout the ancient chamber within the jinchuuriki's mind, "Foolish boy, you still have much to learn in life." Gaara looked up confused at the huge beast as he continued, "When one evil is vanquished, another will always take its place. It is just a matter of when that evil will re-emerge. In this case, it's only been a few years."

The young adult of a jinchuuriki started a slow pace in front of his Bijuu, "We've lost two already, and we have no leads as to who we're up against. Whirlpool has no ninja to call its own except for a mere seven jinchuuriki. We're not prepared for another assault like the last war."

"I agree. Whirlpool must grow. However, growth takes time. Time which we no longer have. Akatsuki will show their selves to you soon, and we must fight."

"Are we strong enough though? The one's we lost weren't pushovers.."

"Time will tell, but for now leave this place, you're needed elsewhere."

Before Gaara could argue, a sense of vertigo hit him and his surroundings warped back to that of the small cave.

"About time you came back, the storm's lifted, we can go now."

Gaara rubbed his neck, "Good, didn't wanna be stuck in this cave for too long."

"Even with my company? How rude.."

Ignoring his inner demon, he stood and held his hand facing the sand wall he made. The sand crumbled slowly, moving back into the gourd on Gaara's back. Their little fox companion watched in amazement at the spectacle.

Light filtered into the cave, momentarily blinding the duo. Their eyes re-adjusted, the team set off once more.

They walked for hours. Over hills, through mountainous passages, across frozen rivers, while making their way up a remarkably steep hill, Gaara spoke, "A few hours huh?"

Utukata glared at him from behind, "Alright so I was a bit off, it's over this hill I'm sure of it."

Gaara shook his head as he continued up the hill. Not long later, he reached the top. "Well at least you were right about one thing."

His companion joined him at his side and crossed his arms triumphantly, "Told ya."

They stood on a path that went back and forth down the side of a mountain. At the bottom of the path was another which led to an outpost which was at the back of a large clearing surrounded by mountains. From where he was stood, Gaara could see the whole of the large clearing between the mountains. It was the perfect defensive position in theory.

He looked to the left and saw a path going between two mountains that were close together, then glanced at Utukata, "We were meant to be coming from that way, weren't we? That's the actual path."

Utukata shrugged, "Stop complaining, we got here didn't we? It was just the scenic route."

Gaara shook his head, exasperated, then started to follow the path leading down the path to the outpost but suddenly stopped and looked at the little fox sat next to the path. Utukata looked as well and saw something strange, "You okay little buddy?" The fox was shaking, and staring at the outpost in the distance. Utukata reached out a hand to touch the fox but was shocked as it jumped away quickly and ran back down the hill.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. What could've spooked the fox so much? If two jinchuuriki don't scare it, then whatever does must be powerful. He looked back at the outpost and examined it. There was a wall running around the outside, fitted with a large gate at the front, like a much small version of Konoha's. Houses littered the inside of the walls, with one larger building at the back.

Utukata sighed as he stepped next to Gaara, "I liked that fox."

Gaara nodded, "It was alright."

"What do you think spooked it?"

Gaara pointed straight at the outpost, "Whatever's in there."

His companion looked confused, "This outpost is supposed to be controlled be old whirlpool ninja though."

Gaara shrugged, "We'll just have to find out, just be prepared for the worst." He began down the side of the mountain as Utukata nodded and followed closely on high alert.

Eventually they reached the bottom and started along the straight path leading to the outpost. All was silent as the jinchuuriki walked. Both were on high alert as the dark outpost loomed closer and closer. Utukata spoke as they walked, "You hear that?"

Gaara didn't glance at him, "I hear nothing."

"That's the problem."

He was right. Now that Gaara thought about it, he hadn't heard a sound since he reached the bottom of the mountainside. Not even the sound of wind could be heard. He looked up at the outpost which was even closer, 'Shukaku.'

"Something is wrong here."

Utukata and Gaara stopped in front of the large gate, towering above them. Both jinchuuriki pushed one side of the gate in unison, allowing it to open slowly with a loud creak of clashing metal and ice.

The companions made their way through the opened gate into the outpost. Observing their surroundings, they noticed the lack of life anywhere nearby. Many buildings were inside the walls of the outpost, albeit relatively small ones. A few shops lined the main road, along with deserted stalls from travelling merchants. There was even leftover produce scattered amongst the snow and some broken stalls. Gaara walked up to one such broken market stall and observed the damage.

Utukata scanned their surrounds with narrowed eyes. There were many more buildings that looked like barracks than shops, which suggested the outpost was much more military efficient than a trading outpost.

Gaara interrupted his train of thought, "This damage was caused by a sword."

Utukata examined the damage from over Gaara's shoulder and nodded in agreement, "There are similar markings on some of the walls as well."

"There must've been fighting here."

"No doubt, but where is everyone?"

Gaara stood and looked at the main building of the outpost, "No clue, but no point pondering out here, let's head there." He said, gesturing at said building.

Both jinchuuriki continued their trek to the main administrative building of the outpost, noticing more and more evidence of fighting along the way.

Utukata voiced his thoughts, "If this was truly a hidden outpost of the Uzumaki clan, who could have done this? They're not known for being pushovers."

Gaara shrugged, "I don't know. But there are no bodies either, which could mean they're still alive."

"Let's hope they are then, or else Naruto won't be happy."

Gaara nodded in agreement, "Let's worry about ourselves first, whoever did this is obviously a powerful opponent."

Utukata narrowed his eyes as the door of their goal came closer.

It was a large building, much wider than that of the Hokage building in Konoha, but not as tall. Windows lined the wooden walls at, what seemed like, the third story of the building. No windows were below that. There were several balconies lining the sides of the building, most likely accessible from the higher floors. The Uzumaki symbol was proudly displayed on the front of the building, made out of stone it seemed like.

Utukata placed his hand on the door, glanced at Gaara, who nodded, and then he pushed the door open allowing them both entry.

What greeted them was not what they expected.

A large hall was what the building consisted of, with a main path down the middle and pillars holding up the roof. There were several doors along the side walls as well, where they went was unknown to the jinchuuriki.

They both walked down the path before them cautiously, the room was in complete darkness save for beams of light filtering through the windows which enabled them to see the details of the room.

The back of the hall was shrouded in darkness, a fact which made Gaara uneasy. He also felt like he was being watched, from all sides.

The two jinchuuriki stopped just before entering the darkness which shrouded the back of the great hall. Something was not right here, the whole vibe of the outpost was full of unease.

Shukaku stirred within him, "Boy! Leave this place now!"

Gaara's eyes widened, and as he looked at Utukata he saw the same widened eyes which meant his Bijuu was also going crazy within him.

Before they had time to turn around and run, a voice echoed around the hall, "Leaving so soon?"

Killer intent exploded from the darkness, engulfing the two jinchuuriki. Utukata's eyes glowed a light blue as he called forth the power of his Bijuu and spoke, "Who are you? Where are the Uzumaki survivors?"

The voice chuckled in the darkness, echoing throughout the room once more, "Survivors? What survivors?" Another dark chuckle, "I made sure there were no survivors, dear Utukata."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know all about you, and the other jinchuuriki." A ruffling sound was heard, "As a matter of fact, you're all very important to me."

Gaara's eyes changed colour as Shukaku pumped him with Bijuu chakra, "What're you talking about?"

The sound of steps filled the room, "Well I need you to fulfil my dream of course!"

The two jinchuuriki grew nervous as the mysterious person came closer. Utukata spoke once more, "Your dream? Who ARE you?"

The figure left the darkness, allowing the jinchuuriki to see who they were talking to.

The Bijuu inside them raged with fury at the sight of the man. Gaara paled as fear engulfed him, he spoke shakily, "Y-you! What..?" He then noticed the Akatsuki robe, "Were you the one who killed the others?"

A dark chuckle left his mouth, "They were weak, easy prey. I destroyed them and laughed as the life left their eyes!"

Utukata's rage overshadowed his confusion with Gaara's reaction at that point, drawing upon his Bijuu's power as two chakra tails along with a chakra cloak engulfed him. He appeared behind his enemy and slashed with a chakra claw but the Akatsuki cloaked man was no longer there. Just as he turned to scan his surroundings, a viscous kick connected with his head, sending him barrelling into one of the walls.

Gaara chose that moment to enter the battle. His gourd exploded, sending sand everywhere. He lifted his hands in the air and began to mould the sand to his will like a composer of death. The sand shot forward to his target engulfing him in the deadly sand. Gaara clutched his fist, which resulted in smoke popping from his sand. He cursed and shot his hands in the air, summoning his sand to form a wall around him just in time to defend against a barrage of shuriken from all around him.

Utukata emerged from the dust cloud with great speed, shooting towards his target and barrelling into him sending him into the opposite wall and kicking up another dust cloud. Utukata turned to his brother in arms, "You okay?"

Gaara lowered his sand, "Yeah, he's fast though."

Utukata nodded, "Yeah but we can take him together, and who is he anyway?"

Gaara looked shocked at his companion, "How can you not know? He's-"

Another chuckled interrupted their conversation as the Akatsuki ninja exited the dust cloud, "That was a good hit jinchuuriki; I commend you on your skill." The amused tone suddenly took a surprising turn, "But now I must kill you."

He disappeared and reappeared behind Utukata in a flash with two swords drawn. Utukata did the only thing he could do, power-up more. He exploded with chakra, blowing away his adversary and giving him time to turn and counterattack. Four tails were now visible as chakra bubbled all around him. He disappeared and reappeared before the Akatsuki ninja could react and sent him flying in the air.

Gaara's sand shot into the air and surrounded the falling enemy. Before the sand could engulf him fully, he made a seal and fire engulfed him and exploded outwards which blew the sand away.

Their enemy landed on the ground nimbly and spoke, "Enough playing, I don't have time to be playing with you."

Utukata charged but was continually dodged, the enemy was getting faster!

Before Utukata could react, the enemy was within his guard using speed which surprised him, "Goodbye pest."

Gaara's eyes widened as he witnessed his friend and comrade get stabbed by two swords. Utukata's eyes widened as blood fell freely from his mouth. His widened eyes turned into a determined stare as he gripped hold of the enemy's shoulders, planting him firmly in place. Utukata gave Gaara and look and spoke desperately, "Run Gaara! I'm going to use it!"

Gaara took a step forward and shouted, "No Utukata, it's a suicide technique!"

Utukata smiled at his friend, "This bastard killed our brothers. If I'm gonna join them I may as well take this guy with me! RUN!"

Gaara was torn. Could he leave his friend to die?

His thoughts were broken by Utukata's voice, "Gaara.. Please.. I can't hold on much longer!"

Gaara held back the tears and ran, "Goodbye old friend." He bolted out of the doors of the great hall and ran straight for the huge gates which they entered from.

Inside the hall, Utukata looked at his enemy and smirked, "I hope you like bright lights." Chakra poured from him and filled the chamber.

Gaara stopped just before he left the gate and witnessed the main building of the outpost explode with chakra. The explosion grew and grew, blowing Gaara, and the gate, far from the outpost. Fire and smoke engulfed the landscape as the jinchuuriki suicide technique took effect. Gaara was sent skidding along the snow.

Eventually he came to a stop. With a groan he slowly lifted his head and saw that the outpost was now a raging inferno. Wood and debris was scattered throughout the landscape, many still falling from the sky. A huge smoke cloud spread into the sky.

Gaara lowered his head, "Utukata…."

"It was a shame really; I didn't even get to kill him myself."

Gaara's eyes widened and fear gripped him. He slowly turned around to see his Akatsuki adversary with no damage at all.

"Well, goodbye!"

Before his world went black, Gaara could only say one thing.

"..Rinnegan."