We Are One [Gaara III]

Chapter 16

It was interesting really, what being in a cell could do to a person. Azmaria understood exactly why their forces kept the two prisoners turned allies behind the metal bars. It was also for their own protection and their fellow Rock Ninjas. If the Sound discovered they were alive, Kwon and Choi would immediately become the target of their blades. And if their comrades saw them turn sides it could cause an uprising that would put countless lives at risk for those in the army or loved ones back home.

Kwon and Choi knew this too, thankfully, which made them more cooperative in their efforts to end the war and talk strategy with Ibiki and Kazuo. It also made them chattier when the ex-Soldier came for a visit to be sure they were doing all right. They enjoyed seeing her apart from each other and the walls of compacted sand.

"So how goes the war effort on the outside?" Choi chuckled, the three having shared a laugh a moment ago.

Azmaria sighed, arms crossing. "Not good..."

"Doesn't surprise me... Iwagakure struggled in a similar matter. We've already warned you that the longer this goes on they will win. That's their strength. Learn all of your weaknesses before launching an attack to finish it all. They will wait till your supplies run low."

And they were beginning to, the ex-Soldier noticed. That made Ibiki and Kazuo more cautious when handing out rations to the troops. The Kages were sure the ninjas understood their smaller handouts so riots didn't ensue among their ranks. Fighting among themselves could not be an option, especially with them so confined to one area.

"If we knew how to hit them then we would have already," she said. "But we never get the chance because they pull back. Even when they are clearly winning."

"They don't like to give anything away," Kwon said.

"So we noticed and it's getting annoying." The three lapsed into silence before a thought came to the ex-Soldier's mind. "I'm curious to know what happened to the three of you after our encounter in the Chuunin Exams."

The teammates shared a look before grinning at each other. "Well, we hightailed it out of there scared shitless," Kwon snickered. "Choi nearly wet himself."

"Did not!" the young man huffed.

"And Lee, he couldn't shut up about meeting three of the six Elite Suna Ninjas. He went on and on and on all the way back to Iwagakure, and it didn't help that our Sensei knew a little about you guys. Made him into a fan girl that's for sure..." There was a far off look in his eyes. "He idolized all of you and it pushed him to become a better ninja."

"Never saw him work that hard before," Choi chuckled. "Drove us to become better because hell, Lee was surpassing both of us and it was almost embarrassing."

"But those were the good times. We completed the Chuunin Exam the next time we went in and within a few years became Jounin." Kwon glanced over at Azmaria through the bars with a smirk. "Lee became a Sensei, imagine that. Never thought we would see the day... but the kids over him. Choi would've gotten his own too... if it wasn't for the war."

His expression darkened, which made the young woman's crossed arms tense. "Things got bad when the Tsuchikage died," Choi muttered. "I mean we knew it was coming... still, we needed a leader. Don't get me wrong, his granddaughter did just fine as his acting replacement, but she was never given the title. Which made it hard for her to make the tough decisions that mattered."

"When the Sound invaded, we weren't prepared. Our front line completely fell apart nearly a week later after they killed her, along with the elite guards. We didn't stand a chance. We were leaderless, exposed, and had no choice but to follow them. They had fucking sound coming out of their hands that could rip apart families in seconds."

He sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall almost defeated.

"Lee stood up to them, questioned their authority, gave us hope... you name it he was there. Well, they didn't like that. At first it was just a warning, but then they decided to make an example of him. That no one could win against them. Having a mouth wasn't acceptable." His clasped hands tensed. "So, they strung him up in the square... and beat him to death..."

The silence was deafening and Azmaria found it difficult to breathe.

"They did it in front of his own students," Choi choked. "And family."

"And we couldn't do anything. We tried, but..." Kwon growled. "Why the hell weren't we punished too?" he shouted. "I mean, we helped him half the time! And what, we weren't good enough?"

"Come on, Kwon, you know why..."

"I know! But it still doesn't make it right! And you know what's bullshit about all of this? He tried to be strong and smiled! The damn idiot smiled as we begged for his life! Even though he was screaming in pain." Head craning back the young man stared at the ceiling in frustration.

"He would have made a great Tsuchikage." Choi chuckled in agreement.

Azmaria couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Was the man who did this to Lee... was his name Isshin?"

"Yeah, that was one of the bastards' names."

The ex-Soldier now had more of a reason to hunt him down for all of those who had been wrongly accused, for those who were innocent, for those who would never see their loved ones again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I promise they will all be avenged. Suna, Konoha, and Kumogakure will not allow them to succeed."

The ninjas smiled. "And that's what we're looking for. But how far are you willing to go?"

"As far as I need to."

"Aren't you afraid?" Choi asked. "With your life on the line like that?"

She gave them a strained smile. "My life has been on the line as long as I can remember. It's in my birth write. Afraid... at one point in time I didn't fear death because it was not in my nature as a Soldier. And in some ways, I still don't grasp the concept, at least not completely. But I've scrapped by on more than one occasion and in my opinion death's not happy with me because I've managed to clutch tightly to the thread that keeps me here. I've been known to abuse my chakra on a number of occasions according to Tamahome... But I'm okay with that. Besides, there's always someone who pulls me back."

"What if you don't though?" Kwon asked. "Come back? There's always that possibility."

"Then I had one hell of a life," she laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way. And to be honest with you if I had actually met your teammate Lee, post Chuunin Exam, he probably would have said the same thing to you. So think about that when remembering him. You helped him have one hell of a time and a life to remember here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I see him through the both of you. And I'll let you know if I see him on the other side if I have another near-death experience."