His Gift to Her (Mary Sue Series)

Chapter 46

"Complete annihilation. Team Gachou has been wiped out by an unknown Akatsuki girl," a man reported to the Five Kages. 

"Send more teams! We should stop this menace before it's too late!" the Raikage A shouted, jolting many guards from their posts. 

"No, wait," Lady Tsunade ordered. "What did the girl look like?"

"Does it matter? We have a problem, and the only way to fix it is by ending her!" A roared, slamming the nearby table for emphasis. 

"Yes, it does matter!" the Hokage shouted back, matching his tone and anger. "It matters because if it is Kurisani-kun, then we can finish this war!"

"That child you've been muttering about? Who knows if the enemy has already earned her vote? Besides, we don't know if she can even awaken and master this level of power in so little time!"

As per a previous agreement with the rest of the Kages, Lady Tsunade reluctantly disclosed Qui's status. Although Gaara had a vague memory of her fights during the Chunin Exams, he, along with the rest of the Kages, were wary of a missing girl with a so-called power she had yet to reach. 

"I agree," Mei Terumi, the current Mizukage, said. "She's no more than a mere child and can be easy to manipulate. Who knows? With the right words and some prodding, they can trick her into doing their bidding without question." 

"While that is a possibility, perhaps you could send someone she trusts to talk her out of it," current kazekage Gaara suggested. "Although, if she is truly brainwashed, that might be difficult. Still, can it hurt to try?"

"She's dangerous, from the reports we've gotten," A shouted, slapping his hand on the papers. "She won't even bother listening! She kills without mercy!"

"Is it even her? What if it's not? Will you still convince a stranger to join us?" the Third Tsuchikage Onoki sneered. 

"Um, I have reports of the girl's appearance," the messenger spoke slowly, hoping it would stop the argument."

"Let's hear it then," Mifune the Samurai persuaded firmly. "We should understand as much as we can about the enemy no matter the final decision."

"Ah yes, um, the girl has dark blue hair and black eyes. She stands no taller than five foot four. She displayed no evident abilities and completely destroyed the team with only speed, weapons, and physical strengths. She has yet to show anything of her ninjutsu. She has no distinct kekkei genkai and her clan could not be noted." 

"Well?" A looked at the Hokage expectantly. "What say you to that? It's barely anything about a girl, much less if she is the child you are searching for." 

"Anything else? Did she say anything?" Lady Tsunade pressed. 

"No. She didn't stay in one place too long, always on the move, whether it be to jump from one person to the next, she never stopped." 

"Then let's send one person she would no doubt trust and let them talk to her. If we can even get a small victory out of this, we can get the upper hand. She is part of the Akatsuki, and they wanted her for a reason. If we get her, we'll have no doubt, a sure way to win this war," Lady Tsunade said. 

"Whoever you send out, they have four hours to convince her," Terumi added sharply. "If they fail..." she trailed off, letting the Hokage finish the sentence. 

Lady Tsunade pressed her lips firmly into a straight line and glared. "Then we'll have her killed."

Qui's parents were in a group that was much farther away from Qui's last known position. So was Kakashi. Naruto was out of the question, and the mysterious family member Noriaki knew wasn't around. From Noriaki's words, this Uncle Igo probably had the best chance of winning Qui over, whatever it may be. He was the greatest influence in her life.

Instead, Lady Tsunade looked to her own student Sakura, their best and possibly their only workable option. Although Lady Tsunade was extremely reluctant to send a medic out onto the field, under such time constraints, Sakura was the best they could do at the moment. 

"I want you to be on guard. Be prepared for anything that comes your way," Lady Tsunade ordered. 

"Hai!" Sakura set off with her team to go find Qui. 

"Send for Hatake Kakashi and Kurisani-kun's parents, Kurisani Moru and Noriaki. We'll need as much help as we can get." 

"Right!" another messenger dashed off to relay orders. 

Sakura gathered her nerves anxiously. This mission had to be a success. If she failed, she would yet again lose another teammate. 

"Haruno-san, are you ready? We need to leave now and make haste," the makeshift team leader said, ignoring social greetings. Sakura nodded and glanced at the crumpled sketch her new teammate Sai had done of Team Seven. She had once shown a picture of the old team, and for the team's anniversary, Sai sketched several pictures of all the members together. Although Qui stilled looked much younger than the rest, as they didn't have an updated photo, Sakura held on, wishing she had both Sasuke and Qui back on the team. 

"I'm ready," Sakura replied, folding the wrinkled picture carefully. She stashed the paper in her left glove, against the back of her hand. "Which direction?"

Sakura knew that she didn't get along well with Qui. She doubted whether Qui would actually listen to her. Qui got along most with Sasuke. She hardly spoke to Naruto or Sakura. The most she ever did was converse shortly with Sasuke or sneer at something she believed was stupid. Qui occasionally was caught reading a lengthy letter, a gentle smile of familiarity on her face. Sakura remembered Qui talking about her uncle once or even twice, but not much as said.

"East. Last known location. She's reported to move quickly. We need to find her immediately."

But this was now Sakura's duty: to rescue Qui. She had already lost Sasuke, Naruto was gone for awhile, Sai was the new teammate, and Qui was someone she knew. An enemy at times, but still a teammate of hers. 

"Hai."