Kakashi’s POV:
We reached the entrance of the lair, where Gai and his team were already trying to ender. “First we have to break this barrier!” Gai said.
“But how?” Ten-ten asked.
My team landed. “It’s a five seal barrier,” I said.
“You’re late, Kakashi,” Gai said.
“Well you see, we ran into a little trouble along the way.”
Pakkun jumped down from Lee’s shoulder. “Gaara is behind that barrier. And…So is Ai’s body.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Can you tell if she’s alive?”
“I thought she was already dead.” I shook my head, and he took another sniff. “I can’t tell.”
I sighed. ‘Hang in there, Ai…’ I thought. “Ok, Pakkun. Thanks for your help.”
He disappeared, we worked on a plan to open the barrier, and Gai’s team left to remove the other seals. I was staring at the boulder. I thought I heard a familiar music, but was hoping, for Ai’s sake, that I didn’t. Sakura looked at me.
“Kakashi sensei, you look anxious.”
I took a deep breath. Getting worked up wouldn’t help us at all. Once the seals were removed, I had Sakura punched the boulder, allowing us entrance to the lair.
“Woah, what’s that music?” Naruto asked.
“It sounds like someone’s screaming…,” Sakura said. “Wow, I’ve never heard anyone scream like that. It’s bloodcurdling.”
Chiyo looked at me. “That’s the one weakness of Konoha’s Black Fang, isn’t it?” I nodded stiffly, my anger rising. “By your reaction, you have some connection with her.”
“She’s my fiancé…,” I muttered.
“Well you need to get a hold of yourself. You won’t help Gaara or your fiancé any if you’re all worked up.”
I took another deep breath and motioned for everyone to go in. We saw Gaara lying dead, with Deidara sitting on him. Ai was writhing on the ground, clutching her head and screaming. Sakura was right, it was bloodcurdling, and it made it worse that Ai’s own father and uncle was doing it to her. There was something on her stomach: a device I recognized as a chakra drainer from the Land of Snow. The song started again without a seconds break, and she passed out. She still looked like she was in intense pain.
Deidara looked at her. “Pathetic,” he said, kicking her away.
I growled, and Naruto got ready to charge. I regained control of my anger and tried to figure out what had happened here just before we came. From the fact that Gaara was killed with hardly a scratch on him, his Biju had been extracted. And based on that and the fact that Ai had been taken as well and was being tortured as she was, they had sealed the demon inside of her. And from the way they were treating her, she had done something to make them angry. Probably attacking them so long ago.
After some speculation about what art was, Deidara made a clay bird much like Ai’s, and had it grow to its full size. It walked over to the man next to Deidara and took the iPod that played the torturing music, then picked up Gaara. Deidara’s comrade went to attack him, but he just jumped on his bird. It circled around and picked Ai up in its claws. I thought I saw her doing some hand signs, and her full armor appeared, meaning we could fight her father without worrying about hurting her. Her eyes opened briefly and she locked eyes with me. Her entire body was rigid in pain, but she smiled and winked, then became limp again. From what I could gather, she was going to help us win.
