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“Lady Mizukage!” Maro burst into Mei’s office with a scroll in his hand. Mei and Ao looked up from the papers they’d been hastily organizing.
Ao turned on him, “can’t you see we’re about to leave for the summit? Can’t this wait?”
Mei frowned but said nothing.
“I’m afraid it can’t sir. The Leaf has been attacked! We just got word from Orino, the entire village has been destroyed.”
The room was silent for a moment. Mei stared at Maro. Ao’s mouth fell open. Finally Mei spoke, “how many casualties?” Then, before Maro could answer, “Ao, send our support teams, I want to know exactly what’s going on over there. We can’t have other villages thinking that the Leaf is an easy target. Now is not the time for more infighting.” She nodded to Maro to speak as Ao stepped out.
“Orino writes that the casualties are catastrophic. No word on the Hokage. He didn’t see her but her slugs were everywhere. He estimates up to 40% of the village populace has been wiped out. Their fighting force has been greatly reduced. He included some notable names here.” Maro unrolled the scroll to the end and scanned the page. Ao re-entered the office to listen. “Shizune, the Fifth Hokage’s apprentice, is reported among the dead. Kakashi of the Sharingan-”
Mei’s eyebrows shot up. “Kakashi’s dead?”
“That’s what Orino writes here. He said that he saw the body himself otherwise he wouldn’t have believed it. He awaits our support teams’ arrival unless he’s ordered to withdraw. I assume he’ll send new information as it comes in,” Maro finished.
“Orino’s a good spy,” the Mizukage mused aloud, “he anticipated my orders as usual. He’ll stay until there’s nothing new to learn.” The news was troubling on multiple levels. For the Leaf to be attacked, now, was a bad omen. She looked out the windows of her office at the village, her village, and she was about to leave it at such a time.
“Lady Mei,” Ao said, “we need to leave. The danger of being ambushed is even greater now. You have to make it to that summit.”
Mei nodded in acknowledgement but did not look away from the window. Her mind kept drifting to Hatake Kakashi. For such a man to be killed and he was only one loss of the many the Leaf had no doubt suffered.
“Shall I forward Orino’s reports to you on the road my Lady?” Maro asked.
“No,” Mei said as she finally turned away from the window and gathered her things. “We can’t risk the reports being intercepted. Keep them here for me until I return.” She turned to Ao, “is Chojuro ready?”
“He’s already outside,” Ao responded. The veteran looked like he wanted to say something else about the young man but held his tongue.
“Then let’s be off and hope that the Fifth Hokage makes it to the summit herself.”
After saying goodbye to the people who’d gathered to see her off, Mei left her village.
As the Mist party traveled on the road Mei was weighed down with thoughts of the Leaf. Her mind also kept straying to a ninja she knew from rumor but a man she’d only barely met, a legend, who was now dead.
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“What about the Leaf? Once they find out what Danzo has done here, he won’t stay in power long,” the Raikage said.
Just as Mei feared, the summit was a catastrophe in its own right. First an attack on the summit itself and then a declaration of war? To say it hadn’t gone smoothly was an understatement.
“I’ll pass on the news of the Alliance to a Leaf ninja that I trust,” Gaara offered.
The Raikage and Tsuchikage turned to look at their youngest peer. “And that would be?” the Raikage prompted. All the kage knew of the close relations between the Leaf and Sand. It was curious considering what had taken place at a chunin exam held at the Leaf just a few years earlier.
“Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan,” Gaara replied with assurance.
Mei was stunned. He’s alive?
“The son of the White Fang?” the Tsuchikage clarified thoughtfully.
“Very well,” the Raikage said. He pondered anew the meeting he’d had on the road to the summit. Kakashi had been guarding the Leaf’s Jinchuriki along with another jonin. The Raikage suddenly wondered why a jinchuriki was out of his village at such a time. His mind leapt to Danzo’s betrayal and another piece of the puzzle fell into place. The Leaf jonin didn’t trust Danzo from the start, he realized. “He certainly seems more trustworthy than Danzo.”
“Oh yeah,” Kankuro said as an aside to Temari. Temari silently agreed, remembering when Kakashi’s team had come to their aid.
At this point Mei finally found her voice. She took care to steady it when she said, “Kakashi survived the assault on the Leaf? Last intelligence we had, he was among the dead.”
Gaara turned to look at her. “He did die. But the enemy who destroyed the Leaf used a jutsu that brought everyone he’d killed back from the dead. Naruto defeated the enemy in battle and then changed his mind.” Like he changed mine.
“I saw Kakashi on the road here,” the Raikage added. “He’s very much alive and guarding his student, the Nine-Tail’s Jinchuriki.”
Mei sighed with relief and then, when she realized the other kage were staring at her she said, “well good, that’ll work fine.” They seemed to be satisfied and continued the discussion. Gaara’s eyes lingered on her for a moment longer than the others before he too turned his attention back to the conversation.
Despite the looming war and disaster of the summit, inside, Mei was unaccountably reassured. The weight that had been on her chest since she’d left the Mist had lifted. Mei scoffed at herself. Stupid random Leaf ninja making her worry. Still, why did she care? She’d only interacted with Kakashi that once. What was it about him that had made her worry?
She pushed the thoughts aside. She didn’t have time to analyze her feelings right now. They were going to war.