As young Ay was getting lectured by Benihime... she was cut short, by a sudden, puff of white smoke by their side.
Gorakame, the twin brother of Arakame, materialized. He stood there with a self-satisfied smirk, clutching a scroll. He was supposed to be in the Raikage's office, serving as a lookout so he can summon his brother Arakame, yet here he was, bypassing the trek back by reverse-summoning himself directly into the family dispute.
"Why did you come back already?" Arakame bellowed, a vein throbbing on his fish head as the water globe around his head bubbled.
Gorakame didn't seem to notice the irritation. He adjusted his stance, striking a pose that he clearly felt was heroic. "Calm down, brother! But before we get to the 'why,' tell me... was my entrance flashy? Did the smoke clear at just the right moment? How were my expressions as I landed?"
"Tell me why you are here before I bury you!" Arakame roared, his patience snapping.
Gorakame's smirk flickered, replaced by a look of sudden, intense recollection. "Right, the business. I was sitting there, counting the seconds. I hit twenty-seven minutes of my thirty-minute watch when a weird black bird, a strange, ink bird... crashed through the window. It hit the floor and dissolved, leaving this scroll behind. I used my smart fish-brain intelligence and realized it must be important. So, I brought it back instantly. Come on, praise me for what I deserve."
The levity died instantly as Benihime snatched the scroll from his hand. Her fingers moved to undo the intricate sealing jutsu that protected the contents. As her eyes raced across the contents of the scroll, the air around her began to vibrate. The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop, then spike as her chakra flared.
The message read: "Kaien is captured by the Yellow Flash of the Leaf. I have secured his blood; there is a way to curse him with the help of Sayami of the Chinoike clan. I am moving to locate her now. I will force Konoha to exchange Kaien for the Nine-Tails and I will give them two days for our Kumo envoy to arrive.
Renga is injured and is being treated at the Chinoike base. I have ordered them to occupy West Kumo to avoid the Snake Sannin's hunt for their Kekkei Genkai and Renga will guide them. After I find Sayami and curse the Yellow flash I will return back to Kumo.
--
Killer Bee, the strongest of Kumo."
Benihime's hand tightened as a low, guttural growl escaped her throat. The uncontrolled lightning chakra leaked from her palms, charring the scroll. Within seconds, the scroll was reduced to fine grey ash that scattered from the wind.
"Is everything all right, mother?" young Ay asked, his voice feeble. He felt the guilt of his earlier failures compounding with whatever news had just arrived.
Benihime didn't answer with words. She blurred. In a display of terrifying speed, she appeared directly in front of her son and delivered a punishing panther strike to his solar plexus. young Ay's instincts took over as he instantly covered a portion of his Lightning Cloak to solar plexus as skid back before stopping with no injuries.
He has improved the Raikage's Lightning Cloak technique and he is now able to concentrate a large portion of a chakra into a specific body part to strengthen him multiple times than completely enveloping his whole body. The impact sent him skidding back two meters, his boots carving deep furrows into the earth, but he remained upright, uninjured.
He had mastered the art of "point-focus" defense, a refinement of the Lightning Release Armor that allowed for immense durability without the massive chakra drain of a full-body shroud. He leaped back toward her as he covered the Lightning Cloak focused at his feet, landing in a deep, submissive bow. "I am sorry, Mother."
"Sorry won't bring Kaien back," Benihime snapped, "He was captured by Konoha. We have to exchange him for the Nine-Tails. Prepare the Envoy team immediately. I want Renga and his daughter included the moment they return. Ay, you stay here. You will fortify the village and strengthen the borders. I will lead the Envoy team."
Aya, who had been unconscious, finally woke up and found out what was happening. After a moment of empty stare she said, "I will also join the envoy," she stated with suppressed rage.
"No," Benihime said flatly. "You are too emotional. You'll compromise the negotiation."
Aya stepped forward, closing the distance until she was inches from her mother's face. She didn't flinch. She stood tall, matching Benihime's predatory gaze with one of her own. "I. WILL. JOIN. THE. ENVOY."
young Ay watched them, Aya looked exactly like their mother... unyielding and fierce. He knew then that there was no arguing with her.
~~
Kaien sat strapped to a chair, in front of him stood a large, imposing figure, with a rugged head and face covered with old wounds and scars. A long scar passed through his face and his head is covered by his forehead protector to conceal a collection of burn marks, punctures from where screws were used, and long slash marks.
It was none other than Ibiki Morino, a master of interrogation. He has the ability to subject people to great suffering without ever using physical torture.
In the shadows of the room, the power players of the Leaf watched in silence: Hokage Danzo; Lady Tsunade; and Inoichi Yamanaka.
Ibiki's hands moved through a series of familiar seals. "Summoning Technique: Torture Chamber," he muttered.
Kaien's consciousness was dragged into a foreign mindspace where he found himself trapped in an iron cage. Ibiki stood outside it, with a flick of the interrogator's wrist, barbed steel wires manifested, snaking around Kaien's limbs and torso.
"I don't want to harm a child," Ibiki said, his voice echoing. "So go on reveal everything and I will end this now."
Kaien looked up his voice strangely steady. "Okay, go on then... end it. I never said I wasn't willing to talk. I already told that old lady Tsunade everything I know."
"Eh," Ibiki paused, his brow furrowing... surprised but not shocked all the time he dealt with ninja who were tight lipped and never spoke until he started the torture but the kid here is still not used to being ninja.
"Then why," Ibiki asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "is your mind protected by layered genjutsu barriers if you have nothing to hide?"
"I... I'm not sure why they are there," Kaien stammered.
Ibiki's fingers twitched. The steel wires tightened, biting into Kaien's skin and twisting with agonizing precision. A scream tore from the boy's lungs, echoing through the mental space. "Arghhhh! Please, stop! If you hurt me too much, you'll regret it! Arghhh! Stop it, you shithole."
"I have no time for riddled answers or threats," Ibiki said, unmoved. "I will know if you are lying... unlike Lady Tsunade, I am the expert in this."
Two more wires latched onto Kaien's wrists, pulling his arms in opposite directions, tensioning the joints to the point of popping in an attempt to pluck his hands. The physical pain in the real world was non-existent, but in this mind-space, it was brutal.
"Stop! Stop! I'll talk!" Kaien wailed in pain non stop in the mind space, mucus streaming down his face and saliva flew out of his mouth as his two hands were pulled apart. "I asked my teammate to put me under! I knew... I knew the Leaf would come for me. I told him to lock my mind as I expected there is torture waiting for me."
Ibiki didn't loosen the wires. Instead, he moved toward the boy's legs. "Next are your legs... this torture will continue endlessly. By the time I am done, you won't just talk... you'll sing like a bird."
~~
A/N: The torture has started though not physical. Ibiki Morino is the first proctor of chunin exams in OG naruto and he was able to stall putting Animal path of pain in the torture chamber.
Bonus chapter for every subscriber. I will upload the bonus chapter in awhile.
Upto 20 Advance chapters available @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0