After their successful raid on Hanzo, the elite girls of the Hebijo Clandestine Academy had been given a day off to celebrate by their instructor. Taking the train to the beach for the day, which left all of them excited about going in their own way. Several of them playing a card came to pass the time as the other two were just relaxing and watching the scenery whiz past them thanks to the speed of the train. The three playing the game were very focused on what they were doing with Haruka ultimately taking the win from Mirai and Homura; and their punishment was one that was more humiliating than painful.
Haruka would triumphantly smack Homura across her breasts, making them bounce enough to threaten a pop-out. The sudden feeling made Homura flush in humilation at it but have to take a moment to pull on her t-shirt to make them stop since people were taking notice. Then she'd turn to Mirai to do the same and missed completely due to the fact that the smaller girl had no cleavage large enough to smack. Haruka fully meant it to needle Mirai about the fact; knowing that the girl was sensitive about it. Which would make her start loudly complaining about how she lost and began to eat the cards, to which Haruka tried to force her to stop.
Yomi would respond to all of it by starting to loudly try and talk over them both to make them stop. Ultimately, they would but only after every single person in the train car was staring at them. The only member that hadn't been involved had been Hikage, whom had only watched with a bemused little smirk before turning back to look out the window.
"But it is really nice to be going to the beach though!" Mirai finally said once she calmed down and began to feel bubbly about it. She hadn't been there in a long time, with as self-conscious about her appearance she was. The little girl felt more comfortable going with her friends but she still felt slightly inferior to the rest of them namely due to the fact they all had two big things she wished she had.
"Yeah it is. I think I'll go ahead and get ready for it since we're almost there." Haruka smiled and stood up and began to pull off her clothing. She wouldn't get far before Homura jumped on her, trying to stop her from doing so by grabbing her arms.
"Dont' do that here!" Homura exclaimed. "Everyone's watching." She was actually embarrassed by the fact; it was one thing to do it between them but another entirely to strip in public.
"Oh come on Homura. I've got my bathing suit on under it." Haruka smiled again, pulling her casual clothing off to reveal a rather...sexy bathing suit that showed off aLOT of skin. Which immediately got a few quiet of approval from the male company on the train car; then more than one smack upside the head from their female companion.
Seeing as it was indeed harmless, Homura - then Yomi and Hikage began to follow suit; with Mirai staying in her casual clothing. The small girl fuming a bit in jealousy over the fact that her friend's bodies were better than her own. Mirai would eventually grow to match them but that was still a few years off; the fact didn't do anything to settle down those envious feelings though.
Back at Hebijo...
One of the advanced students had accompanied the elite 5 to the gates and waved them off; she was a relatively new student but despite that; she'd quickly advanced through the ranks and was even receiving lessons from the 5 girls at various times. She hesitated to think of them as real "friends" as the environment of Hebijo for the lower ranked kunoichi was quite harsh and left them little time to think of those things. However, she felt close to them and was thankful for their aid in improving her skills and had wanted to see them off.
The girl turned away from the gate to return to the castle proper, her long black hair catching on the breeze as she did. Her attire was one of a standard Hebijo uniform save for the dagger sheaths strapped to each thigh; her weapon of choice- taking a cue from Hikage. The girl had taken a shine to Hikage's combat style and had done her best to emulate the same thing but learned she favored using shorter blades than something that resembled a machete. As she walked through the ground toward the castle, she was absently flipping a throwing dagger into the air then catching it after a few spins. "I hope that them leaving isn't as bad of an idea as it seems. Particularly with their captive, I don't know how many of us it'd take to even slow him down should he try to escape again." She mutered.
The young woman about brood about it as she entered the castle and slipped through a hidden passage to the concealed elevator that led up to the elite's level. She'd been asked to come up there after seeing them off by Master Suzune, for what reasons- she didn't really know. But when the Master requested you to do something- you did it, you didn't question why. "Master Suzune?" The young lady asked as she stepped off the elevator. It was the first time coming up there and as such, her senses were on alert for anything unusual.
Feeling her nervousness, the girl forced herself to relax before stepping in after being asked to do so by the master. "You requested to see me Master Suzune?" She asked, politely kneeling before the woman in charge.
"Yes I did." She said calmly. "I've been monitoring your progress though the ranks recently, but do you realize you face punishment for your actions?" She asked quietly but with a subtle edge of threat to it. Rin wanted to see how the girl would react to it and her explanation; as that perspective was the only thing she didn't know.
"Er, what do you mean Sensei?" The young woman asked, even though she had a sinking feeling what this was about.
"I mean, you ran away from the enemy while your fellow shinobi were fighting." Suzune said accusingly, albeit calmly.
"You mean when the captive tried to escape." The young woman muttered. "I could see that was a pointless battle after the few few girls went down. And I had no mission to accomplish by staying there and fighting a battle I couldn't win." She replied honestly; knowing that no amount of wheeding or coercion would change the Master's mind if it was already made up.
"Uncommonly good sense for a lesser shinobi." Suzune replied, subtly emphasizing the term "lesser" to make the girl realize her place. Though she produced a sizable file on the young woman in question as if making a point. "You were accepted in this academy as a chuunin due to a recommendation as well as coabberating souces, I've called you in here today to ask if you believe that you're ready to take the next step. You've shown the sort of determination and skill I believe makes you so." Suzune said pointedly.
"My skills are still below that of a jounin but I want to get better master. I want to be able to really make ...her proud." She replied sincerely. "I'll do anything to make that happen."
"Including putting yourself through hell?" Suzune smirked faintly. That type of fire in the eyes was what she was looking for in possible rank promotions in the student body. Few truly made it to the level that this girl was on by default; and fewer still survived long enough to advance to the level of the elites. Only those of real talent could ever ascend so high in the academy, a combination of willpower, talent, skill and to a degree- bloodlust was necessary for such a thing.
"There and back sensei." The young woman replied; her purple-blue eyes almost glowing with that inner fire of determination to be better than she was. "I'm done being a thief; I want to turn those skills into something that can actually mean something rather than a stay in a dank cell periodically."
"Then report to the elite training grounds first thing in the morning. Get some rest today, You'll need it." Suzune decided.
"Yes Ma'am." the young woman said and was then dismissed.
"Afterall, I want to train someone alongside our new 'friend' to learn the best ways to counteract his abilities and help contain him." Suzune grinned a little more to herself. "If you can prove to me that you have the talent to do that I'll allow you to join the elite team Syra." She smirked with a sort of wicked playfulness.
-A short time later...-
Sanosuke would be pacing through his room, still thinking about the events of the previous day; as well as the minor encounter he'd had that morning. The possibilities his mind spun out were almost endless it felt like- like his inner self was recounting the benefits of just staying there at Hebijo. Their combined talents and ability for combat would be highly valued here as compared to Hanzo- where they would possibly never see much use past fighting off punks in the shoppin district or something. For two shinobi schools to actually clash was something of a rare event since it usually meant the destruction of one of them and severe damage to the other. Maybe that self was right, his talent was for fighting- not too much else.
The way Haruka had described it earlier as she'd forced him to endure a makeover session that she insisted on after seeing his raggedly cut-off hair. Most she seemed to just want to make him presentable as if she knew that something important was going to happen that day- either that or she just simply couldn't resist the chance to do so. It'd seemed like such a minor thing that in the end, Sano just didn't argue with her as she did what she wanted.
She'd also taken the chance to tell him more about the school and it's methods. It was just like Hanzo Academy was in some aspects; it was still a school where people went to learn . Just the classes were much larger here at Hebijo; probably to balance out the dangerous nature of the training where students would regularly be severely injured or killed. The only real difference was that 'where good only accepts those they deem acceptable, evil accepts all regardless.' There was something in that mantra that just spurred Sano's indecision- really it didn't seem that bad once you eliminated preconceptions.
In his moment of indecision-fueled weakness; he'd asked Haruka to relay to Master Suzune that he'd like to accept her offer to learn from her. It would seem that the instructor truly meant it as she showed up at the guest room door and allowed him out of it. Instructing him to follow her closely to avoid becoming lost in the convoluted maze that was interior of the castle. Suzune hadn't said anything by way of explanation at first; though she did periodically glance back at him as if tomake sure he didn't stray.
"Tell me Sanosuke, what made you decide to accept my offer?" She asked; though she'd already largely figured it out. Suzune just wanted to hear him say it as an affirmation.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond to the question other than a shake of the head that displayed that sensation of being lost that he felt. "Because as strong as I may be; I can always be better and it seems like I might be able to do that here..." He replied, the fact of the matter surprised him.
It also made him feel a wave of worry and guilt about how it'd be taken by Hanzo academy once they found out. They'd brand him a traitor and he'd have truly dishonored his grandfather's memory by doing such a thing; but as he saw it- he didn't have much of a choice. Sanosuke knew he was trapped there with no real hopes of escape and since it'd been a couple days; his hopes at a rescue were also starting to fade. Like the light of hope was slowly being snuffed out by the darkness all around it, yet somewhere inside he felt that it wouldn't go completely out.
"Of course. You have great strength and endurance but you display a distinct lack of skill and finesse. I'll teach you how to hone that. It will help you become more well-rounded than just another person that bludgeons opponents into submission by pure force." Suzune confidently smirked at him.
He couldn't refute that, she'd seen the entirety of what he'd done the previous day; so she had a very good basis for judgment. Sanosuke had just lashed out at the enemies in the most direct and elemental way he knew how; but it wasn't perfect. He'd used more energy than he really needed to and, despite his healing ability, had taken more injuries than he really registered due to being blindsided or surrounded.
After they reached the isolated training ground that the elite girls used for their own; Suzune would have Sano demonstrate what he'd learned at Hanzo academy. The shinobi transformation that all ninja knew how to do; as well as his summoning art. However, that welling of dark energy he released upon using the summoning technique sent a chill up her spine. It was FAR too akin to a Yoma's aura for her comfort and for a split second wondered why; but when it concentrated and formed into a large shadowy leopard she relaxed.
The shadowy summon stayed around for a short time before seeming to leap into a dark spot and vanish; though she could still sense it. It made her wonder how much control Sano had over that energy to keep it around like that; she felt like it was watching her before the aura dispersed completely. "Very good." she praised. "But it's not enough to pass muster here!" she barked at him suddenly; a tactic designed to keep him from being complacent. At Hebijo, complacency bred failure.
"Next I will teach you how to produce your own kekkai barrier." She continued and activated her own which surrounded them in a purple space with small bells you'd hang from something floating around them. She'd go on to explain to him how it worked after dismissing her own so his attempts wouldn't overlap hers, knowing he wouldn't be able to interlock them yet.
"I've heard of that. Kekkai Barriers are formed in the mind aren't they? Then pushed out via chi to produce a space that can't be detected by normal people. It also can't be broken into without extreme danger to the person doing it?" Sanosuke asked with a furrowed brow as he processed what she told him.
"Correct, now you try it. Concentrate on an environment you feel suits you and your style the best. Then, apply the same method you used for the summoning technique." Suzune explained patiently.
Sanosuke concentrated on what environments he liked; but his mind would start to take a trip through his memories, ranging through the mountainous forest of his childhood home to the beachfront at shinobi island. He couldn't grasp onto a concept long enough to produce the effect in the way she'd instructred. Sano would keep trying it until it gave him a headache from the attempts then shook his head and sighed. "I can't seem to do it. Everytime I try I end up having a bunch of different environments I like and can't grasp onto one long enough to push it out." He told her, putting his left palm to his forehead as he felt it throbbing.
"It does take some practice. Here." She handed him a water bottle she'd brought with her, knowing someone would probably need it. "It helps. Can't have you burdened by a headache this early in the day, your training's only begun."
"Yes ma'am." Sano replied in a sort of resigned way and just accepted it from her and thankfully took a drink which seemed to ease the pounding in his head.
Suffice to say, the rest of the day would be extremely challenging for him after that point. Suzune would drive him to the point of exhaustion with her physical training drills to increase his agility, reflexes and tactical reasoning skills. She'd challenge him at very turn in ways that blunted his normal solve-it-with-force approach by using training dummies or obstacles that wouldn't yield to even the strongest blows. All he'd do by trying that would be to leave himself open to a thrown shuriken from her, a springloaded trap or some other devious attack he didn't notice beforehand.
It would also seem like his inner self agreed with Suzune's methods and withheld his healing power. As a result- he felt very jab, stab, cut and bludgeon his failures rewarded him with. By the end of the day he felt bruised and beaten all over and bore more than a few lacerations from it all. He'd also not be allowed to rest more than a 5 minute period to tend to the worst of the wounds to prevent fatigue by bloodloss.
Even when the elite 5 returned from their day at the beach; they'd help Suzune with her training schedule when their own allowed for it. Increasing the difficulty for Sanosuke by having at least 1 for them waiting to ambush him as he went through the massive Hebijo training grounds that'd been purposefully overgrown into a natural sort of maze. She'd hard press Sano with that training for a full three straight days to speed his development.
At some point during the training; Sanosuke couldn't pick out which- the other applicant for an elite position had joined the training fray. He'd find out very quickly that this other girl was a bigger pain in the ass than the rest surprisingly. Because the others were somewhat direct in their methods; this girl was sneaky and clever. Sano would first run afoul of the fact in the form of a translucent mesh that'd temporarily pinned him to a tree and cut into skin. She'd had it set to a trip wire and launched from a coiled sapling in the wooded area he'd been in.
The girl didn't stay around to taunt though; he'd just get the feeling someone was very amused by the situation before seeming to disappear. It'd taken several minutes to fully pull free of the mesh since it was attached to his clothing and the tree by both a tacky clear glue and what looked like fishing hooks. It wouldn't be the last time either that he'd end up tripped up by similar tricks due to the nature of translucent materials that were difficult to see.
Three days of nonstop training, it was unlike anything Sanosuke had ever experienced at Hanzo Academy. He was pushed to the very edge of his endurance; the sensation of being exhausted and hungry were nudging him to his limits. However, he knew if wavered that he'd just end up were he started, then would have to do it again. The training wasn't always direct either, alot of it were drills designed to push one toward sharpening reflexes and especially tactical reasoning. It seemed like Suzune valued the ability to quickly through one's options and plot out the best course of action on the fly. To take control of one's situation to turn advantage rather than allow the situation to fully dictate what you could do.
-Back at Hanzo Academy though...-
After the attack on the academy, the girls had been badly shaken up and Kiriya had decided that they'd correct it by doing more training. He'd have them training harder and longer; with him overseeing all of it and being overly critical of their mistakes. Kiriya wanted to try to improve the girls as fast as he could; but wasn't pushing them to beyond their breaking point like Rin was doing to Sanosuke. At some point, one of the upperclassmen- Daidouji would step in and arrange a specific kind of outdoor training for them.
She was going to put them through the toughest form of survival training that she could come up. In an isolated area of the training grounds; around the base of the mountain "Teima-pa-ku" the five girls would be made to stay overnight then climb to the summit. Kiriya would explain it to them that they'd have to collect a special scroll pertaining to the key to power for shinobi at the top.
Toward the middle of the day on the first day of the survival training- all five would launch on gliders into the area they were to do the event. With all of them ending up separated as they touched down in different areas and would have to face different obstacles to get to and then climb the mountain. None of them had landed close enough to start their ascent immediately.
Asuka would make a less than graceful landing, ending up in a tree with her glider shredded by the branches she'd fallen through. Admonishing herself mildly for the landing but she wasn't injured and quickly out to have a look around her surroundings to pick out the best way toward the mountain. Luckily for her, she'd landed in close proximity to a river and started to make her way toward it. Though she'd pause to lament how hot it was that day and the fact that the trees held it down like a blanket.
During said pause; she'd pull her scarf off and loosened her shirt to get some air against her skin to help cool her off. In doing so; she'd feel something land on her- something really gross and icky feeling and when more began to fall; she'd realize that they were some sort of tree leech or something. Suffice to say, Asuka's immediate reaction was to scream and start running for the river with the intent to wash the gross buggers off.
"Ewww this is nasty!" she whined a little and stripped off her uniform (without dropping her transformation) and dove in; which would do what she hoped and washed the aboreal leeches off. But, it would attract the attention of a giant whiskered eel that probaby intended to make her it's snack; given how dangerous the training was- such things were to be expected. "Ahh! It's an eel...with whiskers. Wait, eels don't have whiskers. Do they? What in the name of everything holy is this?!" Asuka exclaimed.
"But whatever you are. You're going down!" She'd say as she clubbed the thing over head head with one of her swords, still in it's sheath. As it sank into the water with a nasty goose-egg on it's head, Asuka looked a bit sheepish about it. "Sorry mister fish-monster..."
She'd climb out of the water and looked around to get her bearings while she collected her sweater and shirt. "I should just follow the river upstream and I'll be able to get there faster." Asuka mused; remembering something from her past. It made her smile fondly at the memory where Sano had been telling her all about how things worked where he lived in the mountains. One of the facts he'd told her about was that the fastest way to travel was by river; either on it or travelling alongside it. Because it would always lead you somewhere.
For the time being though, Asuka would have to walk alone- following the course of the river up toward the mountain they were supposed to scale. Part of the training was that they had to do it with the bare essentials and weren't really supposed to bring alot of thins; maybe one or two items they may need. Without the others around, Asuka began to keenly feel how small and alone she was in the face of that huge pile of rock. As night began to close in around her; she'd begin to feel that loneliness.
As she looked around for a place to camp for the night; she'd remember another little tidbit of survival information Sano had shared with her so long ago. Pointing out that it was safer to find a sturdy tree to sleep in rather than on the ground; it was too easy to be surprised by a wandering predator or other threat. He'd also told her that doing so was uncomfortable usually but it was the only way to have something solid covering your back when you were alone in an unfamiliar area. Trees could never betray you unless they were weakened somehow afterall.
Asuka had also seen him doing it during downtimes in training; finding a good place in a tree- usually in one of the lower branches to catch a short nap. She'd do the same thing when she found a large oak tree with low, thick branches; nestling herself into a position where she was leaning back up against it with her legs stretched out. He was right, it wasn't super comfortable but it was better than the ground.
Stopping and taking a chance to rest; she began to left her mind drift some. Asuka would find herself worrying about her childhood friend. She wondered if he was alright; trapped in a prison cell and being grilled for answers on the rest of them. "I wish you were here with me. It's lonely out here..." She muttered and then remembered one of the items she'd grabbed just before they left the academy to start this whole thing. Reaching into a large pouch she had belted to her hip, Asuka would pull out one of Sano's fur cloaks- the moderately sized mountain lion one.
She'd wrap it about herself to ward off the chill breeze that came off the mountain itself and along the river's course. The cloak also acting to break up her human silhouette up in the tree even more and would keep her from any prying eyes. "I guess like this you are." Asuka smiled wistfully. "I wonder what the others are doing, and if any have run into each other?" she mused, unable to help but to be concerned about them to a degree.
-The next day...
While the others would make their way up the mountain by different approaches; with Ikaruga and Katsuragi almost racing each other to climb up the hard way; Yagyuu and Hibari taking their own way up by jumping from large boulder to boulder. Asuka had found an old map somewhere after climbing out of the tree she spent the night in that would lead her through the caverns where the river had been flowing from. Perhaps it was left there by someone of a previous class that'd taken the time to map a route to the top or as close as possible?
"It looks like if I go through this tunnel, it should be a shortcut." Asuka mused, reading the map as she walked. She still had the cloak though, wearing it fastened across her shoulders by the hooks Sano had added to it so it would fit onto most clothing. It helped her to not quite feel so lonely during her trek. "Man it's really dark in here. I hope nothing jumps out at me." She mused.
"No! You can't be scared of the dark Asuka! Now be strong!" She told herself to strengthen her resolve. "You're the grand-daughter of the legendary shinobi Hanzo!"
Then from the darkness another voice echoed out. "What a laugh."
"Who's there?!" Asuka looked about.
"Do you honestly believe that any relation to the legendary shinobi means anything in combat?" From behind her, a very large red-eyed feline would form out of the darkness of the cavern.
"A monster!" Asuka squealed a little.
The cat would let out a "rawr", causing the stalactites to fall from the ceiling; prompting Asuka to hop back and to the sides to dodge them. "Bloodlines are little more than memories of family ties!" The unseen speaker continued. "It would be foolish to rely on them to save your life." As the feline took a large swipe of the claws at Asuka.
Which she'd block but get spun backward from the impact. "I never said that they would save me!" Asuka retorted.
"Do your bloodlines make you any less weak?!" the speaker prodded. The feline would attack again, scoring a shallow hit as Asuka fell back again. "If not for your bloodline, Who are you?!"
"Just me. Myself." Asuka muttered, sounding a little down but would fall back again in a backward flip to avoid another attack. "I-I'm Asuka!" Just at that point, the ceiling could come down ontop of her from the shockwave of the attack, burying Asuka in debris but luckily, not crushing her. She'd get away with bruises, scrapes and a few cuts but nothing broken.
"I lost..." She muttered as she lay there partially buried; but not pinned.
A memory shot through her head, something Homura has told her during their battle. "You're not worthy to call yourself the grand-daughter of the legendary shinobi!"
It would make Asuka feel a bit depressed. ~She was right, who do I think I am?~
It would prompt her to remember what her grandfather had told her about her parents. How her father had given up a lucrative job as a lawyer to open the sushi shop; on the basis that he didn't need the wealth and prestige that would come with it. All he wanted was to live with the ones he loved and it gave him the strength to make Hanzo reconsider and then approve of the man.
At that point, she could swear she'd hear Sano's voice speaking to her as her hand rubbed through the torn cloak she still had on; but had torn free due to the debris. "You're the first girl I've ever really liked Asuka. Ever since we were little kids." In front of her eyes she'd almost see him sitting there in front of her; balanced on the balls of his feet holding a hand out to her as if to pull her out/up.
Both memories would spur Asuka to pick herself up and push the debris off of her with the thought ~I'm alot stronger than I look too.~ She pick herself up and rose to her feet, scooping the torn-in-half cloak up and refastened it uner her red scarf so it was draped off to one side over her shoulder.
"I'm here because of them. My mom, my dad, my grampa and..." Asuka didn't say it but the momentarily tickle of the fur against her skin made her blush a little as something else came into focus for her.
"I may not be them, but so what? I'm Me!" She' start her attack again; this time using her secret ninja art- the double sword attack. Which would put a nice X -shaped wound on the brow of the huge black cat.
"There's a feeling of inferiority that comes with the pressure of others expectations. It can cast shadows of doubt within the mind. But you must remember- shinobi have no reason to fear the shadow." the unseen speaker responded her.
As the cat vanished, Asuka's eye grew wide for a moment. "huh? Where'd it go?"
"Shinobi are courageous. Because they have nothing to fear but their own weaknesses." The unseen speaker wrapped up. .
In the end, all five would wind up at the summit of Teimapaku at the same time; with Katsuragi boasting that she was the winner of the supposed contest. In the end; all five would have to confront their superior: Daidouji; the supposed legendary senpai that- while able to graduate- chose not to so that she could help train her kohai. As such, she was much more powerful than any of them alone and even together, they couldn't get past Daidouji's simple release of aura that shoved them all back.
As Asuka got pushed back; she could swear she felt another presence catching her and keeping her from falling back off the mountain. She knew the feeling was because she'd been wearing the fur cloak Sano had left and combined with her own resolve, gave her the strength to at least try to fight back against Daidouji's sheer power. By distracting her with shuriken and attempting a falling attack to which Daidouji simply palm-struck her; making Asuka fly back and land roughly amidst her classmates. The blow rendering her unconscious for a moment from having the wind knockedout of her so suddenly.
But that attempt to fight back was all Daidouji needed to decide who actually won the little contest and as Asuka woke back up. She'd find her senpai kneeling down a bit and handing her the scroll that they'd seen her holding. With the rest of the class pestering her to see what it said; all it read was something she'd already heard. "Power is a katana and a shield." Asuka had heard the grandfather say that before but still made no sense to her.
She'd give that some thought then paled a bit as an epiphany hit her about situation they'd been facing. One of their own had been taken by their perceived enemy. Asuka realized that it had come about because Sano had been (subconsiously) acting as the shield for the rest of them.
"By the way Asuka, what's that torn up old thing you're wearing?" Katsuragi asked, fingering the edge of the cloak. "Where'd you get such a ratty thing?"
She pulled it a bit as if possessive of it. "It's not ratty!" she retorted. "It got torn up in the cave I went through." Asuka replied, sounding a little defensive. "It's a cloak or something that Sanosuke had left in his room. I thought... " she started to blush.
"That by bringing it; he could be here with us at least in spirit?" Ikaruga asked then smiled wanely. Hearing that made them all look a little sad for a moment before lightening up again.
"Oh...sorry." Katsu said in a quiet tone.
"Let's not worry about it right now." Asuka smiled putting on that cheery, optimistic smile of hers that seemed to make everyone's worries melt away. "We all made it to the top!" She said cheerfully.
-While the girls were returning to the academy with Kiriya and Dadouji following behind...
"Sensei, I know you're worried about him. But shouldn't we be making some sort of move to find and rescue our sixth student?" Daidouji asked. She knew full well of what had happened on shinobi island and had a pretty good idea of who'd captured the young man.
"I worry about all of them. But we have no way to locate him; nobody here knows the location of Hebijio Academy. There's only rumors and nothing concrete." Kiriya replied quietly as to not ruin the girls' mood.
"You don't think he's told Hebijio about us and gave them information about our students do you?" Daidouji narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to think that; but it's a distinct possibility, especially if they tortured him for the information."
Kiriya put a thumb to his teeth for a moment like he was biting the nail, when in fact he wasn't. "No. If they knew more; I believe we'd have suffered more damage than what we did. I just hope he doesn't yield to them."
A few days later...
Hibari would, under the mental manipulation of Haruka though a small trinket; knock Kiriya out and steal the Hanzo super-secret-ninja-scroll. Upon delivering it to Haruka, believing it to be Kiriya- she'd betrayed all of Hanzo Academy, and even though it wasn't her fault at all- still believed herself guilty. So without anyone else knowing she'd board a train and head off to Hebijo academy meaning to transfer into the school in a gambit to steal the scroll back.
When Haruka had shown up in Hibari's dorm to collect the scroll from her, she also told Hibari where Hebijo academy was. Though only after she pointed out the act of betrayal and made it clear that she'd probably be expelled or punished if she didn't leave Hanzo Academy.
At Hebijio Clandestine Girls' Academy...
Sanosuke had been worked to the bone and well beyond his physical limitations; feeling the exhaustion and pain of the extreme elite-level training Rin had put him through. He'd done rather well for himself though; with his ability to adapt to new situations quickly- Sano had learned quite a bit in the last week or so of solid drills, sparring matches and even more mass melee. Little by little Rin was sharpening him into one of the best evil shinobi she could produce; along with help from the Hebijo Elites of course- and their possible newest member.
The girl Rin had training at the same time in opposition to Sanosuke's training; she'd proven herself to be canny and able to stay flexible in battle. Though she felt slightly disappointed in the fact the girl: Syra, didn't seem to engage in direct combat. But given how much more powerful Sanosuke was; it didn't weigh too heavily against her. Afterall, Hikage seemed to enjoy sparring with the girl since they'd been in the same gang in the past. They fought like bitter rivals but also like passionate friends or comrades- it was almost a pleasure to watch two knife-wielders clash. Like a ballet of death almost, though Hikage obviously still outpaced the up-and-comer but it was one of the few times Hikage openly seemed to enjoy what she was doing.
"Haruka! What the hell are you doing?!" Sanosuke blushed a deep red as the young woman walked into the large open shower area like she owned it. He'd been sitting there on his own and only in a towel washing the dirt, grime and blood off of himself from his training. He'd earned a day of rest from Suzune for his accomplishment; and because she said that she had something to do that day and couldn't supervise.
"Oh it's no big deal. I've nothing to be ashamed of. Is it really that bad for me to be in here?" She purred, getting a rush out of the fact her mere presence in there made him umcomfortable. Haruka also felt a welling of pride inside as well, she knew he was her brother- younger by about 8 months- because of the progress he'd made while being taught by Suzune. Another fact that put a little pep in her step was that Suzune had decided to allow her to inform Sanosuke of their relationship.
"I guess it's not that bad..." He muttered, resolutely NOT looking over at her as he soaped up a few small cuts in his side from shuriken to cleanse them out. "SSS!" he hissed loudly as the soap stung at it as it cleansed the wound. "Don't worry, I won't look if you're going to insist..." he sighed.
Haruka looked at him as he sat there on the stool, all those cuts and scrapes must've been painful especially in the soapy hot water. She saw him in a different light than she had in the prison cell and was really hoping that he would legitimately change alliances. "Here let me wash your back up." She offered as she came up behind him and laid a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Sano's first reaction was to pull away from it but felt too achy to really do that more than a slightly twitch away from her hand. "I'm still technically your captive and it seems like you can do whatever you want with me. I can't really get away." He muttered, trying to sound resigned to the fact like his will to resist them was cracking.
Not buying that for a second, Haruka took a handful of soap and began to lather up his back; tracing a fewof the recent scars with a finger as she did. "These look like they hurt." She commented, but was smirking a little, realizing that they were the marks left by Hikage. "And you're not really a captive anymore." She purred in his ear as she continued. "But you're not really a student here either, Suzune-sensei calls you our guest."
"A guest, really." Sano said in a mildly surprised tone. "Then again she's been putting me through the wringer since I asked her to teach me."
"That? That's nothing to be concerned about, you're strong enough and determined enough to get through it. We all did it too and it's the best thing that can happen to you." Haruka smiled again trying to make it sound better than it was.
Sanosuke just sat there, still red in the cheeks at her presence but didn't feel any sort of threat from her; instead he could almost sense a subdued curiosity. It was very strange to pick that up, as well as that nagging sensation that he really should know more about her. Subconsciously he was starting to pick up on what she already knew; Haruka had been the most visible presence in his stay there. She was the one that showed him the grounds and explained some of the methods there. Strangely, she also had seemed to be the most concerned when he failed at a particular exericse and had to do it again.
After an awkward silence, Haruka couldn't keep it buttoned in anymore and was practically bursting at seams to tell him. Normally keeping secrets was her forte but this knowledge made her bubble inside with a very intimate form of joy. She'd surprise him by draping herself against his back so her ample, nude breasts were pressing against him as she wrapped her arms around his torso- giving him a warm hug from behind. "You may be a guest here at the academy; but you're also my little brother." she whispered. "Well..half."
In a shout that echoed down the hallway, dampened by the doors and such came his response. "WHAT?!" He glanced of his shoulder at her in absolute shock. Sano had no idea whatsoever that he had half-siblings; he'd never even heard of such a thing. At first he wanted to assume she was lying to get him to open up to her; but she wasn't pressing that advantage. Instead she just stayed where she was; holding him like a big sister might hold her little brother. "You can't be serious Haruka." He actually said her name, when he tried not to address any of them so casually.
"Oh yes I'm positive." She snickered. "You see, we had your DNA tested and it came out that we share the same father." Haruka explained. "You see, our father had many mistresses and your mother happened to be one of them."
"How do you know that?" Sano asked, suspiciously raising a brow, he believed the DNA explanation but wanted more.
"She was a phyiscian correct? Your mother worked at the same hospital my father did." Haruka supplied. "But he wasn't that good a father, I doubt he really cared. Before you let that hurt; I'll tell you that he likely didn't care much about me either."
"I was...kind of wondering why you and I have the same, exact eye color." Sano muttered.
"And with your hair cut short, it has the same general style about it that mine does too." Haruka smirked a little, messing his wet hair up a bit.
For another long moment the two of them stayed like that with Haruka taking a sort of smug satisfaction in his reaction; but also finding it cute in it's own way. Sanosuke's mind was whirling with questions and suspicions floating around and being slung everywhere. Like what she told him just flipped his thoughts on their heads and spun them around in a centrifuge.
In the end he'd squirm a bit and pulled free of Haruka's oddly affectionate embrace and sighed. "I need some fresh air and a walk... I can't think straight." he muttered.
"Fine. go ahead...Nii-chan." Haruka said in a teasing voice and turned her back as he stood up and quickly dried himself off and exited. Leaving her to wash herself up as well since the water was already running and still hot. "He's warm to hug..." She muttered to herself and smiled a bit a she continued.
- On one of the outside breezeways...
Sanosuke paced up and down the corridor; high in the castle but was ignoring the amazing view- unable to make sense of what he'd just learned. He had no way to confirm any of it for himself; but he felt conflicted- part of his normal self was excited and enthusiastic about it. However, the shinobi part of himself was wary and suspicious that she was lying. On top of that, his inner self just seemed to be extremely smug about it like it had already figured that out and was hiding it.
~It makes sense you know. Out of all of them she's the one that's been pushing you the hardest other than Suzune-sensei.~ His smug inner self told him from inside his mind. ~While yes she could be lying; consider this too- back in the prison cell she tried to seduce us.~
Sano muttered to himself as he leaned on the railing, still shirtless at that moment and just letting the slightly cool air dry himself. "I thought that was your doing." he muttered, talking to the inner voice.
~Nope. It was because we share genes with her. Because of that, she couldn't force us to be sexually attracted to her. That is why it failed so miserably for her.~ That inner voice supplied in a bemused tone. ~It'd really be easier to just accept what she told you as truth for now.~
He just groaned and put his forehead on the rail for a moment as his inner self's suggested course of action. Sano didn't want to linger on it; but quietly his mind was putting a few things together, especially about his past. Namely the one time he'd ever seen his grandpa angry about something; which was unusual because the old man was usually easy-going and jovial; even a bit of a trickster with a marvelous sense of humor.
-13 years ago...
Sanosuke had gone with his his grandpa to meet with someone that the old man apparently knew. Whoever it was lived in a very large and luxurious home that indicated someone of high societal status and wealth. He and his grandfather had been escorted in by a maid and told to wait in a specific room for the 'master of the house' to meet with the old man. As just a little boy, Sano took to exploring the room a bit on his sturdy little legs but wisely kept his hands to himself after one hard look from his grampa when he had been about to grab something shiny.
They were made to wait for almost an hour when a little girl that was just slightly older than Sano came in. Apparently she was the little lady of the house and had been dressed up in a frilly little outfit but looked uncomfortable in it. Sano; having not seen anyone about his own age in a while naturally approached her with an innocent smile on his face.
"Hi!" He said in a boyish fashion, at that age he was naturally bold and liked to meet new people. His shy nature wouldn't manifest until he was a couple years older.
The girl looked at him surprised but smiled a little at meeting someone else. "H-hi." she replied timidly; sounding almost..robotic in her tone. Like she was repeating something that she'd been instructed to say repeatedly.
Before they could get any further, the girl's father would come in and shoo her from the room before sitting down across from Sano's grandfather. The two of them would go back and forth a bit, before starting to loudly argue with rather derisive words being slung back and forth. The last thing the girls' father had said was "Take that little bastard and get the hell out! Never let me see you here again!"
Sano had been scooped up by his grampa and they'd quickly left the house with the old man muttering dark things under his breath. As a 3-year-old boy at the time, Sanosuke didn't understand anything of what either had really said. He'd also never again have the chance to find out; since his grandfather flatly refused to answer questions about it later on. Sano's grandfather had taken that knowledge to his grave when he died.
"Was that little girl from back then Haruka?" Sano muttered as the memory played out in his mind's eye.
~I believe it was. She's certainly grown up.~ His inner self said, seeming like it was standing right there beside him with how clearly he heard it.
-Meanwhile, after Haruka finished her shower..
Hibari had been captured by patrolling Hebijo Kunoichi and taken to Haruka's private quarters upon arrival. With the kunoichi gagging and hog-tying her to prevent her from escaping or making unnecessary noise. Haruka arrived back on the scene and had a rather self-satisfied look about her as she saw who was waiting for her.
"Hello cutie..." She greeted the gagged Hibari. "Well, they certainly weren't creative with their knots were they? That's not very sexy at all." Haruka continued. "My apologies, the girls here may be a little rough compared to what you're used to."
Haruka practically laid ontop of Hibari with one hand massaging the girl's breast out of habit. "I'm not like them. I take good care of my pets." she gave Hibari a lick before pulling her to feet and untying her.
- moment later-
Haruka sat in one of the long bath/soaking tubs in the washroom that was full of bubbles with her on one end all relaxed and stretched out. Hibari was on the other end looking shy and poking her fingers together. "Are you sure this is alright?" Hibari asked.
"It's fine. I was just about to bathe when you showed up." Haruka replied.
"Oh I see.." Hibari shyly responded.
"I'm so thrilled that you decided to come here." Haruka gave the girl a little smile. "In time you'll learn to think of it as your new home." she said blowing a handful of bubbles at Hibari.
"Yeah I guess that's good with you taking me in Haruka." Hibari poked her fingers together again. "But I'm a little worried with how the others will treat me." she expressed concern. "Will they really accept me despite the fact I was their enemy?"
"Of course they will, don't worry your pretty little head." Haruka got to her feet and approached Hibari. "Just relax and enjoy yourself." She said, sliding in close to the girl and starting to pull her in closer as if to kiss her. "Let me relieve that trouble for you."
"Haruka...?"
The brunette smiled a bit with a mischevious intent, and feeling her heart pounding she couldn't resist any longer: this innocent pink haired rose had to be 'deflowered' with and she was just the one to do so.
Before Hibari could respond, Haruka pulled her in completely and pressed her lips to Hibari's. Initially she had no idea what to think: it was so sudden. Her eyes widened and the whole route of thought hit her at once. 'What is happening', and 'But we're both girls' being the two main running through her brain. "Haruka let's not do-mmmph!" the squeaky girl started to pipe up but was met with another kiss. She hadn't used any charm medicine to coax her in but whatever resistence Hibari once had for a minute or two was fading.
Haruka was so soft, so curvy, and tactical in her touch.
The two females just sat there as Haruka took charge of the moment, running her hands along Hibari's slender frame.
She had decided to take in every single inch of her skin as possible.
"You're so cute when you're being fondled..." she quipped, running her fingers from her inner thigh, along her legs and hips as another caressed her ample chest and teased the sakura colored shinobi with teasing licks to her nipples.
"Ah..a.h..t...no...don't touch there..."
"Ohhh~? But you're having so much fun with me aren't you?" Haruka replied before she let her finger slide along Hibari's swollen clit, wet from being in the bath with her and dove her face into her cleavage.
The sensory combination of those two areas being toyed with was driving her insane. She had NEVER been touched in this way. Katsuragi made it known she loved messing with female bodies but considering her target was usually Asuka, she didn't really have that much 'experience' in knowing even her own self's sensitivity.
It didn't help that Haruka was hitting all of the right spots 100% of the way through.
Soft, lewd schlicking noises and soft gasps from Hibari, followed by muffled moaning from Haruka were the only things echoing in the bathroom. The poor girl just couldn't mentally take all in being touched in such an intimate way and having her chest openly sucked and licked. To say it was over the top would be an understatement.
"H.a...ah...har..uka...I feel weird!" she whined.
Haruka answered her by popping her tits out of her mouth with an open mouth kiss leading to her neck. Down on her vagina she started sliding her fingers in and out faster to imitate thrusting with a phallic organ. Hibari felt crippled in her ability to sit upwards being loved on, having to lay down while Haruka worked on her so pristinely.
She wanted to see Hibari give in, as she leaned inwards and then exhaled on her ear slowly, then nibbling it, causing Hibari to shiver.
"Poor Hibari, what ever will you do now?" Haruka whispered evily in her ear before licking the lobe.
For some reason the mocking tone of that phrase paired with the soft and actual delicate way Haruka handled her caused Hibari to cum. The little girl couldn't take it anymore and sprayed Haruka's fingers with female fluids like a faucet suddenly being switched to its fullest 'ON' position. Haruka made eye contact with her as she climaxed, wanting to relish in absolutely every single second of such release.
The tile flooring had a puddle of her fluids and, thanks to this, had the mix of both aromas of Haruka but mostly the little girl that just climaxed everywhere.
"Well? You can't get that at Hanzo, now can you?" Haruka quipped with a satisfied giggle.
"I...I...ohhh...~" Hibari said, mind feeling like spaghetti.
"Come on sweetie pie, let's get you cleaned up." Haruka said, helping her to sit up and giving one last kiss to the cheek.
After they'd gotten dried and dressed, Haruka would take Hibari out to show her the grounds; just like she had with Sanosuke. Starting at the training grounds and explaining that their training policy was survival of the fittest. She'd quickly meet up with the other 4 elites of Hebijo: Homura, Hikage, Mirai and Yomi and have to tell Homura her reason for showing up there. Saying that because she couldn't go back to Hanzo because of the betrayal that she'd go where she'd be allowed to go. Which would immediately have Homura and the others greet her as friends despite the fact she had come from Hanzo Academy. Since "Evil accepts all."
From his high perch overlooking the training grounds, Sanosuke spotted the group of them in the training grounds. Wondering for a moment, what it was all about; he was startled to see Hibari standing there amongst them, just chatting away. She was easy to pick out since she still had the Hanzo Academy white-and-blue outfit on. "What...what's caused that?!" he wondered to himself, shocked.
Deciding that he had to go find out what was going on, Sano started to head back into the castle to get on the elevator to descend directly to the lowest floor and out into the training ground. Just as he entered into the shinobi lounge/room; he'd be stopped in his tracks by Suzune in her casual outfit; bearing an odd retangular box.
"Just the person I wanted to see." She said as he nearly bumped into her but stopped short of doing so. "You've done better than I anticipated in your training. Not many can persevere through the rigors of the elite training. But you're still lacking something, do you know what that is?"
Sano was jerked up short by her question. "Er. No." he replied. Stopping just short of openly calling her "Master Suzune" like the others did. Which seemed to amuse her, at least for the moment.
"Your weapon of choice is inefficient and limits your options in battle. So to remedy that situation. You're to use these from now on." Suzune said, opening the box to reveal a pair of black and red trim gauntlets that fit of his lower forearm and over his hand entirely. "Try them on." She instructed.
Amazed by the workmanship of the weapons; Sano nodded and did just that, slipping them on each arm and flexed his wrists a few times and noticed that he still had full range of motion. His fingers slipped into claw-rings that'd been weaponized and firmly attached to the glove; but still full articulated to allow for full motion. "These are amazing. Thank you sensei." he said, still surprised by it.
Suzune smirked faintly at the acknowledgment; she didn't mind providing her students with what she believed they needed. As long as it paid off in the end, anyway. "Now try to use your chi through them." she instructed.
Thinking it was a minor test, Sanosuke did just that, letting his energy flow in his hands and arms. As he did, the claws of the gloves retracted back like cat's claws did, allowing him to close a fist normally. "These must've cost alot..." He muttered.
"To Hebijo, such costs are moot for our best students." Suzune said, making herself sound reassuring so he wouldn't worry about it. The gauntlets had been colored in Hebijo's colors as well, subtly marking their bearer as a student of the academy. "Now, where were you off to without an escort?" She asked.
"I saw the others gathering in the training grounds and was curious..." Sano replied, when he really wanted to see what was going on with Hibari.
"You saw your former classmate and want to go find out why she's here." Suzune corrected calmly. "Go, I'm sure seeing a familiar face will ease her tensions about coming here."
Sanosuke nodded at the and descended the elevator, now dressed like a full hebijo student; just in a unique male uniform instead of female. When it was the only clothing choice possible, you took what was offered to you even if you didn't really like it much. The worse thing to him about it was the fact that he was starting to think he looked better in red and black than white and blue.
As the other began to head inside to start their own training; Sanosuke would becoming out of the entrance to the castle.
"And there's our newest student, other than you cutie." Haruka smiled a bit, even a bit warmly upon seeing him again.
"Surprising to see you down here without an escort." Homura quipped. "I suppose you've earned that right at least. Are you here for today's training?" She grinned faintly, afterall; that day he was supposed to spar with her to strengthen his skills. Since they had very similar fighting styles; Suzune thought it best since he'd have to compensate for his shorter range by trying to outsmart Homura tactically.
"Hibari. What're you doing here?" Sanosuke asked, stepping forward.
"I decided to transfer." Hibari replied honestly. "After I betrayed the academy and gave them the super-secret-ninja-art scroll." She explained in a slightly meek tone. He no longer intimidated her but the fact that he'd been there and had spent most of the time training; he was stronger than she was at that moment.
"You did what..." Sano was flabberghasted by that. His initial reaction internally was outrage; she'd actually betrayed them; while he had just been captured and was making the best of a bad situation. He couldn't deal with it at that moment and shook his head and started to walk away, with Homura catching up to go with since they were supposed to train together.
Hibari was confused by the reaction; she'd thought he'd actually be happy to see her. "I think I upset him." She let out.
"Don't mind him; he's still mad because no matter what he does; he can't leave here." Mirai chuckled a bit. As strange at it sounded, Mirai had actually started to like him as a friend since he took her seriously and hadn't once ignored her. Certainly due to the situation; but it still felt good to her to have someone, outside of the others, do that.
After that, Haruka continued to show Hibari around the campus; explaining the others' pasts. About how Homura had been in a good shinobi family but had killed someone and was forced to join Hebijo. Mirai's bullied history that drove her to hate a majority of the people around her. The fact Yomi was born poor and bore a strong hatred for the way society was and wanted to bring it crashing down. How Hikage had been an orphan and grew up in a street gang until her friend had been murdered.
After the hard day of training for Sano; he'd catch up with Hibari during a quiet moment where he was alone. He'd gotten over his intial reaction to why she was there but wanted to take the chance to at least talk with her.
"Hibari?" he asked, coming in beside her as he was wrapping gauze around a wound on his right arm where Homura had caught him. "Mind if I join you?"
"Sure." Hibari smiled though her thoughts were interrupted. But having an ally close by like that offered her some comfort.
"Did you really steal the scroll for them?" Sano had to ask as he sat crosslegged next to her.
Hibari nodded quietly and explained a bit about what was going on. "I'm not really transferring. My goal was to infiltrate the academy to steal it back; and to help get you out." she said in a very quiet, 6-inch tone.
Sano was legitimately surprised by that and felt the tiny flame of hope starting to grow again inside. "I'm sorry I've worried you all. I haven't had any chance to escape."
"Why not? I'm sure you did..." Hibari asked, tilting her head. They were both taking pains to keep their voices down to avoid being overheard but it was difficult because a shinobi could be anywhere.
"I was unconscious when I was brought here, so I don't know the route they took." He replied. "Yagyuu's going to be upset when she finds you gone."
"I know; but I just had to come and try to make things right again." Hibari said then looked momentarily bitter at the thought. She loved Yagyuu as her best friend but also found her attentions smothering at times. "I'm tired of her always babying me. I wanted to do this for myself as well."
"I've noticed that." Sano flashed a wry smirk at that. "Why is that anyway? I don't want to sound mean but it really seems like she's obsessed with you."
"At first I didn't mind it; but I don't fully know why. She's never told me." Hibari shrugged a little.
"So why's that got you upset?" he asked, reading her thoughts on it by the way she spoke about it.
"I've been pampered, babied all my life." Hibari muttered. "I never wanted to be a ninja despite the fact my family is full of them. I only became one because of my eyes, I was born with something called the Kagan." She explained. "Its a power that makes people do what I want as I understand it."
"Are you sure you're not using that power on her without realizing it?" Sano blinked.
"No, because if I do, the effects are more drastic when it's focused on one person." Hibari continued.
"Why don't you just tell her to stop it then?" Sano suggested.
"Because I don't want to hurt her feelings and have her mad at me. She's still my friend..." Hibari said.
"Want me to try and talk to her?" Sano winked at her, feeling his lighthearted self coming out again after being supressed for more than a week. "I doubt she'd listen to me but I'd be willing to try."
"You would?" Hibari smiled. "Just don't be mean to her."
"She's likely to be the one doing that. As I recall; she didn't like me that much." Sano sighed. "I think out of everyone she wouldn't care if I just stayed here."
"No she wouldn't. She won't admit it but Yagyuu misses you; even if it just to bicker." Hibari giggled softly. "Everyone else misses you too. I can tell by the way they've been acting."
Sano felt relieved by that. He hadn't been forgotten! "The question now is, how do we get out of here with that scroll?"
"I'm going to play along a bit longer and try to leave signs for the rest to follow. They'll follow the same route I took to get here." Hibari explained, having a rough idea of what to do. "I just don't know where they've hidden the scroll."
"I'd have to guess it's in the headmaster's office on the top floor. The only way you'll get up there is to be escorted by one of the elites." Sano replied. "I still can't go anywhere without having one with me either otherwise I'd grab it for you. I can fight my way out but we'd both need help if we had to fight all five of them at the same time."
"You're right. Ok here, what we'll do. Just keep doing what you're doing. Likely Yagyuu's going to try and find this place alone, it'll be her first impulse. If you can, try to intercept her and turn her back with a message to bring everyone else too." Hibari said, thinking very rapidly; since she had a great memory and her forte was espionage afterall.
What the two of them didn't expect was that someone was listening in on them; hidden in one of the secret passages that ran through the building. Above their heads Syra lay in the crawlspace watching the two of them speak through a section of the passage that was a little thinner than the rest of it. It was more wear and tear rather than anything intentional and she'd been moving through it in hopes of finding a good place to drop down and eavesdrop on them. When she heard Hibari talking at first; she'd taken pains to conceal her presence rather closely.
~So this whole capture situation was a ruse? No no, I think that it's just coincidence that they were both here at the same time. Escape from the castle is impossible unless you have knowledge of it's layout, an escort or someone on the insight.~ The raven-haired girl thought as she listened, taking care not to be seen. Syra began to take notes on what they were saying from the start and by the time they'd finished; she had a nearly full account of what they were planning.
Deciding that it wasn't something she could just keep secret; Syra would quietly slip away through the passage and dropped into the ninja room through an entrance hidden behind a wall scroll. However, she'd be met face-to-face by Mirai- who had been working on something on her computer and was startled out of her wits by the sudden entrance.
"Whoa! What the...? Don't startle me like that!" Mirai complained loudly. "You're not supposed to be here." She pointed out sharply.
"I know but I learned something that I really need to pass along to Master Suzune." Syra replied, standing over the mousy girl.
"Yeah right. I really doubt you'd know something sensei doesn't." Mirai scoffed and was about to go back to work on what she was doing. "I won't tell anyone you snuck in here but don't do it again. Now get out."
Syra pulled a longface at that response and sighed. "Fine if you won't relay the information I'll go do it myself Where is she?" The girl certainly was bold to backtalk her superior but she felt it was important enough to hopefully dissuade punishment for being caught slipping into a restricted area.
"Fine. If you're going to insist, she's in her office; now leave me alone I'm busy." Mirai muttered, pointing over her shoulder in the direction to go but kept her focus on what she was doing on he computer.
~That went well. She's such a helpful comrade.~ Syra thought sardonically as she headed for Suzune's office and knocked a little. "Master Suzune? I have some information you may find interesting." She said when prompted with a voice from the inside asking what she was doing there.
"Come in then. It must be important to interrupt." Suzune replied in her cool tone.
Syra bowed to her out of respect. "I overheard our guest and Hibari speaking in confidence about stealing back the Hanzo scroll or something." She explained, not entirely knowing what they'd meant by that. "And the fact they plan to escape as soon as at least one of the other Hanzo students arrives. I think this may've all been a ploy."
Suzune smirked faintly, more at her own thoughts than what she'd been told. It was a clever,if-not entirely thought out plan, with so many "enemy" shinobi around it would've been hard to do it in any event. "So they are? Well we'll just take have to make sure they fail won't we?" She prompted. "Good work." Suzune paused for a moment giving it some thought; with a good amount of their lesser shinobi still injured; they'd need to shore-up those on patrol to catch this supposed third student.
"I...suppose I should go before I wind up in trouble." Syra started, rising from where she was to exit.
"No, since you brought me this information. I believe I'll have you go and keep an eye out for this third Hanzo student. While you do that, the headmaster will be informed and a proper greeting prepared." Suzune replied and came around desk and handed Syra an ear piece that came with a small mic to use for wireless communication. "When you find her, report in her location and activities." She instructed.
"Yes Ma'am." Syra replied and exited the room to get prepared for it.
Dogen would speak from behind a partition where he'd been listening in. "That girl's fairly useful. I'd like for you to call your newest private student here; I'd like to have a word with him." he said calmly. "I think it's time for him to prove where his real loyalties lie. He's fought so many of our shinobi that perhaps killing one more he'd called a friend will make him flip entirely." he chuckled darkly.
Suzune didn't argue with the headmaster; but didn't like the idea of that. For a while she'd thought that Dogen was up to something and hadn't been telling anyone. However, Suzune had no proof of such a suspicion and as such; found her hands tied to do anything about it. But to directly order a student to kill a former comrade just to cause a full split seemed a little extreme, it also interfered with what Suzune had been trying to do to help her students growth. By providing them with able and willing rivals to better themselves against.
In short order, Sano would be called to meet the headmaster directly; to use his hypnosis technique on someone- there had to be both eye contact and audio contact between them. The technique was passed along in the sound of the voice and the illusion played havoc with the victim's eyes. It was how he'd manipulated everyone else in the academy to do what he wanted without them questioning his motives.
Sano knew he still had to play the part of the loyal student or his and Hibari's plan would be compromised. Despite the fact that it already was. "You wanted to see me headmaster?" He asked politely.
"Yes. I have a specific assignment for you. It's time for you to take one last test before we admit you into our group of elite shinobi." Dogen started, playing on the normal student-desire to advance. He was also using his technique as he spoke since it required no gestures; just words. "I want you to exterminate the next Hanzo Academy student you come into combat with. They're becoming a thorn in our side." He spoke carefully. "Do this and be fully accepted into our ranks."
~Don't listen to his words!~ Sano's inner voice snapped immediately; being dual-minded did have it's benefits. Any attempt to fool the outer self could be broken or interrupted by the spirit inside. And who said hearing voices in your mind was a bad thing? ~He's very subtly trying to hypnotize you into doing what he says and believing it's the truth.~
Sanosuke's inner self may not have been entirely fond of anyone but it did respect the fact that the two of them shared the same body. It could be afffected by Sanosuke's innate mental and emotional state; while it was normally detached from such things; strong physical or emotional responses were passed along to it as well. It had no concept to deal with the sorrow and guilt such an act would cause; while the outer self being broken may've allowed the inner self to fully gain control, it was not ideal. They worked better in synch or as parters rather than master-slave. ~Just play along like you're being affected by these annoying insinuations. When the time comes, use the skill Suzune taught you to buy time to convince Yagyuu to flee.~
"Yes of course." Sano said outwardly as if affirming what Dogen was saying was was really acknowledging the inner self's advice. Once that was settled, he'd be allowed to leave the headmasters' presence to go prepare himself for what was coming and to "make peace" with the idea.