A/N: So I changed the cover, again, but I thought this one will match the chapter quite well
BETA: The one whom I can't thank enough, Illuminated
October held four significant annual events for Michiko, five if one bothered to remember Asuma's birthday. However, with the man gone from Konoha to serve the Fire daimyō, that didn't seem to be a problem. This was the month of Shisui and Naruto's births, Minato's death and the yearly party hosted by the Uzu daimyō. The last one listed was scheduled first and required the redhead's presence each time. It wasn't something one simply cancelled, especially as it was the only guaranteed time when all the noble clan heads gathered together to discuss the goings-on of the village over the past year.
The current Uzumaki—Inaba situation was one without precedent, and caused underlying tension during each meeting as the current Inaba head, Kōnin, made his dislike no secret.
Originally, the Uzu noble clans totalled eight, with the Uzumaki being one of them until their destruction. However, someone needed to fill in for her clan afterwards, as each of the noble families were responsible for administering one of the country's prefectures—thus the Inaba clan had come into the picture.
All would have been fine and dandy, if not for Michiko having the clan officially reinstated. People with a more traditional outlook believed the Uzumaki should resume control of the prefecture. They were one of the original eight, a pillar of the country in the past, and it was insulting to the long-dead to not have that honoured. However, the Uzumaki had been destroyed and no longer as formidable as they once were. In addition, the Inaba were not cruel or unfair people, and had managed the land better than expected. By all measures, it was the Uzumaki which was the real noble clan, not the Inaba, whose fortune and history spanned only a few generations. However, everyone understood deep down that stating you are from a royal clan didn't make you different from the person next to you. Everyone still bled the same blood. It was simply a matter of history.
Frankly, Michiko was happy to allow the Inaba to carry on with their prefectural duties. She sure as hell didn't have time to do it on top of everything else, but that didn't mean Kōnin was any happier about the red-headed clan 'returning.' He had made a point of snubbing her and rubbing it in her face, in that polite backhanded way that politicians and people in power preferred using. He made it clear that he felt that her presence at those meetings was merely a formality, one that occurred simply because the daimyō had a soft spot for the Uzumaki.
Alas, that was how things had been going, and until the old man's son took over clan headship, Michiko had to deal with it. She owed a lot to all of the heads for their continuous help and wasn't about to throw in the towel just yet.
Arriving early in the morning with her entourage for this year's meeting, Michiko was greeted at the palace gates by the guards and the aide assigned for her stay in Asahama, Kana. Smiling beautifully at the brunette and greeting everyone else, the redhead allowed herself to be guided through the compound, despite knowing it by heart at this point.
She allowed herself to be led to her quarters, where she then proceeded to prepare for the meeting later that day. Going into the bath first with Midori, the two kunoichi spent ample time washing their hair and scrubbing travel grime from their skin, before applying various creams once they were out.
Kana was waiting inside and helped Michiko get into her kimono while Midori put on a clean uniform.
Once upon a time, Michiko would have found this annoying. The idea of being dolled-up so she could be paraded around was irritating, and the time spent doing so wasteful. Now, on the other hand, the girl found herself enjoying going to various venues requiring proper dress. She enjoyed spending time just on herself and getting dressed-up; she conceded to herself that it was a rather vain thing, but it was the truth either way. Even prancing about and making small talk with people she otherwise couldn't care less about became more of a game to her, now that she understood the rules. And oh, she was good— sweet-talking and charming people like it was nobody's business came naturally to the redhead. She now understood the system governing their world and found it particularly entertaining to manoeuvre around it, while making allies, learning secrets and establishing connections in all sorts of places.
For this particular event, Michiko was dressed in a black and red kimono that had gold accents amongst the flowers embroidered on her shoulders and hemline. It was secured in place by a gold obi that Kana expertly tied in a stylised bow, often worn with a furisode, before turning her attention towards Michiko's hair. She proceeded to gently brush until she brought it to a shine, before allowing it to cascade down her back. The ends rested on the floor as the eighteen-year-old had allowed it to grow past her waist.
Midori was patiently waiting by the door, perfectly composed, while silently admiring the young Uzu leader. In all honesty, the green-haired woman disliked the Uzumaki girl in the beginning, finding her childish, loud and absent-minded. She wasn't overly strong either, and seemed to have allowed village headship to get to her head without understanding a thing about what the people needed.
In reality, Michiko broke every one of her preconceptions, and she turned out to be far smarter than Midori originally gave her credit for.
Her childish persona was exactly what was needed to maintain the people's high spirits as she made her rounds through the village and stopped to speak with various people to inquire about their day. She appealed particularly to the younger generation, which looked up to the red-haired girl and whispered about her in awed tones. Michiko knew exactly what sort of things were needed to not only ensure the successful building of a village, but to forge bonds between the people living in it and create a sense of community. She planned and approved various festivals that allowed people to de-stress and interact with one another, sharing specialities and games from their particular corner of the world. She discussed, signed and negotiated on various contract terms to ensure the best possible outcome for the village, using her young age and looks to get people to lower their guard and to yield on what she wanted. Midori was there to witness many such instances.
Even her absent-minded state subconsciously disarmed the wariness of people, leading them to think that she was too immersed in her own world to pay much attention to what was happening around her. It was one of the biggest misconceptions, Midori recognised; Michiko was sharp and always aware of her surroundings, maybe even hyperaware due to her chakra sensitivity. The green-eyed woman had also learned that it was very possible for the Uzumaki to be conversing with her bijū. It was a truth she only learned by accident, and another piece in the puzzle that was Uzumaki Michiko.
One thing was clear to the green kunoichi: Uzumaki Michiko was a shrewd individual who hid her strength behind sweet smiles and sparkling eyes, and Midori was grateful to have gotten the chance to know her. However, it meant relentless teasing from her grandfather who seemed to understand those things from the very beginning.
Once the youngest female in the room was ready to depart, Kana went and opened the room, waiting patiently for Michiko and Midori to step out first before following suit and closing the door behind her. She stifled a gasp when she nearly bumped into Rahyō, who had waited outside the door the entire time. Feeling a blush spread over her face, the brown-haired woman looked down to hide it, missing the way his eyes softened when they settled on her. Poor Kana also missed the knowing looks that Michiko and Midori exchanged with one another as they contemplated how much of a fool their teammate was for keeping quiet. It was not news to them that Kana had caught Rahyō's eye some years ago.
They bid the woman goodbye as Michiko took over and confidently walked towards the palace, greeting people she saw on the way. Most of whom were more than happy to return the greeting.
Once at the entrance, both shinobi accompanying Michiko made themselves scarce to watch from a distance and ensure nothing happened.
"The always-popular Michiko-san," a familiar voice greeted and Michiko turned to give the prince a brilliant smile.
"Karu-san! You look well," she said, approaching the country's prince and grasping both of his hands in a familiar gesture and giving them a squeeze before letting go.
"And you look radiant," he replied with a shy smile, betrayed by the playful glint in his eyes. Who would have believed the shy boy Michiko met years ago would grow up into such a forward man? She couldn't help the way her lips curved into a knowing smirk as they shared knowing looks and went to mingle with the crowd. It wasn't unusual to see the two together during these parties, and they paid little heed to the gossip of the court when it came to their relationship. They knew where they stood with one another and knew better than to attempt a relationship other than one of friendship.
The pair greeted a few people before making their way to the back of the room and leaving through a pair of highly-decorated shoji screens. By all accounts, Karu should have stayed behind to continue greeting the people still trickling through the entrance; however, he wanted to walk her to the meeting which was more a favour for him than her. Michiko had seen the youngest Miyamoto daughter enter and knew exactly why Karu was in such a hurry to leave.
Stepping inside the room, she inclined her head in greeting to the gathered men before bowing more deeply before the daimyō. Afterwards, she took her seat between the Chiba and Hashiba heads. Chiba Tsunetane was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, well-defined muscles, a mop of spiked black hair that rebelled against the ribbon tying at the back, brown eyes, and a pleasing personality who would strong arm you without so much as blinking, if he needed to.
He was possibly one of the friendliest of the bunch and never seemed to have a problem with backing Michiko up, especially if it was against the Inaba head, of whom he was not too fond. He would claim that his friendship stemmed from his guilt for not doing more for the Uzumaki in their time of need despite the friendship between their clans. She believed him, to an extent, but she knew a snake when she saw one—so for all his smiles and cheerfulness, the redhead was also most wary of him.
Hashiba Hideyoshi, on the other hand, was the one who reminded Michiko of the daimyō most. He was old, with greying hair and sharp green eyes. The man most often acted as a mediator when the arguments got heated and had no problem expressing his opinion even if it was contradictory to that of his friends. He was an honest and straightforward man, but not a pushover because when he talked, people listened. He was honest, not an imbecile, and knew exactly what he needed to do to achieve his goals. Hideyoshi simply didn't see the point in glossing over things, and Michiko liked him most for this, after the daimyō himself.
Turning slightly, the girl met Kōnin's frown head-on and kept it long enough that the old man eventually gave up after delivering a final glare in her direction. 'Remind me why he is still alive?' she thought to herself rather meanly.
'Do you want to change that?' Kurama questioned in a bored fashion.
She could just about imagine the massive fox lounging on his side, face leaning in his paw. 'I don't quite feel like dealing with treason charges.'
'What sort of shinobi gets caught by a bunch of civilians?' he replied in disgust, giving Michiko a mental face-palm moment.
Tea was served and after enjoying the peace and privacy a while longer, they began the meeting proper.
—.—.—.—.—
There was a particularly nasty argument between the Taira head and Ōkochi clan heads about how to deal with the people of Benishu island. The Benishu folk made claims and sought to take over some of the minor islands which lay between the Taira's and Kochi's two larger ones. The islands currently belonged to Uzu, but the inhabitants of Benishu were becoming more adamant in their demands, so Michiko agreed to have ninja stationed there until the dispute got solved, in case they chose to employ shinobi and take them by force.
Afterwards, they drafted settlements between several minor clans which had various problems with one another, made contingency plans to deal with the effects of this year's dry summer and concluded with approving the trading deal between Uzu and several ports on various islands belonging to the Mizu archipelago. It was something which required ample debating on its own and a higher input from Michiko, as they discussed the implications for the two countries' hidden villages and the possible resulting security risks. Michiko would have liked to declare "Well, the Mizukage is actually being controlled by a dude called Obito, and they have a zombie army ready at all times anyway, so whether or not we initiate trade routes with each other won't really make much of a difference." Instead, she discussed the current situation in Mizu, particularly the clan purges which had become a common practice over the years, and noted that she had offered asylum to several Kiri native clans. But, she reasoned, as this was an agreement between nobles, so long as the Mizu daimyō had nothing against them, Kiri would technically be forced to comply with his wishes. She used 'technically' because they were shinobi, and she was well aware of how often they skirted over laws and agreements in order to one-up each other.
When the discussion was over and they returned to the party, the room was filled with people and the nine clan leaders were easily separated as they went to speak with different people. Michiko fixed her eyes on a particular pair that she spotted as she entered the room, and walked steadily in their direction. "Miroku! I'm glad you and Shion could make it this year as well," the red-haired woman happily greeted, circling her arms around the child that went in for a hug and covering the girl with the long sleeves of her kimono.
"It is good to see you as well, Michiko-chan," Miroku replied pleasantly, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. She wore a layered kimono in various shades of purple and green, with her hair gathered up in a traditional up-do with a round-plated kinzashi clipped in the front with tassels hanging from its centre. It was a wonder that the priestess wasn't sweating buckets, considering how surprisingly warm it was for this time of the year. Her daughter, on the other hand, was wearing a simpler, dark-pink kimono with a white obi and a purple haori. Her wheat-blonde hair was tied at the base of her neck with a black ribbon and a small bell inserted on the side.
"Was your journey here without fault?" the redhead asked, with her right hand gripped tightly by a smiling Shion despite breaking the hug.
"It was great, we got to sample the local food whenever we stopped in one of the ports and—" Shion whispered-shouted, replying instead of her mother, and going on a tirade while the older females shared smiles and knowing looks.
—.—.—.—.—
Eventually, Michiko needed to part from the two priestesses as Shion was mock-kidnapped by the court children and they went out to play; a guard from each of their parents' entourages followed silently to guard them.
The redhead mingled some more with the partiers, stopping to speak with a group of ladies and greeting Lady Kayo who was never far from them and always aware of the newest court gossip, regardless of whether or not it came from Hachimitsu no Kuni's court.
"Oh, Imseong is also with us," she pointed out happily as Michiko excused herself, with a glint in her eyes that had Michiko wishing she could roll her eyes without being rude. However, as that was not possible, she merely smiled, thanked the ladies for their time, and finally decided to confront the elephants in the room— namely, her grandmother and Hiruzen.
It was their first time coming to this event, as far as she knew, and Michiko was honest enough with herself to admit she was avoiding them. She was avoiding Ayaka, to be more precise. It was a ridiculous thing to do which insinuated a degree of immaturity on her part, which could not be allowed. Thus, after straightening her posture even more, she made her way towards where she felt their chakra. When she neared them, she saw the pair conversing with the Fire and Whirlpool daimyōs.
Michiko knew Ayaka was well aware of her granddaughter's location, but chose to ignore her so as to not appear rude by walking out mid-conversation; thus, the redhead patiently waited for a moment to present itself for her to make her interruption. That moment finally arrived in the form of Temmu noticing her and waving her over. This time, her grandmother no longer had to hide her assessing gaze as her eyes roamed her granddaughter's figure, with an unidentified emotion flashing through her eyes too fast for Michiko to pick up.
"Did you wait long, Michiko?" her daimyō inquired calmly, as he waved off an attendant coming over with a tray of drinks, when nobody showed signs of interest.
"Oh, no, there is no need to worry about me, Temmu-sama," she replied evenly. "I hope you had a pleasant journey, Asaji-sama," she said by way of greeting to the other feudal lord before finally turning towards her intended company: "It is good to see both of you joining us, obā-sama, Hiruzen-san." Michiko pretended she didn't see the way her grandmother stiffened at the honorific, having never been addressed as such by Michiko before.
"You look well, Michiko-san," Hiruzen replied and the two shared knowing looks at the formal way they were addressing one another. However, the conversation soon stopped as Temmu insisted on showing Asaji a new painting he had purchased, while Hiruzen made the excuse that he wanted to speak with some noble from Ocha no Kuni. It really didn't take a genius to realise that the two Uzumaki women needed some time alone, and Michiko, realising this as well, invited her grandmother to tour the gardens with her.
With her grandmother agreeing without complaint, the two made their way through the crowd in silence, with the exception of Michiko sharing a greeting or a promise to speak later with people who approached her. Once they were outside and had walked some way from the party, with Rahyō and Midori following at a respectful distance to allow them some modicum of privacy, Michiko realised how nervous she actually was. It hit her that this was the first time Ayaka had seen her in such a situation, and she wanted to leave a good impression on her grandmother.
"I remember when you were younger, I could barely get you to keep still to dress you, much less have you sit down long enough to braid your hair," the old woman said, eyes gazing at the clear night sky. Michiko wrung her hands and used the sleeves of her kimono to hide the action as she thought how best to reply:
"I was a bit of a handful wasn't I?"
"Pft, a handful you were," Ayaka agreed, humour entering her eyes as she thought back to the past. "You still are, but—you grew up so fast," she whispered hoarsely, turning around to face Michiko before slowly approaching so that she could lay an aged hand on her face. "I'm proud of you child… more than you will ever know. Never forget that."
"Bā-chan…" Michiko had so much she wanted to say, but couldn't find the words, or the ability to voice them as her throat constricted painfully and her chest hurt.
"Oh, and that brother of yours," Ayaka suddenly said more loudly, pulling back and gently dabbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "I can only imagine he will grow to be a rascal just like you," and a broken laugh escaped her throat as she recalled the way Seiichi would try to copy his sister whenever they were in the same room. 'How could he not, with such a sister.'
"Ha, bet you we got it from tou-chan's side of the family," Michiko joked back, the two women sharing a conspiring look with one another.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," her grandmother said mysteriously, a twinkle in her eyes that had Michiko's jaw drop down in shock.
"Bā-chan!" she whisper-shouted, fake scandalised at witnessing this side of her grandmother.
"Does that have to do with you being a troublemaker when you were younger?"
"Troublemaker! Who said something like that?"
"Temmu-sama," Michiko said, suddenly sobering up and giving Ayaka a serious look. Unfortunately, it could only last for so long before they both broke down in a fit of barely-controlled giggles.
"I'll need to have a talk with him," the older Uzumaki said in a poor attempt to control her happiness. "Or maybe I'll speak with Jitō," she mused out loud and Michiko gave her a knowing look.
"Oh, you're bad, bā-chan."
"It would serve him right. Gossiping about me, and to my granddaughter nonetheless!" They were walking side by side around the gardens and as they turned to walk back towards the party, Ayaka stopped and had Michiko face her properly. "Michiko. I am proud of you, of everything you done and achieved… of the woman you grew up to be, even if you did it faster than I would have wanted for you. I am glad I got to live and see it… but now you need to stop worrying about me and go. Continue to dazzle and wrap everyone around your little finger. And you should probably start with that poor boy who followed us here and has been so patiently waiting for you," the old woman pointed out, causing Michiko to turn and finally acknowledge the prince waiting at the end of the clearing.
She hesitated only for a moment in making up her mind, but decided to simply kiss both of her grandmother's cheeks before turning and walking towards her friend. She nodded towards Hiruzen who was conveniently walking out of the party at this exact moment, and watched from the corner of her eye as he approached Ayaka.
"I didn't mean to interrupt your time with…" and here the young male fumbled a bit from his lack of knowledge until Michiko filled in the blank for him.
"My grandmother—and don't worry," she said, interrupting what would surely turned out to be an apology, "You didn't interrupt us." The shy smile that he gave her was the same as always, and she mentally sighed when he offered her his arm to escort her back inside. Imseong was sweet, which was all the more reason to remind him that they were only friends.
—.—.—.—.—
"Smoking on palace grounds is forbidden," Michiko warned, as she took a seat on the red-tiled roof next to a surly Asuma, who barely glanced her way. "Ah, I see, the silent treatment. Though I will admit not knowing what I did to deserve it. I even remembered your birthday was this month. Speaking of, happy birthday," she said, tossing him a small wrapped present which he caught without turning.
"Shouldn't you be down there with the nobles?" He finally questioned, ripping the wrapping from the present to discover a lighter inside.
"Can't say I condone your smoking, but your habit is your habit at the end of the day," she said instead. "Plus, I mingled quite enough last night, I don't really feel like doing it right now."
"What do you want, Uzumaki?" Asuma grumbled out, inhaling deeply before releasing another breath of smoke which caused Michiko to frown in distaste.
"It's Uzumaki now, huh. Well fine, be a prat if you want Sarutobi," she said in annoyance, rising elegantly and smoothing out the kimono she was wearing. "I see that being a member of the illustrious twelve guardians really improved your attitude there—oh, Kurenai misses you by the way," she threw in just as an added bonus, so she could watch him stiffen. 'Idiot.'
—.—.—.—.—
On the morning of the third day, Michiko was waiting near the palace gates with Rahyō and Midori as they waited for the Inaba clan to gather. Eventually they did, twenty minutes after the agreed upon time, which if the redhead were to guess, had been all Kōnin's doing.
Several of the Inaba clan's attendants were helping carry the palanquin, black and beautifully decorated in gold, as they slowly made their way towards Michiko. Accompanying said group were two jōnin-level shinobi from her village, who bowed before the redhead as they came nearer.
"I apologise for the delay, Uzumaki-donō," Kammu, Kōnin's eldest son, apologised from within the box.
"Ah, water under the bridge, as they say, Kammu-donō. Now that you are all here, we may depart," she replied, not bothering to reassure the younger lord that she forgave them. They all knew she was annoyed and they were late on purpose. The only reason they were traveling together was because three years ago, Kōnin and Michiko had a row at the last heads meeting which resulted in the daimyō getting angry enough to order them to solve their issues and bury the hatchet between them. This was how they were showing the daimyō and people that they were on good terms and not constantly at each other's throat.
Straightening her back, Michiko pivoted on her heel and without further ado began the journey back to their prefecture, where they would first drop off the Inaba at their castle before they could return to Uzushio. Of course, they would have to go at a snails pace to accommodate their non-ninja compadres, which was always the most annoying part of the whole experience. Or it would have been, normally; this time it was going to work in Michiko's favour.
—.—.—.—.—
The sun was dipping low into the horizon as they approached Urahama no sato. They would have another day's worth of walking before they reached Shimashiri, the prefecture's new capital and village at which they would be able to part ways with the Inaba clan. As things were right now, the group was making its way to the inn they always rested in whenever they returned from their yearly meeting in Asahama. The inn was owned and run by the Fujioka family, who greeted them at the entrance, bowing low before Michiko and the Inaba men, before stepping aside so they might all go inside.
Attendants made quick work of showing everyone to their room and storing the palanquin away. Food was delivered to their individual rooms, and Michiko ate hers with her shinobi, chatting amongst themselves pleasantly. When they finished and their trays were taken away, Michiko ordered them to enjoy their stay whilst still maintaining readiness in case something happened.
After bathing and working out their shifts, the redhead bid them all goodnight, as hers would be the earliest shift and then she made a show of looking like she went to sleep. All the while, she waited for most of her group's chakra signatures to settle as they fell asleep.
Once she was satisfied that all but Mamoru, one of the two jōnin originally escorting Kōnin and his son, had fallen prey to slumber, she snuck out of the inn, pulling the hood of her cloak further down her face as she walked towards the outskirts of the village where the only lights visible came from inside a busy pub.
She entered it without hesitation, and saw only one stool empty at the bar. She sat there and ordered a whole bottle of their best sake, indicating with her fingers that she would like two cups to accompany it.
"Sparing no expenses, Michiko-san," the person next to her said in a low voice.
"Well, you waited for quite some time. I thought it only fair that I make up for it," the female said simply, pouring sake in one of the cups when the bartender brought her order. He gave them both a funny look, but knew better than to ask questions, so he left. Pushing the filled cup towards her guest for the night, the Uzumaki went ahead and poured her own drink as well.
"I was surprised when you contacted me. It hasn't been all that long, so may I assume something happened?" the unknown inquired lightly, taking a sip from their drink before pausing to deliberate on its taste. After they deemed it acceptable, they drank without hesitation.
"Problem? Ah, more of a favour," Michiko replied, holding the bottle questioningly, filling it only when the cup was slid her way. "But before that, how are things in Ame nowadays? There has been a sudden 'blackout,' and people are asking questions. I won't deny my own curiosity."
The gloved hand once again picked up the cup and brought it up to take a drink, pausing more than strictly necessary before answering.
"There has been another revolt. This time is much larger than the last time—every one of them was killed. However, he ordered the border security tightened to reduce the chance of people leaving or the information about Hanzō becoming public knowledge."
"The insurgents had better lay low, something like that is bound to affect morale, but it would be wiser to strike later. When they become more confident in their position… though even then, these people are dangerous even by our standards." Michiko commented thoughtfully, filing away the information for later.
An agreeing hum was her response and the informant turned to face Michiko, allowing the redhead to catch a glimpse of slanted golden eyes, green hair and the smallest of scars bisecting the woman's lips. She was Ame no Midori, a woman declared an S-rank deserter by Ame, who in reality was anything but. She was one of the few people in the world possessing the rumoured crystal release and had been trained by Hanzō himself. She had been part of the original resistance which fought off the Akatsuki, but fled upon realising that she was no match for the one calling himself God of the new world. Her hatred for the group was only rivalled by her loyalty to her deceased leader, and she vowed to one day regain control of Ame and carry out Hanzō's wish for a peaceful country.
Midori featured in three bingo books: Ame, Tani and Suna's. All of them warned against close combat which could result in skin contact. Much like Hanzō, her body created an incredibly potent poison, only hers was released by her sweat glands as opposed to being found in her breath like the deceased man's.
The two females only knew of each other due to an ill-fated meeting in Tani no Kuni, where they were both after the same target. The difference was that Michiko only needed to kill the man and could bring any proof of his death, while Midori was there to cash in a bounty. Hence, they ended up joining forces to take him and his allies out. They parted not as friends but as contacts, with the redhead offering the woman missions in exchange for information about the goings-on in Ame, as well as a promise to keep the woman informed about Akatsuki activity on her end. The relationship embodied the old wisdom of 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
However, this time it wasn't just information she wanted from the woman. It was a mission. Finishing their drink, Michiko paid and the two departed the bar for the surrounding forest, where the redhead finally pulled out a scroll from her cloak and tossed it to the green-haired woman.
"There are five missions inside with all the information you need to know. There is an A-rank, a B and an S rank. However, while completing these missions, I want you to do something for me and I shall treat it as another S-rank all on its own." Michiko declared, watching as the woman raised an eyebrow curiously. "There have been attacks targeting my shinobi. I want you to pose as one of my own and figure out who is behind this," she explained, bringing out another object from her cloak and tossing to Midori who easily caught it and pulled it up to identify it: an Uzushio headband.
Silence permeated the air as the two women analysed one another, before Midori got up to leave with an accepting nod serving as her parting words.
A/N: Who remembers what the 21st of March is? :D