A/N: And to make up for my delayed uploads, here's a second chapter for this week! I'm also totally NOT uploading this separately because it's super short! Enjoy! :)
"Are you sick in the head?!"
The office of the Mizukage reverberated with the heated inquiry from Jiyuu, a man who was already not in the best of moods. Yet when he had been asked by the leader of his village a simple question that the answer should've been obvious to, he found himself unable to control his anger. He had made a fist at his side, and his irises had shrank like he were a maniac. He even jabbed a finger at his own temple, adding further emphasis to his own question to Chojuro. As animated as the jounin had gotten, Chojuro remained calm, quiet, and professional on all fronts, not even glaring at Jiyuu for the outburst. In truth, he expected such a reaction; hell, he had seen it coming from miles away, and thus was prepared for it. This was an issue that never really did leave his table, but instead had gotten shoved aside as more important matters were placed before him. That said, the appropriate response to counter Jiyuu's own response was already prepared.
"I was just asked to pass along the idea to you, nothing more."
The answer wasn't good enough, and Jiyuu's eye twitched when he heard it. He even did a small pace back and forth before Chojuro's desk, maintaining eye contact like a lion watching an enemy. "The Hyuuga are the reason I went through so much trouble to begin with. On top of that, their defectors are the reason the Hidden Abyss exists. Why would I ever want to associate with them, let alone live with them?! I'm not going!"
The eyelids of the Mizukage lowered, and an exasperated sigh left him. "I told the Hokage already. I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask, either way."
"Tch, it's ridiculous," Jiyuu spat before looking out the window of Chojuro's office, his arms finding themselves folded over his chest. "...they have some balls asking me to come join the clan after they threatened to take me from my home as a child. Not a threat this time, either, this was just a 'request.' Hah." His eyes slid to Chojuro, and he grit his teeth. "They're only being polite because they know I can't be forced this time around."
"I wouldn't assume such a thing," Chojuro clarified, shutting his own eyes and folding his hands in front of his face. "There's a new head who I hear likes to do things in a more calm manner. It's a young woman by the name of Hanabi Hyuuga, the daughter of-"
"-of the previous clan head, I know," Jiyuu cut off, brow furrowed more. "Why would she have motives any different from the previous head, huh?"
"I can't say for certain, Jiyuu. Just know that she is not her father."
"Oh, I know that, and I also know I'll not be going. You make sure to tell the Hokage to let his sister-in-law know."
"..."
The silence from Chojuro made Jiyuu shake his head, and the Hyuuga tapped his temple with a finger. "I know all about it, I did my homework while I was away. It's all a big scheme, more likely than not. I don't know who's running the show, but with a group as fickle as the Hyuuga related to the Hokage in any way, I'm certain they're no strangers to taking advantage of a Kage's political power. All the more reason I'm not going."
There was no winning this battle, not that there even was a battle being fought to being with. With a weary mumble, Chojuro waved Jiyuu off and opened his laptop to begin composing an email. "Yes, yes, no need to repeat yourself," he spoke. "I'll let the Hokage know of...your..."
His voice trailed off, and when Jiyuu turned to face the village leader and see why, all he could tell was that the Mizukage was really focused on his computer screen. Chojuro's eyes were dancing back and forth, rereading an email he had just received moments ago, one he had not expected in the least...
My fellow Kage,
I have just received word from Sasuke Uchiha on where the Hidden Abyss Village might be located! According to him, it should be near where the God Tree sprouted during the Fourth War! He didn't investigate himself, because a village full of Hyuuga would be able to see through any transformation technique he used to infiltrate. As soon as possible, let's make a plan of action! We need to do some heavy recon work to find out where the jinchuuriki are and how to extract them before we do anything else! When we've gotten all of them out, then we attack! This whole ordeal can finally be stopped!
-Naruto
Truly? Was this truly the thing they had been searching for all this time? It was truly the culmination of hard work from all Five Great Nations if it were, and to finally have an actual location pinpointed was a leap. That's not to say such a discovery did not come without it's hardships. The Hidden Abyss Village had been good, very good when it came to hiding their tracks. All information pulled from the Hidden Coal, squeezed out of hostages taken from the Abyss, meant nothing. It was all lacking in anything substantial, other than the fact that the Hidden Abyss existed. The Mizukage's breathing slowed as he read the message one more time, and he held his chin between thumb and forefinger. Did he really have to wait to make plans with the other Kage? The village's supposed location was far, but Naruto in his infinite wisdom had decided to share the location before really getting into detail as to what the Kage should do for a joint operation. Foolish, but it was clear the man's excitement to put to rest his own issues at home were just as clear as the defeat of the Hidden Abyss at this point. Chojuro felt that he could do something now, even if it were to just investigate, that would speed the process along. A full-on attack was definitely the stupid way to go about things, so such a tactic was out of the question...but if he could just send someone from his own village to do individual recon, perhaps look for surrounding traps or genjutsu barriers in place, the grander operations could go along smoother...
"What is it, Lord Mizukage," Jiyuu inquired. Not for anything, Chojuro had been looking at his computer in silence for a minute straight while he had company, not the most polite thing to do. His words got the Mizukage to look up from the screen at him, albeit slowly, almost as if the leader were thinking long and hard about something...it was the face he made at his shinobi when he was considering them for a mission. The blood in Jiyuu's body pumped a little faster, and he held his own breath in anticipation for, finally, some action. But these hopes were momentarily shut down when the door opened to the office.
"Chojuro, I-...ah, there you are, kiddo."
The younger man's ear twitched, and he looked over his shoulder when he heard the familiar voice speak. He was not enthusiastic in the least bit, not even as a clearly-tired Ketsui shambled into the room with a nervous smile and a hand rubbing the back of his neck. The Man of Five looked like he hadn't slept well in days, and when he walked himself beside Jiyuu, his son could tell that his muscles were twitching in random places, clear signs of fatigue. But there was more to it than that. His very chakra radiated with a different type of weariness, the kind that a man carries when he's tired in the soul. Tired of misery.
For some reason, Jiyuu didn't verbally respond to Ketsui. Perhaps it was because the last thing the two had done while in the same room was go at each other in a violent fist fight, and there had been no communication between the two since then. In fact, Jiyuu never went home after that ordeal. It was clear Ketsui was in pain, though not physically, but emotionally. His heart became heavy when he saw his boy look at him with indifference, even avert his eyes to look at literally anything else in the office. Jiyuu was hurting too, but he refused to even acknowledge the pain.
"...I haven't seen you in a few days, kiddo," Ketsui spoke, voice low and gentle. He put a hand on his son's shoulder, only to see if it would be shrugged off or not. "...where've you been sleepin'?"
"Here and there," the young man responded, still not looking at his father. He wanted to be alone for many reasons, once again finding that the world was closing in on him too much for him to breathe. His father's true feelings, his mother's passing, the attack on his home village, and now the Hyuuga low-key requesting him to join their clan officially once again...it was all piling up once more. He could feel the weight of his mother's necklace hanging from him, and reached up to touch the item. This was not lost to Ketsui, and now the man decided to squeeze his son's shoulder; it was not refused.
"What brought you here, Ketsui," Chojuro inquired.
"Ah, I was actually wonderin' if you'd seen Jiyuu. We're 'bout to bury Warai, and...I figured he'd wanna be present."
His voice got a little weaker with every word, and even Jiyuu began to look a little solemn. Warai had died not that long ago, yet there was never an official funeral planned to Jiyuu's knowledge. Seemed like this was being rushed, though Jiyuu could understand quite well based on what he had been told by his father. Warai was their everything, and they had already grieved in their own ways. It was time to move on, and give Warai a proper burial, and it would be time to make sure her efforts were not for nothing. Jiyuu only gave a stiff nod in response, still not facing his father, but at least he was responding...it was for Warai's sake, after all. It would be horrid of her own son to not be present, especially after what she did for him.
But there was a twinkle in Chojuro's eye, one that could only appear when one was stricken with a sudden idea. "Before you go, both of you, I feel I should share something rather urgent."
Urgent? Now? Why not bring it up the moment Ketsui walked in? In fact, even Jiyuu had the faintest hint of confusion on his mug, as the man had been in the office longer than his father and heard about no such thing; though, he did feel that a mission was coming on. Both men looked to the Mizukage, and waited with silent anticipation. Their village leader adjusted his goggles, looking down at his computer once more before looking up; odd, he was acting as if he was steeling himself before speaking.
"I have received word from the Hokage that the location of the Hidden Abyss may have been found. This is no rumor, either. Sasuke Uchiha had been the one to discover the area." He could see that both men stiffened in their postures, eagerly awaiting any other information. "He didn't enter, of course, because the village is full of Hyuuga. If he were to enter, it wouldn't be long before all of the Hidden Abyss knew of his whereabouts. While this is smart, we can do little with the location of the village if we have no intel from a true recon mission. That is where you two come in."
Ketsui was in a daze. He was ready to see his wife be buried, finalize his mourning, and perhaps start rebuilding bonds with his son. This was going to be too large of a load to handle. A recon mission, but this time with the actual Hidden Abyss's location known? That was a tall order, especially for someone like Ketsui. Yes, he was experienced, and yes, he could certainly ensure that they could get out of trouble if they were discovered, but what made him any different from Sasuke in that regard?
"Why would we fare any better than someone of that caliber," Jiyuu inquired, clearly on the same wavelength of thinking his father was on. "It's not like we'll have any more luck than he would, we'd be discovered all the same. And forget using a transformation technique, a Byakugan can see if one is in place."
"That's exactly why you'll be going, Jiyuu. Your ocular abilities are going to allow us to see inside the village from a safe distance." He noted Jiyuu's brow furrowed from the idea, probably because the success of this mission was going to depend on how well his eyes performed. "What's the distance you can see with those eyes?"
"At maximum power? Far enough," he answered, arms folding over his chest. "MY question is why does it have to be us? Why are we rushing? Surely any-"
"Because the location is favorable to either us, or the Hidden Leaf. Any other village will spend days attempting to get out there, and with the Hidden Leaf being looked at with suspicion, it would be wise for them to not send anybody out to this village. On top of that, we need someone who can peer into the village without actually going into it, or leaving a trace that we had been poking around. This is not a group we want to attract the attention of, we know full and well what they're capable of. Byakugan will be the safest way, and-"
"And you would prefer someone who wouldn't be tempted to join the Hidden Abyss, as opposed to the Hyuuga in the Leaf."
"Precisely."
Something was definitely off, and it was painfully obvious to the more experienced shinobi in the room. Though Jiyuu seemed to take what Chojuro was saying as fact, Ketsui was the one folding his arms and shutting his eyes in wonder. It really didn't make sense. Them? Go to where the Hidden Abyss may be located? Why not wait for a mass of shinobi to be ready for deployment? If this was meant to be recon, why was there going to be only one shinobi taken for that reason? This was a very high-risk ordeal Chojuro was looking to sign them up for, and when the Man of Five opened his eyes, he gave the Mizukage a half-lidded stare, one that made the village leader feel...off.
"What is it, Ketsui," he inquired while meeting the suspicious gaze with his own.
"...you're tryin' to rush this along, ain't ya..."
Without speaking, the Mizukage's brow crinkled into a light frown. This was confirmation enough for Ketsui.
"I thought so. Sir, I'm all for takin' action and hittin' the enemy hard and quick, but you have to think 'bout what you're sayin'. Me and Jiyuu only? To scope out a village that's flattened four of the largest shinobi villages alone?"
"It will not be you and Jiyuu alone, Ketsui. Do not think I haven't considered such a mission before. You will be leaving this village in a four-man squad."
"But why does it have to be us, sir," the Man of Five asked. "Surely the Hidden Rain shinobi-"
"The Hidden Rain are under investigation for allowing the Hidden Abyss to gather funds through a fake organization on their own land for years," Chojuro replied. His voice was quick, and it's tone rising; the man was losing his patience. "The Hidden Leaf with all it's clans and special kekkei-genkai that would be ideal for infiltration and recon, is still being watched closely because defectors from it's Hyuuga Clan are the founders of the Hidden Abyss. Half of the Hidden Stone village was destroyed, more than half of the Hidden Sand's populace was slaughtered by Jashinists, and nearly 80% of the Hidden Cloud's populace were killed AND used as weapons in the attack on the village. Us? The destruction in our village was minimal, we lost a fraction of the lives that the other villages did, and we have some of the best shinobi to offer this generation. We have the moral, we have the manpower, and we have the means. THAT is why WE are going out there when nobody else will!" Chojuro slapped his desk, hard, and stood from his chair with a fire burning in his eye. "I WILL NOT STAND IDLY BY WHILE WE HAVE A CLEAR SHOT AT ENDING ALL OF THIS QUICKER!"
"...do you just want me to destroy them..."
"Damn it Ketsui, no! The jinchuuriki could be in there, it's too risky to even consider such an action. I'm not asking you to nuke the place, I'm asking you to go along and make sure you keep your son safe with all the power you have! Jiyuu is going because he's the only Byakugan-toting shinobi who won't be tempted by the Hidden Abyss, HE has the hard job. As for the others who'll be joining you, there will be Suchiru to aid in battle and assist with capture and interrogation of enemies if you are attacked, plus a battle medic from the Hidden Sand who recently transferred here; his name is Kyofu. Good head on his shoulders, he'll take care of you all if there's trouble."
Ketusi's response to his team was a slight grunt, while Jiyuu tried to remain professional despite the overwhelming mission objective he was given. The sudden picks for their teammates came a little quickly from the Mizukage, indicating that this exact plan of attack had been stewing in his mind for some time. The only thing worse than a general waiting to pick a fight was one who had an excuse to do so, and with a blinding eagerness that could very well endanger his men. Yes, Chojuro's morals were good and his desires for the betterment of his fellow shinobi and the villages they lived in, but rushing into things was never a good idea. An order was an order, however, and Ketsui as well as Jiyuu knew that a direct order from the Mizukage was to be completed, even if begrudgingly so.
"...when do we depart," Jiyuu inquired, voice low and his dulled eyes weary.
Without haste, the Mizukage faced him with an answer. "Morning, 4 a.m. Be ready. I'll send word to Kyofu and Suchiru as well. Meet at the docks at that time, and your mission begins once you depart from the village."
A low hum came from Ketsui, who shut his eyes and felt his scruffy beard in a single hand while the other slipped into his pocket. This situation was not something he was going to consider favorable, but it also wasn't impossible. They could pull this off, so long as entering the village wasn't required. He opened a single eye to see Jiyuu excuse himself from Chojuro's presence with a stiff bow, his brisk steps towards the door and out of the office like that of a defiant child wanting to run from responsibility, only to quarantine themselves in their room. The feeling was mutual, but Ketsui knew, as well as his son, that these things couldn't be ignored. Wordlessly, he turned his back to the village leader and took a slow stride towards the office door. He pulled the door open gently enough that it creaked on it's old hinges, and without bidding the Mizukage farewell, he walked out and silently closed the door behind him.
And yet, he did not move once he was out. The Man of Five found himself staring at the wall of the hallway he stood in, florescent lights humming over his head and an eerie hollowness wriggling around in his body. He placed the free hand on his necklace, and looked down at his feet.
He couldn't help but feel that, by going on this mission, he was making a huge mistake.
A choir of chipping crickets outside brought a calm, soothing ambience to the inside of the hotel the two kunoichi took refuge in. The moon was casting pale light through the single window, not enough to wake the slumbering women but did make the room feel all the more comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that Sakana was stretched out across her bed like she had been thrown onto it; her blanket was tossed to a corner, her limbs were sprawled about as well as her hair, and she snored with her mouth wide open and a snot bubble swelling from her nose. Like the opposite side of a coin, Tenshi was sleeping silently, her perfectly neat bedding and soft, silent sighs giving off an air of innocence and elegance even when she was unconscious. She was prim and proper, as she was expected to be by those around her.
Yin and Yang, these two were. And yet, they both slept and awaited a bright morning full of possibilities. They had made good progress on their journey, and soon, their roles would be realized.
Twirling a senbon between her fingers, Torakuta also thought long about her own role being realized. She had a mission to fulfill, one that transcended her responsibilities as the new clan head's bodyguard. She stopped twirling the senbon by grabbing and holding the metal in her palm, flesh squeezing around it audibly. Her heartrate was steadily picking up it's pace, and she need only listen to the other guard she was stationed with to hear that he, too, was sound asleep; the only amount of talent this fool displayed was being able to sleep while standing upright.
...it's midnight, Torakuta mused, biting the tip of the senbon she held. I suppose...
She turned her head a little, and got a glimpse of the sleeping guard beside her, clueless as ever.
...I suppose it's time I got to work.
She held the senbon by it's tip with closed lips, and moved her free hand with the other towards one of her eyes. One hand held her eyelids apart, and the other took care to gently pull out an onyx contact. Her vision became a little more clear, funny enough, and once the other contact was out, she discarded them with a careless toss to the ground. Pale, pupil-less eyes watched the damp items soak the thin carpet below, slowing her own breathing and trying to drown out all surrounding ambience until her mind was calm, and her hands steady.
Make no mistake. She did not calm herself because she was worried, or scared about her true mission.
She was simply excited to finally put the plan into motion.
Her ocular veins bulged a sickening degree from her temples, and with swift, viper-like motions, Torakuta utilized a sloppy, unpolished barrage of Gentle Fist strikes against the sleeping guard. They were not the best strikes, nor were they accurate, but all it took was for Torakuta to cover the surprised guard's mouth before jabbing a chakra point in his lung to keep him quiet. He was just starting to fall back, eyes rolling up as he slipped back into unconsciousness, but she caught him by the collar of his uniform, hoisted him back up, and shoved her palm against his face.
"Dark Release: Corpse Puppet Technique."
The flesh on her wrist wriggled about, and like roots from a tree, her veins sprouted from beneath the skin. The tendrils crept along her hand and traveled until they found open holes on the guard's head. Nostrils, mouth, eyes, ear canals...if it was an opening, the veins took advantage.
I was born of the Kyofu Clan, a family of angels who's aim was to bring light and glory to the Hidden Mist through it's bloodied ways. But times change, and I wasn't needed, despite my efforts. This 'Yin' chakra seal on my abdomen, over the original Kyofu Clan's Angel Seal, changes my natural kekkei genkai of 'Light Release' to be converted into 'Dark Release.' I've made myself useful to a new clan, a group of people who value me and my ideals. The one in charge should be strong, and the next-in-line should not be decided based around the potential of their offspring. Such an idea will vanish in a few years, if the Hidden Abyss can succeed.
She released to corpse's face, and the macabre stood on it's own two feet. It's mouth hung open, and a low gurgling moan was rumbling in it's throat. It awaited it's first commands. With a quick slash of the senbon, Torakuta cut the veins that connected to the new puppet, the ones from her wrist retreating into her arm while the ones from the guard hung loose.
"Find the others, kill them swiftly and silently. Take the left wing, I'll take the right."
Wordlessly, the puppet stumbled around and shuffled down the hallway. A few seconds went by, and Torakuta watched as the puppet went from a shambling, mindless mess into a more refined, normal individual. Her technique finally completed itself: a direct link between her and her puppets via the veins allowed her to control the bodies as if they were literal puppets, and severing the physical connections left the puppet to run on auto pilot, so long as the jutsu's caster was alive and within a certain range. They were without morals, bound to forever serve their master until she gave them permission to die, yet retained the muscle memory from battles fought and techniques used by the original individual. A dangerous, complicated technique that took years to master, and it was all Torakuta's own doing.
A sly smile found itself wriggling onto the stern kunoichi's lips, a rare occurrence to be sure.
And, when everyone else is cleared out...I'll have you all to myself, Tenshi. You may keep the Hoshigaki by your side, but she will be of no use to you.
In the end, there will only be me with your Rinnegan in my hand.
