This Game of Life
Chapter 30
Endgame
The Mikuro that Touka had warned me about on my first day was understandably not very happy with what I had done to the gardens, but Chichiatsu-dono himself stepped in and said that I would receive everything and anything that I required, including space in his estate… though he did privately ask me to please keep the destruction and fire to a minimum, which I was happy to oblige with.
After that mess had been resolved, I retreated back to my room, still thinking intently on the specifics of my clones. After checking their descriptions, it seemed that my assumptions had been correct - that the clones were sentient but were restricted to skills of their own element. However, there was an additional statement in the description that I found interesting - the clone skills stated that I would be able to feel a link of sorts with the clones, enough so that I would be able to tell their general location and know if they were still active or if they had dispersed.
Once I had regained the chakra to create another clone - about an hour - I sent it out, seeing how this link would work in practice, and it was pretty much exactly how it was described - there was a sort of tug on my chakra while the clone remained alive, and if I focused on said tug, it would pull me in a certain direction. Upon the clone's return however, I was disappointed.
The main reason I had wanted to test that part of the technique wasn't out of skepticism - after all, none of my skill descriptions had been wrong before - but rather to see if that tug was mutual. But the fire clone I had made reported no such tug on her chakra, so it looked like only I was connected to them, not the other way around. I had hoped that that wouldn't have been the case - as if my clones had been able to always be aware of my location, it would stand to reason they would be able to detect each other - but it seems that that wouldn't be.
Still, it's not like it was a bad deal. Always being aware of my clone's locations could be incredibly useful. Having finished with that test, we went on with the arguably most important one - how long would this new fire clone last? She'd used minimal amounts of chakra on her short excursion, so it would be a good gauge to see how long they could stick around. From the spar between the first clones, it looked like they could fight a few minutes at full pelt before running out of gas, so how much time did that equate to at rest - or at least, when not doing chakra intensive activities?
The answer, as it turns out, was about seven hours and eighteen minutes. Given that the clone did use some chakra, no matter how infinitesimal the amount, I was confident in rounding that up to seven and a half hours. What was more concerning however is that if I wanted the clone to pose as me for any significant amount of time, the real time they'd last was, at most, three-quarters of that..
At that point, the clone had begun to lose cohesion, fire peeking out of her skin and clothes, and her extremities becoming more wispy and phantasmagoric. By the time she actually dispersed, she looked like me, but completely made out of fire - which could turn out to be a problem, if my clones struggled to keep my exact appearance when their reserves were low. It was another limitation to keep in mind, that I was also pretty sure that regular clones didn't have.
Once that test was all said and done, I slept. With these clones, any sort of information gathering about Abarai should be much faster, so I wanted to make sure I could create as many as possible for the next day.
Number 3 nodded to herself, doing her best to keep the instructions straight in her head. Sakura would be mad if she made a mistake, and she didn't want to be the only one to fuck up… She wished she'd been born a Steadfast Image, those bitches could keep everything straight in their heads.
"Then again," she muttered to herself, "I'm only going to exist for a few hours as it is. Better that I actually enjoy myself than be an emotionless stick in the mud for my entire life." She skipped off of a roof, the lack of a developed shinobi pathway forcing her to use more chakra to enhance her speed and jumps to make the gaps. "At least we don't need to shunshin like we thought we might have to…" Having to Body Flicker everywhere would probably tank their effective time to less than an hour.
Sakura had tasked her and Number 1 to try and find Abarai's hideout covertly, while Number 2, 4 and 5 were going to transform and take to the streets and ask questions. They all had permission to engage in combat if needed, but if possible they would retreat and report back to the boss, so she could take care of it and ensure they didn't waste any EXP.
"I suppose we should test and see if she get EXP from our fights… then we wouldn't have to go through the trouble. I should bring that up with her." Although the main Sakura wasn't directly working, she had the free time now to also personally be with Chichiatsu back at the palace, and to train while also making progress. One would thing Number 3 would be annoyed with this arrangement - she'd love to laze around and train, but the boss's training would benefit all of them, so she was fine with her skipping out on recon for it.
Plus, she was pretty much dead on her feet chakra-wise after making three fire and two earth clones. Though she had managed to level up both skills quite a few times even with the small amount of clones she'd made so far, which is why she could even manage the fifth clone. She'd be a liability in the field for at least an hour, and would become useful after two.
Number 3 considered all of this while scanning the streets below her, making brief eye contact with one of the Henged clones below her before racing off in a different direction. This was the issue with them not being able to tell where they were - it lead to overlaps if they weren't totally organised, and even then if one of them veered off course or got distracted, it still threw everything off. Sakura should figure out some way for the clones to communicate with each other. Number 3 would bring that up too.
Number 3 stopped, realising she was reaching the outskirts of the city centre. Sakura had said to remain in the most affluent spots in the city, as Abarai and his men probably spent a lot of time here, as did, most likely, those that he did business with.
"But if he's really got hyorogan like the boss thought… He's in the drug trade, right? Don't dealers normally go for people who don't have much? The rich fuckers'll spend a lot, but they'll stop eventually. It's the poor folk who'll get hooked, and sell everything they've got… Then he bleeds them dry. At least one of us should at least look, right?"
Number 3 nodded to herself, her logic making sense. Ensuring no one saw, she slipped down the wall of the building she was on, throwing on a transformation, and began walking into the outer city.
For the most part, the outer city wasn't all that much worse off than the inner portion, where all the nobles and businessmen lived. The ones living here were certainly commonfolk, but Number 3 could still see that they were a cut above Konoha's peasantry, and even the ones back in the Land of Fire's capital from what she could remember of the exceedingly short time the boss had spent there. Damn, that was a month ago. The boss hasn't seen the boys or Sensei in two weeks… Wonder what they're doing right now.
"Come on, pop!" screamed Naruto at a balloon, ignoring Sasuke's cries as a pack of seemingly rabid dogs chased him up and down the training ground.
"Call them off, you psycho-" His call was cut off by a sharp yelp, as one of the dogs caught his leg in a vice grip.
"Come on, you two. You're going to have to try harder than that. What would Sakura say if she could see you now?" Kakashi-sensei said, seeming uncharacteristically focused. "Again. We'll be here all month at this rate, and we don't have that kind of time if you want to keep your word."
Probably slacking off, knowing them. It's fine, the boss'll whip them back into shape when she's home again. She sighed. Now's not the time. Focus, me. Number 3 had taken the form of a nondescript teenager, who was noticeably taller than her real form, though she had attempted to keep most things other than that about her appearance the same.
She was now dressed in beige peasant robes, somewhat based on those she had seen the masses in her home village wear. Her now sandy brown hair threatened to get in her still-orange eyes, and she looked around for any seemingly seedy alleys or backstreets.
"A city like this's gotta have a red-light district, right? Yeah, it definitely does. That's where Akai's place'd be. Is that still open? I know they discussed a refurb, but I don't really remember the details…"
Number 3 exemplified the flaws and strengths of Sakura's unique clones almost perfectly. Despite having her creativity and a knack for thinking outside the box arguably greater than that of Sakura herself, she lacked the original's borderline eidetic memory, and her intelligence, while still impressive, lagged in comparison. The difference in intellect was akin to Sakura as she had been in the Academy compared to where she was now, or perhaps her now and Shikamaru.
However, she made up for that by having her senses and reflexes being honed to the sharpest point that Sakura as she was now could possibly hope for, and that's what saved her life. Even while muttering to herself and not paying attention to her surroundings, she subconsciously was keeping track of everything around her, and so when a knife flashed out from the shadows, she reacted instantly, sidestepping the sloppy thrust, wrapping the outstretched arm with her own, and raising her other elbow above the man's arm, ready to break it at a moment's notice.
"Hey." She grinned at the man, noticing her beginning to recoil from her touch as she began to heat up from excitement. "That wasn't a very good idea. Couldn't have timed it better though, got a few questions for you."
"I won't-"
"If you don't answer, I'll break your arm. If you're still not talking after that, well… I'll have to get creative."
Note to boss: get better at torture/interrogation. Breaking a civvie shouldn't have taken 15 minutes. She was still happy with the results, though. The man hadn't had any connection to Abarai, unfortunately - how lucky that would've been if he had - but he knew where the red-light district was, and he'd told her of a shady-seeming warehouse that he'd seen people coming in and out of at any time of day or night.
"And a few more ryo than he would've gotten nicking me makes sure he keeps his mouth shut. Wish I could've healed him like boss, though… If someone pays him more he'll out me. Then again… who'd know to ask him?" Question is now… Do I go storm the hideout myself, or report back first? Still got a lot of chakra, so not like I'm burning out any time soon, but if I get killed all of that info goes straight down the drain. ...Though I suppose boss'd at least know where I died, so wouldn't be the end of the world… Yeah, that's convinced me. Let's go.
Number 3 smirked, confident in her ability and sure that the boss would take care of it even if she got caught, and began to head for the red-light district.
"Sakura-san?"
I blinked, opening my eyes from my meditation/monitoring of my clones' movements. Whatever Number 3 was up to, she better have a good explanation for when she was back. "Yes, what is it, Mitsuki-san?"
"That information you asked for… About Abarai's shipment?"
I turned, looking Mitsuki in the eyes. "Yes, what about it? Have you gotten it?"
She seemed slightly shaken by my sudden intensity, but she nonetheless pushed through it. "Ah, yes. It'll be coming through from the Land of Lightning, in four days time. It'll be received by him, outside of Shintorano-gai then."
"Hmm. How long does it take to get to Shintorano from here?"
"A day by wagon or caravan, two days if you were to walk."
"So it'd take me three hours or so… I'll be generous and give myself six. Thank you, Mitsuki-san. Tell Chichiatsu-dono I'll run a plan by him shortly."
"Of course." She shallowly bowed - though I noted it was deeper than it had been before my little impromptu exhibition yesterday - before leaving.
"Hmm." I thought to myself. "If it's two days by foot, I imagine he'd have left already if he were walking, but he and his goons would probably take a caravan… even then he's probably going to leave today or tomorrow. That gives me two or three days without his direct presence to build a proper case against him… though again, the nail'll be the shipment. Okay, I have an actual timeline now. ...I should go through my equipment, in case I do end up fighting. I can't replenish it, so I should take stock so I know what I'll have left if I use any of it…"
I stood, continuing to mutter to myself and consider plans and possibilities, while I retreated back to my room to prepare, Touka trailing as she normally did.
Not as, uh… disgusting, I suppose, as I was expecting. Number 3 looked up at the smaller buildings and warehouses, the blazing neon signs that lit up the area 24/7, and the disheveled and discreet looking people who even now filled the streets at mid afternoon. Though they get a lot of people, even at this time of day… maybe that's why. She muttered under her breath as she trod on some dog shit she had only spotted when it was too late - at least, if she wanted to pass for a civvie.
She briefly considered going to find Akai's place, but dismissed the idea. She didn't know what it was called or where in the red-lights it was - and even if she did, Akai wouldn't know who she was and wouldn't have any reason to help her unless she revealed herself to her, and if she were gonna do that, the boss would've just stormed the city and told them to give up Abarai or else.
Still… That dude said people went in and out of the warehouse at all times of the day and night, but could I pull off just waltzing in? If I can't, I'd probably have to wait till dark, and my charge wouldn't last that long, not without me going flame-mode and lighting up the place. That'd defeat the purpose…
Ugh, but I don't want to just go back! I've spent too long out, boss'd just disperse me once I told her what's up. I could risk it? Not like I look like her right now. If they have a problem, I should be able to get away, and even if they put their guards up, they shouldn't have anything that could catch the boss out if she really has to break into the place…
Fuck it. Why not. What are they gonna do?
Her course of action decided, the clone kept walking, looking for the warehouse the would-be mugger had described to her.
Where is 3? All the others have come back by now. Most of them didn't find anything, although Number 4 almost had a run in with two thugs, apparently. Maybe I should go and deal with them? No, I can't… what if 3 comes back while I'm out?
"Ugh. I wish my clones and I had like, a hivemind, or something… Then this wouldn't be an issue in the first place. I don't even know if it's safe to train now…" I need to conserve my chakra, just in case Number 3 had come across something important, but urgent.
I sighed. Well, let's go through everything I've got on me again then… Can't do much else right now, other than working strictly on taijutsu. Actually, no, I'd need a post, or a clone for that - bukijutsu then? I suppose so, but I don't use shuriken and kunai that much as it is, and eventually I'll run out besides. Maybe not that good an investment. ...Could I nick a katana off the samurai? ...Nah. I've antagonised them quite a bit already… I need to tread carefully. At least until I'm sure if it came to it, I'd be able to take Toyohisa, and I'm a long way from that.
I blinked. Focus, Sakura. You're meant to be taking stock of your equipment. Going on tangents like that… That's probably what Number 3 did. If she's just lost, or sightseeing or something, I'm gonna be pissed. Anyway… I upended my equipment pouch, and what I had originally packed for the mission again for the sixth time today. The idea had struck me that maybe I could use my clones to replenish my equipment, but that didn't work - the kunai and shuriken just faded away with the clone, unless I specifically pumped chakra into it for it to keep its form.
And if I was gonna do that, why not just make them on the fly instead. It was a real shame, though. I'd be able to make the basics if I really wanted them, but stuff like flash bombs would probably be beyond me, so what I've got here would be all I'd have for these three years. ...Though maybe I could make a flash bomb skill? And a smoke one? Thoughts for later.
I sorted the equipment in front of me again, putting them in neat piles organised by function. Five braces of ten shuriken, 20 kunai, a roll of ten explosive tags, 5 bomb balls, 5 smoke bombs, 3 flash bombs, 2 chilli pepper bombs, one standard-grade hyorogan (to be honest, the genin-grade stuff is still enough to fill me up, embarrassingly, but Kakashi-sensei wanted some for the boys, and got me one as well), and… this.
I picked up the folded up windmill shuriken, looking at it quizzically again for not the first time. I know why I had this - because I had seen Sasuke-kun with it once, and back then anything he had or did I had to do or have the same - but honestly, I didn't know the first thing to do with it. I'd packed the thing out of habit every mission, but I never even thought about it.
"I don't even remember how you're meant to flick it out so its an actual shuriken instead of some weird sword." I lifted it above my head, looking for some sort of latch, or mechanism, and upon finding none, I sighed and put it back down. "I'll figure it out at some point."
Number 3 really needed to think things through a bit more.
Obviously I need money, I was walking into a fucking drug house for fuck's sake! How did I not think of that? Am I a complete idiot. She couldn't help but think she was, because only an idiot would find themselves in a position like the one she was in now.
Oh yeah, trust the dude who says 'No money? It's fine, you can pay another way,'. Think about where you are. It's obvious what he wants! She'd been left by what seemed to be the 'head thug', if you will, in a bedroom, and been told to make herself comfortable, and he would be back in a second. Yeah, right. As if I'm waiting for you. ...Though…
She remembered being told in the kunoichi seduction classes that a man's lips were loosest in two situations: after a few good drinks, or when he was with a woman. The implication was not lost on the clone, and nor was the old adage that, while being coined during the Warring States era, had never really gone out of fashion, even if it was never really said out loud anymore:
If you're old enough to end life, you're old enough to start it.
Number 3 seriously considered the pros and cons of sleeping with this man in the interest of the mission. It's not like it'd matter. It's my… first go, and all that, but I'm just a clone! And if I don't tell the boss, she won't ever find out. She'd still be a virgin, and all that,and it'd be an almost surefire way of getting what we want without having to hurt anyone…
The thug that brought her up to the room re-entered, dressed in naught but a robe. The man wasn't the worst looking she'd ever seen, but he was definitely ugly - was it just her, or was like… every boy (and girl, thinking of it) she knew back in Konoha blessed in the looks department or something compared to the people here? Even Choji was cute in his way, and she bet he'd be hot if Aya ever managed to get him to lose weight…
She was stalling. She knew it, and so did the thug, though he smiled. It was probably meant to be disarming, but his two missing front teeth just made him look uglier. He began to approach her. Number 3 had no time left. She needed to make a decision.
She bit her lip.
"Hey, sorry I'm late, Boss."
I blinked, whirling around. There was Number 3, finally. She was beginning to break down now, and she looked somewhat disheveled - probably realised her time was almost up and began rushing back. "Where've you been? The others were back hours ago."
"I uh… got held up."
"By what?"
"Infiltrated their warehouse." I blinked, before processing what she had just said. I felt anger beginning to- "Don't get mad, they had no idea I was there. Or, rather… They had no idea who I was, at least. Or what we can do. I got a ton of info, though. Where the warehouse is, obviously, but I also got the location of their main hideout, and their general business strategy."
I deflated, anger completely vanishing in the face of that statement. "Oh. That's, uh… Really impressive. The others didn't manage to find anything."
The clone smirked. "Just shows I'm better, doesn't it!" Her joviality quickly faded, becoming more subdued once again. Wasn't she a fire clone? I'd expect her to be bragging all about how she got the info. "But yeah, I got what they're doing. They're in the drug trade. Got a few warehouses scattered around the city, plus a few businesses as fronts in the city centre. The reason why the samurai haven't found anything is probably down to those."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, as I understand it, the fronts are legitimate businesses, and Abarai makes sure to put his more prominent and visible crew members at the helm of each. They do sell from those fronts, but only to trusted customers one of the gang's higher-ups personally endorses. The only way to get some from one of those places is if you went undercover, and good luck to a samurai trying that."
"Right, but surely there's more to it than that?"
"Getting there." The clone sighed out, sitting down at the table with me. "The warehouses are open to the public, and they sell out of those. That's the main bulk of the operation. Plus I'm pretty sure they put feelers out on the streets too, but I can't confirm that."
"If that's the case, then-"
"It's cos all the warehouses are in places the samurai wouldn't be caught dead in. You know how honourable they are, and all that. And nothing against Chichiatsu, but I'm certain he doesn't know all of the things happening in the centre of the city, let alone in the outskirts where this is happening."
I leaned back, taking it all in. "Okay. Do you have any proof? Did you pick up any of the drugs or anything?"
"No, I couldn't. Too heavily guarded. I did hear about the shipment coming in, though. It's meant to be, and I quote, 'the good ninja shit'. Looks like you were right. And I was able to confirm they have had at least one shipment of hyorogan before this, too."
"Hmm." I thought. "Mitsuki-san gave me the details of the shipment earlier today. It's coming in from the Land of Lightning."
Number 3 blinked at me. "You think someone from Kumo's sending them soldier pill? Why would they do that?"
"Not a clue, and we don't need to find out about that, either. Kumo's problems can remain theirs, thank you very much. I'm more concerned about what's being sent. Soldier pill is pretty expensive, and not just anyone can get their hands on it, especially in the amount I'm assuming they're getting. If not for Kakashi-sensei, we couldn't have even gotten the one we have."
"Okay, but what's the problem? I don't get it."
"Well, what's stopping them from sending the guys weapons next time? If they're hopped up on hyorogan, throwing around flash bombs and explosive tags, and swinging kunai around… Well, maybe they could take over the city from the samurai."
Horrid realisation crept onto the clone's face. "And Abarai becomes daimyo. You think that's the plan?" She asked, eyes wide.
"Maybe. I don't know, we'll have to check their hideout and see what's there. Hopefully I'm just overthinking this… But if I'm not, we have to be prepared."
"For… what, exactly?"
"To kill every last one of them."
With Number 3 back, and now dispersed, I was free to spend the rest of the day doing whatever came to mind. I briefly thought about updating Chichiatsu-dono - I had told Mitsuki I would tell him what my plan was - but decided against it, at least for today. I didn't want him sending his men and interfering in an attempt to be helpful.
So instead, I went outside, spawning an earth clone and flying towards it with a flurry of punches and kicks. As I let my instincts and training take over, I thought on the information that Number 3 had chanced upon. The implications were big, if Kumo truly were supplying these guys. Considering how far they had spread - in the capital, no less - right under Chichiatsu-dono and Toyohisa's nose, who could say what the other towns were like. It's no wonder Kumo were getting in with a group who might very well have taken over the country eventually anyway…
Perhaps that was the whole point. Kumo didn't want to get involved directly, for fear of retaliation from us, since we were allies with Swamp. If Swamp brought us in and then claimed that Kumo had been trying to invade, or something… Well, that could escalate very quickly. For all they know, it could kick off the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and for what? A relatively rich country that still had no chakra practitioners to speak of? Not at all worth it.
No, it was better to just sneak help to a faction growing inside the country, and then when that faction took over, they'd be their foremost allies. The new leadership of Swamp would leave Konoha in the dust along with the old leadership of the country. And if the faction they backed ended up being put down? Well, they would just quietly wash their hands of it, and act as if nothing ever happened. It was a smart plan, and had a lot of benefit with barely any risk.
I need to ask Chichiatsu-dono if he had any messenger hawks or anything like that that I could send a message to Hokage-sama with. Even if I'm overthinking it, he needs to know that someone in the Land of Lightning is supplying ninja equipment to civilian gangs in one of our allied countries. It's cause for alarm.
I marvelled at Number 3. How had she gotten so much info? I had thought she'd come back with something, considering how long she was gone, but this exceeded my expectations completely. She'd really done excellent work. Some part of me felt weird about praising what was well, me as if they were a completely different person, but honestly, my clones kind of were. None of them acted exactly like I would, and even ones of the same element acted different, though at least they were similar.
Thinking of, though… She was acting a bit strange when she came back. She seemed… withdrawn? Ashamed, maybe? She might've had to kill someone she didn't want to or something… No, she said they didn't know what she was. So she can't have killed one, or they definitely would have known… Actually, the way she said that means that they probably saw her and didn't kill her.
Oh well. She's gone now, I'll probably never find out exactly what it was she did. Whatever it was, though, it definitely works. I wish she'd told me! I'd do it a ton more if I knew.
I didn't sleep that evening, though I didn't spend it all training either. I spent about half the night planning my infiltration of the thug's main hideout, and making a general outline about what I wanted to do about the shipment. The revelations about how much of the city was under the gang's control without Chichiatsu-dono realising made me think that Shintorano-gai was probably under their control as well, and so even getting into the city might be a challenge. I was sure I'd manage it, though.
After figuring out a solid plan to the infiltration, and deciding on a time, I went back to training, continuing past breakfast and into the afternoon. I'd decided beforehand that I wouldn't train or use any chakra for at least six hours before it was go time. I wanted to be in peak condition, as I probably wouldn't get a second chance at this - there were only three more days until the shipment, and Abarai was smart - once he heard about what 3 did, whatever it was, he'd probably realise that someone was onto him and go to ground, and who knows if he'd show his face again before I left?
I landed a solid punch on the face of my earth clone training partner, who decided she'd had enough punishment, crumbling away with the impact. Drenched in sweat, having forgone my scarf and dress as I had done a couple of days ago when I created the clones, I sighed, wishing the peanut gallery would stop watching me train. They'll get used to it eventually, I suppose, I thought as I opened my status screen.
Name: Haruno Sakura
Class: The Gamer
Level: LV 13
HP: 134/420
MP: 27/330
STR: 18
VIT: 21
DEX: 16
INT: 58
WIS: 33
LUK: 10
Points: 0
The earth clones were brilliant for building up my STR and VIT, as they can really take a hit and dish one out too, and it was really straining for me to physically compete, though they didn't really cause me to exercise a lot of my speed. The fire clones would be better for that, I thought, especially if and when I tried to replicate the instinctive feats of flexibility and acrobatics they were prone to performing. They were excellent training partners, and since they'd grow stronger along with me, I really couldn't ask for better.
That said, the sun was starting its fall. In an hour or so it'd set, and a few hours after that, the night would be its darkest. The time would come then.
I raced across the rooftops, trusting that the darkness and my dark clothing would be enough along with the speed I was travelling to make me practically invisible to civilian eyes. I made a beeline straight for the red-light district that Number 3 had told me about, and from there her more specific directions began to take shape and make more sense.
The building I found myself staring at from the opposite rooftop didn't look like much, actually looking pretty much like how she had described the warehouses. The difference was clear though - even now, somewhere between midnight and one in the morning, they had guards posted outside. Shit ones, seeing as one was asleep, and one was either high on their stash or blind drunk, but still. It's not like it mattered, anyway. The real sentries were in the outward facing windows and on the roof, and they were far more alert. For a moment, I thought one had even spotted me.
Dumbass, these guys have soldier pills! Even if they don't know how to use it, they've got chakra, so they aren't normal civvies.
The best way in would probably be the roof, but there were three sentries. Could I take them out before they raised the alarm? I couldn't make a clone, that'd require either dropping to ground level or spewing out flames, both of which they'd see… Same with trying to hit them with a Magic Bullet from here. Kunai might work, but they'd potentially hear it flying at them, and if they moved at all the jig was up. No, I had to do it close-range, that was the only way that was quick enough.
I circled around the building, keeping my distance until I would be coming from the back. I slowly got as close as I possibly could. The nerves would have gotten to me, but the Gamer's Mind kept me calm. I palmed a kunai in preparation, and made sure to turn on my buffs.
Without warning, I silently Lunged at the nearest one, using the Body Flicker at the same time to cross the distance instantaneously. My kunai was buried deep in his throat before he could register that anything was going on, and even as he gurgled and choked on it, my head whipped towards another of the three.
He had been looking my way by pure chance, but hadn't reacted yet - hadn't had the chance. I saw the fear mar his face, but before he could do anything, my eyes flashed and his glazed over, trapped in an genjutsu based on his deepest fears. I leapt at the last sentry, hands wrapping around his throat as he opened his mouth to cry out, and all he was able to let out was a strangled gasp as I crushed his windpipe.
I pulled my bloody kunai out of the corpse of the first man, and slashed the throat of the second while he was still trapped in my Demonic Illusion. I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realised I was holding, and sighed. The easiest bit was over. Now it was time to-
Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!
What? I checked my status, and sure enough, i was now level fifteen. How had I gained so much experience? They were only level 7 and 8, I'd sparred against much higher level people and never gotten so-
I stopped, and thought about it, and suddenly it made sense. I'd sparred against higher level opponents, and defeated them in real combat too, in one case, but before today the only ones I'd actually killed had been those level 1 and 2 bandits on the journey up here. It made a sick sort of sense that I'd get more for killing an opponent than just defeating them or sparring, but I wasn't sure if I liked it. In a way, it was encouraging me to kill as many people as possible. I had nothing against killing when necessary, but…
Now's not the time, idiot. You've got a hideout to infiltrate. "Shannaro," I whispered to myself, moving the bodies to the corner and wiping my bloodied knife on one of their clothes. "Now… How do I get in from here?" An idea struck me, and I looked more closely at the bodies I'd just moved away.
I was very glad that Observing a dead body still gave me their name. I'd transformed into one of the sentries above, named Obatsunai Sora, and had entered the hideout using his likeness. Looking around though, I was surprised at the lack of people milling around, considering both the size of the building and the amount of security they had.
"Tsun!" I started, turning. I was the only one in the corridor, so they must've been speaking to me. Why couldn't Observe tell me nicknames as well? "The hell're you doing down here, boy! I told the lot of ya to stay up there all night! Y'all got a full one of the pills, don't give me any shit about bein' tired or hungry!"
I Observed the man stood in front of me.
Flash in the Pan, Spark in the Marsh
LV 9
Abarai Okudera
He was dark-skinned like Abarai, though he had fiery red hair like Chichiatsu-dono, cropped short to his head. He was obviously related to Abarai, or Honda, I suppose I should call him now, and they seemed similar in age… a brother, or a cousin, probably. He was dressed far differently, though - Honda had looked decidedly classy when I first met him, at least compared to this. He was wearing a green robe over a dark t-shirt and pants, and had an expensive - and obviously stolen - sword strapped to his side.
I didn't know how Sora - or Tsun, I guess - acted, so I decided to wing it. "Hehe, sorry boss," I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "I just really need'a piss. Y'know how those things get you."
I instantly was able to tell that I hadn't done a perfect job of recreating the man's speech or mannerisms - as if I had a chance, I hadn't seen or heard him speak - but I also immediately knew that this man wouldn't call me on it. He lacked the spark his… I'll say brother, for now, had. I could see it in his eyes - he was a far more simple person than his brother, and that's probably why he was in charge here - it was all he was trusted with.
"Yeah? Well get a fuckin' move on. You know Honda don't want them samurai findin' out about this place, especially right before a shipment. He's almost got the daimyo on his payroll, and I'm not gonna let your tiny piece of shit fucking bladder ruin that for him. The hell are you still doing here? Fuck off and piss and get back to fucking work!"
I obeyed without further comment, darting away in the opposite direction that he had come. Interesting that Honda was paranoid about being caught… had he caught on to me, even during that brief meeting? ...Even if he did, his paranoia made things harder, but it still wasn't like I couldn't do anything about it. I dipped into one of the rooms along the corridor, waiting until I heard Okudera's footsteps recede.
I looked back out of the corridor, back the way I and Okudera had come. Whatever I was looking for would probably be back there.
I left the corner I had hidden in, deciding to drop the transformation entirely - I wouldn't be able to fool them if I were caught anyway, and if any of them were smarter or more paranoid than Okudera, the jig would be up. Better to just forgo it entirely and focus on stealth.
Easier said than done though, considering it's relatively well lit in here… Still, I couldn't hear anyone - so I dashed down the corridor as fast as I could while still remaining silent. Halfway down, I heard a noise behind me, and I whipped around, kunai already drawn to silence whoever had seen me.
Luckily I held my fire until actually seeing my target, and I didn't end up burying a knife into a creaky door that, while ajar, had only opened by itself and giving myself away. I let out a breath, and continued on my journey.
Not for the first time, I marvelled at what the Gamer's Mind could do for me - considering how jumpy I was already, if I didn't have it available I'm sure the nerves would've broken me. I probably would still be panicking outside…
I found myself at a large office, the door to which had been left wide open. Okudera really was excessively careless. Though, to be fair, he probably thought he'd have to worry about threats outside, not in. Too bad for them that Chichiatsu-dono has me now.
Entering quickly, I rifled through the drawers on the massive desk that was the centrepiece of the room, as well as scanning the desktop for anything that seemed important - notes, documents, letters - if only there had been some of the drugs in here, then I probably wouldn't even have to worry about the shipment.
Unfortunately though, I couldn't find any. Either I'd need something off the shipment, or I'd have to tell Chichiatsu-dono and he could get the samurai to raid. ...Maybe I should do that anyway, have them raid while I deal with the shipment… then we don't have to worry about one group hearing about the other and running.
In my haste, I made more noise than I should've - and the enhanced thugs heard me. I heard muffled shouting coming from below me and further down the corridor, and I knew my time was up. I grabbed everything I had found tightly, and leapt out of a window, speeding off into the night.
Them discovering me wasn't exactly the plan, and it might jeopardise the idea I'd had about the simultaneous raids, but at the very least, even if they sent a message to Honda, he wouldn't get it in time to change his plans. The samurai should be able to clean up back here, so it probably won't be an issue? I hope not.
I clutched the papers and documents I'd managed to grab tightly, making sure that not a single one left my grasp. I hadn't gotten a chance to read them yet… it'd suck if these were worthless, but they must've been hiding something in there, right? Why else would they be guarding it so heavily?
...Eh. If I really did miss anything, the samurai should be able to find it… and at this point, I doubt the documents are necessary, either. All I need is a sample of the shipment.
I spent the majority of the next two days speaking to Chichistsu-dono, Mitsuki and Toyohisa about my findings and conclusions about the gang, and the course of action I'd thought best considering them. Chichiatsu-dono was completely for my ideas, while Toyohisa seemed to oppose them out of principle. Thankfully, Mitsuki was there as a mediator and a third voice who was making her decision on what she actually thought was best, not on how much she liked me.
It was decided that I would go deal with the shipment alone, as I had assumed I would be doing. By the time everything was cleared up and general plans were being drafted, it would be too late to even send out a caravan - it would only reach Shintorano-gai if they left immediately, and add the time needed to sort out a platoon to send and the caravan itself? It wasn't feasible.
I however could get there with time to spare, and since the only reason they were confident enough to move at all was because of me, I was (begrudgingly, in one case) considered competent enough to deal with closing it out myself too. Instead, the entirety of the samurai force in the city would be focused on the various points of interest Number 3 had discovered for us, and would be tasked with flushing out the gang's presence in the city.
Then, once I had dealt with Honda and the samurai with Okudera, there would be a public trial for both - for which we would need proof of their wrongdoing. I would bring samples from the shipment, and the samurai whatever they could find in the raids - that along with the stolen documents would be more than enough to make it an open-and-shut case.
For the sake of the trial, I was asked to avoid killing Honda if possible, which I was happy to oblige with - though I warned them that if it would be harmful for me to let him live, I'd put him down, which they all were fine with.
The final stage of the plan was simple - after the trial, there would be an expanding patrol, first focused on the cities surrounding the capital, and eventually spreading to the borders of the country, to flush out any pockets of the gang left in other locations. That was all up to the samurai, but I'm sure they could handle it. Even without chakra, they were a lot stronger than the drug-abusing thugs.
During all this discussion, I asked Chichiatsu-dono if he had any ways of sending messages across country borders, and as I'd hoped, he had two messenger hawks. While the exact details of the samurai platoons and where they would be placed and all that was being decided, I quietly slipped away, writing a message and sending it off to the Leaf. I hope Kumo's potential involvement doesn't mean I'll have to come home...
Once all that had been settled - which required a whole day - it was finally time for me to go. I packed as if I were leaving for a standard in-and-out C-rank, and left for Shintorano before first light.
I left way earlier than J needed to, and the city came into view while the first cracks of dawn were creeping in to the sky. Good. That gave me time to rest up a bit before I would have to confront Honda.
I slipped down from the trees, beginning to walk along the path like any normal civilian. Looking at Shintorano again, I felt disappointed - it wasn't really like how I imagined, more like a town than a city. Although the mountains of the Land of Lightning in the distance did give it a pretty cool backdrop…
The gates to the city- town- whatever it was technically classed as (was Konoha technically a city despite being called a village?) were wide open, reminding me of home, though the gate guards here seemed much more alert, and had visible blades rather than seeming unarmed like the chunin back home did.
That, of course, made them far less intimidating.
Even without knowing their levels, I was sure I could easily take care of both these men easily, but that wasn't what I was here for, was it? ...Though if Chichiatsu-dono asks me to whip some of his men into shape at some point, I won't say no. I approached the two stern looking men smiling widely, almost skipping along the path as I drew near.
"Halt!" One barked once I was two arm's lengths away from him. "What's your purpose here in Shintorano?"
My smile turned into a grin, as I simply reached around my back for my bag, opened it up, and pulled out the missive Chichiatsu-dono had signed for me. I handed it to the man as my response, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the official seal.
He looked up at me, then down at the missive, at me, and the missive once again, before handing it back to me, hands shaky. I took it back and returned it to my bag, as he saluted me, hand as straight as a knife edge placed at his forehead. "W-Welcome, shinobi-san! What can we-"
As his partner looked to him in awe, I simply put my finger to my lips and shushed him, whispering "What you can do is let me in, be quiet, and forget you ever saw me. I'll be gone before the day is out."
The man nodded nervously, before looking at his partner, who gulped in response, and they simultaneously moved out of my way as I entered Shintorano Quarters.
Technically, the place where I would confront Honda and his goons wouldn't actually be in Shintorano, but I needed to be in the place all the same - I wouldn't know where the shipment would be coming exactly without finding one or all of them to follow to it.
Luckily, that wasn't hard - as simple as entering every hotel, showing off that missive, and simply asking if Honda or any of his more prominent goons were currently staying with them. I struck gold on my third hotel, where Honda himself and a few other goons were staying. I thanked the check-in clerk, picked up a magazine, sat down in the lobby, and began to wait.
It took a good four hours, but Honda and his men had finally decided to show up. I hadn't just spent the time waiting, though - as time dragged on and my chakra replenished, I made clones in preparation for the inevitable fight. I made two, one earth and one fire, and would have made another had Honda not shown his face when he did.
As he walked out into the lobby, flanked by six other men, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked no different than he did when we had first met. I caught his eye, and his nose crinkled, slightly. I was immediately ready to fight, but whatever recognition or feeling struck him wasn't strong enough to cause him to act, as he quickly flicked his gaze back in front of him and continued as if he had never seen me.
I let them go for five minutes, feeling my clones following them as I did, before I closed the magazine and disappeared from the lobby.
"What've they done so far?"
"Just talk, really. I think they're waiting for something."
"Maybe they don't know where they're picking up the shipment from yet, eh Boss?"
I shook my head at the fire clone's idea. "No, that doesn't really make sense. They've gotten stuff from this guy before - they're all been on hyorogan; still are, even. They're probably waiting for something else." If this were any other country, I'd be worried that they were waiting for some sort of ninja bodyguard, but that'd be impossible. Swamp simply doesn't have the kind of issues in the right frequency needed to support even a low-ranked missing nin, let alone village ninja. "They're probably just waiting for more thugs."
The earth clone spotted something in the distance. "Yeah, looks like you're right. Group of ten coming from the west."
"I see eight from the east." Added the fire clone.
"And I've got another six coming in, too… that's 31 in total with the original seven. A lot, but doable, especially if we use our equipment right…"
"They're on the move."
"Yeah. Come on."
We watched silently from the trees, as a wagon pulled up to the group of men slowly outside of the town. I quickly Observed the one driving it, but he was only level 1 - he seemed oblivious to what was really going on. "Got this for an 'Abarai-sama', ah? Which one of yous izzat?"
Honda nodded, calmly stepping forth and talking quietly with the man. After a few minutes of discussion, the man handed the crime lord two boxes, before smiling, hopping back into his wagon, and going off into Shintorano proper.
"Alright, it's time. You know the drill."
I leapt down from the trees, my clones remaining hidden for now, waiting for a signal. I cleared my throat, gathering the attention of the assorted men. "I'm going to have to ask all of you to stand down and come with me."
The men looked at each other, and most began to laugh, however Honda remained serious. "I thought I recognised you. That cheeky brat… since when did he have ninja on his payroll?"
His last statement caught his men's attention, effectively silencing them all as they looked at me again, reassessing the assumptions they had made earlier. "since he hired me to be his bodyguard for the next three years. Seeing as you know what shinobi are capable of, I assume you're going to surrender now?"
"Hmm." He casually reached into his pocket, placing a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, before taking a drag. "Well, I also know enough about ninja to know that you're not old enough to be any higher than a mid-level one. I forget the name exactly. And I also know that you get your power from your… chakra, isn't it? Correct me if I'm wrong, little flower."
He took another drag, before continuing. "And I also know that our new favourite drug charges us up with chakra. And there are thirty of us, and only one of you. I'm not stupid enough to believe you have a chance of taking us all on."
"Chakra in and of itself won't make you that much stronger. Not if you don't know how to use it."
"Mm. True enough." His men began to circle around and surround me, and I let them. "But if you're only mid-level… then you don't know how to use it as well as you could either, right?"
I smiled, closing my eyes. "I know enough." My hand went into my weapons pouch, and I grabbed something, chucking it over and behind my head. The flash bomb went off almost immediately, blinding the men instantly. As they begun to shriek in pain, I Lunged forward as my clones dropped down from the trees, kunai in hand.
Five men were dead in seconds. My knife pierced through the liver and guts of the thug closest to me, and as I ripped through the man's side to get it out, I threw the kunai at another's throat in one fluid motion. Beside me, a brace of shuriken thrown by one clone took out another, injuring two more, and a large spike of earth behind us killed another two.
By this point, their eyes had begun to recover, and as the men started to take stock of the situation they were in, I could sense the fear starting to take hold. I blasted my Killing Intent at all of them, and the weaker ones among them - two level fours - dropped their weapons and tried to run.
'Evoke Fear' has increased in level by one! 'Killing Intent' has increased in level by one! 'Killing Intent has increased in level by one!
Two kunai to the backs of their heads from my earth clone put a stop to that, and my fire clone and I reared our heads back as one, releasing two Flamethrowers which combined into a huge conflagration, incinerating the two that she had injured before, as well as four more.
Thirteen of them were dead before they even had begun to react, and I could see Honda's jaw go slack as he realised just how badly he had underestimated me and overestimated his men. Still, and despite my still active Killing Intent, a few of the men raised their knives and swords, charging us. If nothing else, I respect their resolve.
I twisted out of the way of a stab, leaping up as I did and twirling in the air and kicking my attacker's face with a Power Strike containing all of the momentum from my spin. His head jerked to the side with an audible crack, and I winced, another one stepping over his fallen body and slashing at me across the waist with a nodachi.
I took a leaf out of my first ever fire clone's book, flipping over backwards and allowing the blade to pass over me before I completed the somersault, smashing my feet into his chin just as my clone did, sending him flying.
A skill has been created through a special action! Through acrobatic maneuvers, the skill 'Flash Kick' has been created!
I landed back on my feet, Lunging at the man and running him through with a sword I created with Variable Blade. I whirled around, blocking against the clumsy slash of another thug, before I used my free hand to fire a Magic Bullet that blew a hole in his stomach.
He staggered backwards, before his head suddenly fell off his body. I looked up in surprise, seeing my fire clone in the air with her leg outstretched, a flaming blade extending straight out from her foot. Interesting... I thought, modifying the Variable Blade I was already helping so that instead it simply emanated straight from my fingers.
I Lunged at another thug, swiping my hand at his throat, and watched as his neck split open with no resistance, leaking blood everywhere. Very interesting. I'll have to thank the clone… speaking of, I think they're almost done.
Sure enough, the group that had numbered 31 people perhaps a minute ago was now down to six, including Honda, and while my clones were seemingly choosing to spare the man in question, his friends weren't so lucky.
Two were down before I even got a chance to get over to them, and by the time I grabbed one around the neck and I caused a Variable Blade to sprout from my palm, severing his spine and spraying me with hot, sticky blood, the other three were too. I sighed, releasing the corpse and stopping my Killing Intent. That had went far better than expected. I hadn't even needed to use genjutsu like I had on the roof.
Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!
"So…" I coughed, causing Honda's defeated eyes to turn to me. "You thought about coming peacefully yet?"
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived back in the capital. I'd actually done my part of the mission so fast that the raids were still ongoing when I got back to the palace, with Honda and his shipment in tow, though reports had stated that Okudera had been killed in combat by Toyohisa himself.
Hearing that seemed to be the last straw for Honda, as he collapsed onto his knees, the confident adversary I'd seen in him seemingly gone entirely at the news of his entire empire crashing down around him. A samurai platoon stationed to protect Chichiatsu-dono in both my and Toyohisa's absence took him and the recovered drugs from me and my clones, and at Chichiatsu-dono's leave, I retreated to my room to take a nice long bath, a warm feeling in my chest at a mission well done.
"Sakura-sama?" A muffled voice came through the door, interrupting my little relaxation session.
"What is it, Touka?"
"A message came for you."
"Tell Chichi-"
"It's from the Leaf, Sakura-sama."
I sighed. "I'll be out in a second." I begrudgingly stepped out of the bath, and after a moment's hesitation, pulled the plug and let the water drain, knowing that it'd be cold by the time I came to it anyway.
I wrapped my hair in a towel, before flashing my body with fire chakra to instantly dry myself and throwing on a fresh undershirt and pair of pants. My dress was covered in blood, and from today as well as the journey to Swamp, the stains would probably mean I'd have to retire it… A shame. Luckily my scarf was from a ninja outfitter, though. I could wash the blood out of that.
I stepped out of the bathroom, still steaming slightly from the excess heat of the fire chakra, calmly going over to Touka and taking the message from her. "Thank you, Touka. You can go now, I won't need you today."
She bowed deeply, leaving my room without another word, shutting the door behind her. I waited for her footsteps to fade, before I broke the familiar seal, and unfurled the small scroll in my hands.
Sakura,
Thank you for your message. It warms my heart and eases my mind to see that even young shinobi like yourself understand when they are in over their head, and need assistance from the village. When the time finally comes for me to rest, I feel assured that you and your peers will guide my successor well - whether that successor is a certain young man we both know or not.
I smiled softly, an image of an older Naruto in the Sandaime's robes - a vision I fully believe will come true, eventually - coming to mind, before I continued.
The potential hand of Cloud and the Raikage in what you have described is both alarming and feasible, which only increases my worry, and if you are correct, we must take action. To that end, I will be sending out a team to investigate the situation. However, that will not be their only mission - they will also be there to relieve you, and to send you home.
I understand that you may be upset by this decision, however simply put, there is no other choice. It was already questionable that you were on this mission in the first place, given your age and rank - especially considering that I did not sanction it beforehand. However, I was willing to accept it, given two things - the first being that the Fire Daimyo himself asked me to allow it, and the second being that Swamp has never had any recorded shinobi activity in its entire history.
Now that you have brought up the very real possibility that Kumo has a real, vested interest in the country, I cannot allow you to continue this mission in its current state, and risk the Raikage send a team of his own, and cut a talented young shinobi's life short.
Don't worry, though. Naruto-kun and the others miss you immensely, and I am sure that you would prefer to spend the next three years with them anyway. This is for the best. Your involvement in the mission will be classed as A-rank, and you'll be paid in accordance with that.
The team will be sent upon the completion of the Chunin Exam finals, which is in two weeks. You will return to Konoha then.
Regards,
Sarutobi Hiruzen
I wound the scroll closed, falling back into my bed as I considered it. I wanted to feel disappointed, or angry, but I couldn't. I agreed with the Hokage, despite how much I didn't like it, and I knew he was right. It didn't make any sense for me to stay if enemy nin possibly could turn up - I wouldn't be fighting genin. They'd all probably be as strong as Kurotsuchi, and I couldn't handle that by myself.
I rolled onto my side. "Two weeks, huh… I should make the most of it."
Those two weeks passed by in a flash.
As I promised, the next day I went straight to Toyohisa and his samurai, and demanded to train with them. My extra levels and potential stats emboldened me, as did the fact that I wouldn't be here much longer, and I refused to take no for an answer.
Eventually, they obliged, and Toyohisa himself decided to be my sparring partner. He of course tore me apart the first ten times, but I rapidly improved as I normally do, and he outright gasped in shock as I managed to block his first strike before the end of the first day of training.
The sparring with the samurai was incredibly taxing physically, and after that first day, i rejiggled my training schedule to fully take advantage of that while I could, pushing myself to the limit with them while I focused on jutsu training with my clones and studying in an attempt to increase my INT and WIS when completely spent on MP.
I barely slept the entire time, and to my surprise, I started feeling the effects of it about four days in, feeling noticeably more lethargic and weak. After a quick check of my status, I saw that I had the 'Drained' status effect, but after I slept, it disappeared, signifying that actually on some level I did need sleep. It didn't seem based on how long I went without sleep, though - it next appeared a week after I slept, completely throwing off my theory on how it worked. Deciding I'd figure it out later, I just made sure I'd sleep when I needed to and moved on.
While I was spending almost every moment training, Mitsuki was working hard on the case for Honda. While we had an overwhelming amount of evidence, pretty much everything but his own confession, she still needed to put it into a form that if viewed by an impartial judge would be assured to win. I didn't envy her, as I tried to learn about Swamp's legal system in one of my studying sessions, and even I struggled to wrap my head around it.
Quickly, though, the two-week date arrived, and the time came for me to go home. I waited on top of the palace, trying to see if I'd be able to catch the ninja relieving me come in.
I waited four hours.
Eight.
The whole day.
Where are they? They shouldn't be this long - they should be Chunin and Jonin, right? They can get to Swamp in a day, what's holding them? Did they run into a missing-nin or something?
My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a crowing sound, and I looked up, seeing a messenger hawk. Ah, Hokage-sama must've changed the plan. That makes sense. I called the bird down, and it landed lightly on my arm. I took the scroll attached to it, wishing that I had a treat to give it, and watched it fly away back to where it came.
I watched it for a few minutes, before looking down at the scroll. That's weird, I thought. That's the seal of the Land of Fire, not Konoha…Did the daimyo send me a message? For a moment, I thought that I had accidentally taken a message for Chichiatsu-dono, but I recognised that hawk - I'd seen it in the Hokage's office. This was definitely for me.
I cracked open the scroll, wondering what was going on.
To all Konoha-nin currently on mission:
All nin on B-ranked missions and below hereby ordered to return to the Land of Fire capital, effective immediately. All nin on A and S-ranked missions, complete said missions, then return as soon as possible. This is not a drill.
My eyes widened as I continued reading.
Repeat, this is not a drill. All nin on B-ranks and below, return immediately.
Konoha has fallen.
-END OF THE PROLOGUE-
Well. How about that?
The A Life of its Own saga, Prologue: This Game of Life is now complete. The next part, the Interlude, will be coming soon.
Thank you all for sticking with me despite my little hiatus. The real story is just starting.