"From the autopsy that we did, my team didn't see anything foreign in the victim's respiratory track, ruling out smoke inhalation. So we did an examination of the blood vessels leading to his brain. But even those were clean; there's no trace of toxin or poison that may have caused the man's sudden madness and desire to kill himself," Shizune reported the Hokage. Shikamaru stood beside Kakashi, his hands in his pocket.
Kakashi turned to look at the young advisor, "Shikamaru, you're sure that Miho hadn't done anything while he was interrogating him?"
"Very sure, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru confirmed, "We were all keeping watch over them while they were there and Ibiki-san was also in the room with us. I don't think he would miss anything."
Kakashi rested his head on his hand, rubbing his chin contemplatively, "It would seem that Miho is indeed innocent. Is he still in custody?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Please tell Ibiki to release him. He's supposed to be with the search party today and Yamato needs the additional Sensory Nin in his team, along with the Yamanaka ANBU. Especially now that we lost our only lead to this case that can help us," Kakashi explained grimly.
"I'll call him right away," Shikamaru replied and bowed, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Kakashi sighed, "Shizune, we need to keep an eye on the team that's not part of the search team today. Please call for a team of ANBUs. I'm giving them the mission of organizing a surveillance on the house that we set-up for the Yuki ninjas."
She nodded, "Right away, Hokage-sama."
"Drop the 'sama' part!" he called after her as she left his office. She merely laughed in response.
A few phone calls later, Shizune sat down to start the work that had piled up on her desk due to her recent absences. On top of the papers was the folder containing the profiles of the Yuki ninjas that are currently on the village. Shikamaru had requested these from Yukigakure and had asked her to review them since he's swamped with work, as well.
She opened the folder and the first two profiles were of the ANBUs: Nobuko Osamu and Ren Hikaru. Both of them were a part of Yuki's ANBU for at least a decade now. Both Osamu and Hikaru are skilled in kenjutsu and taijutsu but Hikaru is an expert in ninjutsu and adept with snow release and manipulation. Both were in-charge of the ensuring security of their village.
The next three were of the Jounins: Kiyoshi Daisuke, Yasu Setsuko and Sota Miho. All of them were skilled in taijutsu and ninjutsu, particularly in snow. They're also an expert in using various ninja tools, including the Shinobi Gauntlet. Both Daisuke and Miho are Sensory Nin, indeed helpful in the search team.
Of the five shinobi, Miho's track record was the most impressive. He had been promoted to Jounin at the age of 16, had been to various successful A-rank and S-rank missions and the personal guard of Koyuki. He'd been a Jounin for a decade already.
Shizune's eyes drifted to the bottom of the page, where a footnote was seemingly added in a small font.
*Amnesty granted in accordance with the Act No. 241, authorized and approved by Kazahana Koyuki*
Her eyebrows furrowed. She put each papers of the ninjas on her desk, eyes carefully scanning each one for a footnote.
To her astonishment, all of the profiles had the same footnote as Miho's.
She gathered the papers and made her way to Shikamaru's office. The young advisor himself was immersed in his work, reading one of the mission review that he took on for himself. She still knocked on the open door and he looked up, startled.
"Shizune-san, can I help you with something?" he inquired.
She entered and silently laid the papers on his desk. He looked at the papers blankly, then stared back at her with a confused expression.
"I know you're busy right now," Shizune said apologetically, "But can you just please look at the footnotes of their profiles for a moment? Just before I consult this with Kakashi-sama."
Shikamaru blinked before looking back down at the papers. Shizune watched as his eyes skimmed the footnotes almost lazily, then his eyes became alert and he read them again slowly, carefully processing the words.
"Do you know what that act is about?" Shizune asked, hopeful that he may have an idea as to what it mean.
Shikamaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well, it may be improbable but… do you remember that Koyuki-sama had mentioned an amnesty that she granted to the shinobi who surrendered peacefully? The ones who used to follow her uncle, Doto?"
Shizune raised her eyebrows in question, "Uh, I guess… yes, I remember! She did mention it when she was here in the village. Wait... don't tell me that you think they're recipient of that?"
Shikamaru had his eyes glued on the profiles of the ninjas, a disturbed look on his face, "Yes, Shizune-san. But we can't make any assumptions unless we inform Hokage-sama and make an effort to confirm our suspicions from their side."
Shikamaru continued, "Also, according to their profile, all of them had been in their position for a decade or so. That mission of Team 7 to Yukigakure happened more than a decade ago, right? It could be that, when Koyuki-sama took her seat as the daimyo, she granted the amnesty to these ninjas."
The thought had already crossed Shizune's mind. But…
"That could mean something, Shikamaru," she replied as she gathered the papers in her hands, "Let's go and explain this to Hokage-sama."
The Hokage was typing furiously in his keyboard when they entered his office. He looked up from his screen at their appearance.
"What's the matter?" he asked worriedly. The two of them must've had grim expression on their faces to warrant the question.
"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru began, "We found something in the Yuki ninjas' profile that you want to hear."
Shizune walked over to his desk and laid out the profiles of the ninjas on top of it, "Here are their profiles. As you can see, they're just typical profiles for ninjas. However, we noticed something that caught our attention. The footnotes of the profiles are the same and talks about an amnesty granted by Koyuki-sama to these shinobi," she explained.
"If you can remember, Hokage-sama, Koyuki-sama mentioned an amnesty that she granted to the former followers of her uncle, Kazahana Doto. And these ninjas had been in their position for at least a decade now. We suspect that they're grantees of the amnesties that Koyuki-sama had given to those who surrendered under her reign," Shikamaru added.
"There are no explanation as to what 'Act No. 241' is about but we can confirm this – and our speculation – with Yukigakure so we could rest easy with these shinobi around," Shizune suggested. Kakashi leaned back on his chair, contemplating and glaring at the profiles of the Yuki ninjas, silent for a few seconds.
"You guys have a point. Alright," he finally decided and reached for the telephone. Shizune and Shikamaru stood at his side as he dialed. After talking to her assistant, the call was transferred to Koyuki's line. Kakashi put the call on speaker.
"Hokage-sama," the daimyo greeted pleasantly, "To what do I owe this phone call?"
"Koyuki-sama, there is something we need to discuss," Kakashi replied, all serious and right to business.
"Tell me," Koyuki replied attentively.
"Have I told you that, just a day before the ninjas from your village arrived, we captured a member of the rogue group?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes, I believe I received an e-mail about that from you."
"That's good. Well, just yesterday, that man killed himself in a… spectacular fashion. I won't bore you with the details but, basically, he killed himself by hitting his head on the wall."
"What? How…?"
"Perhaps connected: your Jounin, Sota Miho, was interrogating him when he suddenly did that," Kakashi interrupted her shocked exclamation.
It was silent on the other line for a few moments, "Hokage-sama, are trying to imply something?"
Though Koyuki is not in the same room, Shizune can still feel the tension rising in the office.
"We have received the profiles of the ninjas that you have sent to our village to assist with our organized search team," Kakashi still continued, ignoring the question of the daimyo, "Upon review, we noticed something… peculiar with these shinobi. Can you please explain to us what 'Act No. 241' is?'"
"Hokage-sama, can you please be clear here," Koyuki protested, sounding irritated, "What are you trying to insinuate? Let's not waste our time here and please explain to me in an obvious manner and not with disconnected anecdotes of this situation."
Shizune glanced at Kakashi. His expression is obscured by the mask but she's well aware that face would be absolutely cold.
"We're assuming that, perhaps, they're not disconnected, Koyuki-sama," Kakashi replied, "Our team captured a rogue ninja, your Jounin interrogates him and he suddenly dies?"
"How dare - !"
"If you want us to stop speculating about your shinobi, then please explain to us what the amnesty under Act 241 is. What is it about, who are the grantees, when was it implemented. We have the right to know about these things in detail," Kakashi explained, a demanding tone in his voice.
Shizune fully expected the young daimyo to go ballistic and start arguing. She didn't expect the sigh of defeat that came from the other line.
"I'm sorry I snapped," Koyuki said, her voice sounding tired and even childish, "I should've explained that fact to you in the first place."
"Koyuki-sama, we cannot resolve this situation if you're keeping important details from us. We should be informed of crucial facts," the Hokage placates.
"I know, Hokage-sama," the young leader answered heavily, "I'll explain myself. You do remember the amnesty that I have granted to those former followers of my uncle Doto, right?"
"Yes, we do," Kakashi replied.
"The amnesty was under Act 241 of my land. I was the one to propose it and authorized it. Under this act, all ninjas who surrendered peacefully will be reinstated to their former position before they went rogue with my uncle, under the condition that they should be in their good behavior for five years. If any evidence proves that they have not acted honestly in the five year probation that was imposed, they will be hunted and be killed on sight," Koyuki explained lengthily.
They were silent for a few moments. Shizune gasped. She was shocked that the leader had done such a thing: reinstating a former criminal to the shinobi system. It was an unusual thing to do and a very unwise move to make. Kakashi dragged a hand down his face harshly and rested his elbows on the desk.
"Koyuki," Kakashi said with a sigh, forgetting the leader's honorific, "What were you thinking?!"
"I had no other choice!" she almost exclaimed from the other line, "You've been here at Yuki, Hokage-sama. You know the sorry state of our land, of our politics, of our ninja system! We had 23 Jounin left at that time! 11 ANBU members left! How would we defend ourselves from invaders? My council and I have no other choice but to give them amnesty and give them their positions back to rebuild some sort of semblance in our land!"
Shizune understood the young leader. Koyuki must've been under a lot of pressure that time. She had to worry about her people's security, her land's state and the situation with the rogue group.
"You could've done other things, Koyuki! You could've reached out to your allies for help. You could've - !"
"I could've what, Hokage-sama?" Koyuki challenged, "I could've asked for your village's help? I could have done that but for how long? Until our Genins are grown enough to defend our borders from foreigners? And how long will that be? 5? 6 years? That's far too long and we didn't have the enough resources that time to pay any hired ninjas from other lands."
"Koyuki…"
"I know it's not the wisest thing to do. I do realize that now. But we were so swamped with work, so worried about our security and so nervous about this whole situation that we had to take action, even if it was a dangerous one," the young leader defended.
Kakashi ran his hand through his hair, "I understand," he concedes.
A sigh of relief came from Koyuki, "Thank you, Hokage-sama. And, if it's any consolation, I personally vouch for these ninjas. For the past 10 years, they have shown and proven their loyalty to our land and were tirelessly searching for this rogue group. Especially Miho. He is my personal guard and he will not do anything to compromise the mission that he was assigned in. The only logical explanation is that the man you captured don't want to be questioned anymore, that's why he took matters in his own hand and killed himself."
Though Kakashi still looked disturbed, he still said, "I see. Thank you for telling us these information, Koyuki-sama."
"Thank you for your understanding, Hokage-sama. And, again, I apologize for not letting you know of this stuff sooner."
"Perhaps it happens. Have a nice day, Koyuki-sama," Kakashi said with finality.
"Have a nice day, as well, Hokage-sama," the young leader replied. The telephone clicked, signifying that the call ended. Kakashi leaned back on his chair and tilted his head back, sighing.
"Kakashi-sama, we can't let our guards down," Shikamaru said as he moved to stand in front of the Hokage's desk, "As of now, all five of them could be a person of interest because of their former affiliation with these criminals."
"He's right, Hokage-sama," Shizune agreed, still standing by his side, "We have to remain alert with them inside our village, just in case."
"I know," Kakashi acknowledged and brought his gaze back down, "I already sent the ANBU team to keep a surveillance on those ninjas. We need them to catch the criminals but we can't compromise the safety of the village from the inside. Shikamaru, can we try to contact Yamato? Tell him that he needs to discreetly keep an eye on those Yuki ninjas that's part of the search team today."
"I'll try to call his mobile phone," Shikamaru stated and he left the office.
Kakashi put his head in his hand and lightly massaged his temple. Wordlessly, Shizune stepped closer to him and put her hands on the either side of his head. The stress of the situation and the apparent lack of sleep probably contributes to his recurring headache.
"Thank you, Shizune," he whispered as her chakra flowed to him and he closed his eyes.
"You did the right thing, Kakashi," she said as her thumbs massaged his temples.
"Hm, well I have the best advisors on my side. They really help me with all the decision making that I have to do," he said sincerely, his eyes opening to gaze at hers.
She gave him a sweet smile, "On behalf of Shikamaru, I'll say that it's our honor to serve you and the village."
He put his hands on top of hers, pressing them firmly against his head. His gaze was intense, keeping her eyes locked with his.
"Shizune, thank you. For everything. I want you to know that I'm so grateful for everything that you've done for me. And I want you to know that I - "
Whatever it is that he's going to say was interrupted when a knock came from the door. Kakashi closed his eyes in irritation and released her hands. Shizune stood up straight and took a step away from him.
"Come in," Kakashi called out to the person outside, mild annoyance in his voice. She merely shrugged. He can tell her later.