Tsunade wasn't surprised when she gained a shadow after exiting an examination room in the hospital, but she was a little surprised that it was Itachi. He had filed a written report upon returning earlier that day that Shizune had summarized for her: the elimination of two Akatsuki agents (interesting) and the lack of definitive findings in his research at Fire Temple (disappointing). She had an interview scheduled with him and Kakashi tomorrow, and she was planning to debrief Hinata during her appointment in the morning.
What was he doing here, looking so worried?
"Thinking of taking on a Boar mask? I don't think bodyguarding is your specialty," she said dryly, and he moved out of the shadows to walk just behind her shoulder.
"I might have to take on the job if you're walking around alone," he grumbled, which in itself was unusual. Itachi didn't normally show negative emotion, especially not frustration. He displayed careful concern and gratitude and interest, but he was very good at keeping impolitic emotions off his face most of the time.
"Alone, hmm?" She glanced at him over her shoulder, arching an eyebrow. "Alone in a hospital."
A nurse turned the corner down the hall, pushing a cart loaded with shipping boxes.
Itachi held his tongue until she passed out of earshot. "I have been informed that you have been entrusted with Shisui's eyes, that there have been mysterious deaths, that there is growing tension in the clans, and that Shikaku-san has actually called for a clan council session. And here you are, the focal point of all this, without a guard."
She blinked innocently at him. "You're not hoping to inherit my position then?"
He was silent for a long moment, perhaps struggling with the temper she had never really seen. "Tsunade-sama, are you really trying to act as bait? In this political climate?"
She chuckled. "I want to see if he has the balls to actually attack me openly. Considering the values he espouses, I doubt it. He's more likely to capitalize on an attack like Nagato's; he and his were conspicuously absent from that fight. It surprised me afterwards given how it would have been a good moment for him to promote his people, but it made sense: Root attacks from the shadows. No heroics. And if Nagato managed to kill me and other top officials, well, there would be a nice power gap for him to step into."
"A coup is the last thing Konoha needs," he hissed, stepping closer as they walked. "It's a very dangerous precedent."
"Hmm."
He seemed to realize what she meant because he let the gap between them grow again and was silent as she stepped into a doctor's office to consult with him, leaving Itachi to loom outside the door. She could tell he was seething with impatience as she and the doctor discussed diagnoses and treatment options. When at last she rejoined him and headed for the exit, his face was a calm mask.
Exasperated, she relented. "Stop hovering and come walk beside me."
He did as she asked, and she glanced at him, noting the black cord around his neck disappearing beneath his half-zipped flak vest and black shirt.
"For Shinigami's sake, just wear it openly, you thief," she snapped, reaching out very deliberately to yank the crystal and metal pendants out for all to see. "The gods know you've survived this long with it."
He quirked a half smile at her, his eyes crinkling so genuinely she was actually convinced it was a real one. "Very well, Hokage-sama."
Snorting, she rolled her eyes. "That meeting of the council of clans is in two days. Danzou must attend, as head of the Shimura, unless he appoints a successor in time."
"That's no guarantee. Clan heads can be absent."
"Only in times of war are absences excused, and we are enjoying peace at the moment, amazingly enough. If he doesn't send a representative, there will be an official reprimand. Council appearances are a right and a responsibility. Unless a clan becomes dispersed enough to not register as a clan anymore, the way the Senju have, a representative of the clan must appear at all council gatherings or risk clan status as well as other penalties."
He shot her a slightly impatient look. "I was the Uchiha heir. Danzou could send a representative without abdicating or appointing a successor."
"True, but I have it on good authority that Danzou hasn't relinquished any control over the Shimura since he managed to grab hold of the reins. He is childless, so succession is unclear, and he's shown no signs of risking letting his folk have someone new to rally around by naming one of his close kin. Also, this meeting has been called without a published agenda. Everyone will be very curious. It would be unwise of Danzou to miss it."
"It would be unwiser of him to show his face."
She chuckled. "You have no idea. I have some ready to storm his hidey-holes one by one. They've been dropping very pointed hints."
They walked side by side in the golden evening light, dappled shadows from the trees giving texture to the road before them. "The problem is knowing how many sympathizers he has," Itachi finally said. "I've heard that of the six agents supposedly killed in the Forest of Death by the wildlife, two were ANBU agents in good standing on duty at the time of death. No strange seal on the tongue. And yet three of the four other corpses had the seal."
Tsunade's smile died. "Yes."
"ANBU killed by giant wildlife, mauled by beasts," he murmured flatly.
"Suffocated by a snake, probably."
He shot her a puzzled look, but she didn't elaborate.
"The boy might be setting himself against us. Openly."
Itachi switched gears seamlessly. "In what way?"
"We're not certain yet. He's vetoed some favours I tried to call in: he refused to not collaborate with the Matsuku or their affiliated clans, he refused to only use his seal knowledge for personal use, and he refused to never work contrary to Konoha's purposes."
Itachi looked appalled. "You tried to corner him. Why?"
"What do you know about the Matsuku?"
Itachi frowned and shrugged. "Almost nothing. I think I have heard the name, and I have the vague feeling they aren't friendly."
"Pacifist civilian clan. Very large, quite influential, and opposed to ninja. The main thorn in our side is Fuma Dana, that prosecutor. Suna has had far more trouble with them, but they haven't been very influential in Lightning or Earth. Water wiped them out, but Kiri doesn't have a good reputation to maintain, so they have that kind of leeway."
"The boy made contact with them." It wasn't a question. "What are you going to do?"
She sighed. "I'm not sure. By vetoing my requests, he's made his course clear. I'm not sure whether to be concerned that he didn't try to bargain with me to create a loophole in the wording, but he was never that type. Blunt as a hammer most of the time from what I've seen of him. The Matsuku are pacifists, so we shouldn't need to worry about an attack, but still…"
Itachi crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the ground, deep in thought. "I cannot claim to be surprised. From his comments, I always suspected that he would eventually oppose ninja, but I never expected him to risk doing so openly. It complicates his goals if it doesn't jeopardize them entirely. His impetus must be the beast; I can't see anything else pushing him to action. The fact that the beast has allowed him to collaborate with pacifists though… I can't help but see that as reassuring."
"True. I've been warned by experts that economic pressures can't be underestimated though. Suna found that out the hard way."
Itachi arched an eyebrow at her.
"One of the Matsuku branches, the Yiri of Port Mure, led a merchant block that diverted funds from Suna to expand Port Mure's harbour and made it into the trade hub it is today. That lack of funding eventually pushed Suna into downsizing until they were desperate enough to attempt assassinating the old geezer."
"Ah. That rings a bell. I was briefed on the merchant block as the underlying cause for Suna's diminishing resources. I didn't know about the clan aspect. An interesting approach."
She eyed him narrowly. He was a pacifist too, on the inside if nothing else. She wasn't quite sure how he would stand on this issue, and that worried her. Was he really a good choice if that was the case? But was he really a bad one? With Danzou sneaking around stirring up conflict and bad feeling all these years, wouldn't it be good to have some stability, especially when Itachi had proven that while he was a pacifist, he wasn't going to let himself be pushed around? She wasn't certain. "What do you think Konoha should do?"
Itachi grimaced. "It is difficult to be sure. He carries Konoha's forehead protector but never wears it. He carries the beast but doesn't fight in our name when he fights at all. He isn't officially registered as one of our ninja. Our official hold over him is tenuous."
"He's the son of our Flash and carries Konoha's bijuu," she said flatly, certain enough of her surroundings to stop skirting around the proper terminology the way Itachi was. "He was raised at our expense and taught our basics by two ANBU agents. He was Jiraiya's apprentice."
"You have to admit that the last one means nothing. Nagato was apparently Jiraiya's apprentice."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
"And what Konoha chooses to spend money on isn't really his concern. He was an orphaned Konoha citizen. That Konoha chose to spend more than usual on his upbringing was the Sandaime's choice. We could argue that Kyuubi is our captive, but that is not our best option since that just showcases the fact that we can't control our 'captive'. And if we had the right to prevent economic competition, we would have the right to wipe out Suna, Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, Taki, and all the rest, since they are in direct competition with us."
She huffed.
"By attempting to leash him with promises, all you have gained is insight into his disposition. He will work with the Matsuku, or he is unwilling to let you dictate to him. He will work contrary to Konoha's purposes because if he gives that promise, he must return to the village and let himself be dictated to since it is officially in Konoha's best interest to retain the Kyuubi. And he has used seals in his work with our teams before. 'Personal use only' is a rather useless restriction." He stopped and faced her directly when she mimicked him. "In the end, the question is whether you deem it prudent to force the issue. Unless you believe he will pose a direct threat to Konoha and Fire lives, can you justify the army you will have to send after them after they proved that your team last time was insufficient? Will you empower a Sharingan user enough to attempt to beguile the Kyuubi forever? Or will you sentence the boy to death by taking Kyuubi from him and putting him in a more malleable host? Do you have any spare Uzumaki, or will you make another bloodline try at containing the beast? Or does Konoha just kill the boy and hope that Kyuubi takes long enough to reform that Konoha has an answer to his wrath then?
"Personally, I would adopt a wait-and-see policy. Collaboration with pacifists can only be a positive sign. It means that the world will not burn. However…" He grimaced. "If we cannot keep Danzou from going after them, that might push them over the edge."
She paused and considered her surroundings carefully. They weren't alone anymore: two Boar agents were shadowing them now that she had left the "safety" of the hospital. She trusted her guards as much as she trusted anyone these days. "There's something else, but I won't speak of it here."
He raised his eyebrows but nodded. "Perhaps tomorrow then."
"Perhaps."
Hinata went to Tenten after her disappointing appointment with Tsunade-sama and several other specialists. They had scanned her, talked over her head, bickered loudly, and finally, the Hokage had debriefed her before letting her go with a warning that progress wasn't going well. She had needed to get away from everyone, from all the ninja, but most of all she had needed to try to better herself. The only thing she had was the knowledge that despite how everyone regarded her, how she had to pretend, she wasn't actually useless, just a political burden. She had great visual range and she had been competent. Now… Now should couldn't even get close enough to throw kunai accurately.
Tenten was Neji-niisan's teammate and one of the only kunoichi Hinata was even slightly close to (being close to Sasuke made making friends with female year mates very difficult).
She was also a professed weapon expert and was sincere and straightforward enough that her chakra aura didn't make Hinata want to puke.
"Something long range? Yes, I guess the yumi you're used to would seem pretty flimsy to you. Those are developed for the art of archery rather than for the practicalities of war. Bows have fallen out of favour because they're associated with samurai and are seen as ineffective anyway. Kunai and shuriken obviously won't cut it. Hmm." She spun a kunai around her fingers as she pondered the matter. "Really long distance weapons are tricky: spears and slings aren't what you're going for. You want to be a sniper, out of sight. With your vision, it's a pity that catapults would never work. If it wouldn't make you an international target with a kill-on-sight order, I'd say you need a rifle."
Hinata gasped softly. "A gun?" she whispered, eyes wide.
Tenten glanced around the clearing nervously and waved the idea away. "Have you thought of developing a projectile jutsu?"
Hinata shrugged helplessly. "I've never heard of a really long range jutsu. Kakashi-sensei's jutsu are mostly close to mid range. Same with the Hyuuga jutsu."
"Well, I've heard of some longer range bows out of the western nations. Longbows. Recurves. They're not like the yumi you clan types shoot: enormous draw weights with a lot of projectile force. Yumi used in war were like this too. These things can loose arrows that punch through armour. But there are limitations in the physics: the longer the bow, the more punching power, but the shorter the range because the arrow shaft has to be thicker to survive, and so on. If you want to push past the physics, I'd recommend starting out with something real, a composite recurve if you can find one with as big a draw weight as you can handle, but then adding a spin on it to get the range you really want. From what I've seen of ninjutsu so far, their forms are mostly there to serve the user. I think that chakra could do the same thing without being bent into a dragon shape, but that the ninja couldn't, because the ninja is the one who needs the dragon."
Hinata nodded slowly. "Makes sense. You're sure I wouldn't be able to find anything in the village?"
Tenten shook her head. "Like I said, only the wimpy yumi are in style, so they're all you'll find, and you already told me you don't like them. With chakra, I figure you want a draw weight of something near 125 pounds at least. Find something at least a little challenging without chakra. You're off again soon?"
Hinata hunched her shoulders, nausea roiling in her guts. "I don't think I can bear to stay much longer," she whispered.
Tenten blinked and shuffled back a few paces, and Hinata was too relieved to have some breathing room to feel more than a little guilty. "Neji mentioned it was bad… I wonder how you'd react to Lee and Gai-sensei."
Hinata had to chuckle weakly. That would be interesting.
Snake blinked back to herself and glanced around.
Well.
Shit.
She was apparently in some kind of underground complex again. Stupid Konoha and all its stupid hidden chambers. It didn't smell too much like the sewers and the strongest cleaning agents science could create, so she wasn't in one of Orochimaru's abandoned hidden labs again.
There was a body at her feet.
With a sigh, she rolled it onto its back with her foot and nudged the ANBU mask off. He was built kind of like… The bones in her shins gave a phantom twinge and she ground her teeth. There was muck around his nose, which explained why he was a corpse, but there were lumps and dips in his skull leaking blood too and her knuckles did hurt more than usual.
Apparently, whatever memory had been in charge of her brain had really wanted to exact revenge yet again upon yet another man that resembled—
She shut off that train of thought.
Well.
She peered at the face in the gloom and tried to figure out if she would get away with this one too. Easiest way to tell was to check the tongue, so she did so. Phew! And then she noticed the long auburn hair and the Yamanaka jaw.
Shit.
Well. Hmm.
She hadn't managed to sneak up on a Yamanaka before, so that she had managed to kill this one was odd. It was also a little weird that her usual retinue wasn't here. Had she killed them too or lost them? Unless this guy had been her minder? They usually took the duty in pairs…
Cocking her head, she considered her surroundings again. Stone with vaulted ceiling. Stupid use of space with measly catwalks to a ridiculous little traditional house. Ah, yes. Root HQ from before it had been disbanded. She could just see Danzou lording it over all his little peons by sitting in that little house while they bowed before him in rows.
She snorted. The sound echoed up into the gloom far above.
This place looked abandoned alright.
Best way to find out for sure would be to leave the corpse and see if anyone spotted it. Dragon–1 would be doing sweeps though…
Frustrated, she kicked the body closer to the edge of the catwalk. Peering over the edge, she considered. It would start to smell, but maybe by then… Channelling some chakra, she got the muck sluiced out of the corpse's nose and off his face before running up her leg and collecting in her pocket, leaving no residue. She had a reputation for being terrible at ninjutsu to maintain. Grabbing a wire, she set to making it seem like he had been strangled the more usual way.
She didn't think that leaving a Yamanaka corpse on Tsunade's doorstep was quite what Mikoto wanted. She was tempted to do it anyway, but like Dragon had said, Tsunade had no reason to feel guilty, so… She pushed this one off the catwalk at last and waited for the splash.
She had the irreverent desire to shove her hands in her pockets and whistle innocently as she walked away. Chuckling silently, she started doing a sweep instead before her eyes landed back on the stupid tiny house.
She summoned a wave of chakra; water sprayed from the cracks between the stone blocks in the walls and gushed up from beneath the catwalk and formed into a pillar in front of her. Smirking through its transparent depths, she thrust her fist forward and the concentrated geyser blasted the structure to wooden shrapnel.
Now she put her hands in her pockets and meandered away, whistling brokenly, before shooting off to find out if she had just killed her minder again. She hoped not; she didn't want to let Dragon–1 have the satisfaction of killing her just yet.
"Ichibi," Kakashi repeated, looking a little surprised.
Itachi just looked grave. "Danzou must have been tracking Yuji somehow. Picking Ichibi out on the ocean floor isn't something that even Hinata and Neji could do on a whim. And there would be no scent to track underwater."
"He could have investigated based on our mission reports," Kakashi offered, but even he didn't sound convinced. "The timeline would be tight though. It'd take a lot of luck to figure out what Kyuubi and Yuji did with the Ichibi and narrow down where."
"The kid didn't elaborate, but he did hint that Kyuubi was guarding the cage. I think we can expect that a couple of Danzou's people are dead," said Tsunade, slumping back in her chair. "I've studied your reports, but you didn't mention that Kyuubi sent a clone after the other three bijuu."
"If he did, we didn't witness it."
She rubbed her temples. "I don't know whether I should hope so or not. At least if he did, we might hear about it if Danzou or one of the other villages manages to track them down."
Kakashi deadpanned. "Because Kyuubi killing teams from the other villages will be great."
"My senpai has a point," Itachi said with a grimace. "Unless Kyuubi wiped out the teams without a trace, it would appear to be a contradiction of your concession during the Kage Summit. Have you informed Suna, or have you locked the information down?"
It was Tsunade's turn to grimace. "I've locked it down for now, but I'm not sure whether Danzou will manage the same thing. If he finds out that his team was wiped out and somehow gets the information to Suna, either deliberately or by accident, how will that look on my part?" By the gods, she hated politics. This bullshit was all so pointless and frustrating. She could be doing real good in the hospital; instead, she was stuck discussing strategies to avoid hurt feelings.
Kakashi's shoulders slumped and he looked pained. He looked pointedly at Itachi. "You're the one who wants to get into politics."
Itachi sighed. "The faster you can lock Danzou down, the better. Handing the information over to Suna can't go well, not with Kyuubi standing guard. Again, that will be construed as an attack, even if we warn them, because we should be able to order Kyuubi to stand down since he's supposed to be our bijuu. We didn't agree to help them hunt down the bijuu they lost, after all."
She sighed. "True." Sitting back up, she turned the conversation back to something more productive, since Itachi had just said the same thing three Hare agents had when she'd asked them. "The corpse and the oddity you brought us are interesting. We haven't narrowed down how Hidan is staying alive and talking despite his trachea not being connected to his lungs anymore, but a Hyuuga has detected a dark chakra aura. We've just started investigating, but it is already quite interesting. I have a number of people clamouring to join the research team.
"Kakuzu's corpse is rather like a patchwork quilt. The genetic material profiling request is behind a backlog in the queue, so we won't have definite results for a while, but so far as we can tell, most of his tissue seems to belong to him, but there are definitely pieces that were acquired and added to his body as necessary, the hearts in particular. He's missing the majority of his organs as well. The grey mass of living threads seems to have replaced most of his internals except for his hearts and his brain. He didn't even have any bones left inside other than his skull and some in his hands and feet. Very unique. It might give our teams insight into other Taki techniques.
"I assume you plan to head for Wind Temple next."
Itachi nodded. "With your permission, we shall depart as soon as possible. My two-month deadline is a little over two weeks away; I'm not certain whether Kyuubi will attempt to enforce it at this point. I suspect he will express his disappointment somehow though."
"Are you willing to take Hinata with you again?"
Itachi looked to Kakashi. "If her sensei is willing to come with me again, I would be glad to have her along. If he can't, I can't promise her safety. We're going into allied territory, but the risk associated is much higher than a quick trip within Fire."
Kakashi shrugged. "I have no plans. Hinata-chan has looked greener than usual since we got close. I don't think it's the leaves."
"That's settled then. I'd like to send a fourth with you, but I'm not certain who I can spare. If I wasn't so worried about what Kyuubi might do, I'd try to keep you here with all the bullshit going on right now, but I'll have to manage without you. Itachi, what is your mother up to?"
He shrugged. "Enforcing a line in the sand. She wouldn't say more. Am I cleared to know more?"
Tsunade grimaced and steepled her fingers. "What I say doesn't leave this room. I'm sure your mother already knows, but how she found out is beyond me. She hinted at it before my people discovered solid evidence." She rubbed a hand over her forearm. "Evidence has been produced that Danzou has recently had two Sharingan eyes implanted in his arm."
The former Uchiha heir didn't move a muscle, but she could tell she had shaken his world. "Desecrated corpses? We usually immolate our dead so we leave this world in fire… Of course, like with Shisui, the eyes could be removed before the cremation is performed." He looked faintly disturbed.
"That is a possibility," she admitted. "I have a worse conclusion, unfortunately. Certain rumours have been gaining momentum that a connection between Orochimaru and Danzou may have persisted. We knew from interrogating Kabuto that they were allies in the past, but we had thought that done with Orochimaru becoming a missing nin. Now, we're not so sure."
"One of my abducted cousins then," Itachi said dully.
"Again, possible."
Wrath made the air heavy. It was a thick miasma despite how none of it showed on Itachi's face.
She held him with her gaze until the wrath somehow compressed enough for the tension in the other two jounin to ease. She fixed Kakashi with a pointed look after releasing Itachi. "You will keep this to yourselves. You will not act on this. I am dealing with it. This is too delicate a matter to go rushing forward. I do not want to break Konoha apart."
"Giving you Shisui's eyes… A good counter by my mother…" Itachi sounded wistful. "Ninja propaganda has to be understated and unadvertised. Everyone chuunin or higher knows though. Danzou wouldn't have faced much negative opinion if his transgression was spilled before that move. The Hyuuga would have cared, but the rest would have only grumbled but not too loudly, at least among those with power. The lower ranks, the idealists, they would have been disturbed, even with the precedent set by my senpai. It was one thing to be given an eye as a gift to replace another; it is another to implant eyes into your arm when that clan is so terrified of such a thing that they entrusted the eyes of their greatest son to the Hokage for safekeeping."
He smiled coldly. "It is certain to be a very interesting clan council meeting. I wonder what Nara-san will bring forward. I would delay my departure just to be a fly on the wall."
"Well, you're not a fly, so no such luck, kid. You're not a clan heir anymore, so you're not allowed to even shadow your father. Ask your brother for a report when you get back."
Yuji jogged over the dunes, the Fence Mountains a rugged presence looming over his right shoulder to the north, Mount Hirune a softer mound to the south, and the farms clinging to the banks of the River Mu before it flowed into Port Mure ahead. His lips were chapped with sea salt and now desert wind but not badly. He had left Kaijin only three days ago.
Three days for all his confidence to wither into resentment.
The memory of the Hag's favour requests still made him scowl. He wasn't surprised, exactly, but he was pissed that Tsunade thought she could tell him what to do and what not to do.
Favours. Bah!
At least he had had veto power on these favours. But not on that last one I gave Itachi… But now she had a good idea of what he was doing, and he hadn't wanted that. Not at all.
Worse, if she decided that him vetoing her favours was enough, maybe she would threaten his mom.
He had been checking the journal religiously since he had told her no, and only burning anxiety had prompted him to tell her that Root agents had tried for Ichibi. He had known it was dangerous—what if that implicated him in other Root deaths?—but he had wanted some sort of message from her.
And still, she hadn't responded.
You always knew that this would set you against Konoha. The prophecy had two paths and we have chosen.
Yuji didn't respond.
He sent up a dust cloud as he sprinted between rows of watermelons and on paths between fields of millet. Farmhands shouted at him, some angry at his trespassing and other merely surprised at his speed, their pale clothing eye-catching against the arid soil despite the dust they were surely covered in.
The towers of Port Mure were visible against the horizon now, rippling in the heat haze. The river Mu was to his right, flowing wide and slow for now, since it had yet to reach the branching points and the slopes into and through the city. He had to slow as he hit the outer edges of the city, but the wealthier districts were up on the hill, so he didn't have too far to go. The six pale apartment towers in a hexagonal pattern stood out even among their finer counterparts simply by being clustered together. When he got close enough, he could see the bridges connecting them and the multi-storey stone wall encircling their outer edges. He would bet good money that within the wall was some sort of green courtyard: every clan compound he had seen so far had one.
There was only one entrance into the compound, not that it was especially defensible. A row of columns held up a stone overhang, and behind them was a glass facade, a hawk in flight frosted into the glass of the double doors.
Inside, it was like a very expensive hotel lobby. Beside the door was a marble reception desk with two clerks waiting. People in expensive clothes milled around, some filtering towards a row of elevators framing an artificial waterfall that fed a pond dominating the centre of the lobby. Peering in, Yuji could see glittering orange koi swimming lazily among the lily pads. Between the other elevators was glass showing a thick jungle area. The elevators showed only two numbers: G or 2. It seemed a waste to go up one floor only.
He took another look at the people. They were dressed in expensive clothes, but they were of a particular type: business attire. Everyone seemed to be carrying notes, a briefcase, or leather folios. Some were having heated discussions, others sat on benches around the pond and reviewed notes, and others, less well dressed, meandered around, looking like runners or pages.
Nothing left to do but present himself, he supposed. He pulled out his letter, the summoning and the smoke attracting a bit of attention and making the crowd shy away from him as he made his way towards one of the clerks. She looked a bit white around the eyes until she spotted the wren stamped onto the outside of the letter and nearly slumped in relief as she unfolded it. Then her eyes went wide again and she glanced at him a couple times as she apparently read the letter again.
"Yuji-san?"
He nodded. "Old man Yasu told me to ask for Rahim and Gloria. We're going to eat miles together." The last bit was a password.
She relaxed again and handed the letter back to him. "Of course, Yuji-san. I will just let the two of them know you have arrived." She picked up a phone and said after a pause, "Gloria-san, your guest from Kaijin has arrived." Words must have come in return because she waited a moment before acknowledging the person on the other end of the line and hanging up. "She will come to collect you personally. Forgive me, but you look as though you have run the whole way here. Would you like some fruit juice or water while you wait? There is a washroom behind that door if you need it."
"Juice would be great, thanks."
"Any preference?"
"Mango if you've got it."
She smiled broadly. "Of course we do. You'll see why soon."
"You're a Yiri then?"
She shook her head. "Boteri branch from Grass. I'm here on an internship. On days I'm not shadowing one of my cousins, I work the desk, just like everyone else." There was apparently a fridge behind the marble counter because she pulled out a tall pitcher filled with frothy orange-yellow juice and poured him a glass. There were tiny chips of ice blended into it, which was great after the heat of the day. The Boteri girl's eyes were caught by something over his shoulder as he was finishing, and, setting down the glass, he turned and spotted an approaching woman all in cream colours: flowing linen pants and a blazer with just as much drape and flow. Her black hair was pinned up with loose pieces carefully curled to bounce against her dark clay-coloured skin.
She ambled towards them with a smile and her hand extended. "Yuji-san, I'm Yiri Gloria. Yasu-ojiisan told me you would be coming quickly, but this is quicker than we expected. He couldn't give me much over the phone, of course, but we're quite excited about those hints he managed to pass along. It's great to meet you!"
He shook her hand and shrugged. "Didn't seem like the best idea to dawdle. There have been some new developments in transit. You'll probably want to hear about them too."
Arching an eyebrow, she peered at him more closely. "That doesn't sound too good. Well, come on. Let's go somewhere we can talk. If we leave my dad out of the discussion, he'll never forgive us. Selva, elevator four please."
Nodding, the clerk fiddled with something behind the desk; the named elevator's display went blank and the doors stayed shut even when someone tapped the button impatiently.
"Sir," Gloria said as she approached, "five is free." She pointed and the man huffed and wandered off. The doors of four slid open for them once the area was clear of other people, and Gloria led the way in. The doors shut almost on their heels and the number ticked up to three, something it hadn't done before. Selva must have hit an override switch.
The elevator doors opened onto a wide terrace. Umbrellas and palms cast shade onto clusters of chairs, but few were occupied with the heat at its most oppressive. Wide stairs ran from the terrace down into a veritable jungle, one separated from the one visible behind glass in the lobby by a brick wall. Yuji could hear the whisper of a stream and the chuckle and hiss of a fall somewhere in the thick canopy below. Gravel paths headed into the shadows, and the happy shrieks of children could be heard.
Kids being kids. He liked that this clan was big on that.
Gloria led the way into the trees. "The river is artificial, of course, but we don't let it go to waste. We cycle it through and have our own water treatment facility. We can't hold out forever, of course, but by reclaiming water, we could last quite a while during a drought. We're mostly not on the city's water system. Better that way: gives them one less way to kill us all."
He blinked at her razor smile.
"Of course, our walls wouldn't stop a determined attack. It's a thin line we walk, the price of actually succeeding where so many of the other branches have faltered or failed. In Fire, they're timid for the most part. Here, we fight. Well, not really fight, but you know." She gestured emphatically with her hands, apparently used to using them as she talked. "We've delivered on our promises to the Wind Lord, so murdering us outright would irritate him, but it's a flimsy shield." She locked eyes with him. "I'm really glad you're here. Both of you?"
Yuji grinned back, but he wasn't quite as confident as he had been. "Yeah, both of us are here. He acts as more of an overseer and bodyguard though. We specialize."
Nodding, she picked up her pace, lengthening her stride until he was scrambling to keep up with her. "Sorry, but I've got so many questions that really should wait until we're with Rahim so you don't have to repeat yourself. I'm really impatient though! It sounded so revolutionary, almost like something out of a fantasy novel."
Inside the northwest tower, she led him into the vaulted foyer filled with more trees, climbing vines, and vertical gardens. It was all soothing stone floors with deep rugs once they left their shoes in two of the multitude of cubbyholes. They walked barefoot along the hall to where the entrance to the stairwell and the elevator was amidst a shaft walled in glass with trees and vines growing up lattices between the glass and the stairs' railing.
"Stairs or elevator? We're going to the seventh floor."
"You mind if I use chakra?"
She smirked. "Have at it."
He gathered himself and bounced upwards using the railings and the elevator shaft, careful not to break the glass. Gloria sprinted up the stairs after him as fast as she could. She wasn't breathing too hard when she reached him on the seventh-floor landing and was grinning, so he figured he hadn't been too rude.
"That must be so awesome! I've never envied ninja anything, but I envy you that."
He grinned back. "It's the only reason I went along with my training at all. Tag is epic when vertical is an option."
"This way." She pushed open the door of 708 without knocking. "Dad, I've brought him!"
The apartment had a very open layout with lots of windows looking out over Port Mure shaded by gauzy curtains and wooden slat shutters rotated perpendicular to the glass outside the panes. They went into an office with a big desk and a couple couches. The bull of a man behind the desk peered at him.
Gloria flung herself onto one of the couches before gesturing grandly at Yuji. "Dad, Yuji. Yuji, my dad, Rahim, the so-called champion of Port Mure." She stuck her tongue out when Rahim shot her a sour look.
"I have been looking forward to this discussion," said Rahim, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together. "I know Yasu has been learning the picture jutsu designs for years, but that you could actually make them work… Intriguing. Yasu suggested transportation be our focus, and though I can foresee some dangers, it probably is the most revolutionary product we can offer that will strike at the heart of the ninja economy."
"Guarding missions become irrelevant if you can get from A to B without days of travel in between," Gloria quipped, rubbing her hands together.
"It will bring great responsibility though," Rahim cautioned. "Moving armies over borders suddenly becomes an easy thing. And the spread of disease would be many times faster. The very fabric of national culture would be threatened by the rapid movement of people and goods. We must not allow the technology to be abused if we manage to create it at all." He turned back to Yuji. "What do you make of it?"
He drummed his fingers on his knee. "I already have seals that do similar things, but I'd need to alter them considerably. There are other aspects to consider: the chakra source, the mechanism of enabling the transfer, and how to mark and guard endpoints. The whole point of this idea is to convert ninja away from being ninja as well. There are only so many people able to actually create and channel chakra, and the vast majority are ninja or monks. I've only met a handful of civilians unconsciously producing enough chakra for me to detect, not that I'm much of a sensor. I want to frame the technology in such a way that it creates employment for former ninja, but that the technology can still run when we don't have any of them, like at the beginning. I don't want the ninja to be able to shut us down just by killing all the workers."
"A great lie…" Rahim and Gloria looked intrigued. "How very interesting. How confident are you that you can produce such a seal? We can start with transporting only materials, for safety, but we need some sort of timeframe. We need to establish a company for you and distance your employees from all other ties so conflict-of-interest claims aren't thrown at us. We are willing to spare a good amount of funds on this, but our resources aren't unlimited."
"I can't give you a firm estimate. I think a year or two of development and testing, but I don't know for sure. I want to bring in advisors: a monk or two from Wind Temple to check over my designs and to look for flaws."
Gloria nodded. "That we can fund without issue." She turned to her father. "I want this project."
Rahim looked grave. "Passerotta, are you certain about this? This will be just as direct as what I did and will be against not just Suna. They took your mother for what I did despite our Daimyo's favour. This will insult those who care nothing for our Wind Lord. What will they take from you?"
"Yasu sent him to us because he knows that we are better prepared. We are the best positioned. Where else could he go? And you do not have the time; you must hold Suna to the line despite the ground they have regained with their disgusting Chuunin Exam exhibition. I have shadowed you for years, and besides, people like me better. I am the better marketer, and this is all about marketing."
The old man didn't look convinced at all. "We will discuss this when it gets closer to the time when development is showing fruit. Young man, we will be happy to put you up here if you wish: room and board for you and your consultants. We will set up a fund for you within the clan research budget initially, and then when it comes closer to the time, we shall form a company and buy out the research from the clan. You'll be required to sign a non-disclosure contract, and the clan R&D branch will essentially own the seal you develop, at least initially. Information security is essential with a project like this, and the clan is best equipped to deny information claims. What other materials do you need to get started?"
"Paper, chalk, ink, a blackboard or a large sand tray, and some books. Somewhere I can experiment."
"Easy enough," Gloria said briskly. "We need proof of your progress, so we'll schedule monthly check-ins. We might not understand all of what you'll be doing, but we'll catch on quickly." There was a hardness in her eyes that warned him that attempts to cheat her wouldn't go well. "You mentioned complications."
Yuji sighed. "The Hokage and some favours I promised her."
Gloria and Rahim shared a look. "Explain," she said.
Kakashi followed Itachi out the gates of Konoha, Hinata at his side, her mouth clamped shut, and his back itching.
He knew only too well what that itch meant and could only be grateful that it was November 29th.
But apparently, that gratitude was misplaced.
The old bitch appeared in the fourth position of their formation and Hinata took off for the bushes and began to hurl violently. While it was nice to know that this creature really was that vile, Kakashi felt for his poor female student. Being in her proximity did not make him particularly happy either. Unfortunately for him, Snake–28 had a habit of checking up on him.
"More than twenty-four hours to go before you're allowed out this far," he said as blandly as he could as Hinata wheezed and began retching again before staggering to her feet and stumbling further up the road to put distance between herself and the source of her nausea.
Snake cocked her head at him and he could see her blinking innocently through the eyeholes of her mask.
"You really shouldn't be here," he pressed.
"I really could be anywhere, it's true," she singsonged, "but by the process of reflection and your brain's interpretation, I am apparently here, so here I must be. Unless you suspect genjutsu?" She made the standard seal and called out "Kai" ever so earnestly before attempting to bop him into the forehead with her palm, but he casually sidestepped. "No?"
Itachi finally spoke up, looking a little bemused. "Snake-san, is there a reason for your presence?"
"Oh, this and that." She waved the matter off, but Itachi arched an eyebrow at her.
"And my mother has nothing to do with it?"
Kakashi blinked. Why would Itachi think Mikoto had anything to do with Snake's usual way of aggravating him?
Snake shook her head. "Your gracious mother is my kohai, rather like the mongrel here, and neither gets to give their loving senpai orders. They both know better. Besides, your mother likes the element of chaos I throw into things; makes everything more orderly for her."
Itachi's unamused stare finally prompted more words.
"You are travelling west, and, goodness! So am I! I thought it would be just so quaint to have a day or two to spoil the pup rotten!" She put her gloved hands together and pressed them to the cheek of her mask, which made the faux fawning gesture entirely gauche.
Ugh, Kakashi almost preferred the machine she was the rest of the year to this.
Her hands dropped back to her sides and she leaned forward to mock whisper. "I hear that you've got a habit of running into Akatsuki, and I'm itching for a good dance, so I intend to shadow you whether you like it or not. I see the rumours are true about the wittle girlie." She jerked her chin towards Hinata, who was waiting a good two kilometres down the road.
"Snake," Kakashi snapped, but he knew just how futile it was.
"I find it interesting how violently Hinata-san reacted to your appearance," Itachi commented. "Did you know that I've seen that level of reaction only from the Akatsuki pair we ran into at Fire Temple? What does that say about your intent? I would prefer not to have Hinata-san incapacitated."
The two stared at each other for a time, Snake probably smirking behind her mask if Kakashi knew her at all.
"Would you travel at a distance that allows Hinata-san composure?"
"Nope. It amuses me to see her like that. Such a delicate flower." She withstood the glares of both jounin.
"My mother is fond of Hinata."
Snake giggled. "Your mother also had sex with your father at least twice. I do not credit her with an abundance of common sense."
Itachi changed tactics. "I take it you have some target in the west. River or Wind."
"That would be telling," she crooned.
"It would be," Itachi said, deadpan. "Wind then."
Kakashi almost smirked when she didn't respond, and Itachi carried on, his eyes still appearing black, though Kakashi thought he spotted brief flickers of red.
"Ah, Port Mure." Itachi cocked his head just slightly. "Do you intend to go through with it?"
"That's my business," she grated out.
"And the Hokage's."
Snake snorted. "Tsunade doesn't give a rat's ass about this contract, other than that it'll keep the bottom line in the black. It's no real skin off her back."
Itachi frowned very slightly, still studying the ANBU agent. "Interesting. Are you actually cleared to leave?"
"Oh, I'm cleared to leave on this mission," she said airily, waving the matter aside.
Kakashi snorted. "Sure."
Unfortunately, Itachi suddenly nodded briskly. "Very well then. Hinata is an essential part of our team though. If you incapacitate her, we go nowhere."
Snake hissed through her teeth and looked like she was about to stomp her foot. Crossing her arms, she turned away and began some breathing exercises. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her before shooting a look at the younger jounin. It was Itachi's turn to blink innocently.
"Port Mure?"
Itachi shook his head briefly.
Kakashi did not let him off the hook. "Why mention the Hokage?"
"I am surprised Tsunade approved it. It does not match what I expected she would do."
"You disapprove."
Itachi nodded only once. "It might buy us political capital with Suna, but I am concerned about other effects."
"You realize that this interrogation technique is part of the reason for the Uchiha's reputation."
Itachi shrugged. "It only really works on the weak minded. And I have heard from impeccable sources that you've used it as well."
Sasuke. "Maa, it was more of a mind game."
Itachi smiled. "Are you saying this wasn't either?"
"You two are making it very hard to concentrate," Snake sort of hummed the words in a single breath and inhaled deeply again. Her posture was different, formal. She began walking towards Hinata down the road, her strides gliding and short, like a woman wearing a formal kimono. Kakashi tensed, watching Hinata closely, who was also very wary. Sharing a quick glance, Itachi and Kakashi shadowed the ANBU agent's progress.
Hinata looked ready to flee when only eight hundred metres lay between them, but she didn't move. Snake kept on walking. Five hundred metres. Hinata's uneasiness was still there, but she hadn't moved yet.
Three hundred metres.
Hinata raised her hand. Kakashi laid a hand on Snake's shoulder when she made no move to stop. "Far enough."
"Very well." He recognized that tone. It was the one he was most familiar with; the ignorance and apathy were unmistakable. "I will be rear guard."
Itachi and Kakashi traded another look. Kakashi zipped over to stand by Hinata.
Hinata whispered, "It's almost as if she's become a blank slate. No intent."
"What did she smell like?"
"Do you remember Oto's attack? All those snakes from the sewers?"
"And now?"
"Mouldy but bearable."
Kakashi let one corner of his mouth quirk up. "So she could come closer."
"Of course not," she said primly. "Mouldy bread is intimidating."
He patted her braids with a grin. "Keep this up and you might yet become my favourite genin!"
Dragon–1 looked up when the slightly flustered patrol reported finding the remains of Yamanaka Fū in the abandoned Root caverns. The body was already being examined and it was suspected that the murderer had destroyed the wooden pavilion as well, apparently with water. Early analysis of the corpse suggested suffocation, strangulation specifically, but the bruising was slightly off, so the Dog agents were doing further analysis. Water damage to the corpse from floating in the pool at the base of the cavern was slowing their efforts, but the Dogs were determined.
Dragon–1 lauded their efforts and put their reports away carefully, no matter how tempting it was to put them beside the reports from Snake's minders full of how she had slipped away yet again. It would do no good to be too eager.
He did not let himself smile. A mask could be broken or missing on a critical day, so good facial control had to be practised at all times.
He knew Snake–28 had never cared for that rule in her madness.
Monkey–17 knew the rule, but in her own madness—a very different kind from Snake's—mistakes were common. Megalomaniacs did not like being reminded that they were not god. She had not liked it the first time either: when he had crushed her divinity for her own good and given her a second chance at life outside of ANBU where her insanity could be curbed. He had regretted doing that to her then and had kept as quiet about the matter as she had, but this time…
Dragons got to be in charge because they had to be good enough to keep all eleven other divisions in line. Sometimes, Monkeys needed to be reminded of that.
It was a pity about Fū: he had been a good agent. Mikoto had sealed his doom though the moment she had chosen to poke Shikaku about the clan recruitment for Root. Dragon–1 had toyed with the idea of sacrificing Torune instead, but the former Aburame was more than a match for Snake–28 even in the depths of her madness.
Or he should have been. Snake–28 was supposed to be terrible at ninjutsu, barely capable with any element aside from using earth to cause strokes and heart attacks, calling her promotion to jounin further into question. The destruction of that pavilion though… Dragon–1 narrowed his eyes.
When that filthy traitor died, he needed to watch.
Besides, she had important work to do first now that she had helped him out so neatly.
Still, Danzou would be upset about the loss of yet another Root agent.
Dragon–1 was too, but he was far more upset about how Danzou was throwing away well-trained, perfectly dedicated lives without any results to show for it.
He shook his head and set to waiting for his personnel to catch up with him, as always.
AN: "What? Another one already?"
I know, right? But this might be the last one for a bit: gotta feel my way through the next few. Feedback/speculation might help with that though...