Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 20
"Daring Blossoms"

It's now about a week after our match of sorts with Team Kakashi, and hopefully they've learned something from their beating. If not, it will be a small yet unfortunate step backwards for their group. The bureaucracy on both the philanthropic and military sides of my life have been running very smoothly – a rare occurrence, truly – leaving me with little to do aside from social visits.

And so, I prepare to start my day, within my current base of operations at the hotel. Today is an off day, so I won't have to worry too much about appearances. I go through my normal routines, have breakfast with Fio, send her off, and then get into a plain dark sweater and jeans for the day.

Picking up a few scrolls from a nearby satellite office is first, followed by some shopping to help get reconnected with the village. I pop into a few different shops, picking up one or two food items at a time before I think my bags are full enough. The next stop after that is Naruto's place, where he's his expected pouty self after I gave him his earned beating the other day. I wind him up some more while cooking breakfast, and what would be lunch and dinner for him. He stops being stubborn quickly enough, and is all smiles by the time I head out. According to him, Sakura is just fine and Sasuke is doing some intense brooding, which means he's also fine enough.

I meet with Shikaku, who is the same as when I left him last. Well, almost. He seems a bit lighter on his feet, I think. We go over my rank increases and responsibilities – in a less peaceful time, I would be looking after an entire regiment regularly, for example. But with the changes to modern warfare, those are limited to specific combat situations. In any case, I now have command over a wide range of individuals, and have obtained a list to get familiar with them when I can. I'll make an attempt at contacting a few of my more direct subordinates, so that I can properly delegate tasks and keep them out of trouble. This will also be useful in terms of our strategy to stifle Akatsuki...I might have some genin do work to form an early detection system, or something similar. Lots of possibilities.

I leave Shikaku and head over to the Academy to talk with Iruka. He doesn't have much new information as nothing much has changed from his short tours. I inquired about Miss Kosugi and he said that her workload was decreasing, so she might have time for a meeting in the upcoming days. I will have to look into that, then. There are things that I want to set up long term, and she's talented enough to help with them. Before leaving I make sure to threaten him with a good time by promising to break down his door with fresh cooked meals. I can tell he's been sustaining himself on sub-optimal food lately. He promises to take care of himself more.

Anko is at the Mission Assignment Desk close by, and I use the opportunity to go over the details of her upcoming mission with the Hokage in private. We agree that there aren't too many changes to be made at this point, and preparations are almost complete. Danzo is still milling about, but has yet to step into our path. Afterwards, I head over to the hospital where I see that Sakura is working, confirming Naruto's earlier report. Shizune gives me a check-up, and Tsunade hands me extraneous notes on her findings regarding Obito. It's possible that there's something we can pick up from even the most irrelevant-sounding details – shinobi are mysterious like that sometimes. Ruki isn't in and hasn't been in a while, since she's been taking care of things at her home shrine.

Shizune happily reports that I have a clean bill of health. Before leaving the hospital, I borrow Tsunade's phone.

"Good afternoon, this is Nami Hyuuga speaking. Please state your business."

"Hello, my darling. It's lovely to hear your voice again."

"Lili. I did hear that you had come back to us...please accept my apologies for not being present when you visited the other day."

"It's no trouble at all, Nami. I know that we've both been busy lately. Have you been well?"

"I have, yes. Progress has been made on our shared projects, and I have been able to watch over the village faithfully. Of course, all of this is thanks to you. Have you been well yourself?"

"Yes, very much so. Simply getting back into the thick of things at current...well. I did make this call to ask if you had time for me today. I've been running errands all morning and getting my ducks in a row, as the children like to say."

"I will always have time for you, Lili. Actually, I was already entertaining some of my sweethearts earlier. They haven't left yet, and mentioned that they had some extra time on their hands. Koichi and Yuno, to be exact."

"I see. Yes, it would be lovely if you had them stay a while longer. I've been meaning to talk to them as well."

"Then it shall be done. Would you like anything for yourself, before you go?"

"Tea would be lovely, Nami."

"Understood. I will see you soon, then."

"Yes, until then. Good afternoon, darling." I hang up and take out my compact to check over things. Good. I should be set for my next meeting. "Tsunade, my love. I'm heading out."

"Yeah. See you in a bit, Lili," she calls back from her spare room.

I decide to take the short way over, jumping lightly through the sky and across the village. A few minutes later, I land lightly in front of the Hyuuga residence and present myself to the guards.

"A pleasant afternoon to you. Is Lady Nami available at this moment?" I ask.

"She is. You may enter at your pleasure, Lady Kobayashi. Will you need an escort?" one asks me.

"I will not require one today. Thank you."

I make my way past the front gate and start towards the courtyard, then feel out where Nami is at the moment. Seems like she's in her usual place today, along with two others that I can recognize in another room. There is also a sizable amount of traffic heading in that direction. Hm.

"Nami? It's me."

"Come in."

I slide open the door to the room and see a group of young ladies standing behind Nami. They're all dressed in white, with various colours peeking out from beneath their robes. A gathering? Ah, I somehow forgot about what we discussed all that time ago.

"Welcome home, Lady Kobayashi."

"Thank you. It's very lovely to see all of you here."

Nami bows her head before giving me a smile. The same confidence that drew me to her fills her eyes now. And she's grown in other pleasant ways as well, with those white robes she so favours gently hugging the new curves of her body. Two ribbons are wrapped around the hair bun on the left side of her head, one pink and one blue.

"Before we had our meeting, I wanted to present to you our organization. For the sake of your dream, and the future of the Leaf, we are prepared to follow whatever orders you give us. We will help you to root out the darkness that persists behind these village walls, and enlighten the world itself."

"The lines are ready to be drawn," I say. "You've established those pillars as I've asked you to, correct?"

"We have, milady."

"Then your first task is to formally connect with Magnolia House. You will be working in collaboration with them from now on. Do we have a group ready to look after our children?"

"We do. The Children's Committee has been working ever since your opening announcement three years ago," Nami says. "All that was needed were these final orders. We stand ready to serve you."

"Very good. And of course, I must know what you call yourselves."

Nami gives me a proud smile. "We are now known as the Edelweiss Foundation."

"Oho. I rather like that...very fitting, indeed. Not that I doubted your cleverness in the first place."

I set down my bag and walk over to hug her. As usual, she's a bit beside herself and fusses with her hair afterwards to hide her excitement.

"Thank you very much, Nami. And thank you all who stand here with us. I have the utmost faith in you, and I know that we will be able to do great things together. Just remember, one step at a time. Now, let me greet you all properly."

I go down the line and give each of the girls a hug. They're all warm and gracious, with more than a few returning my embrace with enthusiasm. Many different personalities at a glance, but all united in their admiration of me. I certainly won't take it for granted.

"Thank you again," I say as I stand before them once more. "Remember to take care of yourselves, always. You have people who love and care for you, besides myself and Nami here. You have families, and futures to look forward to. Do not throw yourselves away senselessly. But...I must also acknowledge your faith in me, and I must acknowledge the reasons why you devote yourselves to me."

I look at them all seriously. Nami straightens up slightly, and everyone else follows suit.

"You all belong to me now. You are my soldiers in this struggle. We are going to take this village into the future, beyond the dreams that were once set in stone for it. You will fight, and perhaps even die for this cause. You will find yourselves making difficult choices, struggling against yourselves. That is part and parcel with this mission. It always will be. I want you to remember this moment, and all that it means. You no longer exist in the space you used to. You no longer serve the same roles you once did. That is what you agreed to, when Nami called for you at my behest."

I take a few steps closer to them.

"You do not do this for your friends or acquaintances. You do not do this for your comrades, or your families. You do not do this for the sake of your clan, or your clan head. You do not do this for your Hokage, or for your village. You do not do this for your daimyo, or your country. You do all of this for me, and me alone. I will spill blood for your sake just as freely as you would shed it for me, and I want you to keep that in your hearts forever. Understand that because of this bond we share, the only loyalty you will ever truly have, unchanged by time or place, is to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I nod, satisfied. "Good. Be at ease, my darlings."

They all relax a bit at that.

"Is there anything else, Nami?" I ask her.

"Nothing for now. Everyone, you're dismissed. Feel free to leave at your own pace, and remember the time for our next meeting. We want to get our hands on the incoming crate of tea before the elders put their grubby hands all over it," she says.

"Oh my. Has that been a problem lately?"

"They're always messing with our deliveries these days. Of course, they don't know about the true nature of our group...they're just annoying and greedy. You know how rich old people get."

"Indeed."

"Our other guests are in the next room. Probably talking up a storm about their studies, if I had to guess. This way," Nami says as she leads me out. I turn to blow a kiss to the girls, and they all wave back happily.

"Every single one of them would lay down their lives for you," Nami says as we walk. "Just as I would."

"We should be prepared for such an outcome, but if I have my way, it won't ever come to that," I reply. "I don't want to see anyone used as simple pawns for my advance. I plan to become the most magnificent tyrant this world has ever seen, for the sake of all living beings."

"Hearing that makes my skin tingle...a magnificent tyrant. I would love to see that come to pass," she says with a smile. "Deliciously chunni, as one might say."

"Hmph. We've gotten bold lately."

"I figured you would like just a bit more spice in your life. Here we are."

She slides open the door in front of us.

"When you add water to it, it decreases the structural integrity of the element. Which makes sense, right? They're at different points on the wheel and water has a fluid nature to it. But you can also make use of it in specific quantities to make the chakra bend instead of branch, and so on. You're not worrying about the channels at that point, see. That's how Storm Release works. Turns the technique structures into beams in practical use."

Sitting on the floor next to a wooden table are Yuno and Dark, who became siblings shortly before I left the village. Yuno looks as lovely as ever, and has mostly stuck to what worked for her before. The bob-cut with the silver streak on the left, and the pink lipstick of course. A few new piercings along both ears. As for today's outfit, it's a red skirt with striped stockings, paired with a green jacket that has leaves running down the arms. There are many zippered pockets on it, to boot. Well, that makes sense. Women do love their pockets. She has wristbands that alternate between pink and blue as well.

Phantom the Dark, also known as Koichi, on the other hand...mm. He's made himself into a fine specimen. Taller, visibly more muscular, no longer has his hair fixed with cement. It's tied up a bit at the back but otherwise is long and loose around his head. Like one of those alternative musicians. He has the mail shirt on underneath a vest as usual, and swapped his cargo shorts for cargo pants. The all-black look is in for him this time around. He also has the same coloured wristbands as Yuno.

"Have you considered it?" I ask Nami quietly.

"I did. Of course, life is full of interesting surprises," she replies as the others talk away.

"Do tell."

"Do you remember the mousy blonde girl who was training in Cryptology?"

"Really? Wow...Shiho is a sneaky little fox, isn't she?"

"From what I understand, Miss Kosugi was giving them each gentle nudges. You know how bad she felt about what happened before."

"Mm. Interesting to know...good for her. Courting someone closer to his age is a much healthier thing." I wonder how they got together in the first place. Perhaps the connections between Cryptology and the Aviary helped...and Kosugi is working the former area now, isn't she? Well, I can always ask in detail later. "Salutations, my darlings. I have returned at last to see you both."

"Lili? Oh my gosh, I can't believe what I'm seeing...seriously, no way."

"The mistress of shadows returns triumphantly. Her power and aura have grown to terrifying degrees..."

"A twenty on the ten scale, like...an ultra super model. But the most important part is that she's back!"

"Indeed."

"I did miss you both, and I'm glad to see you well," I say. "Let's have our hugs."

I give Yuno a warm squeeze, then do the same to Dark. The four of us sit around the table together afterwards.

"So you were our surprise guest the whole time. No wonder Miss Nami here was playing so coy, hehe. Pretty sweet. Big bro over here noticed that you powered up, so I take it your trip went well enough?"

"It very much did. I've learned quite bit while strengthening my body at the same time. I do believe that I'm ready to take on the world and win. Ah, thank you kindly." Nami pours a cup of tea for me and slides it over gently. "How have you been?"

"Super great! I have like, the best family ever now. Thanks to you, of course," Yuno says with a smile. "A couple of people took it hard when I came out as a girl for real, but they were nothing compared to all the people who gave me support at the same time. Things are kinda getting normal...ish, though I'm not in the field as much anymore. Doing a bunch of research on jutsu, figuring out just how they tick, bloodline limits, all that. It's been so much fun, and I know all this hard work will lead to a breakthrough one day soon."

"Yes. Yuno has been working diligently towards greater understanding of jutsu and application to different parts of life. Her talents have grabbed the attention of Lord Hokage and other village leaders," Dark says.

"Don't be so modest, you big goof. You and Mom helped me out a lot. You, especially. Always nice to have a brother who will hang out and do experiments with you for hours and hours, you know? We covered a lot of ground!"

"It was only natural. After all, an older brother is born to shepherd his siblings into the future safely. The gentle cry of the sheep stirs up the heart with affection. So it is when I hear your triumphant laugh, my sister."

"Stop that! You're gonna make me melt in front of the fancy ladies," Yuno complains playfully. "You chatterbox, you."

"They get along well, don't they," Nami says.

"You're entirely too sweet, both of you. And you're making me miss Rose terribly," I say.

"How's your little sis doing?"

"She is doing splendidly. I have pictures for you here...she's already learned to water walk by now." I hand everyone a photo each.

"Wow, really? Gosh...and she's so adorable, too! No wonder you gush about her so much."

"A new angel brought into the world. She will become a terrifying new force in time, much like her older sister," Dark says.

"An interesting observation," I reply.

"Where you will become light, I know she will be contented with resting in your shadow, and putting a stop to anything that might bring you harm. Such is the way for those who are bonded together in spirit."

I nod. "Astute of you. But I should hardly expect less from the consumer of this world's baleful dark essence."

"Yes. As the darkness grows, so too does my insight."

"He's a special jounin now, by the by," Nami interjects.

"Oh, congratulations."

"Thank you, Shadow Mistress. I will use my newfound power to help further your goals, as always."

"I'm sure that your mother is quite proud of you for your achievement. How is she, by the way?"

"Doing great for herself," Yuno says. "Way more relaxed, too. Got herself a new job working on computer hardware. She says it's soothing, but I don't think I get it. Neither does Aniki."

"Her serenity is welcomed, but her aims remain mysterious."

I sip my tea. "I see...very interesting." I hadn't expected that out of Kyouko, but...I suppose getting a new daughter really did energize her beyond expectation.

"Also, also! The three of us here have been on the hunt the past few years! We're looking for a technique, a special one. It's the origin of all jutsu. The original jutsu, even."

"The original jutsu?" I ask.

"The story of shinobi starts with the legend of the Sage of Six Paths, who is said to have created the world we live in today," Nami explains. "It's our belief that while there were a variety of jutsu created by different people in different places...the originator of all jutsu would have a singular technique that would give rise to everything else. It would encompass the functions of all jutsu to ever exist. It would distort, and even destroy the line between dreams and reality." She takes a sip of tea. "Completely, and utterly. Not like that jutsu the Uchiha used to barely keep up with the Senju in the Warring States Era."

"Ah. So you know of that art, too. Would you have an idea of its composition?" I ask.

"Therein lies the issue. Much like the Susano'o, the true composition of that art would be a complete mystery to us. I highly suspect any Hyuuga who would have possibly witnessed such things has been long dead from those bloody battles or passed on of old age, and who could say if those who remain from those days have any remaining recollections at all? In addition, poking around too much for such information will cause the numerous clan busybodies to stick their noses into our business without even the flimsiest pretense."

"Unfortunate."

"Indeed."

"We'll definitely figure it out," Yuno says. "What we want to do is look over notes on the existing bloodline selection things, for example. Think there's only the one, and it's called Dust Release."

"I've heard of it," I say. "It combines three different nature transformations. Earth, Wind, and Fire. The jutsu are said to be able to disintegrate people and objects at the molecular level."

"Yeah, it's wild. And there's only one living user, the Third Tsuchikage. He's super old, but I guess that's part of why nobody's been able to bump him off yet. If it's anything like bloodline limits, he inherited it from the previous Tsuchikage's bloodline..."

"No. I looked into that, and they weren't related. It's something that can be passed to any person who meets the requirements, in theory. I want to say that it requires more than just having those three elements available...likely to be some secret mechanism that allows the jutsu to be taught to those who are compatible."

"Maybe a balance thing?"

"Maybe so." I think for a moment. "Ask Erika about this. She has contacts in Earth Country, and they might be able to pull together enough information that you can make use of."

"I'll do that. Thanks a bunch, Lili."

"You're very welcome. I'm quite happy to see your progress, and heartily encourage it. Of course, I have my own motives, hmhm."

Yuno smiles. "That's just fine with me. You're like, everything. So I'll be there for you the moment you call. Changing the world together, right?"

"That's right." I finish my tea and stand up. "Well. I would rather not leave so soon, but I have a few things I want to take care of during local business hours. Was there anything we needed before I left?"

Yuno puts a hand under her chin. "Hmm...something...I forget what, though."

"I believe you were going to inquire about a certain jutsu. You were mumbling about it the other day," Nami says.

"That's right, that's right. I wanted to study your signature technique, Lili."

"Mobius, then. How detailed do you need the notes?"

"Everything you have, if that's okay."

"I'll have it sent to your box at the research station."

"Awesome. Thanks so much!"

I reach into my handbag and give Nami a certain scroll. "That's for your eyes only, and this..." I hand her another one. "Is for you and the girls."

"Thank you, Lili."

"Give me a call soon, yes? I'm at the usual hotel for now with Fio."

"I will." She stands up and we hug each other. "Thank you for making time for us."

"What kind of mistress would I be if I didn't tend to my darlings?" I say with a smile. "Be well, Nami. I love you dearly."

"I love you too." She smiles back, blushing lightly.

"Yuno, continue your good work. You're getting cuter by the day, and you're going to help us change the world. Hold your head up high."

"Yes, ma'am." She hugs me tightly.

"And of course, the Blackened Knight of the Abyss himself. Continue your vigilance, o great consumer of darkness."

"It shall be done, Shadow Mistress."

"Good. By the by, how is our knight in training doing?"

"Eddie has earned his place at the table of the lords. He has ascended to true knighthood," Dark says.

"It's so awesome. We threw him a party and everything when he got back," Yuno says. "He's away right now doing some esoteric knight stuff, but should be back again soon. We'll tell him you said hi!"

"Lovely to hear. I will update Ane-ue on this matter, so that we can properly send our congratulations. Let me take my leave for now, before I completely forget to do so. Take care, my darlings."

I leave the room and slide the door closed behind me. They're already talking away about other things, which is good. Having an industrious set of partners is a great blessing.

There's no way that I can do this alone, after all.

"Let's see, now...right. More scroll collection, and a stop at Intelligence. I did want to pick up those books, too. Have to see how bad the ending gets for myself. Then there's that place Hina recommended for night wear..."

I check my mirror and put on another layer of lip gloss. All set. It's time to hit the town again.