HIDDEN MOON III - SUSPICIONS AND SECRETS
The following morning, Team Five get up bright and early to prepare for the day ahead.
Kashiwama, Genzai, and Jiriki weren't really given any concrete directions; they were just told to wait in front of their apartment first thing in the morning. 08:00 to be exact. As soon as they open their front door with time to spare, they're met by the cheery faces of Tambo and Hifumi, who've been charged to be their teammates for their stay.
"Gooood morning!" Hifumi gives an energetic greeting.
"Good morning!" Kashiwama matches her zeal.
"I trust you slept well?" Tambo looks between the three boys.
"Yes, sir!" They answer in unison.
"Good," Tambo nods, "Because we're doing some physical labour today."
"Actually, what is our mission?" Genzai asks. "We weren't really briefed."
"We'll be going to Kōfu Town, a couple hours away. They've requested help in their quartz mines, so we'll be tasked with heavy lifting and possible surveying. We'll get all the details on the spot. With your unique talents, I think we might just be the best for this job, don't you think?" He gives a bright smile.
"We do kind of have experience with that." Genzai turns to Jiriki with a light chuckle. "Except we caused a cave-in instead of mining."
Jiriki chortles. "Hopefully there won't be any giant ants this time." He recalls his collapsing of a cave to take down a giant warrior.
"Woah, giant ants?! You gotta tell me more." Hifumi looks at them with starry eyes.
"You can swap stories on the road. If we're all set, let's just go."
The five of them speed off to Kōfu Town, with Tambo taking the lead and Kashiwama sticking close to the front.
Along the way, Genzai regales Hifumi with tails of their missions, mostly the interesting stuff like taking on a nest of giant ants, even though Shino-sensei took down the vast majority.
"Wow." Hifumi wisps in admiration. "You guys have had some cool adventurers."
"Hasn't your team been on any C-rank missions?" Genzai asks. "Surely you qualify for them."
Hifumi gives an embarrassed smile. "Uncle Tambo and I haven't really been on any more dangerous missions."
"Actually, where even is the rest of your team?" Jiriki asks, finally joining the conversation.
"Um, this is it." Hifumi states with a nervous smile. "You're looking at it."
Jiriki raises a skeptical eyebrow. "A two-man cell?"
"That's right." Tambo chimes in from the front. "We form our units a bit differently in the Hidden Moon Village- we don't take on a set number of students. I've only taken Hifumi for now, but some take on as many as five."
"But… How do you complete missions with just the two of you?" Genzai asks.
"We're simply given missions that we're equipped to handle, or are paired with other teams." Tambo clarifies. "It's how we've done it until now."
"That sounds pretty awesome!" Kashiwama exclaims. "You get more personal time and can prove your own strength."
Hifumi breathes a sigh of relief that at least someone doesn't think badly of this system.
"We still have that at home, though." Jiriki shakes his head. "Genin training with our sensei, and personal training at home."
"Is it… bad? How we do things" Hifumi hesitantly asks.
Kashiwama slows down to their pace and pats her on the shoulder. "I think you're doing great." He grins.
Tambo only looks back, wondering where his niece's discomfort is coming from. "We're getting close." He decides to save that conversation for later.
"Yes, sir." The Genin get back into proper formation for the last stretch of travel.
-x-
Kōfu Town
The Kōfu Mines are actually located outside of the town itself, so the team makes a direct bee-line there. It's a rather wide quarry, with dozens of platforms raised to reach the multiple levels of the mines, and make transporting needed equipment up and down more easy. With pulley systems and an elevator-like structure, they're able to get things up and down as needed.
At the very base of the quarry are the most cave openings and that's where there're tracks visible going into them and several minecarts lined up, ready to roll in and transport ores out.
At this time, the miners seem to be taking a break so finding their way shouldn't be a problem.
"Excuse me." Tambo approaches one of the workers. "I'm from the Hidden Moon, I'd like to speak to your foreman."
"Ah, you're the shinobi we been waiting for, huh? Good thing you showed up." The man points to one of the upper levels of the quarry, at a man dressed in a bright orange vest as opposed to the bright yellow everyone else seems to be wearing. "That man in orange there? That's our foreman Kakeru."
"Thank you kindly." Tambo nods and motions for the kids to follow him.
The miners whistle in admiration as the five shinobi effortlessly whoosh up the quarry. "Now that's a handy skill to have…"
At the upper level, Tambo approaches the man that was pointed out to him who's in the middle of giving instructions to his miners. "Kakeru?"
Kakeru turns around. "Yes, who's asking?"
"I'm Tambo Sugibashi of the Hidden Moon Village and these are my charges. We're here on your request, I believe."
"Ah, of course! It's nice to meet you." The two exchange a handshake. "I'm glad you've agreed to do this."
"The mission report didn't actually specify what specifically we'd be doing. We're hoping for a bit more detail so we know what we're meant to do."
Kakeru scratches his chin. "Well, that's where a bit of a problem lies."
Jiriki mutters under his breath. "Of course there's a problem."
"Initially, we just needed some heavy lifting and to use your ninjutsu to expand the caves below, but we ran into a problem. Gas."
"Wasn't me, I swear!" Kashiwama raises his hands in defence.
Jiriki facepalms.
"No, I mean poisonous gas. We struck where we shouldn't have and apparently hit a vein. Some of my guys got sick before we realized what happened. It's an absolute mess. I don't suppose you can somehow deal with that, can you?"
Tambo looks back to the Genin. "Well, team, what do you think?"
Jiriki looks around at the ground beneath him, where the mine entrance is. He focuses for a moment before the veins around his eyes pop.
[Byakugan]
"Woah." Hifumi looks closely. "So that's the Hyūga clan's Byakugan?"
"What can you see?" Genzai asks.
"There's definitely faint traces of poison in the air, but it's manageable at this stage. The source is outside of my range, though." Jiriki answers.
"Ah, yeah, the vein we hit is further in." Kakeru says, slightly taken aback by the boy's sudden display.
"Do you believe it'd be possible to block the source of the gas?" Tambo asks the foreman.
The man just shrugs. "If you know of a safe way. We can't use our explosives 'cause of the gas or the whole place will go off and we'll be back at square 1."
"Oh, oh!" Kashiwama raises his hand and jumps with excitement. "I can collapse the cavern with my Earth Style."
"Alright, there we go." Tambo smiles. "Hifumi, do you think you'd be able to blow the gas away?"
Hifumi scratches her head. "Maybe? I've never used it like this…"
"There's a first time for everything." Tambo reassures her.
"I might be able to clear the air, as well." Jiriki adds.
The foreman then chimes in. "You might get better results working with the other shinobi, no?"
"Other shinobi?" Tambo raises a brow.
"That would be us." A voice calls from the side.
Two figures approach, both adorned with Hidden Moon Village forehead protectors. One being the clear superior of the duo, a tall man with spiky grey hair and loose dark purple robes. The shorter boy wears a contrasting green attire, with a sleeveless robe top and detached sleeves on his arm; from underneath his hat, orange hair is visible. The man carries himself in a stoic manner while the boy merrily trots forward with his hands behind his head.
"I pardon the unannounced arrival." The man adds.
"No, that's quite alright. I just wasn't informed anyone else would be here. It's good to see you, Shinga."
"You as well, Tambo Sugibashi" Shinga nods. "I don't believe you've met my charge Dōshin."
Dōshin merrily waves. "Helloo!"
"No, we haven't had the chance. It's good to meet you, Dōshin."
"This is my own charge, Hifumi, and these are our guests from the Shinobi Union- Kashiwama Senju, Genzai Sarutobi, and Jiriki Hyūga."
Kashiwama and Hifumi both eagerly wave back, while Genzai and Jiriki give a more muted greeting.
"We were actually coming back from a mission of our own and stopped in Kōfu to rest, which is when we heard of the issues plaguing the mine. I hope we're not overstepping."
"No, not at all. It's always good to have back-up."
"We will aid in whatever way we can."
"Sure will!" Dōshin salutes.
Tambo reaches into his pack and takes out a rebreather to place over his mouth. The rest of his team, including the newly arrived Shinga and Dōshin do the same.
"Set your radio to station TG-1012." Tambo instructs them as they all connect their radios to their rebreathes, before setting down into the gas-filled caverns.
Thankfully, being prepared for any situation is one of the shinobi's creeds so they carry gear for most any situation. The rebreathers are good for poison and, depending on the attachments, underwater infiltration. For this, hopefully they won't need to venture underwater.
With instructions on where exactly the gas leak originated from and with Jiriki's [Byakugan] keeping a very close eye on the situation, they're good to go.
Jiriki is able to focus in on the most minor details and, while still having plenty of growth to do, is able to differentiate where the gas is more condensed.
"Should we clear the air now?" Hifumi asks through the radio.
"Not yet." Tambo says. "If we don't deal with the source, whatever we remove will just have more gas take its place. Shinga, Dōshin, do you have jutsu that might deal with the remnant gas?"
Shinga shakes his head. "I'm afraid not currently, but I may have a method. Fūinjutsu, crafted to seal away dangerous gases."
"How long would it take you to prepare it?" Tambo asks.
"Perhaps half an hour." Shinga answers.
"Alright, could you begin working on that as soon as we clear the caverns?"
Shinga nods. "Very well."
"I might be able to do something with my Earth Style and Fire Style?" Dōshin says.
"Fire Style would be far too dangerous; it could set off a massive explosion depending on the kind of gas. Earth Style will definitely work well, though. You can work with Kashiwama here to seal off caverns and keep this mess contained." Tambo motions to the young Senju.
"Roger." Dōshin salutes.
Kashiwama raises an open palm. "We got this!"
"Yeah, we do!" Dōshin high fives him.
Tambo leads them through the caverns with Jiriki now being close enough to be able to confirm that they are indeed going in the right direction. He can clearly see the source of the problem not far away- a cavern that was very clearly abandoned in the middle of work, presumably in a rush to evacuate once the miners discovered the problem.
Tambo looks around the cavern and assesses the situation. "Jiriki, how familiar are you with structural integrity?"
"Familiar enough." Jiriki responds. "I can instruct Kashiwama and Dōshin what to break and what not."
"Good." Tambo nods. "You three find out how to best close this gas leak while the rest of us carry the equipment back out."
With their roles made clear, they get to work. For the collecting team, there's quite a few things to gather. There's carts of ores and rocks that were in the process of being filled that Tambo and Shinga push back to the entrance, being bigger and stronger than their students. Pickaxes, flashlights, protective gear is also strewn about that Genzai and Hifumi carry out.
When Tambo and Shinga push out the minecarts outside for the miners to take over, Shinga sits down by the entrance with an empty scroll and an inkwell, to begin the process of setting up a seal to specifically target poison gas.
Tambo, Hifumi, and Genzai, meanwhile, begin disassembling the cart tracks that lead into the cavern that will be destroyed once the other team has finished their surveying.
It takes the better part of half an hour for the cavern to be fully clear of anything that should be buried, just in time for Shinga to finish his scribing and prepare for the main thing.
With Jiriki's surveying done, and Kashiwama and Dōshin possessing all the necessary information, they know exactly where to collapse for minimum damage to the mine.
Tambo goes inside while Genzai, Hifumi, and Shinga wait outside.
"Tambo-sensei, shouldn't you wait outside, too?" Kashiwama asks with a hint of concern.
"I couldn't possibly. I'm the leader for this mission so I need to be here to get you out, on the off chance something goes wrong."
With everything set, Kashiwama and Dōshin give each other a confirming nod and they act simultaneously.
[Earth Style: Earth Wall]
Their first order of business- seal away the chamber that the miners accidentally opened during their work. They created earthen walls beyond what they can even see, in an attempt to create new walls to keep the gas in check.
Jiriki scans around with his Byakugan. "Alright, I think it worked. Now bring the whole place down."
Kashiwama looks back at him. "Well… Not the whole place, right?"
"You know what I mean!"
Next, they step completely out of the chamber and form a new set of hand signs.
[Earth Style: Earth Lodging Destruction]
A jutsu created specifically for situations like this, when you need to bring down a cave on someone's head. They localize it to only tear down certain part of the ceiling and bring it crashing down. In mere seconds, the chamber collapses and becomes blocked off with rubble.
Jiriki scans it once more.
With the earthen walls created first, a degree of stability was given to the chamber to allow for the rubble to be funneled in a way to better block the dangerous chambers below. Now there's no way for it to get inside the mines.
"Mission accomplished." Jiriki states.
"Alright!" Kashiwama jumps from joy.
"That was also." Dōshin laughs.
"You're certain it's completely blocked off?" Tambo asks.
Jiriki nods. "Certain."
"I know you've already exhausted yourself with the surveying, but you mentioned you could also help with clearing it, correct?"
"Don't worry, I'm still good to go."
Tambo nods in confirmation and turns on his radio. "Hifumi, Shinga, we're prepared for clearing the gas."
"Roger that." Shinga responds.
The miners who're sitting and waiting outside had a bit of a scare when the tremors hit but were very pleased to hear the task was successfully done.
Shinga enters with his sealing scrolls and places it in a more central position where there's a larger gathering. With a few handsigns, the jutsu formulae begin to glow and a mark appears in a central empty part of the scroll.
[Poison Sealing Method]
The poison around him begins to swirl and slowly be sucked into the center of the sealing scroll.
From their positions deeper into the corridors, Jiriki and Hifumi act, as well.
Gathering chakra around his arms, Jiriki thrusts forward to unleash a blast of wind that fills the entire cavern and sends the gas toward Shinga.
[Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm]
On her side, Hifumi takes out a few steel wires, lodged between her fingers, and sends them out to latch onto the walls. By sending her chakra through them, the wires begin to hum and each give off a whirl of wind chakra. With a flick of her wrists, the wires lash out and whip the air away.
[Wind Style: Sympathetic Vibrations]
Slowly, Hifumi and Jiriki fan the remaining poison toward Shinga's seal, while the others rest up. They go through each corridor and when certain parts are free of gas, Shinga moves the scroll to a place that's closer to other pockets of poison. In chambers with a lesser concentration, Hifumi's ability to manipulate her wires proves better at gathering the remaining poison for it to be sealed.
After about an hour or so of thorough air manipulation, the three of them exit the mine.
The foreman profusely thanks all the shinobi and the miners give a big round of applause for a job excellently done.
"I can't thank you enough." The foreman says.
"Man, having these abilities would save us a lotta time." One of the miners says.
"Think I can become a ninja?" Another says in a half-joke.
"You?" His friend laughs. "As if!"
Tambo smiles at the miners' cheering but has to give a reminder. "That being said, we still actually have to complete the mission we originally came for- expand the cavern system so you can mine deeper."
"Oh, right." The foreman rubs his neck in embarrassment, having grown too excited to remember the work still isn't finished.
Tambo then turns to the two shinobi who came in unexpectedly. "Shinga, Dōshin, I can't thank you enough. I don't know what we would've done without your aid."
"I'm certain you would have found a way, Tambo."
"Maybe, but your fūinjutsu saved us hours of work. When we return I'll tell Lady Tsukino of your contribution."
"You're certain you don't need us to stay further?"
"I couldn't possibly ask you to do any more than you've already done."
"Then we'll take our leave." Shinga nods.
The foreman walks up to them and offers an extended hand. "Can't let you leave without giving my thanks, too."
"There's no need." Shinga returns the handshake and turns away to leave.
Kashiwama runs up to Dōshin and offers a handshake of his own. "Hey, you were pretty awesome back there! Maybe we'll get to work together again."
Dōshin shakes his hand and gives a less cheerful smile than he's given until now. "I'm sure we'll meet again."
-x-
On a hill overlooking Kōfu Town, Shinga and Dōshin look back toward the mine, taking a moment to stop and consider their options.
"What do you think, Dōshin?"
"They're okay." Dōshin's lip twist into a comical grin. "Do you think the Leaf will be a problem?"
"The Leaf are usually a problem." Shinga groans in exasperation. "We'll need to tread carefully."
"They didn't have what you need?" Dōshin asks.
Shinga shakes his head. "No. Hopefully when our... friends… open up the mines, they'll find what we're looking for."
"Sure was nice of them to help us." Dōshin cackles.
"Let's go. We've wasted enough time."
-x-
With the gas removed, Tambo, Hifumi, and Team Five are free to finish their actual mission. This one, however, relies greatly on Jiriki once again, with his immensely useful Byakugan.
With prior surveying from the miners and his x-ray vision to confirm what they'd found, he can direct Kashiwama to use his Earth Style to create tunnels and [Earth Walls] to strengthen the structures.
All the while the rest handle the heavy lifting by carrying equipment inside and extending the tracks to reach further in so they can get the carts in.
It takes the better part of the day but they ultimately manage to do their mission and do it better than the miners could've expected.
While the Genin are out doing their own thing, Shino has something of great importance to verify; Tsukino's claims that they were somehow protected from the Divine Tree's effects by their own Sacred Tree.
He has no reason to doubt her words since there's not much reason to lie about something to this extent. His ability to judge someone's character might not always be accurate, especially against those trained to keep secrets, but he'd say he has a solid grasp on the village head.
He's currently being escorted by Tsukino herself and two other Moon shinobi through a series of underground caverns, the entrance of which were just outside the village.
"So, some roots of the Divine Tree still remain here?" Shino asks for clarification.
Tsukino nods. "Yes. We destroyed them as much as we can so they're no longer near the surface, but they run deep underground."
"We'd run into the same issues. No matter how much we destroyed, we never could destroy them fully. It's simply too much work, even for the Aburame clan's swarm of kikaichū."
"Do you plan on using them now, as well?" She asks.
"Indeed." Shino nods. "My kikaichū have passed on the knowledge of the Divine Tree's composition onto the future generations. I spent the evening breeding more kikaichū under the assumption that your Sacred Tree and the Divine Tree share similarities, if they're in some ways linked to one another."
"That's certainly thinking ahead."
"As I said, I prefer to be thorough with my work."
As they walk for a few more minutes through the underground tunnels, they finally reach a wide chamber where the roots of the Divine Tree are all present. They've been very clearly cut down to a great degree, to place them as far away from the village while also keeping them close enough to reach for cases such as this.
The walls are lined with a series of tags placed at set intervals, as are each of the numerous severed roots that protrude from the ground at around knee height. Each tag also has jutsu formulae that spread from it and across the roots.
Shino looks around to inspect the tags put in place. "Seals and barriers, I presume set to go off if there's any activity from the roots?"
"You're correct, although I don't know how good they'd do against something that eats chakra, but it's the only measure we really have."
"It's good to be prepared, if nothing else. Will I be able to work without disrupting the tags?"
Tsukino motions to the two Moon shinobi that are accompanying them. "Deactivate them."
The two do as instructed, going to each and every tag connected to the closest root. As they do, the formulae rescind back into the tag where they can then safely take it off while Shino works.
Shino himself unclips a harness slung over his shoulder and places his gourd on the ground. "Before we continue, I'd like to hear your recollection of what happened six years ago. How did the Goshinboku protect the village?"
Tsukino sighs as she looks over the roots. "It all happened so fast… I didn't even see all of it; we pieced it together from what different people saw. Before we could even register what was happening, these roots sprouted from the ground and started wrapping people in these… cloth-like leaf things. Before it could grab all of us, the barrier around the Goshinboku shattered and its roots spread across and… took over. It bore into the Divine Tree's roots and apparently drained them of life. Those of us who were wrapped up were freed and… that's basically it. We got our bearings, started destroying them, and later found out what actually happened from the Five Great Nations."
Shino scratches his chin. "So the Goshinboku sprang to life and acted against the Divine Tree."
"That's basically it. I'm sorry, I know it's not really much to go on…" Tsukino hangs her head.
"Actually, it gives me exactly the information I need." Shino states.
Tsukino looks up to him with a raised brow. "How so?"
"You see, during the clean-up process to destroy the roots, we of the Aburame clan were a vital part of the process. Our beetles could dig into them and eat them from the inside. Of course, the dormant chakra proved too much for the initial generations until we could raise beetles immune to its effects and a single Aburame was enough to clean up a single city."
"Is the chakra somehow important to this?"
"It is." Shino nods in response. "The chakra levels of the Divine Tree became ingrained in my beetle and that information was in turn transferred to me, and last night I transferred it to this new generation." He takes off the gourd's lid, allowing a swarm of kikaichū to fly out. Their buzzing only intensifies once they're free and fill the cavern. With a single gesture on Shino's part, they fly toward the root and dig into it. "If the Divine Tree roots didn't in fact hold your people for long then their residual chakra will be much lower than other places'. At the very least, that will be all I need to verify your words."
The two Moon shinobi immediately skid away from the insects, not wanting to be anywhere near them.
Tsukino looks on with awe at the famed Aburame clan's command of beetles. "That's incredible. To think you're capable of even doing that…"
"It's a talent we've honed for hundreds of years."
"You two," Tsukino motions to the two shinobi, "Release other roots, as well."
"Yes, ma'am." They nod, thankful to have a reason to get even further away from the beetles.
"I realize this may be too much to ask," Shino speaks with a hint of hesitation, "But would you allow me to use my kikaichū on the Goshinboku, as well?"
"The same way you're using them now?" Tsukino asks.
"In a similar way. Less damaging. That's because… I only intend to send several smaller ones to inspect its chakra and see if it bears any similarities to the Divine Tree."
Tsukino takes a moment to think the idea over. "My father would've definitely thrown a fit over this, but…" She lets out a deep sigh, "Very well. This is why I invited the Shinobi Union, after all- to find out what the Goshinboku is and how it relates to the Divine Tree."
Shino gives an understanding nod. "I promise the tree won't be damaged."
For the next hour, Shino's kikaichū go through some of the roots to have a bigger sample to work with when comparing the results to those of six years ago. After finishing with each root, the beetles fly out and immediately return to Shino's hand.
Tsukino merely watches on as Shino stands completely motionless with a bug on his hand, until the bug eventually… keels over and falls dead on the floor.
"Are they… supposed to do that?" She finally asks.
"They have a shorter life cycle than average. Even if it's been dormant for years, the Divine Tree's chakra is powerful and this generation hasn't built up the resistance for it. Not that they need it for this particular task."
"So they're doing what they're supposed to? Have you gained any further insight?"
"I have." He nods. "I've confirmed your recollection of events. The chakra within these roots is much less potent than in ones found elsewhere. This confirms that these have not fed on as much chakra as they would have if you'd been caught in them as we were."
"So, now you just need to look at the Goshinboku."
"I don't yet know how much I can glean from it but that is the next step, yes."
Tsukino turns to her shinobi. "Re-apply the seals and barriers. I'll escort Shino Aburame back."
"Yes, ma'am."
-x-
Taking the time to leave the caverns and head back into the village, Tsukino once again leads Shino up the tower to pass by the barrier.
Unlike the previous day, there are actually people present now. A dozen what appear to be gardeners currently roam the platform and tend to the various plants and shrubbery, but most attention is given to the Goshinboku.
Tsukino did say that the sap has many medicinal and herbal applications, so these must be the ones who extract it from the sacred tree and ensure it's not harmed in the process.
Tsukino grabs the attention of one man in particular, calling him over. "A moment, please." When the man approaches, she introduces them to each other. "Higure, this is Shino Aburame, the representative from the Hidden Leaf."
"A pleasure to meet you." Higure bows.
"And this is Higure Kuchinashi, he's the head caretaker of the Goshinboku. Has been since I was a little girl."
"You, as well." Shino returns the bow.
"What can I help you with, Lady Tsukino?" The caretaker asks.
"Shino wishes to run some tests of his own on the Goshinboku, to help us in better understanding what we have and what happened six years ago."
Higure freezes in place in a brief state of panic as he looks between his leader and the foreign shinobi. "Ah…"
Tsukino notices his discomfort and reassures him. "It's alright, I told him everything. It's why he's here, after all."
"Yes, of course." The older man breathes a bit more easily now and bows his head. "So… how can I help?"
"For this process, I simply need free space to work. I'd also like to ask about the treatment the Goshinboku undergoes. How do you tend to it?"
Higure motions for Shino to follow him closer to the tree, explaining as they walk. "Well, the soil underneath is specially imported from the Land of Hot Waters. We've found that the Goshinboku responded best to that soil; I assume the hot springs give it special properties that resonated well with it. We also feed it with an extract of herbs, in addition to watering, that bolstered its vitality and gave the most potent sap."
Shino cocks his head in curiosity. "Why do you speak in the past tense?"
"Ah, hrm… The tree has not been in the best condition these past years; it's been producing lesser quality sap. We suspect that the incident six year ago has somehow been steadily weakening it."
"It's another reason we decided to call upon the Shinobi Union." Tsukino adds.
"I see."
When they reach the tree, Higure approaches a man kneeling at the base, pouring some sort of green liquid directly onto the roots. He has his head down causing his face to be hidden by his silky blonde hair. When they get close, the man does not look up.
"Hakui," Higure addresses the man, "Could I have one of the samples, to show our guest?"
"Yes, sir." Hakui responds without looking up. He places the vial he was using next to him and takes out a second vial of green liquid which he passes on to Higure.
Higure laughs. "Come now, you don't need to be shy in front of guests."
Over the years, Shino's picked up on a few skills. Being a person who stays back in social interactions, often not by his own choice, he's taken to observing how people interact. The person in front of him has his head low and at a glance he could be a naturally reserved individual who's too shy to interact. Shino, however, sees things differently. Hakui is keeping his head low not out of shyness; he just doesn't want to be seen. His demeanor and body language isn't that of a shy individual like he's seen plenty of times in Hinata.
Shino takes a mental note of everything around him. The clothes, the gear, the vials, the liquid. … The liquid…
"This is what we nurture it with." Higure hands the liquid to Shino which snaps him out of his observations.
"Thank you." Shino takes it after a second to gather himself again.
Hakui quickly gathers his things and makes his way to leave. "I'll give you room to work." He says in a quiet voice as he bows to Higure, head still kept low.
With a bit of effort, Shino manages to catch a glimpse of Hakui's face underneath the long hair just as the man leaves.
Setting that aside for now, Shino sends out one of his beetles to go into the vial and take a sip of the concoction they feed their Sacred Tree.
"Is knowing this process vital for your research?" Higure asks.
Shino nods. "Knowing what the tree is treated with will help me better discern its condition and its properties." He lifts the liquid to his nose and takes a whiff. "It's different from what we use in the Hidden Leaf to treat our trees."
"We've had to do much experimenting over the years to find what works best with the Goshinboku. We've imported herbs from all over the lands to find the right combination."
"Yet it's been proving less effective as of late, correct?"
"Sadly yes." Higure hangs his head. "We're yet to find a way to restore it."
Just as before, Shino places his gourd on the ground and opens the lid. A much smaller swarm flies out and heads right for the trees. Most of them remain on the surface, clinging onto the bark and leaves, while a select few bore into the tree itself.
Higure's jaw drops when he sees the tree abruptly assaulted by insects. "The Sacred Tree!"
"It's perfectly alright." Shino reassures him. "My kikaichū won't cause any permanent damage. They know how to maneuver to leave minimal traces of their presence and allow it to heal."
"But- It's not in the-" Higure tries to protest until Tsukino places a hand on his shoulder.
"If anyone would know how to do it, it's one of the Hidden Leaf. Trust in our new allies, Higure."
The process actually takes well over an hour to do. Shino would remain standing for the entire time while Tsukino and Higure decide to sit down at some point to observe the process.
From time to time, the kikaichū re-emerge from the tree and land on Shino's hand, which Tsukino learned is how they transfer information to their host.
They begin to somewhat admire Shino's ability to stand perfectly still and not show any signs of boredom or tiredness, especially when it's not even really needed.
After a very slow hour, Shino finally calls all of his kikaichū back into the ground and turns around to look at Tsukino and Higure.
"Did you learn anything?" Tsukino asks as she finally stands up.
"I did." Shino nods. "While it may be faint, this Goshinboku does share certain similarities to the Divine Tree."
"What- what does that mean for us?" Higure asks in an apprehensive tone, not liking the implications this may carry.
"It's difficult to say. We do know specifically how a Divine Tree is created so I doubt this is entirely connected. Biologically speaking, humans and apes also share a connection but are vastly different entities; this could be a similar case. It may simply be a tree that merely happened to absorb some chakra into it long ago, just as we humans did to become shinobi."
"So it's just a whole lot of speculation." Tsukino concludes.
"In short, yes." Shino confirms.
"Does that mean you won't harm the Goshinboku?" Higure asks.
"I certainly hope it won't come to it. There are still tests to be done, of course, and I hope to be able to assist your efforts in revitalizing it."
"If you're able to, that would be most welcome!" Higure exclaims.
"Do you think you'll be able to?" Tsukino looks toward the weakened tree.
"That's what I intend to find out, but it may take time."
"We'll give you as much as you need." Tsukino gives a firm nod.
Shino turns to the caretaker. "Higure-sensei, I'd also ask to be given access to your lab, to join in your efforts." But also to clear certain… suspicions that he has.
Higure looks to Tsukino who gives a confirming smile, before turning his attention back to Shino. "Consider it done." He extends a hand.
Shino accepts it and shakes the man's hand. "Thank you."
"We're the ones who should be thanking you." Higure smiles. "You've been… more accepting that we thought the Great Nations would be."
"Times are indeed changing." Shino smiles lightly.
"Then let's call it a day for now." Tsukino motions for the two to follow her out. "We can continue first thing in the morning. I'm sure you've exhausted a lot of chakra to command your beetles."
"It was chakra well spent, I believe."
Elsewhere in the Hidden Moon, Hakui frantically paces around a room that's only furnished with the bare minimum. He circles around a couch, actively avoiding sitting down.
He only stops when Shinga and Dōshin enter the room.
Shinga looks at Hakui's visibly panicked demeanor and raises a brow. "Did something happen?"
"The Shinobi Union rep, I ran into him at the Goshinboku."
"And?" Shinga prods for more information, already growing tired. "Was it someone you know? I heard it's an Aburame."
"Shino Aburame, yes. I don't know if he recognized me, I'd never met him before, but there's a chance he might know of me. Of us."
"Shino Aburame…" Shinga rubs his chin. "Was that Shibi Aburame's son? I forget."
Dōshin jumps over the backrest and lies down on the sofa. "If they become a problem we'll just kill them, right? Easy."
Hakui glares at the younger boy from the corner of his eyes. "I wouldn't underestimate the Leaf if I were you. You've never seen what the Aburame clan can do."
Dōshin waves off the unwanted warning. "But I've seen what the Genin can do and it's nothing of note. If it ever comes to it, I can take them on by myself."
"Hakui's right." Shinga advises caution. "You heard them introduce themselves. The Senju, Sarutobi, and Hyūga clans aren't to be underestimated."
"Yeah, yeah…" Dōshin doesn't sound convinced.
Shinga turns back to Hakui. "The chances of you being recognized are low, and Dōshin- non-existant. Myself, on the other hand; if this is indeed Shibi Aburame's son and if he's anything at all like his father, he may recognize me."
"I concur." Hakui nods. "It may be best for you to lay low until this Shinobi Union visit ends. How far along is our plan?"
"All we need is a pure enough quartz from the Kōfu Mines and we'll have everything we need. The power of the Divine Tree is within our grasp." Shinga's lips widen into a twisted grin.
Dōshin cackles with glee. "They'll never see it coming."
"I certainly hope you're right." Hakui adds.
Back in their apartment, Shino is flipping through a particular booklet. A small pocket book that holds in it information on specific shinobi; their faces, their allegiance, their misdeeds, and most importantly their bounty.
"Not this one, not this one…" Shino mutters to himself as he flips the pages. "Wrong face shape, wrong hair… A transformation is unlikely as that would require constant upkeep and physical changes can only do so much." When he reaches the final page, he shuts the book and places it by his side. "He's not in the bingo book so he's not a rogue ninja. So why is he so familiar?"
When the front door opens and his students' chattering fills the apartment, Shino puts the bingo book away and goes to meet them.
"We're back, Shino-sensei!" Kashiwama excitedly announces their return. "Did you miss us?" He jokes.
Shino smiles at his jovial attitude; seems like their first day went well. "I did. How did it go?"
"It went well, naturally." Jiriki drops his backpack by the entranceway and makes his way inside.
"We had to help nearby miners expand the mines." Genzai clarifies. "We widened the caverns, made new paths, and stabilized them."
"Thanks to my Earth Style!" Kashiwama pounds his chest.
"Thanks to his Earth Style, yes." Genzai chuckles.
The two boys leave their bags, as well, and head inside with their sensei.
"Did you work well with Tambo Sugibashi-sensei and Hifumi?" Shino asks.
"We did!" Kashiwama grins. "Tambo-sensei's really fun."
Jiriki looks back at them over the sofa's headrest. "I have to wonder how this village operates, though. They don't follow a set system and seem to just… do whatever they please."
"I do somewhat wonder the same thing." Genzai says. "Hifumi is Tambo's only student so that limits the missions they can take on and the chance of success if something goes wrong."
"It is indeed very different from how we do things , but the Hidden Moon Village has historically been more peaceful so they've found a system that works for them." Shino explains. "Remember, the Land of Iron and their samurai also follow a different system but have stayed a force to be reckoned with. You mustn't look down on something different. That's because… there's usually a good reason it's different."
"Yes, sensei." The Genin says in unison.
"Well I think it sounds pretty great." Kashiwama sits down on the sofa and takes up much more space than one person should, much to Jiriki's annoyance.
Genzai shrugs. "I suppose as long as we're doing our job."
"Not much of a job, though." Jiriki complains. "We're just doing manual labour like we always have."
"And in doing so are showing them how good you've become at it." Shino explains. "The teamwork you've built and creativity you've nurtured. That's your mission for the duration of our stay."
"What about your mission, sensei?" Kashiwama asks. "It going well?"
"It is. Differently than I thought but well. I'm actually going to send a report to inform the Hokage of our initial impressions and findings. So be sure to tell me how it went in greater detail."
"Leave it to me!" Kashiwama pounds his chest.
"Let's make it a team effort, yeah?" Genzai chuckles.
-x-
'After spending a day within the Hidden Moon Village, new information has come to light that needs to be brought to the attention of the Shinobi Union.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the citizens of the Hidden Moon Village did not fall victim to the effects of the Divine Tree due to the protection of a local tree referred to as Goshinboku, or The Sacred Tree. The Goshinboku sprouted large roots of its own that drained the Divine Tree and freed anyone who was captured.
With the aid of the Aburame clan kikaichū, I've determined that the roots under the Hidden Moon Village do not contain as much chakra as other roots, meaning that the ones here have not absorbed as much chakra, giving credibility to their recollection of events. After examining the Goshinboku, as well, I've determined it to have similarities to the Divine Tree, although their exact relationship remains a secret. The Goshinboku and its sap has been an invaluable resource to the Hidden Moon Village, providing medicine. I'll continue researching.
Team Five was also assigned their first mission to aid a mine in the nearby Kōfu Town. They proved invaluable to their efforts to expand the mine and open new chambers in search for ores and gemstones. They've built good relations with the team they were assigned to, as well as the local miners.'
-x-
"Is that enough?" Kashiwama asks as he peeks over Shino's shoulder.
"It's enough for now." Shino answers.
Genzai sits on a nearby chair, remaining oddly tense. "Is that tree really related to the Divine Tree?" He speaks up after a bit.
"It seems to be, yes."
"Are we… in danger? Could what happened six years ago happen again?" Genzai asks.
"Based on my findings so far, I don't believe so. Whatever the Goshinboku is, it doesn't seem to serve the same purpose as the Divine Tree so I do think we're not in any danger."
"But it's still uncertain, right?" Jiriki adds his own worries.
"Come on, guys, the tree's a savior. You heard what Shino-sensei said, it fought against the Divine Tree!" Kashiwama defends it.
"Maybe because it wanted to eat them itself." Jiriki adds a bit of dark humour. "Get rid of the competition."
"Come on, man, don't say that." Kashiwama lightly taps him across the shoulder. "We got no reason not to trust it and we have reasons to trust it. So it's all good!"
Jiriki blinks. "Your optimism is… staggering."
"But not entirely misplaced." Shino says. "While good to be cautious, we must examine it with a level head. Get all the necessary information before we pass judgement."
Genzai looks down at his feet, leaning on his legs. "I just don't want that to happen again."
"No one does." Shino gets up from his chair and walks over to Genzai, placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "I promise if I suspect even for a moment something may be awry, I'll inform you all right away. I won't allow my team to go through that again. For now, do as you have been, and trust in me."
Genzai looks up to Shino with a reassured smile. "Yes, sensei."
Kashiwama walks over and drapes an arm around Genzai's shoulders. "Come on, man, let's go watch TV."
"Yeah, let's." Genzai stands up and the two head for the door.
"We should train, prepare for our new missions tomorrow." Jiriki interjects.
"Oh, shush you. Let's have some fun." Kashiwama walks over with his hand still draped on Genzai's shoulder and the two wedge Jiriki in between them, leading their teammate out with them.
"It'll be good for you." Genzai chuckles.
"You're becoming worse by the day, Genzai…" Jiriki mumbles as he's lead out.
Shino smiles at his student's antics but quickly focuses his attention back to the scroll. He reported the main events that need reporting, but there's still something eating away at him. It's far too early to bring up any concerns without any evidence to back them up. It wouldn't do good to raise alarms when a relationship between the Union and the Moon aren't set in stone just yet.
Instead, Shino puts the inkwell back in his supplies kit and takes a different but similar-looking one. He takes a moment to think things over and dips his brush.
-x-
First thing next morning, Shino is taken by Yozora to their own Aviary so he could send the report to the Hidden Leaf. They do look over the contents to make sure all is in order and see a standard report on the status of the Goshinboku, which they'd already been briefed on, and on Team Five's performance. With nothing amiss, they strap it to a messenger hawk's leg and send it off to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Two days laters
Hokage's Office
Tsunade takes a dramatically deep sigh as she looks over the report on her desk, both hands on her head in disbelief. By her side, Shizune, Kakashi, and Shikamaru have an equally befuddled expression.
"First Naruto runs into trouble immediately upon arrival… And now this." Kakashi laments. "It's just one thing after another, isn't it?"
"If this tree truly does share a connection with the Divine Tree, it could pose a threat." Shikamaru warns.
"But it protected the shinobi of the Hidden Moon, didn't it?" Shizune adds. "It may be the antithesis to the Divine Tree."
"Either way, the fact that it's powerful enough to render the Divine Tree inert is cause for worry. Even if the tree itself is a force for good, its power could be used otherwise in the wrong hands."
Kakashi sighs. "If this information comes out to the public, there will definitely be some unsavoury types who'd want to exploit it."
Tsunade leans back in her chair and rests her head on her hand. "All the more reason for the Hidden Moon to join the Shinobi Union- so we can work on this together and make sure that doesn't happen. Unfortunately, Yamato will be busy at the Hidden Dream Village for a while longer. His particular skillset could've helped."
"Should we inform the rest of the Union?" Shikamaru asks.
Tsunade ponders for a moment, finger tapping on her cheek. "Leave it for now. Let Shino get the full picture before we jump into anything."
"The other leaders won't like that we didn't tell them right away." Shizune warns.
"Yes, I'm aware." Tsunade gives an exasperated sigh. "I'll handle that when it comes. For now, however, I'm somehow more worried about what else Shino has to say. If this is the public report, then what's so important that he had to hide it."
The rest look at their Hokage with a quizzical raised brow.
"What do you mean?" Shizune asks.
Tsunade simply taps on the scroll. "Didn't you notice? The ink Shino used." She pushes the scroll back and flips it around to face the other side of her desk.
"Ah!" Shikamaru finally realizes.
"We were so absorbed with the Goshinboku…" Kakashi sees it now as well.
A masked ANBU Flickers into the room in front of the desk, pale mask as they all are, red markings surrounding the eye and covering the forehead. The more notable additions to his outfit are a painting brush strapped to his side, along with a vial of black inky liquid.
The ANBU touches the scroll with two fingers and forms one-handed hand signs.
[Ninja Art: Living Ink]
The writing on the scroll shifts into an entirely new message. The words rearrange themselves to form the portrait of an androgenous man with long hair and the following text.
'During my stay I also encountered a man by the name of Hakui who's responsible for treating the Goshinboku.
Visibly between 25 and 30 years of age. Golden blonde hair, approximately 30 centimetres in length. Soft features, pointed chin. Eye shape and colour could not be seen.
No evidence of such a person was found in the bingo book, however I hold suspicion that he is someone in hiding. I have no concrete evidence of that as of yet. It's only a hunch.'
"Well that's odd." Tsunade raises a brow. "Shino doesn't strike me as someone to throw around baseless accusations."
"Maybe not..." Shikamaru takes a better look at the sketch, "But his hunches usually come out right. If he suspects this guy then there's got to be a reason for it."
"Moreover he kept this hidden from the Hidden Moon so he's not shared his suspicions with the village head." Shizune notes.
"Well, if our chosen representative has concerns, we ought to look into it." Kakashi says.
"I'm glad you agree. Kakashi, I leave it to you."
Kakashi sighs. "Yes, ma'am."
She then turns to the ANBU in front of her. "Sai, I want the ANBU's network on this, as well."
Sai bows his head, "Understood," and disappears to perform his newly assigned task.
"Let's hope it turns out to be nothing." Tsunade says. "After the Hidden Dreams incident, I'd rather we not get involved in something like this."
"Then I'll take my leave." Kakashi bows and heads out the office.
"I'll see what I can find, too." Shikamaru follows shortly after.
Tsunade groans in exasperation and reaches for the bottom-most drawer of her desk to pull out a bottle and two cups.
Shizune crosses her arms and taps her foot. "Is this really the time?"
"After everything?" Tsunade opens the bottle. "Yes."
"Shouldn't we focus our energy on finding out about this Hakui person?"
"And that's why I've assigned people to work on it. Stop being a prune and sit with me, tell me about Iruka and Shohei. I could use some pleasant news for a change." Tsunade wiggles a cup at Shizune.
Shizune stares down her mentor but is ultimately outstared. With a reluctant sigh, she sits down. "Just one." She warns.
"Uh huh. Sure." Tsunade laughs, knowing all too well how 'just one' usually goes.
Name Meanings
Higure Kuchinashi (くちなし ヒグレ, Kuchinashi Higure) - 'higure' = 'twilight' ; 'kuchinashi' = 'something unspoken'
Kakeru (カケル, Kakeru) - 'waning of the moon'
Trivia
Kōfu City, Yamanashi Prefecture is a city in Japan that produced quartz and amethyst.