Politics of Mice - Ghost

I wanted to confront Natsuhi with the new information…

I wanted to do it straight away…

I shouldn't.

I needed to think on it first.

I had gotten evidence of what had happened, but I had no real clue as to how it all tied together.

So for now, I waited.

I was Hei.

I was also annoyed…

This is going to be irritating.

…and suffering from a case of Deja Vu.

"Tatsuoki, this is Motoe and Funida, who I've been showing the ropes to. Motoe, Funida, this is Tatsuoki, who asked to join us. Stop glaring at him so we can get started."

For emphasis, I stomped my staff into the ground.

The two knuckleheads looked at each other, before turning back.

""Yes sensei.""

Just ignore it.

"Alright, we're going to start with a warm up…"

I had them do simple running this time.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Just ignore it.

"Sup?"

"Why bother with warming up?"

Tatsuoki seemed genuinely curious.

I'd figure his clan would have explained this to him.

…and they would probably know better than I did.

Motoe was about to explode on the poor kid.

"Motoe."

"Yes boss?"

He immediately forgot his anger and addressed me.

I have way too much influence over this kid.

"Explain it to him."

"Huh, why me boss?"

He asked, befuddled.

…because then I have plausible deniability when he figures out I've been bullshitting.

"To prove that you know it and that you can get along."

"Yes sir!"

This is too much, it's not like I'm Orochimaru-

It hit me.

These kids were being groomed so that Orochimaru could sweep in and 'save' them to earn their loyalty.

…I poached some of Orochimaru's fanatics!

He wouldn't be missing two anytime soon right?

Hopefully.

"Alright, we're done for today."

It was fascinating watching the three students' take on the training.

Motoe had really been sold on the whole 'strong foundation' gig. He had found what worked, and was going to perfect it.

Funida seemed unsatisfied. Where Motoe wanted to do what he did better, Funida looked for more options. He experimented with feints and footswork this time for example.

I reckoned both approaches were reasonable, so I encouraged them to continue their pursuits.

Tatsuoki was probably still forming an opinion on the training itself. He'd seen the results take form in Motoe and Funida, but was probably wondering how well it applied to him.

"So, Tatsuoki."

"Yes sir?"

Ignore it.

"Ya coming back tomorrow?"

He brought a hand to his chin.

"I… think so."

I patted him on the back.

"Looking forward to it, but for now…"

There was something I wanted.

"Motoe, Funida, Tatsuoki, come."

They were confused, but they followed me to the little meeting room I'd found: It had a single low table, and some cheap pillows to sit on.

I walked round and sat myself at the other end, resting the staff against my shoulder.

"Sit down, we're going to talk."

They did so. Still confused.

"Tell me about yourselves. Motoe, you first."

He pointed at himself, blank faced.

"Yes, you. Go."

"Um… I'm Motoe. I'm from the capital, mom and dad thought it would be good to have a ninja in the family so they sent me here."

He probably had high expectations that were crushed. The lowest low is measured from the highest high.

"Any siblings?"

"Yeah, an older sister."

"'You keep in contact with them?"

He shook his head.

I acknowledged the answer.

"Funida."

He nodded nervously at being put on the spot.

"I'm from the land of lightning."

He paused. He was probably expecting some sort of insult. From what I recalled, the setting was pretty xenophobic. I saw that Motoe was going to speak up, but a quick glare shut that down.

"Go on."

Funida hesitated before continuing.

"My family was travelling in the land of hot water when a group of sound ninja captured us."

He looked away.

"They said if I became a ninja they would let mom and dad go."

Tatsuoki was cringing, probably ashamed of his fellow ninja. Motoe looked absolutely horrified.

My expression remained unchanged.

"Do you believe them?"

"I have to."

"Do you want to go home?"

He didn't answer. Which was enough.

I nodded.

"Tatsuoki."

He nodded.

"I'm Tatsuoki of the Soragin clan. We were practically eradicated during the war with the hidden leaf. When the daimyo put down more anti-clan laws, we disbanded. Most of the clan retired to find civilian work. Grandpa's too old, and I'm too young, so they let us keep the clan name and whatever scrolls we could carry."

I'd have to look up some of those law records.

He sounded like he was giving a report.

"When Orochimaru offered us to join the hidden sound, we accepted."

Motoe and Funida had empathetic expressions, laced with a bit of guilt. Teach's little castle of lies had dehumanised the kid in their eyes. It was good to break through that.

"Why ask me for help?"

He looked away.

"I… needed something to complement the clan techniques. They work best with a weapon, but grandpa's too old to show me how, and I can't read the scrolls that well."

I nodded.

"When you start working with your family techniques we can rework the training to accommodate it."

He looked shocked.

I shrugged.

"I'm trying to make you stronger, doesn't matter how."

I raised a pair of fingers, pointed at Funida and Motoe.

"That goes for you two as well. We're going to start working on chakra eventually and expand what you can do. Got it?"

They nodded.

"Motoe."

"Yes sir?"

"Do you want to be a ninja?"

Funida wanted to free his parents, Tatsuoki could only walk in the footsteps of his clan, but Motoe still had options.

"I do now."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Now?"

He flushed red, and scratched his neck as he looked away.

Why do I feel like I'm going to regret that question?

"I want to make use of what you've taught me."

Surprisingly I saw Funida nod in the background, and after a thought, it seemed Tatsuoki agreed.

Ok. That's really sweet and cute…

Hei was not built for sweet and cute.

"Right."

I coughed into my hands, trying to ignore the tinge of red on my cheeks.

"Anyway, do you all know what the weakest attack is?"

I did a pass, looking at their shaking heads.

"It's the one without direction."

I placed four bowl cups on the table.

"Eventually, you guys are going to have to decide what kind of ninja you are going to be. What your strength is for."

I took a jug that was filled with apple juice, and filled one of the bowls to the tip.

"We all have our reasons to be strong, and we're helping each other reach it."

I took the bowl, and used it to fill the three other cups, split evenly.

"This is going to be the only command I give as your sensei, so listen close'."

I wasn't going to be Orochimaru.

I wasn't going to abuse their faith.

I wasn't going to throw them away.

"Watch out for each other. No matter whatever anyone says, whoever you're up against, and whatever the odds. Trust each other, and use your strength for each other. If you can agree to that…"

I shoved the three cups to each of them.

"Drink."

A bit deep for 8 year olds, but I was going to have to give up Hei eventually.

Motoe was the first to pick up his cup. He waited for the other two. Blind faith.

Tatsuoki was next. He'd need a moment to think, probably had a better understanding of the 'ceremony' aspect to this. This was his decision to commit.

Funida took the longest. Understandable, from what I'd just heard, we were practically all his enemies. He picked it up in the end, with a hint of reluctance.

Then together, they drank.

Motoe slammed his cup down on the table, empty.

You're lucky that shit's wood.

"Alright, first order of business."

Motoe turned to Funida.

"If the snake bastard doesn't let your parents go when we become ninja we're breaking them out."

Funida smiled.

"Hey boss?"

Tatsuoki.

"Yea?"

"Are you actually really a kid like us? That was really old fashioned."

I laughed.

"I get the ideas behind it. I don't know how this stuff actually goes, and I wasn't going to make you kids drink sake. This just seemed right."

"What about you boss?"

Funida.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You didn't drink."

I shrugged.

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

Motoe chimed in. I was really expecting more of a reaction to my statement.

"You didn't tell us about yourself either. Come on, you can't leave us in suspense."

I brought my hands up defensively.

"Alright , alright, but you're not going to like it."

That just made the three more curious.

"I don't exist."

"That's not true, you're right here!"

I smacked Motoe's finger out of my face.

"I mean Hei doesn't, this is a disguise. I'm actually someone else."

Tatsuoki looked horrified.

"...he really is an old man."

Funida just nodded.

Motoe just seemed satisfied to have gotten an answer.

I just told you that I've been lying to you the whole way and you're like: 'Sure why not.'

My three students were idiots, absolute knuckleheads.

I took another trip to the library.

The little tip about anti-clan laws from Tatsuoki might be enough to clear things up.

So I was looking through records of law changes.

There were a couple of major ones before my birth. In a vacuum, they seemed unreasonable. A change in the taxation rates on shinobi missions, but it was done shortly following a series of laws that reduced the sale tax of equipment. So the total costs for shinobi shouldn't have changed much.

…but it might be enough to prompt the threat of assassination.

I noted that these laws were co-signed by… Lady Yumika. My mother.

I didn't know how to feel about that.

Before I'd found the article I thought she was simply avoiding me, I didn't even know her name, my name.

Lingering on it won't help me here.

Following my birth, the laws against shinobi grew restrictive, horribly so. No weapons in towns, permits, taxes… It went on.

I'd thought that my father hated shinobi, but around 5 years ago, a phrase started being added, and retroactively applied.

"Shinobi of the Hidden Sound village are exempt."

That's when the worst laws hit.

He waited until after each war to release each wave, so that the clans would be too busy recovering to retaliate.

With the backing of a hidden village?

He didn't need to hold back anymore.

Now I have enough to confront Natsuhi.

I looked at the time.

…tomorrow.

I was due to meet with Beniyo.

I was Rukia.

Rukia only had one friend now.

Waho had stopped showing up to class.

In all likelihood, she had graduated to the next class and had just been staying behind for Beniyo's sake.

Which wasn't a relevant factor anymore.

This wasn't class though.

Beniyo had wanted to bring Rukia to watch her fight… in the arena.

Which was why I was a shadow clone.

It was weird, seeing this place from one more angle.

Yumika ignored everyone.

Hei wanted to fight everyone.

Rukia thought these people were scary.

So I stood pretty close to Beniyo.

No Waho.

I'd been kind of hoping.

Oh, there's Asuri!

She gave me a passing glance, but didn't acknowledge me any further.

I was a bit worried that the medic in charge might call me out, but they hadn't even looked my way.

Aha, I'm so pathetic that I don't even register on your radar!

It was a weird thing to celebrate.

There's Isae.

She was talking to some people, a very neutral situation.

Oh, hi Hei. There's Motoe, Funida, and Tatsuoki too.

It seemed the ceremony had done them favours. The three seemed closer.

I… really look like a gang boss.

Yup, a delinquent and his three followers.

"Isn't he cool?"

Beniyo caught me staring.

He is supposed to be.

"I guess..."

I stepped closer to Beniyo when Hei looked my way.

"...kind of scary though."

That's me, don't be intimidated!

Shut up brain, my feelings don't care about your facts.

"Ha, you should see him fight, he's a total boss!"

Wait…

Beniyo was glowing, as she scratched her ear and looked away.

No! No, stop!

"...and he's kind of cute."

I flushed red.

You can't tell ME that.

This couldn't be happening.

Hei was called up to fight, and Beniyo's eyes were fixed on him the whole way, a dreamy look on her face.

How the hell was I supposed to deal with this!?

Heiisn'trealnowayI'mmentallytwentyoneyearsolderI'mactuallyagirlBeniyoismyfriend-

I decided to get back to the simpler problem: the massive collection of professional assassins that hated me due to the actions of my father.

I knocked on Natsuhi's door.

"Yumika?"

"Could I show you something?"

"Of course."

I led her into my room, where on a table I laid out all the evidence I'd found, along with notes from my speculation and what I'd heard.

"You can't keep this from me anymore. The only thing that's left is to figure out how all this is connected."

She sighed.

"Let's sit down."

This is going to be a long story...

We sat side by side on the bed.

She told me everything.

Natsuhi used to work for my mother. Lady Yumika was a very refined person, with an elegant sense of humour. Despite her 'refined' (read as: uptight) conduct, she was morally minded, and served as a great balancing force for my father, who was far more practical and definitely greedy.

That wasn't to say that Lady Yumika was benevolent on a personal level, in fact she was a rather disconnected person. It was rather that she lived up to ideals on a greater scale.

There was one action though, that had given Natsuhi pause.

She'd been given a day off on the night of the assassination. In fact, Yumika was serviced by the bare minimum staff that night.

It was an absolute skeleton crew.

There had been rumours of an assasination plot. Natsuhi knew better than to get involved in gossip, but she still heard things. Things about a note on the daimyo's desk. One that was either a warning or a threat.

'The night your children are born, only your sons will survive.'

It read, with no signature or identifying marks.

At the time, it was expected that my brother and I were going to be twin sons. Apparently my name was going to be Risuke. While this didn't turn out to be true, the message did.

Only Yorihiro survived.

Clues at the scene were vague and misleading. Depending on how one interpreted it they could point at any shinobi clan in the country. It was assumed that this was a retaliation against some of the daimyo's recent laws.

Miraculously, I came back to life, a few days later.

Rumour was that the servant who noticed heard a loud screech and a crash, and checked the room to find me alive.

I didn't mention that that could have been the sound of my final moments in my last life.

The daimyo couldn't believe it.

In fact, he didn't.

'Only his sons survived that night.'

So one of father's councillors came up with a ploy.

"Your other child, we were wrong, it's a boy, and he's alive!"

So they continued to feed father's budding madness.

Somewhere in his mind he must have known the truth though. He couldn't stand being around me too long, it damaged the illusion. It got worse as I got older, and it became harder to ignore what I was. So they took measures, like a strict dress code to keep me looking masculine as possible.

The whole event became taboo.

No one was to acknowledge the assassination. No one was to acknowledge the daughter being treated as a son. The other servants who indulged in rumourmongering were rotated out, and in some other cases… certain more extreme measures were taken.

Despite no one talking about it, the daimyo hadn't forgotten the attack.

Since no clan claimed responsibility, he blamed them all, and worked to make their lives worse.

The court didn't complain, laws against shinobi benefited everyone else. Extra taxes funded projects, restrictions opened opportunities for others, etc…

Then the hidden village was founded and the final nail was put in the coffin.

"Natsuhi, thank you for telling me…"

I hugged her.

"...If anyone asks, I figured it out myself."

She sighed with a smile and returned the gesture.

"Everyone back home knows how clever you are…"

A deep breath.

"Could you tell me more about mom?"

It was dangerous, but I wandered the halls to think.

What should I do?

"So what's got you so deep in thought brat?"

I paused.

"You know, if I was a proper Sound shinobi or shinobi in training, asking that would end horribly for you."

I answered, and turned to the prison I stood by, containing a certain prisoner.

"You're too nice for that."

My expression strained.

"You don't know that…"

"What'd you do?"

I sat down in front of him.

"I… killed someone."

He huffed.

"Then you'll be fine."

Hey, this is a big deal for me!

My eyes squinted into a glare, and I felt my cheeks flush in indignation.

"If it bothers you that much, they haven't gotten to you yet."

My anger deflated, and my gaze fell to his feet.

"Yeah…"

7 months.

"...you're still here."

"Should I be dead or something?"

I shook my head.

"I can't imagine being locked up that long."

He leaned back.

"This is nothing, one of my cousins is still locked up in the hidden leaf after the third war."

Oh.

"...doesn't make it right."

"You could say that."

There was a moment of silence.

"...but you didn't answer my question."

I looked up at his expressionless brick wall face.

"What's bothering you brat?"

He's completely removed from the situation, maybe he can give an opinion…

"Well…"

Then there was explaining it.

"...between the two of us, it would be safer for the ninja from cloud to walk around."

He raised a brow.

"I never said I was from the hidden cloud village."

I shrugged.

"Figured it out. How much do you know about the clans here?"

"Not much, other than the guys I fought in the land of hotwater a few years back."

I cringed. Okay not as removed as I thought.

"...sorry."

"You're not your father, so don't apologise."

I shut up.

Wait…

"I didn't tell you who my father was."

He shrugged.

"Figured it out."

Turnabout is fair play.

"Most of the clans here don't care about that though."

"So you're getting shit for what your father did?"

"That's the short version, yeah."

"Don't think I'm helping you break out."

I scoffed.

"No need to worry about that, bringing you along would just get in my way."

"So why don't you?"

I paused.

I could…

Stage an incident to frame my death, and just leave. I had the information and skills needed for it.

My thoughts jumped to Natsuhi, Issai, Tatara, and Ichino; to Yorihiro; to my three students; to Beniyo and Waho; and to Kin.

"I have people I care about."

"That doesn't leave you many options."

I cringed at the fact.

"Sounds like you just have to fix things."

I sighed.

"It really is just that simple huh?"

He shrugged.

"Nothing more to it."

I stood up.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

I took a step before a thought hit me.

"Um… you don't happen to know Funida do you?"

"Never heard of him."

It was worth asking.

Welp, just got to fix things right?