Forest Bells - Silence

A fist slammed into the table.

"How did you learn about the nine tailed jinchuriki?!"

There was no delay, no stalling. Hayama took me straight to a small interrogation room, and handed me off to someone else for questioning.

"Answer!"

I flinched back. They weren't giving me time to come up with a lie.

"It's not exactly a well kept secret."

"Explain."

Fine.

"Your people talk about him. When I heard he was called Uzumaki I remembered Mito Uzumaki, the world's first Jinchuriki. They didn't say anything explicit, but with that context the implication of calling him 'monster' was obvious enough."

"Who specifically said what?"

"How am I supposed to remember that? It was a bunch of strangers chatting in the market square."

"How do you know about jinchuriki?"

Are you serious?

"I'd be a really shit ninja if I didn't know."

"How do you know about Mito Uzumaki's former status as a jinchuriki?"

You've got to be joking.

"It's public knowledge! The battle between Hashiriama and Madara is outright legendary! Most versions mention Madara summoning the beast and Mito sealing it!"

"Calm down."

"Calm down? You're questions are getting more stupid by the second! I know, because everyone else knows! There's nothing more to it! What do you want me to say? What will it take for me to walk out of here?"

I scoffed.

"...but it doesn't matter, does it? I'll still be stuck in the village because I walked across an imaginary line. Meanwhile Orochimaru of the sannin commits murder, conspiracy, kidnapping, expermentation on children, and you let him go!"

I had stood up at some point.

"Now my home has to deal with the consequences. Except you won't even let me do that! If you guys had done your-"

The door to the interrogation room opened, and like a flood, I was hit by a wave of apathy. A complete dismissal of life.

In the face of the cold wind of killing intent my anger flickered out.

"I think it's best I took over." said Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Interrogator rushed out of the room. Leaving me alone with the Hokage.

I'm going to die!

I started hyperventilating.

"Do you know who I am?"

The question was spoken with a lethal calm.

In my mind's eye, I saw Orochimaru take Hiruzen's place.

You've done this before.

I fought through the drumming sound of my heart.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, the professor, third Hokage. Student of Tobirama Senju, the second Hokage. The teacher of the legendary Sannin. Current acting Hokage."

The words came out of my mouth mechanically.

"What do you know about Orochimaru?"

"I told you guys last time. He leads the hidden sound."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen him…"

I withheld a shiver at the memory.

"...He's talked to me. He gave me-"

I flared my chakra, making the seals across my skin visible.

Hiruzen took a calm step forward.

"...that is his work."

He stepped back, the aura of death unrelenting.

"What's he planning?"

"I don't know, but he wants you dead. Once he's happy with the soldiers under his banner, he'll probably attack."

It was the truth, I had changed things enough that I couldn't assume the invasion was even still a thing. All I had to go on was his intent.

"You say he's in charge, how? Why do the shinobi follow him?"

"The daimyo has treated the shinobi of his lands unfairly. The wars, the laws, the work, all of it to diminish their strength and make their lives harder. Orochimaru has his favour, and the hidden sound is exempt."

I hastily took a breath.

"With that power, he raises fanatics. Darkens people's lives until there is nothing left, then swoops in with gifts and purpose to become their only light. He takes in and accepts the despicable monsters that others reject, and praises them for it. Murderer's, psychopaths, and madmen. Finally…"

My words caught in my throat, but I powered through.

"...the conscripts. Prisoners stolen from their homes and forced into experiments or service."

"Logistics, command, leaders..?"

"I don't know sir! I'm just a genin! I delivered supplies and mail!"

The killing intent faded in an instant.

The hokage lit his pipe, and took a moment to think, while another figure slowly stepped into the room.

"She has told us everything worth knowing. Poorly kept or not, the secret would be best kept if we kill her. Especially if there's a risk she'll inform Orochimaru."

I looked over at the speaker, and whatever relief I had was immediately quashed.

Old. A crop of short shaggy black hair. A white shirt under a black robe which covered his right arm. A cane. An x shaped scar on his chin. Bandages that wrapped around his forehead and right eye.

Danzo Shimura.

"From what we just heard, she does not sound particularly loyal." Hiruzen replied, the two seeming to have dismissed my presence.

"...yet she clearly fears him. Which would be more than enough for her to obey his orders."

"The hidden leaf doesn't execute children." Hiruzen objected. It wasn't a plea or an order, merely a statement of fact.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Hiruzen didn't answer. Instead opting to sit down across from me and the door opened and a chunin came in with a bottle of ink and a brush.

He looked me in the eyes.

"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue."

There was no room to object, and after a minute I felt the cold ink dry.

I opened my mouth to ask a question.

Silence.

What?

I tried again, but nothing came.

"I have sealed your ability to speak. I've keyed it such that Danzo or myself can subdue the effect for a time. Furthermore, should you attempt to communicate anything about the hidden leaf or its citizens to anyone other than a hidden leaf ninja, you will be paralyzed and forced to endure a painful experience."

He stood up.

"Hayama's lenience ends now. If you make any more attempts to escape, you will be put down, regardless of my own misgivings, is that understood?"

Unable to speak, I nodded.

The two old men left, and a couple of chunin arrived in their place, dragging me out and tossing me into a proper prison cell.

Urgh, that probably cracked something.

I was still tired from my use of the shadow clone earlier as well.

You wanted to be treated as the enemy Yumika. Congratulations.

I wanted to scream, but what came out was silence.

…

Chakra was a combination of physical and mental energy. If I wanted to get it back, I needed a healthy mind and a healthy body.

Which was why I made sure to gobble up a ration bar while no one was looking, and spent the rest of my time meditating.

…

Half a day…

I really hoped Hayama fed Hanzo.

I drifted off to sleep.

…

Where am I?

Hidden leaf prison cell. Three hostiles.

I rolled aside to avoid the knife that would have slit my throat, and jumped up to my feet in the same motion.

One figure in the cell with me, one outside as backup, and one standing watch.

Anti crowd tactics. Smoke and Skirmishing.

I dropped a smoke bomb, then jumped up to crouch from the ceiling like a bat once I was out of sight.

I knew nothing about my attackers, I hadn't even taken the time to register what they looked like before I acted. I didn't know how much chakra I had to work with either.

I need to be careful…

The ninja who had been in the cell with me had swung at where I had been.

…but I need to be reckless to regain the advantage!

I dropped down on him, flipping in the air to bring my heel down on his skull. If I doubled down with a burst of chakra he'd be dead. Instead I just knocked him out.

Incoming!

My landing must have been loud enough to alert the backup. I hid behind my still standing victim to avoid the volley of shuriken, thinking he'd avoid friendly fire.

The stench of blood told me he didn't.

There was no time to process, no time to think, only act.

Ram. Snake. Tiger.

A clone of me rushed the backup ninja to draw out an attack, while I rolled to the side with a shortbow popped out and ready to fire.

The smoke was halfway clear.

The backup ninja cut through my clone with a tanto just as I got line of sight with him.

Aim, release.

The arrow caught him in his right shoulder.

I dropped the bow and charged him.

He didn't clutch his shoulder or flinch, instead just switching the tanto over to his left hand.

The moment I was in his reach I stepped back to avoid the horizontal counterswing.

He capitalised on that, stepping in to catch me with the return swing.

I stepped back again, but in the same motion popped out my staff and swung, catching him in the temple with my longer reach. Knocking him out.

One left.

I looked over at the lookout in time to see him finish the last hand sign of a jutsu.

I froze.

Paralysis! Ninjutsu or genjutsu?

I glanced down, and saw the line connecting his shadow to my own.

Nara, ninjutsu.

Which meant genjutsu disruption wouldn't work.

He walked towards me and, unwillingly, I did the same.

Shit, what do I do?

He drew his blade.

Chakra. I could still use chakra.

Which means I can still use the seal!

He pulled his arm back to swing, and I popped out a flashbang. One of the magnesium flashbangs that had a tendency to go off on their own.

BANG!

World Spiiiiiiinnniiiiing.

Wha-

ring Ring RING.

A thousand metal ants crawling through my brain.

WHITE!

I had never been this close to one of the flashbang explosions before.

God!

I had almost forgotten what pain felt like. The mind splitting headache was a wonderful reminder.

I didn't know if it was 10 seconds or 10 minutes, but I recovered before my Nara assailant.

Stumble and swing!

I clocked him right on the forehead knocking him to the ground and then I stumbled back into my cell.

I relaxed and blinked.

No bodies.

That must have been a dream.

I brought a palm to my head to ease out the remnants of a headache, and caught sight of the puddle of blood in my cell.

…or not.

I tried to think back, recall anything about who my attackers had been.

I managed to pick out one detail.

White porcelain masks. Which meant…

…ANBU or ROOT.

I knew where my bets lay on that front.

Why would Danzo want me dead?

It hit me.

Hashirama cells. The arm that Orochimaru gave him.

"The noise came from down here!"

A rush of footsteps announced the arrival of several leaf ninja.

"What in the world?"

He sounded almost as panicked as he did surprised.

What's so strange?

Oh right. The door to my cell was still open, and there was a puddle of blood on the floor.

Another ninja ran up to me and crouched down, pressing their hands on my stomach for some reason.

"Focus on the sound of my voice, you may want to fall unconscious, but don't. It's going to be okay, you're going to be fine."

You're saying that like I'd be panicking for some reason… Why should I be panicking?

I looked down and saw a lot of red.

Oh… I must not have avoided that blade as well as I thought I did.

That would explain why I was feeling faint. Bloodloss would do that.

Sleep does sound pretty good right about now…

"Hey, stay with me.."

I dozed off.

Where am I?

Unknown hospital room. No hostiles.

I tried to get up, but quickly noticed that my little sword wound had been fixed up, and that my right wrist was tied to the bed.

Easy enough to get out of-

"You will be put down."

I decided against the idea with a silent sigh.

…right.

Silence.

With my early life and first day with the Shiin: That makes three times I've been unable to speak.

I cringed a bit.

…but I don't think I'm escaping this anytime soon.

Likely I'd be stuck with it for the rest of my life.

Why didn't I ever try singing? I was a bass before, would I be an alto or a soprano now?

I shook off the thought.

There has to be something I can do about this, some workaround.

If my voice was sealed, I needed to make sounds some other way.

Wind release? Vibrate the air to form the correct frequencies?

It wasn't my primary nature so it wouldn't be easy to learn, but I didn't have a nature at all, so if I was going to learn any elemental ninjutsu it would be as difficult as any other.

Breathe in…

Decent chakra levels, no restraints.

…and out.

I sat myself cross legged on the bed, popped out a small piece of paper and began to focus.

Cut.

I was trying to emulate Naruto's wind transformation training. Where he had to cut a leaf in two with just his chakra.

Remember the chainsaw.

I'd found it was a lot easier to manipulate the shape of chakra once it was out of my system, so it wasn't too challenging to form two spinning circles, which then met at an angle to try to form a cutting edge. A sort of triangle or arrowhead shape.

No effect.

That's fine, keep at it.

It was supposed to take years to master an affinity, let alone a secondary nature.

…so without shadow clone hacks, by the time I figure it out shippuden will be over.

I scoffed with my dying mood.

Great, I'll be talking again by the time Boruto is born.

I shook off the negativity.

That's better than nothing, 1 hour every day. Speaking again eventually is better than not at all.

I convinced myself that I'd made progress by the end of my practice session.

I swear that half a millimetre indent wasn't there when I started!

I heard the door handle click and I hurriedly stored away the piece of paper, before someone could see what I was up to.

Danzo Shimura stepped in.

Why's he here?

He'd just tried to kill me, I'd have to be on guard. Especially since he had other tricks.

Like…

I managed to avoid glancing at the bandaged eye that hid Shisui's sharingan.

…kotoamatsukami. The ultimate hypnosis genjutsu.

I controlled my expression into a soft smile, and motioned to speak.

To what do I owe the pleasure, councilman Danzo?

…is what I wanted to say.

Right, silence.

I didn't let my displeasure show, and Danzo was as blank faced as ever.

The posterboy of the 'shinobi are emotionless tools' philosophy.

He stepped over to the end of the bed and waited a moment-

Powerplay, trying to prove he's in control.

-before he ordered calmly.

"I'm here as one of the two people you can talk to. Report what happened."

The suddenly alien sound of my own breath alerted me to the new seal on my tongue being subdued.

I opened my mouth to speak-

-wait.

I took a breath, considering my approach. Then my gaze sharpened.

"Are we alone?"

"Yes."

"Then it's safe for me to say that you already know."

All or nothing. If Danzo didn't outright kill me now, we could have a proper conversation instead of playing cat and mouse, and getting nowhere.

"What makes you say that?"

Not dead yet, gotta sell this.

"It's probably obvious by now, but I know a lot about the hidden leaf's shinobi. Despite that, I know little about you."

I cocked my head for effect.

"So how does a man with few public achievements have the position and authority to speak frankly to the hokage in a merit based system?"

He and I both knew the answer: work in the shadows.

"There was little fuss about the three ninja getting to my cell and one of them used the Nara shadow paralysis technique, so the likelihood of the attack being from a foreigner was minimal. A powerful man of the shadows would have the pull to make it work. As for motive? You did advocate for killing me."

I shrugged for emphasis, before my shoulders relaxed, and my voice softened.

"Are they okay? I really didn't want to kill anyone."

A wall would have been more reactive.

I sighed.

"I won't tell anyone. In fact…"

I stuck out my tongue to show the seal.

"...I can't. So you won't need to worry about getting rid of me."

No response, just more silence.

Okay… I'll just have to hope my point came across properly.

"You are far more skilled than you seem, perhaps even enough to have done considerable damage to the village should you have wanted. I suppose… there is some sincerity to your words."

Was that a… compliment?

His acceptance was quite frankly suspicious. It's not something I expected from one of the series' villains, so I was left somewhat stunned as he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

There was a question on my mind, one I'd had ever since I'd first seen the character on paper.

He stopped and acknowledged me over his shoulder.

"Could I ask a question, sir?"

He turned to face me.

I'll take that as a yes.

"Everything you do, you claim to do it for the village, is that true?"

A selfish man or a zealous patriot?

I saw the spark of an emotion, and coming from this otherwise lifeless man it thrummed like the shifting plates of the earth.

"Yes."

If I could only believe one thing, it was that word.

That truth.

…which made it all the more tragic.

Danzo helped create Pain, and Pain destroyed the hidden leaf village.

For a man who would do anything, who has done everything, for his village. What was it like to look at its crater and know that it was his doing?

With that pity came a thought.

What made someone irredeemable?

I had no chance with Orochimaru, he would never listen to anyone he could overpower, but Danzo? Danzo was a man of words.

"Is it greater, to be born good, or to overcome one's evil nature?"

Danzo Shimura was who he was because that's how Kishimoto wrote him.

"Danzo, sir."

I bowed.

"It was a pleasure to speak with you, I hope you'll find the time to talk again."

If I was going to be stuck here, I could at least try to do a little good.

That was my ninja way.

…

…

…

Being able to actually speak every now and then was also a plus.

Strategy Journal

New Entry - Rock Lee (4)

Why do I keep trying? Rock Lee is a hunk of muscle that is fully capable of directing it. There is no exploit here.

Maybe, and emphasis on maybe, I could try to get him to activate the gates and then hide while the side effects kick in, but I'm not nearly strong enough to push him to such extremes, or fast/sneaky enough to get away if he does activate any gates.

Ugh.

New Entry - Shikamaru Nara (1)

There are two problems with Shikamaru. First, he's a Nara and has the shadow capture technique. Second, and more importantly, he is an absolute genius.

First off Shadow Jutsu thing (I can't remember what it's called right now, sue me)

What are the rules? If he can connect his shadow with mine, he can control my movements (specifically I mirror his). The range of the technique is extended by shadows and shortened by light. There is also the variant shadow strangulation which follows the same rules, but just kills you instead.

First counter Lights. If I can get my hands on lanterns or torches that would help. A hip/belt fastened oil lantern would probably be ideal. On top of that, as proven against the ROOT agent, Flashbangs would be a decent way to break free from the jutsu. My movements are restricted, but I could still activate my storage seals to release one of the volatile magnesium based flashbangs, which would activate on its own.

Second counter Concentration. The jutsu needs to be channelled. Using projectiles and traps to interrupt would be beneficial.

…

Secondly, Genius.

There is really only one solution here: DON'T GIVE SHIKAMARU TIME TO PLAN.

Rush him and end the fight as soon as possible.

If that's not possible or I am fighting him when he knows it's coming, be stupid. Make the worst choices, it might confuse him.

Progress on Other Projects:

None.

I've been too busy with my stupid little pity party.