'Thoughts/Signing/Written Words'
"Speaking"
"Seal Symbols/Words"
Flashbacks
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Masashi Kishimoto. Enjoy!
Chapter 17
Standing in front of the T&I building was Sora and Team Ro. Hound walked up the steps to open the door. As they all stepped inside, everyone inside the building looked up to see who had entered.
Seeing Kotetsu and Izumo huddling together in the back, Sora smiled and waved hello. They hesitantly waved back.
"Daimyo-sama?" a voice asked. Entering the main lobby of T&I was Ibiki and a blue eyed man with a high blonde ponytail. Sora recognized him as the Head of the Yamanaka Clan. Hearing their boss's voice, everyone went back to work while keeping a curious ear out.
Ibiki gave her a questioning look. She responded by giving him a passing wave before following Hound towards a familiar set of stairs. Ibiki internally sighed and watched them along with Inoichi, who was looking curiously at Sora.
'Where have I've seen her before?' Inoichi thought to himself.
Hound led Sora and the others halfway up the stairwell then stopped in front of a stone wall and activated a seal. The stone wall disappeared to reveal another set of stairs going up. They all filed in behind Hound. The seal deactivated and Sora found herself surrounded by darkness. The only source of light was coming from the other side of the stairwell. They continued up the steps until they entered an illuminated hallway. They turned to the right, rounded a corner, and stopped in front of a wooden door.
Hound knocked on the door. A familiar voice called out, "Come in."
When the doors opened, they saw Bear sitting behind his desk with an Anbu agent standing across from him. On his desk was the pastry box Sora had asked Minato to pass onto him. Half of the mochi donuts were gone.
"Good morning, Daimyo-sama," Bear said stiffly as he rose from his desk. Hearing this, the Anbu agent in front of him straightened and nodded at Sora.
Sora gave Bear a smile, glad to see that he was no longer injured. "Good morning, Anbu Commander." Turning towards the unknown Anbu agent, she asked, "-and?"
"Falcon, Daimyo-sama," he replied.
Sora nodded. "Good morning, Falcon-san."
Bear looked at Falcon and said, "Do not go far."
Falcon nodded and disappeared.
Once the door closed, Bear looked at her as her smile widened sheepishly at him, "Surprised?"
"Just let me come up with a list of potential tour guides," Bear grumbled, as he took a paper and pen from his desk. Bear wrote a name then paused to look up at her. Sora was perusing his office. There was a metal file cabinet behind Bear's desk. Tucked in a corner on one of the built in counters was a coffee maker. The smell of freshly used coffee granules were coming from the trash below. "What game are you playing at, Sora?"
"No game," she answered, truthfully. Turning to look at him, she said, "The question is, what is yours?" Bear fingers twitched as he studied her. She turned to look at the small bookshelf lining his left wall. They were filled of plainly colored books. Pulling one out to look at the cover, Sora continued, "You have me at your disposal for the time being."
Bear narrowed his eyes at the Bingo Book she pulled out. It was the exact same one that caused him and his team to meet a young Sora in the first place. If she pulled it out by coincidence or on purpose, he wasn't sure. As far as he was aware, Bingo Books were not available to civilians, including the Daimyo Court.
Placing the book back, she gave him a quick glance, "Be careful with what you want me to do. You might not like the answers."
"Falcon," he muttered as he frowned at Sora. Falcon appeared in front of his desk. Looking at the new recruit, Bear handed him a list with ten names. "Get me these individuals."
Falcon nodded and left. Bear studied her as her hands brushed the spines of the rest of the books. A few minutes later, a knock was heard.
"Come in," Bear said as he walked towards the front of the desk.
Falcon opened the door and entered. Nine Anbu agents followed behind him. Bear looked at Sora, "When you're ready Daimyo-sama."
Sora thanked him and walked towards the first Anbu agent with brown markings around the eye holes. She looked at him and continued to the next Anbu agent. Sora kept going down the line until she stopped in front of the last person. They were standing a bit further from the rest. "This one."
Before the agent could say anything to dispute her decision, Bear commanded, "Everyone but Falcon is dismissed."
Falcon stayed put as everyone filed out. Once the doors were closed, Bear said, "You've been chosen to be Daimyo-sama's tour guide around Anbu HQ. As such, you are to assist Team Ro, if necessary, during the tour."
Falcon stiffened and nodded. He knew how to read in between the lines. "Yes sir."
Falcon turned to look at Sora only to be taken aback by her smile. Sora bowed and said, "Thank you for accepting, Falcon-san."
Falcon awkwardly nodded and opened the door with the others following behind him.
Once the doors were closed, Bear let out a curse. The nine he had dismissed were members of some of Anbu's high profile teams. Whether or not Sora decided against in choosing them because they were compromised, he couldn't tell. 'Snake was missing too,' he thought with a frown.
As they followed Falcon down the hallway, she looked around while pulling out a dark red scroll. While there were no cracks visible on the walls, she noted how the ceilings had some holes forming. The group turned the corner and came across two branching corridors. One lead to the left and the other to the right. Both were only illuminated by blinking ceiling lights. Falcon entered the corridor on the left. As they continued, Sora noticed how the corridors had a hazy outline. Realizing it was a Genjutsu, she continued following Falcon into a small sitting area. There was a single couch that had bits of yellow sponges coming out from the opened seams. On one side of the sitting area was a wooden door, and on the other was another hallway.
"This is the sitting area," Falcon said as he pointed towards the hallway. "That leads towards the dorms."
"Can we enter the dorm area?" she asked.
He looked at Hound, unsure. When Hound gave no indication of responding, Falcon gave a hesitant nod. "Right this way, Daimyo-sama."
As they followed him, Sora took note of the old wooden doors of each room. Some even had cracks and mold in the corners of them. Others were barely attached to their hinges. "Is there a shared laundry area for those who dorm?" she asked as they passed by a door with a gaping hole in the middle.
Falcon forced himself not to react to a face peering through the other side of the hole. "Right this way, Daimyo-sama." The face retreated back into the room when the group passed her room.
Falcon led Sora into an extremely warm laundry room. It had no windows or ventilation. There was a fan in the corner blowing lint and fabric softener sheets everywhere along the floor. Sora narrowed her eyes at how most of the machines were flashing 'Error'.
"How long has it been since they've last been inspected?" Sora asked.
Falcon tensed and said, "Due to the manner of Anbu-." Falcon pause when Sora gave him a stare. He amended and muttered, "I am unsure, Daimyo-sama."
Sora walked towards one of the drying machines that actually worked. Placing her scroll and pen on top of the machine, she crouched down to pull out the lint compartment. Dust and clumps of lint exploded into her face making her cough and sneeze. Immediately pushing it closed, Sora angrily muttered to herself as she unraveled her scroll to jot something down. Sora closed her scroll and walked out of the laundry room.
As they circled back around to the sitting area, she pointed to the closed wooden doors. "What's behind those doors?"
Sora noticed Falcon hesitate. "The kitchen."
Sora nodded and went in front of it. Everyone's eyes widened when she reached out a hand.
"Wait Daimyo-sama," Falcon called out.
It was too late. Sora's eyes widened when large piles of dirty dishes fell towards her. Her stomach dropped when she felt herself being picked up as a loud crash was heard. She looked down to see moldy food strewn across the floor of the sitting room, as well as broken pieces of plates and bowls. Hound gently placed her on her feet as she looked at the kitchen in horror. Behind the fallen dishes, were more towers of dishes. Some were taller than others. She couldn't even see the floor because it was covered in dishes, dirt, and sauces. Large piles of goop were on the stove top too. Something was leaking from the freezer, making the kitchen smell rancid. Sora's brows twitched as she let out a low growl.
"Explain," she demanded as her fingers kept twitching.
Falcon winced and said, "Due to the busy lifestyle of Anbu, most members leave their dishes in the sink to wash them later. However, as you can see, many of us forget." He hasn't been in Anbu long, but even he knew not to enter the biohazard of a kitchen.
Sora's mouth clenched and unclenched as she forced herself to breathe. "That is no excuse." Sora turned her cold gaze to Falcon, making him internally shriek but he forced himself to remain outwardly composed. "The kitchen is shared amongst all Anbu members, even those who aren't dorming, correct?" Sora asked.
Falcon nodded while Team Ro tensed, having a bad feeling. Sora narrowed her eyes at Falcon and Team Ro. "How bad would it be if I had to explain to Hokage-sama that Anbu Headquarters had to be shut down for violating health and sanitation policies?"
Falcon looked at Hound for help. Hound looked at the kitchen in horror when he saw a glob of goop pulsating on the stove top. "Bad, Daimyo-sama," Hound replied.
"Good," Sora said as she rolled up her sleeves. "Let's get to-," Sora paused to see Hound walking towards the hallway leading towards the rooms.
Loud banging was heard on the wooden doors. Hound's eyes glowed as one of his coworker opened their door. They gulped at seeing Team Ro's captain. "Get to the sitting room," Hound said, leaving no room for discussion. As Hound went to another door, he internally growled. If he and his team were going to be forced to clean, so were they.
One by one, Anbu began piling into the sitting room. Some recognized Sora immediately. "Fujiwara-san, what are you-," they went quiet as they saw the door to the kitchen being opened. They took one glance at Sora and winced. "We can explain," someone else said.
Sora stared at them. "You can explain after you've cleaned up," she stated as lots of mops, buckets, trash bags, sponges, and cleaning chemicals appeared beside her. "I refuse to allow any one of you to step into my house again after what I've seen today."
Grumbling, everyone grabbed a cleaning supply.
For the rest of the morning, everyone was confused by the loud noises coming from Anbu's dormitories. There were screams followed by crashing dishes.
In his office, Bear winced. 'She found it,' he thought as he took one of the mochi donuts out of the box.
Those who were curious about the noise entered the Anbu dormitory only to be handed a broomstick and a dustpan. Glowing red eyes of their captains, teammates, or comrades promising pain encouraged them to quickly accept their newly assigned task.
After three hours of Sora giving them nonstop cleaning orders, they all looked surprised to see a sparkly new kitchen. The tiled floors had a polished sheen, white look. They could even see their own reflections on the stainless-steel surfaces of the refrigerator and stove.
A voice called from the sitting area. "Delivery from Tree-." Their eyes were wide in shock at the clean kitchen before them.
Sora looked up to see Frog and the eleven Anbu members who had slept over the night before. In each of their hands were boxes she recognized. In the corner of each box was an image of a bear while a larger image of her logo was placed in the middle.
She grinned at them. "You can place them here," she said.
Frog blinked as he saw Sora wiping down at a wooden surface. "We have a table?"
Ox, who was holding onto a mop nodded. "I know. It surprised us too."
As they placed the boxes on the table, Sora opened each one and began stocking the pantry and shelves as everyone else took out the garbage. Frog gaped at the now clean plates and bowls in the cupboards. Once Sora finished putting things away, she noted how it was midafternoon already. She winced when she saw the Anbu who were in the sitting area. Most of them were lying about, tired, while others were leaning against the wall trying not to look as if they were exhausted themselves. Grabbing the largest pot in the cabinet, Sora set to making a simple stew with the ingredients that was brought over.
Everyone peered into the kitchen as the smell wafted into the sitting area. Sora stepped out and smiled brightly at them. "Thank you all for your hard work," Sora said as she bowed. "I made lunch so be sure to help yourselves. And try to keep the kitchen clean."
Everyone nodded dumbly as they filed in. Turning to Falcon and Team Ro, "We'll take a lunch break too," she said.
Falcon, almost forgetting what he was tasked to do straightened and nodded. "Of course Daimyo-sama."
Everyone in the kitchen froze as they looked at Sora in shock. Sora sent them a small smile when she heard them mutter her new title as she wrote into her scroll.
Once everyone had a bowl of stew, Sora went to go sit in the corner inside the sitting room. With her head tuck down, she was about to bring a spoonful into her mouth when she saw a pair of slippers stop in front of her. She looked up to see Wolf, who nudged her head towards the wall. She grinned up at her and turned to look towards the wall. Wolf crouched down to sit with her back touching Sora's. As they ate, Sora asked, "Would installing a dishwasher be helpful?"
Wolf looked behind her in confusion. "Dishwasher?" she asked, ignoring the looks she was getting from everyone. She had heard there was free food in the kitchen and had came to investigate, only to be surprised by who was cooking.
"That's right," Sora said, "You haven't seen the new additions to the house. Do you remember where my sink is in the kitchen?" Feeling Wolf nod behind her, she continued, "I installed a dishwasher next to it. It's a machine that allows you to wash multiple dishes at once with a click of a few buttons. You just have to make sure there's not a lot of food left on the dishes itself." Blinking up at the wall, she asked, "Do you think it'll help keep the kitchen clean?" Feeling uncertain, she asked, "Or is it better to talk about it with Bear-san?" Sora scrunched up her nose and quietly muttered, "You guys need a new laundry room too. Then there's the doors that needs to be replaced." Looking expectantly up at the wall, she placed her head onto Wolf's back. "What do you think?"
"Fujiwara-san," Wolf said peering into the now cleaned Anbu kitchen. Knowing what Sora was asking, she continued, "We'll be okay." In a quiet voice, she said, "Things could be worse."
Sora frowned as she muttered, "But you guys should be comfortable in your own home."
Wolf's lips twitched. 'So typical of you, Sora.'
Mind made up, Sora pulled out a deep red scroll from her sleeve and placed it beside them. Wolf glanced at it as Sora said, "Pass this around. Each person can put one thing they would like to see changed, added, or improved at Anbu HQ. Whether it's something as small as new door knobs , or something big like a new specialized training ground, add it to the list. Have Bear-san give it back to me within nine days and I'll include it into Anbu's budgeting."
Knowing she wasn't going to let it go, Wolf nodded and took the scroll. Sora grinned at this and continued eating. Feeling a familiar warmth wrap around her, Wolf leaned into Sora as she looked around the sitting area and kitchen. She internally smiled at seeing her comrades relaxing, even if it was just a short while. She knew they were feeling it too despite no one verbally acknowledging it.
When they were done eating, Sora said her goodbyes as Falcon led her back to the branching corridors and turned into the right hallway. As they walked, they passed a black stone door. Sora paused, pointing to it and asked, "What's behind there?"
"The training ground," Falcon answered.
"Can we enter?" she asked.
Falcon looked hesitant until a familiar voice replied, "Let her enter."
Everyone turned to see Bear walking down the hallway. "Of course, Commander," Falcon said.
As he opened the door, everyone filed into the viewing balcony. The sound of metals clashing against one another could be heard below them as they stopped in the middle of the rails. Sora looked below her and saw ten target posts in the center of the training ground. Directly under the balcony were three weapon stands. The one on the far right had weapons that had katanas, while the one across from it had shuriken, kunai, and tantos. The weapon stand in the middle had spears and bos of different lengths. In different areas of the training ground were Anbu agents. Some were sparring, while others were talking amongst one another. Everyone looked up. Those who recognized her gaped at her in shock, while others only looked at her curiosly. Bear sent them a gaze which made them return to their activities immediately.
'No cold souls,' Sora thought in relief.
Turning to Falcon, Sora asked, "Can I go below?"
Everyone, including the agents below them, tensed in surprise. "You want to go down there?" Falcon weakly asked, unsure that he had heard her correctly. Civilians were prohibited from entering any shinobi training grounds.
Sora nodded, not looking away from the target posts below. Two of the target posts were being used by a group of four Anbu agents. Each time they landed a hit on the post, pieces of hay flickered then straightened themselves back up.
Falcon looked at his Commander, who nodded in confirmation. Falcon took lead with Sora behind him. Team Ro surrounded her as Bear took the rear.
Sora walked down the stairs, ignoring the curious looks of everyone in the training ground. Once they were near the weapon stands, Sora paused to look at one of them. Eyes frowning, Sora placed her scroll and pen in one hand, and reached out to draw a tanto from its slot. Holding it to the ceiling lights, she turned the weapon flat to see the widest part of the blade.
Putting the tanto back in it's place, she picked up a kunai. Frowning again, she laid it flat against her palm while she tested out the weight. Letting out a huff, she looked at the kunai for a few more seconds. Sora was about to ask Falcon a question when a gruff voice stopped her. "Why are we here?"
Sora looked up to see two men and a young boy being escorted down the stairs by Ibiki and Inoichi. One man had short brown hair with a goatee. He was dressed in a loosely fitted black shirt with black pants. He had a side pack tied around his waist. On the bottom of his pant legs were soot and ash. Beside him was a man in red silk robes. He barely had any hair, but rather a long black beard. He was scowling at everyone in his path. Trailing beside him was a young servant boy dressed in recently ironed crème robes. He was hefting a sling of bo staffs down the stairs, struggling not to trip.
The man in red silk robes said, "I have graciously been approved by Shimura-sama to use Anbu's training grounds to showcase the capabilities of my bo staff. Ninja Weapons Shop had already begun placing the staffs on their shelves, but they are not making any sales."
"How does this relate to Masamaru's Weapons Shop?" the man in black uniform asked.
"It is because of your shop that I have not seen any increase of sales," the man angrily retorted. "I've been hearing claims that my bo staffs are illegitimate because they are not in your store. You are here to witness the powers my staff contains. Surely then you'll see that it's a great addition to your store."
"I see," the man said as they made it to the bottom of the stairs. "You wish to become an affiliate of Masamaru's Weapons Shop by placing your item inside our store for us to sell."
"Exactly," he said exasperatedly. "We've been at this all morning." He muttered not so quietly to himself, "I'm beginning to wonder if you are dumb as you are daft."
'What is he doing here?' Bear thought as he walked towards them.
While there were two weapons shops in Konoha, Masamaru's Weapons Shop was popular amongst higher ranked shinobi due to their wide selections of weapons with the ability to infuse a user's chakra into it, unlike the general everyday weapons that Ninja Weapons Shop offer.
"Is there a problem, Masa?" Bear asked the brown haired man with the goatee.
Masa blinked up at him. "Nothing, Anbu Commander. Just a minor inconvenience."
Masa ignored the man in red silk as he turned his fiery gaze towards him. "J-just a m-minor inconvenience?!" the man in red robes stammered, enraged. The colors of his cheeks were tinged pink as he turned his gaze to Bear. "Commander, I have created a bo staff that you've never seen before." A few more Anbu agents began to gather as the man waved his fingers in a gesture, signaling to his servant. The servant's eyes widened and looked at the bundle of bo staffs in slight dread. Grabbing one, he handed a staff to his boss only to groan in despair when the rest of the bo staff fell to the ground with loud clunks. The man's eyebrows twitched but tried to remain calm as he continued, "It allows the user to transform the regular bo into a three sectional staff."
Everyone watched as he twisted the bo staff apart to reveal metal chains keeping three sections of the staff together. A voice asked him from the crowd, "What else can it do?"
Thinking it was one of the Anbu agents who asked, the man in the red silk robes excitedly said, "You can channel your chakra into it and it'll act as a conductor. You can also encase it in any element. This way, any shinobi can add an elemental weapon to their arsenal."
"Oooh," the voice exclaimed. "Sounds pretty cool." Many eyes remained on the man in red silk robes, but were very much aware of the person maneuvering between them.
The man in red silk nodded in agreement. "Right? Right?" Basking in the compliment of his staff.
"Are you the one who's going to be doing the demonstration?" the voice asked, curious.
The man in red silk chuckled. "Not at all. That right is reserved for the Commander."
Bear gave no comment or reaction. Beside him, Masa narrowed his eyes at the man and stated, "Company policy states that no shinobi is allowed to purchase or sample a weapon that has not been approved 'safe for shinobi use' by staff members regardless of title, rank, or status."
"Shimura-sama stated that I can start selling the bo staff inside Masamaru's Weapons Shop with the Village Elders' backing regardless of company policy as long as I gain the Anbu Commander's approval," the man in red silk replied haughtily.
"Ah, so you plan to sell these bo staff inside Masamaru's Weapons Shop," the voice said interrupting his tirade. The man gave an irritable click of his tongue at this topic again. "Who are the target ranks you are hoping to attract?" the person asked.
"Anbu, of course. Why else would I be here?" the man in red silk answered, wondering if this person was also daft. "Though," he added as an afterthought, "I suppose you can give this to an Academy graduate too."
"I see," a voice said coldly. All of the Anbu agents straightened as their eyes flickered to the woman who was standing next to the servant who had just finished picking up all the bo staff. Her sudden appearance made the servant yelp in surprise, dropping them again.
The man in red silk gaped when he saw a petite woman with dark ruby hair kicked up one of the bo staff before it could completely fall to the ground. "W-what are you doing, girl?!"
Ignoring him, Sora took a step back with her right leg as the staff she had kicked fell straight down to land against the cement with a dull thud. She let the bo staff tip over towards her before she grabbed the top end of it. Taking a small sniff, she scrunched up her nose at the smell. Wrapping her right hand firmly around the top of the staff, Sora brought the bo staff up over her head and slammed it onto the floor to her right side. Then to the left. Dull thuds rang throughout the training ground as she tossed the bo around like a rag doll.
"You're holding the bo staff wrong," the man screamed out as his face turned to a bright red, matching his silk robes.
Ignoring him, Sora turned and dragged it across the cement floor.
The man in red silk's face began to turn purple. "Y-you're ruining the grains of the wood!" he hollered taking steps towards Sora only to be blocked by Team Ro. They all gave him a single stare that made him stay in place.
Dragging the bo staff behind her, she stopped at a target post. Sora held onto the end of the staff again and swung it against the sides of the target.
The man in silk robes scoffed at her sad attempts at striking the target. "Is she even a kunoichi? A toddler could wield the bo staff better than her."
Everyone ignored him as a large explosion was heard. Standing in the center of the training ground was Sora, who was now holding the bo staff like a seasoned bo wielder. No longer was she holding it awkwardly in her hands. In front of her was a pile of cement popping out from the floor from where she had slammed the bo. Sora then swung the bo around her, engulfing it in flames. Wrapping the staff around her wrists multiple times, she brought it down across from her. Eyes narrowed when all of the target posts slid cleanly down to the floor without the bo ever making contact.
Glad to see that nothing caught on fire, Sora swiped the staff behind her as the flame disintegrated. Walking towards the man in red robes, she reached the bo staff out towards him. She said, "While it's an interesting bo staff for sure, Masamaru's Weapons Shop and all of it's affiliates will not be adding this item to their inventory."
Masa bowed down and said, "Thank you for your interest in Masamaru's Weapons Shops. Have a great day!"
The man in red silk's eyes widened as he realized his grave mistake as he looked at Sora then Masa. Pointing at Masa with a shaking finger, he said, "You are not the owner of Masamaru's Weapons Shop."
Masa gave him a blank smile. "I never once said I was." Turning to look at Sora, he watched her tremble slightly. "I believe your time allotment to be in this building is over. Please gather your items and see yourself out."
The man in red silk robes spluttered as he hastily took the bo staff from Sora. Gathering his servant, they rushed up the stairs, only to have the servant trip, dropping all the bo staffs. The man cursed at the young boy as they ran down the stairs to pick them back up. Not bothering with the sling, they swung to door open and exited.
Masa stood next to Sora and muttered, "That was stupid of you, Sora." Sora winced when he pulled up her sleeves. There on her palm was a burn mark. Masa let out a disappointed hiss as he took out a medic kit from his pack. Grabbing a familiar jar, he gently applied the healing salve. "Do I need to get Hatake-san?" he asked, fully aware of the looks he was getting from Bear and the other Anbu agents.
Sora shook her head no. "Oji-san will put me under house arrest."
"Maybe he should," he said, ignoring the displeased look she sent his way. Looking at her, he said sternly, "There's a reason why we banned you from testing foreign weapons."
Sora sighed and nodded. "It won't happen again."
"Good," Masa said as he began to wrap bandages around her palm. "See to it that it doesn't."
Sora nodded. Eyeing at him a few more seconds, she quietly said, "Masa."
"Hmm?" he said as he tied the bandage.
"Put out a BOLO for the bo staff. We can't let it reach the black market. It'll be a lot harder for the Military Police Force to track them down once it does." Sora looked at him when he stiffened. She muttered, "Something inside the bo is imbued with foreign chakra. It causes chakra poisoning."
Masa's eyes widened and let out a frustrated growl. "That should've been the first thing you said, Sora. We need to get you to the hospital."
Sora gently pushed hands away as she gently said, "The medics won't be able to help." Seeing him about to protest, she gave him a small smile. "They don't know how to do chakra transfusion. The only person who does is currently no longer residing inside the village."
"Still Sora," he growled as he hastily pulled out a scroll from his pack.
Sora blinked up at Masa in surprised as a familiar glowing blue apple was unsealed. Giving it to her, he ordered, "Finish it."
Sora nodded and took her unbandaged hand to hold the apple. As she took a bite, she began to feel the sickening feeling inside her go away. "Masa," she continued after she swallowed. "Notify your father and Chouza-sama that an unsafe bo staff have been seen in circulation. Graduation ceremony for Academy students is in two days. Both the Sarutobi and the Akimichi clans favor using the bo, as such it's common for parents to gift their children their first official bo staff."
Masa stared at her. At her reassuring smile, he poofed away.
Inoichi sucked in a breath while Ibiki and Bear narrowed their eyes at this information. Chakra poisoning was very difficult to cure. If a recent Academy graduate were to get ahold of a bo, the result will be disastrous. It harms the still maturing chakra coils of young potential Genin by disrupting the connection between the chakra coils. The fact that the only medic that knows how to counter this type of poison is no longer in the village makes it even more serious.
As Sora took another bite of her apple, Bear gave her a once over. Seeing how she wasn't immediately displaying major symptoms of chakra poisoning, he asked, "You're involving the Military Police Force?"
Sora quirked an eyebrow at him before swallowing. "Masamaru's Weapons Shop is a privately owned business rather than a government owned one, such as Ninja Weapons Shop. Due to the specialized weapons my store offers, I'm required by law to notify the authorities if anything suspicious comes our way." Looking at him she continued, "I can't directly go to Anbu or any other ranked shinobi, so the next best thing is the Military Police Force."
"Will Hokage-sama be notified?" Bear asked.
Sora shrugged. "It depends on what the Military Police Force finds during their investigation, I suppose." Taking another bite, she swallowed and studied Bear. His soul had been flickering left and right with worry. "Bear-san, I'm sure if you ask Uchiha-san to keep you updated, he will." Bear glanced down at her as she continued, "Though, I think a collaborative effort between all three departments will speed things along. Especially, if let's say, a weapon was somehow to be acquired to have T&I's Analysis Team look at it to see where the components came from."
Ignoring their surprised looks, she shrugged. "That's just my opinion though, Commanders."
The two Commanders looked at her. She made a good point. If the Military Police Force can seize the weapons and the blacksmith, then T&I can obtain the information needed to locate the source of foreign chakra to send out Anbu agents. The thing was, neither departments had worked with the Military Police Force before.
Everyone watched Sora as she called out, "Mizu, you can come out now."
From the darkest corner of the training ground was a woman with short spikey dark blue hair. She was dressed in the same black shirt and pants that Masa was wearing. All the Anbu agents recognized her as a staff member of Masamaru's Weapons Shop. As she neared the group, she eyed Sora's bandaged hand. "Did Masa have a word with you?"
Sora winced at Mizu's soul flickering with worry and anger. She sighed and nodded. "Good," Mizu said. "I don't need to say anything else then."
Sora brought her apple to her mouth but paused to look at her staff member. "You normally don't seek me out, Mizu."
Mizu gave her a side glance before eyeing the Anbu agents. "There's a kunoichi who requires your area of expertise."
Sora stiffened and asked, "When does she depart?"
Mizu grimaced and said, "Tonight."
Sora sucked in a breath. "These things take time, Mizu."
Mizu sighed and nodded. "Someone recommended you to her and so she had refused to go elsewhere."
Sora nodded and asked, "Where is she now?"
Mizu rubbed the back of her neck and muttered, "At the shop."
Sora's eyes widened, "You left her with Maki-kun? He isn't used to our female cliental."
Mizu grinned and shrugged. "The tikes gotta learn some day. Besides, the others are there too."
Sora sighed. Looking at Mizu, she said, "Give me 15 minutes. I should be finishing up here." Mizu nodded. Before she could leave, Sora stated, "Mizu." She looked at her boss questioningly who bit into her apple. Sora kept the apple inside her mouth and with her left hand, Sora reached to pull a kunai from her pockets to give it to Mizu. Once Mizu grabbed the kunai, Sora removed her apple and said, "I pulled it off from one of the weapons stands here. Recognize anything?"
Mizu frowned and twisted it around her fingers. It was familiar and different at the same time. Glancing at Sora, then back down at the kunai, Mizu coated the kunai with chakra. She let out a curse at the recognizable way her chakra surrounded the kunai for a quick second before fizzing out. "Sora," she growled out. "This is blasphemy. They defiled a perfectly well made infusion kunai." Sora let out a small chuckle. Mizu looked at her boss in disbelief. "This isn't funny, Sora. Someone melted your weapons adding other minerals to make a new kunai."
"That's to be expected," Sora muttered. "I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner with how many weapons get lost or forgotten. That's not what I'm concerned about." Sora touched the flat bottom of the handle.
Mizu's eyes widened as she let out a growl, knowing exactly what she was touching. "Sora," she huffed out in anger as she threw the kunai at a broken target post. Ignoring how it exploded upon impact, Mizu said softly with barely controlled anger. "Someone is being trained to recognize your weapons by sight, then reproducing them and putting them back into circulation."
Sora took a bite out of her apple and nodded. "I thought so as well." Looking at the weapons stands behind Mizu, Sora sighed. "Mizu." Mizu looked at her as Sora said, "Go to the Guild and have them stop all production immediately." Looking at Mizu, she continued, "Have them proceed with Protocol Shadow. All customized orders that have yet to be completed will be completed by only you and Masa. I'll talk to the others."
Mizu nodded as she disappeared.
Sora turned to see that everyone was curiously looking at her.
Ibiki frowned at her and crossed his arms, "Care to explain?"
Sora blinked and asked, "Explain what?"
"Do not play dumb, Sora." Ibiki gave Sora a hard stare. "It doesn't suit you."
Sora gave him her own stare. "Then you have to be more specific Morino-san." As she walked passed him, she said, "What do you want me to clarify?"
'Everything,' he thought in frustration. 'Everything that's been happening since you've arrived. I don't want to have to take you to T&I.'
"You can start with what kinds of services you provide kunoichi that requires you're personal expertise," Ibiki said as he kept his emotions down under lock and key.
Sora blinked at him then shook her head. "That's something I can't exactly explain." At his eyes narrowing, she gave him a sheepish smile. She muttered, "It's better if you see it for yourself. It varies depending on the circumstances."
"We'll be accompanying you to your shop then," Ibiki stated.
"We?" Sora asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Yes, we, Sora." Bear said beside Ibiki.
Sora blinked at both Commanders then sighed. Relenting she nodded as she looked at her tour guide. "Thank you for giving me a tour around Anbu HQ, Falcon-san." Looking at the broken target posts, she added, "I'll have Masa or Mizu come over tomorrow to replace your target posts, Bear-san."
Sora took a bite from her apple as she made her way towards the stairwell. Team Ro, Inoichi and both Commanders followed her, ignoring how the rest of the Anbu agents poofed away.