Chapter 5: The Price of Honor
Court functions seemed to consist mostly of waiting outside elaborate doors. Luckily, there was plenty to keep the curious genin occupied in the hallways. Each one was lined with larger-than-life paintings of nobility past, ink outlines delicately painted in with light pastels. Though the older paintings were quite stylized, the more recent ones seemed almost photorealistic, as the fashion had trended in modern times.
Naruto looked up at them open-mouthed while they waited for Lady Hinogawa to change out of her riding clothes, imagining how he might look painted like that. Each painting featured the clan name prominently. This hallway in particular featured only Hinogawas.
"Hey, hey, I wonder what happens when they run out of room on the walls?"
It was a fair question. Sasuke, who hadn't deigned show too much interest in the paintings, also eyed the walls now, considering this issue.
Kakashi, with some amusement, saw the stoic boy briefly regard the ceiling. An image of future Hinogawans staring down onto hapless passerby from ceiling mounts made him suppress a smile.
"This isn't their only hallway, I don't think." Sakura piped up. She pointed at each in turn. "These look like the most recent clan heads. I was reading about this today." A discreet look to Sasuke. No approving look yet. She persisted. "The Hinogawa family has been Fire Country nobles for at least 300 years, there's no way this is all of them."
"Waaa, Sakura-chan, you're so smart!" Naruto pointed at the closest one to them. "So that's Lady Hinogawa's dad?"
"It should be, yeah. He's been head for fifteen years." The four of them regarded the painting together. Icy blue eyes stared down at them from a craggy face as stern as the Nidaime's on the mountain, hand clasped over the shoulder of a golden-eyed woman that could only be Lady Hinogawa's mother. Naruto wrinkled his face. "They must have done a bad job, he doesn't look anything like her."
Sakura giggled, but didn't bother explaining to Naruto the magic that artfully applied face-paint could do to alter the appearance. As it was, it was impossible to tell through the make-up and elaborately styled hair.
She patted her own hair self-consciously. The few ladies that they had seen so far were just as well made up. Perhaps she'd pick up some make-up on her next trip into the city instead of hitting the library again.
Naruto's brow furrowed. "Hey, but why are all the last ones so recent?" He pointed down the hallway. "The oldest one here's from 30 years ago. They've had…" To Kakashi's chagrin, Naruto started counting the number of paintings in the hall on his fingers.
A vein on Sakura's forehead pulsed. "There are ten, Naruto. You shouldn't need fingers for this."
Naruto grinned bashfully. "Hahah, right! Ten. But that's so many for 30 years!"
Sakura was surprised he'd noticed. "Yeah, they went through seven in the fifteen years before Lady Hinogawa's father."
"Some of these are from the same year!" They were. In fact, most of them were. Kakashi recognized one of the faces quite familiarly. He'd died without so much as a gurgle.
"Clan heads don't necessarily last as long as they should, out here in the capital." Lady Hinogawa had emerged, resplendent in a green and ivory kimono, the court-ready cousin to the loose, open-chested style she preferred.
They stood at attention. All of them except Naruto, who stood as if star struck.
She flicked a fan open, using it to hide a smile at the gaping genin. Over the Hinogawa crest embroidered on the fabric, her eyes twinkled at him. "Hello, Naruto-kun."
Kakashi coughed to break the spell on Naruto. "Should we be joining Hayao now?"
She inclined a head, still smiling. "Let's."
They swept out of the hall—well, Lady Hinogawa did most of the sweeping, Team 7 followed like four very discreet shadows. Hayao was waiting outside with the rest of the retinue.
Ignoring the ninjas, Hayao bent close to the lady. "Lady Hinogawa, the daimyo has requested you sit at the top table, with Kawagu-sama."
"Oh?" Lady Hinogawa eyed Hayao, her face hardening in a way very reminiscent of Hayao's own expression. It smoothed almost as soon as it came on. "I suppose it's convenient. I'll give them the news then."
The retinue switched course, entering some back corridors.
Sakura's heart was pounding as they trailed the crowd led by Lady Hinogawa. This was all so much! The rigid formalities, the henged uniforms, the prospect of guarding the lady with the daimyo!
Naruto whispered, equally excited. "We're going to see the daimyo! I wonder if he's as old as the Third…"
Sakura shot him a look, hissing. "Naruto, just don't say anything tonight, please."
"Shut up, both of you." Sasuke was holding his head rigidly high. "We're working."
Even Kakashi-sensei had straightened to his full height, hands free of his pockets for once.
Deadly gravitas surrounded him like a cloak, hinting darkly at the power the ninja could unleash. I suppose even Kakashi-sensei stands on ceremony sometimes.
She whispered to him, "Sensei, what's the daimyo like?"
Kakashi-sensei looked down at her. He was imposing like that. He'd hunch over to match their eye-level so often that it was easy to forget that even Sasuke only came up to mid-chest on their sensei. Looking up at him now, she felt very small.
The intimidation factor dissipated when the single eye crinkled into a smile. "Maa, it'd be my first time meeting this daimyo too. We'll all find out together."
"Sensei, have you been to court before?"
Kakashi-sensei's eye flitted to the backs of the servants, still in earshot.
"No."
Sakura thrilled inside at the prospect of possibly knowing more about the background of this mission than sensei. Screw make-up, I'm going right back to the library tomorrow!
Engrossed in visions of Team 7 bowing to her court expertise, she almost bumped into the back of the servant walking in front of her. He was no longer walking. They'd arrived.
The daimyo was a jovial older man. He was younger than the Third—but not by much. He waved away Lady Hinogawa's bow to take both her hands in his own.
"Thank you for seating me at your table, my lord."
"It's been too long since you've graced us with your beautiful face, my child. I wouldn't think to be deprived of your company for a moment longer." He led her to the head table, where she was greeted just as familiarly by a dark haired young man with the same icy blue eyes of the Hinogawa lord. He beckoned her to the seat beside him. The daimyo took his seat next to her.
Sakura's eyes widened from where Team 7 lined the wall behind the lady, flanked on either end by castle guards. The seat next to the daimyo was reserved for heirs, unless Court Etiquette for the Discerning Lady was outdated.
Her puzzling was interrupted by the approach of a man who couldn't be anything but a shinobi.
"What's the Copy-Nin doing here?" There was a casual grin on his bearded face.
"Shinau-san." Kakashi-sensei inclined his head, then lurched when the other shinobi slapped him on the back.
"Hah, you can't stand back here like a common guard, it makes us look bad! Come, sit with us!" He gestured to a long table, where eleven others dressed in functional but fashionable clothing sat. They all wore the waistcloth that designated them—
"You're a Guardian Ninja!" Sakura squealed.
The large man grinned down at her.
"Yes, I am, pretty one. Now get on down here, we're all dying for news from home." His easy demeanor was a welcome change from the formal language of the courtiers.
"Ah, sorry, Shinau-san. We're on a guard mission." Kakashi-sensei gestured towards Lady Hinogawa.
The older ninja let out a pfft. "So are we, no?"
Kakashi-sensei didn't move. Shinau-san sighed. "It's not like they're not in range of a shunshin. Come on, Hatake, you're embarrassing me."
She looked up at him, internally begging. The Guardian Ninja were legendary.
Kakashi-sensei caved. "Maa, I suppose." Shinau hustled Team 7 to the table in a matter of moments. Servants miraculously produced more plates for them.
The food looked delicious. While the genin engrossed themselves with the food, the adults started peppering Kakashi-sensei with questions.
"Crazy to think they put you on jonin-sensei duty already, senpai. Is there really nothing else for someone like you to be doing?" a slender, purple haired ninja asked.
A blond woman waved chopsticks in the air. "Never mind that, tell us a mission story! This Guardian ninja thing keeps us from any sort of excitement. Any chance you can ask the Third to cycle us through every so often?"
"I heard the Third hasn't been the same after having to take over from the Fourth or something, shouldn't they really be thinking about a successor?"
Their loud, careless conversation rose conspicuously over the refined murmur of the dining nobles. Sakura couldn't help but notice a table of samurai looking coldly at the Guardians. Hayao was seated among them, his attendant's garb standing out among the samurai knights' finery.
Lady Hinogawa watched Team 7 join the Guardians absently as she got introduced to the other members of the head table. A formality, since there was no chance that any noble at the head table had dared forget the name of the daughter who ruled—had ruled—the Hinogawan estate.
"…And of course, you remember my heir, Kiyomasa Shirane." The young, auburn-haired nobleman nodded to her, seated on the other side of the daimyo.
He spoke, voice far deeper than she remembered it being, though that was not surprising—the last they'd talked was when he was ten. "What brings you here, Kawane? I figured Lord Hinogawa would never let you leave his side."
Her eldest brother spoke up from her side, handsome face teasing. "That's my question as well. I'm surprised you got the time to take a leisure trip to the capital, hasn't the old man offloaded all his work on you?"
Lady Hinogawa's face remained smooth. "No leisure trip, brother." Had he not read the letter? "Father has passed."
A hush fell over the table, every well-trained political mind present digesting the news that Old Lord Hinogawa had died. All eyes flicked to the daimyo, whose own eyes had closed at the news. They opened, slightly brighter. "I sorrow for his passing, child. He was a dear friend to us all."
Lady Hinogawa took the daimyo's wrinkled hand in her own. "I know, my lord. It's why I decided to come out and deliver the news to my brothers and to you personally. This deserved more than just a courier."
"I couldn't agree more." The entire table stayed silent in deference to the daimyo's apparent sorrow.
Lady Hinogawa smiled, trying to break the silence. "My mother also wanted for me to come to court so that I could aid my dear brother in his search for a wife. Brother, Mother has commanded that you come to take over the estate with a bride. You have five days to find someone willing to take you."
A light chuckle broke out despite the situation.
"The greater difficulty will be in whittling them down to just one," Kiyomasa said wryly as Kawagu smiled a lopsided grin. He raised a glass. "To all the lovely hearts that will be broken in court this week!"
The table began to dissect the young Lord Hinogawa's marriage prospects, glad of the easier conversation topic.
Lady Hinogawa didn't miss the few who exchanged meaningful glances over the table.
Naruto wiped away the remnants of a glazed pork chop—Hadn't he had dinner already? Sakura marveled—to ask the Guardians, "Hey, so what are you doing here?"
The blond woman from before gesticulated at the genin. "See, they don't even teach them about us anymore. Man, I miss when this was a real job."
She turned to the fellow blond. "We're the Twelve Guardian Ninja, kid." No recognition from Naruto.
She sighed and continued. "We have the permanent mission of protecting the daimyo, showing Konoha's strength and support for Fire Country. We answer only to the daimyo."
"That's awesome!" The blond bounced in his seat. "So this is like an S-rank?"
She snorted. "It's supposed to be, yeah."
"So you're protecting, like, everyone here!"
"Ah, no." Shinau-san pointed at Naruto with his chopsticks. "Very specifically, we only protect the daimyo. Kakashi will know all about that, right?" He nudged the Copy-nin, who he'd insisted on seating next to himself.
Sasuke spoke up. "Because Konoha can be hired to assassinate anyone, even at court."
Shinau-san clacked his chopsticks at him. "Exactly. Smart boy."
Sasuke brushed the praise off. "But it's possible to hire us to assassinate the Daimyo as well. How does that work with the Guardian Ninja?"
Sakura brightened. This was her expertise. "The price of honor!"
The Guardian looked at her. "Smart girl, too." Shinau plopped a dumpling into his mouth. "Wouldn't yell that phrase out too loud though."
"Hey, hey, what's that?" Naruto was hopelessly lost.
Sakura went into teaching mode, though she lowered her voice. "The Second made it a rule of the village that there is no mission without a price. We usually interpret it as the village never doing a mission for free, but it goes the other way too. If someone has a mission for us, we must put a price on it. Not only is it a principle of the village, but a strategic thing, since refusing a mission gives away too much information about what missions our ninja are on right now."
Wry smiles from the adults at the table.
"The Hokage coordinates all our missions so we're never set against our comrades. But since the Guardians are permanently protecting the daimyo, a mission to kill the Daimyo would always be setting us against our comrades. So the price for it rises far beyond the actual price of the difficulty of the mission. The term for that is the price of honor."
Kakashi-sensei spoke up for the first time. "Ah, not completely true, Sakura-chan, though it's a good analysis."
Eyes turned to Kakashi-sensei. Shinau-san spoke. "I'm pretty sure she's right, Copy-Nin."
Kakashi-sensei shook his head. "I've seen mission rates when a client hires us to kill another client who already hired us for protection. The mission rate triples, and if they don't go to another village, we take it in name only then pass on the assassination to an allied village. That's correct, but it's just basic pricing theory, it's not called the price of honor. The price of honor only refers to the price on the Daimyo's head."
"What's the price of honor right now?" the blond kunoichi asked.
The purple haired man answered. "Think it's like 300 trillion ryo."
She recoiled. "If someone could pay 300 trillion ryo, they don't need to kill the daimyo!"
Sensei nodded. "Right, they'd be powerful enough to dethrone the Daimyo by other means. If they go through Konoha though, they'd be paying for a symbolic transfer of Konoha's loyalty from the Daimyo to the new incoming Daimyo."
Sakura whispered. "Price of honor."
Shinau-san grinned. "Worthy purchase, too, since we're the most powerful ninja might in the world. Paying up would be easier than Konoha just killing the new Daimyo in his sleep."
"Besides, the actual act of killing the Daimyo would likely be one of us just smacking him a good one while the others turn a blind eye," the purple one said. "Other reason why it could be called the price of honor; it's our honor."
Naruto spoke up. "This seems really bad, why don't we just tell them no?"
"It's why the price is 300 trillion, we're essentially telling people a gigantic no while still in the village rules," the purple one said.
Naruto shook his head. "Not that, about normal missions. If we're protecting someone, even if we give the assassination contract to another village, that's still putting our comrades in danger. I don't like the idea of putting my comrades in danger for a little extra money."
The guardians looked at each other, momentarily struck speechless. They then burst out laughing.
Shinau-san composed himself, wiping tears away. "Oh man, Kakashi, what kind of missions have you been taking these genin on?"
Kakashi-sensei didn't answer, somehow chewing a dumpling under his mask. I took my eyes off him for a second! Sakura thought. Shinau-san turned back to Naruto. "What do you think a mission is? The whole point is for them to pay us to put ourselves in danger!"
Naruto glared at the condescension. "No, I get that, but if we know that other village ninja are going to be attacking Konoha shinobi, that's a lot more dangerous than just being a guard!"
The blonde kunoichi waggled a finger at him. "That's why after we defend the client successfully, we demand a lot more money, brat. You can crank prices sky high when you're holding an enemy ninja's head in your hand."
"Don't be crude, Asana." A large, brown haired ninja that'd been silent until then patted the orange genin on the back sympathetically. "It's a hard part of the shinobi life, kid. Good news is that the Hokage makes these decisions, so you never have to bother yourself too much about this. I'd drink myself to an early death if it were my job."
Naruto sat there, unusually subdued.
Sasuke spoke thoughtfully. "So what's the price in Iwa for our daimyo's head?"
Kakashi-sensei raised a finger, silencing the answer that was about to come from Shinau-san. "Good question, Sasuke-kun. Do you think it'd be higher or lower than 300 trillion?"
"Lower."
"What about you two?" Sakura and Naruto were now the subject of the adults' expectant gazes.
Sakura was ready for this. "Lower, since the price of honor doesn't apply. It'd still be high though, because the Iwa ninja would still be up against the Guardians. It's why being a Guardian is so incredible; Konoha knows only the very best ninjas would go after the daimyo, so we're saying the best ninja anywhere can't get through the Guardians!"
The blond kunoichi, Asana, smiled brightly at Sakura. "I like her! What a sweet thing."
Naruto squinted. "No matter how I see it, it's got to be higher."
Sakura shook her head at his folly. The boy just refused to stop embarrassing himself in front of legends. "I just explained it, Naruto, what don't you get?"
Sensei cut her off with another authoritative finger. "Sakura-chan, hold on. Naruto is correct. Let's see if he's right for the right reasons."
Naruto scratched his head bashfully under the pressure. "Wouldn't…wouldn't them killing the daimyo mean war? Between Fire and whoever ordered it, as well as Konoha and Iwa?"
"Well done, Naruto. We'll make a ninja of you yet." Sakura watched Naruto beam under their sensei's praise, fuming a bit. Not one to be outdone, Sasuke also dug deeper.
"Kakashi-sensei, if the price regulation is true, why aren't there more ninja here?" Sasuke asked. "Wouldn't it make sense for every noble to have a ninja to make it more expensive?"
Sakura looked around. It was true, other than the Guardians, it looked like Team 7 was the only ninja hired on by a noble.
Asana was the one to answer. "Think it's going out of fashion, if I'm going to be honest." She twisted a lip wryly. "The samurai think we're dishonorable. Dumb, clunky louts."
"That, and the nobles reached an unofficial truce on it a while back." Shinau-san added. "There's no way to defend against ninja except with other ninja, and prices were rising too much to maintain ninjas for defense. They'll use ninja outside, but while they're at court, it's pretty much taboo to set ninja on each other. It's considered an insult of a sort to keep ninja around."
At that point, the servants brought out dessert and distracted them all from the topic with marvels of icing and honeyed goo. Conversation turned to the food, making it impossible to ask the obvious question on Sakura's mind.
Should we be here?
An hour later, a servant came to collect Team 7 to rejoin the lady at the head table. About time, Kakashi thought. The Guardians had picked up worrying amounts of bravado from being surrounded by nobles too long and it had been grating.
Though seemed Lady Hinogawa had been too hasty in calling the team over.
The daimyo reached out a hand to stop her as Lady Hinogawa tried to take her leave, rising out of her chair as the ninja approached.
"Must you go, child? Kawagu has chambers you can stay in. It doesn't feel right that you should leave us tonight, especially with the situation being what it is. Surely you'd prefer to be near your brother tonight?"
Her brother agreed, face just as serious. "He's right, Kawane. Mother asked too much of you, and we have much to discuss. You're more than welcome to stay."
Lady Hinogawa shook her head. "I couldn't possibly impose."
Kawagu waved a hand. "Nonsense, sister. You're staying." His handsome features brightened a touch. "Besides, Hiro-kun has been eager to meet you. He couldn't make dinner, but having him wait until tomorrow's ball would be too cruel, not when you look so beautiful tonight."
A flash of annoyance crossed Lady Hinogawa's face. "You know I have matters to attend to."
"They can wait a single night." Kawagu said dismissively. His expression darkened again. "And I believe the matters in question are now mine to attend to."
Lady Hinogawa sank reluctantly back into her seat, seeing her brother would take no argument. "Very well, but we'll need quarters for my ninja."
Kawagu glanced at Team 7 standing behind his sister. "Ah, they're yours? I was wondering who'd bothered bringing them in." He looked back at his sister, looking very much as if he had more to say.
He seemed to decide against it, waving a careless hand. "There's no shortage of rooms, tell Hayao to figure it out."
"You saw I brought him."
"I'm not the fool Father was." The wanting-to-say-more look was back. "It's an...odd combination, wouldn't you say?"
Kakashi was surprised at the sudden tension that rose between the two siblings.
Lady Hinogawa was the one to break the silence, speaking over her shoulder to Kakashi. "Kakashi Hatake-san, please inform Hayao-san that we'll be lodging in the palace tonight."
He bowed curtly, a brow raising under his headband at the use of his full name. Some game was being played here. He was obliged to play. "Hai." He shunshined the team over to Hayao to the general disapproval of Hayao's dinnermates, especially the ones that spilled their drinks over themselves in surprise.
Team 7 was effectively chased out by a belligerent Hayao, who practically tossed them into the guard barracks. Though they grumbled briefly at the sudden downgrade in their sleeping situation, the genin fell asleep before Kakashi set a night watch schedule, overfull from the rich banquet. Fondly resolving to let them sleep the night, he held the watch alone.
Kakashi's hidden watch over Hinogawa's bed chamber didn't come up with any concerning illicit activity if he discounted the nervous-looking young man that paced outside her chambers for a while, almost knocking on multiple occasions. The man, no doubt the lovestruck Hiro-kun, left around midnight, without knocking.
As dawn broke, a bored and stiff Kakashi rose from his hiding spot. Making his way to the guard barracks the genin were currently peacefully sleeping in, Kakashi was resolving to set them on nightwatch for the succeeding nights when he smelled it.
Death.
Kiyomasa Shirane had been murdered.
A/N: I must have died in a previous life from not dragging things out as long as possible, because I seem to have an interminable urge to make everything go at the slowest pace possible. I really actively tried to not do that this chapter, so the pacing may feel a bit off from me chopping pointless bits off. I just get lost in the details a bit too often. Lemme know if it's weird. Also if I use certain words too much. Like if my characters are always smirking, I need a punch in the gut since that's obnoxious.
Also, re: mission pricing:
Like, Konoha talks a big rhetoric, but they're a mercenary village. They price and take lives, and train children from childhood to do so. There's a huge dark side to the village that I believe Kishimoto genuinely explored realistically in the early stages of the series, but it got kind of overshadowed by the epic battles that are mandatory for shonen manga now.
Naruto wasn't initially a series structured so one boy could save the world, it was one set up to explore how children developed and found light in the darkness-Naruto fighting his loneliness, Lee fighting his disability, Neji fighting his destiny, Kakashi fighting his demons. Literally fighting dreamers. And it wasn't all butterflies and overcoming either. Naruto never got stronger than Sasuke (pre timeskip anyway), Sasuke never got over his darkness. They failed things.
So I liked that. But it never really resolves that these kids, who we see are good and loving, are training to be the most deadly things on the planet so that they can kill people for money. The Hokage has sent people to their deaths and Naruto at first was kind of set up to be someone who would prevent that from happening.
But how would he do that? The village works off of murder, and not only that, their abilities are too powerful for the world to just leave them alone even if they were at peace, Allied Shinobi Nations or no.
Idk if it's addressed in Boruto, but it seems like they're still fighting battles from the snippets I see on YouTube.
I vaguely got the impression Naruto dies in Boruto, so I won't be watching to confirm. Team 7 will live forever in my heart.
