Kusagakure Village: 22:45 - Friday | Three days later.
The veil of night descends around the village of Kusa, a perfect time for Daishin to begin his primary mission. The first being; find the lab, survey the surroundings and make note of the Kusa-nin's patrols while trying to not be caught. Which is not something he's too worried about, the only real issue being his Genin, they cannot know the real reason they were dragged to Kusa, and to do that his plan will have to be flawless.
Team 10's hotel room is a decent size, filled with four single beds and a very basic cabinet and dresser. A large window draws the most attention, as it faces the exit of the room and is more than large enough to leave through. Daishin lays on his bed with closed eyes listening intently to the conversation of his Genin. Both Choji and Ino talk in great detail about what they want to do with their spare time before the peace talks, while Shikamaru seems to simulate Daishin and is laid on his bed with his eyes closed.
Another hour passes before the Genin are fast asleep allowing Daishin to make his first move. He opens his eyes, swings his legs off of his bed and quickly stands and grabs the relevant gear out of a storage scroll he placed in the drawer next to his bed. He takes a quick look around the room, glancing at each Genin and making sure they're asleep, before making the clone hand seal, and creating a shadow clone. The shadow clone looks to Daishin and nods, taking up the same position he had on the bed, while Daishin creates another set of hand seals, the dog then the boar and finally the ram. Daishin laughs inwardly at how simple and second nature these skills are to him after the many years he's trained. With that he shifts his form into that of an Iwa-nin and leaps out of the open window.
He moves deftly across the rooftops in such a way that makes it impossible to follow or keep up. Daishin wasn't sure if Kusa had sent an ANBU detail to follow him but he wasn't taking any chances on this mission. The lab, from what information he was given is underground in the market district, sitting under one of the larger stores. A detail Daishin was able to confirm in his walk to the Kage's manor, as it had a higher amount of ninja customers than a simple civilian shop should have.
Hokage Office: 04:00 - Saturday | Next Day
"You asked for me, Hokage-sama?" Shikon wonders as he body flickers into the office through Hiruzen's window.
The Hokage looks up from his mountain of paperwork to the kneeling Jonin in front of him. "Yes, I have a mission for you."
"A mission? I have a team to look after, Hokage-sama." Shikon answers. "I doubt there are many I can take them on, given my specialty."
"Indeed, and this is one of them. I will have your old Teammate look after them while you're gone." Hiruzen counters, causing Shikon's eyes to narrow at his leader.
"Then it must be important. What do you need me to do?" Shikon asks, all playfulness gone from his demeanor.
The Hokage sits upright. "I just got a report from a sleeper-nin in Suna. The Kazekage disappeared for a few days from his caravan, with no reason or response he returned to Suna a few days later, tattered and wounded. He has since locked himself in his room, rarely making contact with anyone save his personal servant."
"I fail to see how this is a cause for concern, Hokage-sama." Shikon returns, standing from his kneeling position and folding his arms.
"It's alarming, given Otogakure's movements close by the Kazekage's caravan. It's possible he's been murdered." Hiruzen continues. "And I hate the thought of Rasa dying at Orochimaru's hands. Let alone being replaced by a Oto shinobi."
"Alright, let's say all this speculation is factual, and not reasonably based assumption. What do you want me to do with it?" Shikon almost sasses his Kage, not fooled by the idea that the Kazekage could die to Orochimaru.
"I want you to go to Suna, and I want you to find out if Rasa lives. If he has been replaced, kill the man and leave. I will inform Suna that their Kage had died earlier. If he is just experimenting alone, as he has never done before, then you will return. I likely suspect that the replacement is as good, or better than Rasa, so I'm sending you." The Hokage explains, tossing Shikon a scroll which he catches out of instinct.
"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, this seems like a terrible political move." Shikon returns, reading over the scroll.
The Hokage gazes at his Jonin with a ferocity in his eyes. "Are you saying you won't do it?"
"I'm saying it seems like a terrible political move. I've never refused a mission before, Hokage-sama." Shikon retorts, before burning the scroll. "I have it memorized, when do I leave?"
"Now." The Hokage demands. "I will tell your team and Hitomi personally."
Shikon nods. "I'll be back in a week, tops." Then the Jonin disappears into the village below, his body flicker barely noticeable to the trained eye.
Hiruzen relaxes in his chair, curious to the answer and what his shinobi will do. It's been a long time since Shikon refused to believe him, he only wishes Shikon to be right. His shoulders tense in worry before he returns to his stacks of paper.
Kusagakure Village: 21:30 - Saturday | Same Day
After a long day Team 10 arrive back at their hotel, the Genin all tired from seeing as much as was physically possible in the village. Daishin however was intently listening to his surroundings and ignored his own team for nearly the entire day. A fact that the young Nara had noted and intends to find out the answer to. Once in their room, Ino and Choji grab a change of clothes and move to the door before looking to Daishin.
"We're just going to the public baths, okay sensei?" Ino shouts across the room to her Sesei who is already laying on his bed.
Daishin brings up his arm and waves bye before returning to his faux sleeping state. He keeps all his senses alert and after the briefest of moments realises that Shikamaru did not join his teammates and is in fact staring directly at him.
"Can I help you, Shikamaru?" Daishin voices while opening his right eye and looking at the Genin.
The Nara nods, shifting his form to place his elbows on his knees and arch his fingers. "Where did you go last night?"
Daishin opens his other eye and sits himself up, turning his upper body to look directly at the Nara. "So, you noticed? Can't say I didn't expect you to, but still, it's not something I can share with you so I'd recommend dropping it." The look he gave the Genin is stern, but Shikamaru knows he keeps the secrets for he and his friends safety.
"So the peace talks are merely a front for your true mission?" The Nara moves past the reason and begins to speculate on the rest of the matter.
"Correct, now do me a favor and say nothing to Ino and Choji. The very fact you know is a major issue and I cannot allow anything to go wrong while I'm here." Daishin quickly explains, sliding off of his bed, grabbing his gear and striding to the window.
Shikamaru nods to his sensei. "I understand, sensei." With that he stands and makes his way into the bathroom, closing the door afterwards.
Daishin peers over his shoulder and smiles, proceeding to do the same as the night before. Creating a shadow clone and transforming himself into another and leaping out of the large window. The rooftops of Kusa are silent and empty, with all the ninja guarding the key sites while the Iwa delegation stays within their walls. Daishin now in his Iwa-nin henge, decides to again move in a erratic pattern around the village for an hour or so to lose any tail if he indeed has one before moving to the Market District.
He arrives at a nearby room on the edge of the district, kneeling on one of the higher roofs to use the information he gained last night. With that insight he knows that soon one of the ninja guarding the lab will be making a detour on his patrol, down a small alleyway that contains a back ally dealer of a local drug. The drug itself is merely a psychoactive, and nothing that would create an issue if he was to take on duty. Daishin proceeds to the alleyway and lays in wait, looking at the drug dealer.
It doesn't take long for the Kusa-nin to show up, looking in all directions to make sure no one is following him and looking on as he partakes in a shady act while on duty. Daishin reaches into his pouch and grabs a small storage scroll, he then places it onto the rooftop and pushes a minute amount of chakra into it to reveal its contents. A kunai and vial appear out of it which he takes swiftly, opens and places the kunai inside of the vial, letting the blade coat in the mixture. Within seconds he launches the kuani at the Kusa-nin which hits them in the neck, embedding the poison in their bloodstream.
The shinobi falls to the ground startling the dealer, who proceeds to sprint to the exit of the alley hoping to be spared the same fate as the Kusa-nin. Unfortunately for him, Daishin leaps from the rooftop, landing in front of the dealer. As he lands he swings his leg in a arch, kicking the dealer in the head and sending him into the wall with a thud. Daishin stands, wiping himself off before sauntering to the shinobi's side to pick him up by his feet. He drags the Kusa-nin further into the alley, only stopping once any part of the body is unseen to anyone walking past the alley. Once done, he searches the body for his I.D and then proceeds to make the three hand seals used in the Henge Jutsu, shifting his appearance to that of the Kusa-nin.
The rest of the short trip to the lab is made by foot, simulating the patrol route of the shinobi he just dealt with, so any suspicion is averted. It takes him around twenty minutes before he arrives outside of the shop, the door's of which are flanked by two Kusa Jonin who immediately move aside for him.
As they do one of the Jonin strikes up a conversation. "You get the stuff? It's damn boring here tonight."
Daishin turns swiftly and shakes his head before proceeding into the building as the Jonin sighs dejectedly. The shop itself is normal looking to the naked eye yet as he moves deeper in he can feel the lab and the strange effects it's had on the shops atmosphere. Once inside no shinobi are in sight, giving Daishin a feeling of relief, as killing a large number of Kusa-nin would be an issue. He begins his search for the labs entrance by scanning the room with his eyes, taking in each section with great detail.
At the back of the story a large metal door takes ahold of his attention, drawing him to take a closer look. The door was slightly ajar and Daishin is able to hear the sound of yelling and pleading, whether or not they are from the same person matters not. He knows his mission and opens the door silently and walks down into the lab. As the stairs turn into flat ground, he proceeds to pull out a handful of kunai and make his way into the room where all of the commotion was being created.
"- it up! I can't continue waiting! You lot said you would be done last fucking week!" A crazy woman screeches at what Daishin assumes is a scientist.
The woman wears a black cheongsam, embroidered along the right side is a purple rose, from the high neck to the low skirt. Something seems off about the purple, so Daishin notes it before continuing to listen.
"We're sorry Fumiko-sama!" One of the scientists returns. "It's been a hectic week, what with the Iwa delegation and all!"
"Bullshit. You're wasting my time, get back to work!" Fumiko orders with a shout, making the scientist and those within earshot jump.
"Ma'am!" One of the scientists across the room shouts. "There's a person behind you!"
"Huh?" Fumiko turns around, bringing to light her excellent facial features. "What the hell Jizen? You're supposed to be guarding the fucking front!"
Daishin looks at the crazed Fumiko while a sly smile etches itself onto his face. "Ah, for all I know you might be right but I thought it best to come and see the lab for myself. Can't protect anything when you don't know what's at stake."
Fumiko glares at the shinobi before her. "Jizen has never cared before. Who are you?" As she says the words, she draws a blade from somewhere on her dress.
As she does, the kunai from Daishin's hand impale themselves in the skulls of each scientist. "I'm no one really, I'm merely your shinigami."
Fumiko's eyes widen at the death of her scientists before springing into action. She darts forward with the small blade hidden in her left hand. She closes in on 'Jizen' almost instantly, surprising Daishin slightly that a Kusa-nin is this fast. Fumiko stretches out her left hand, small blade now in sight. Right before the blade connected with Daishin's skin he reacted, grabbing her hand, twisting her arm until it cracks and falls limp. As she attempts to twist with the motion, Daishin simply strikes the base of her neck and forces her into unconsciousness. He lets go of her arm and let's her body hit the floor with a thud, before moving to the last part of the mission, dealing with the labs contents.
Another storage scroll is pulled from his pouch as he kneels on the floor, he pushes chakra into the scroll and many types of tags come out. Daishin grabs the concussive explosion tags and begins to place them around the lab, which takes only a moment. Once done he leaves as the tags enter the final seconds of their countdown.
Kusagakure Village: 13:00 - Sunday | Next Day
Team 10 arrive rather late to the Kusakage's building, noting that no one is roaming the halls and all is silent other than the hall where both the Iwa delegation and the Kusakage himself are 'discussing' the peace. Daishin leads the Genin up to the large oak doors barley keeping the yelling and shouting at bay, they stop as he turns to face his Genin.
"Steel yourself for this, it's about to be a very tense affair." Daishin warns the Genin, looking at each before swiveling on his heel to face the door.
Daishin pushes the doors open and strides confidently into the hall. His presence is completely ignored as both parties are too busy arguing to even look his way. Daishin sighs before letting his killing intent leak into the room, letting his Genin abstain from feeling it from the simultaneous reassuring intent toward them. Within seconds the room falls deathly silent, and each shinobi present tenses up no matter how strong they are. For the killing intent they bask in is neither that of a prey trying to fend off attackers, or a predator intimidating it's food. No, even they would shudder when in its presence, for all living things fear it, the shinigami.
"Good, now that you have all stopped arguing like petulant children we can proceed." Daishin voices with an air of authority.
"I'll remind you that you are in my home, Konoha, and you will respect us." The Kusakage demands once he regains his composure.
"And I'll remind you that you invited me here to ensure peace talks proceed smoothly. You chose to argue, I merely did what was necessary to silence it." Daishin counters, letting his killing intent subside for awhile.
"This is your one break from repercussions. Speak your mind." The most powerful man in the village returns, refusing to back down from his position of power.
"Care to tell me why you were all arguing to begin with?" Daishin mostly ignores the Kusakage's empty words.
The Kusakage tsks. "An Iwa shinobi was found leaving the scene of a destroyed shop. As I'm no doubt you heard the explosion."
Daishin nods simply as an Iwa-nin counters the point. "You have no proof other than your word! All we've uncovered is sightings of one of us around the skirts of the explosion, simply leaving the view point. Even that we can't confirm, as none of us were in the area at the time!"
"Kusakage, in this shop of yours was there anything that could have caused such an explosion? A leaky gas pipe near an open flame perhaps?" Daishin questions, trying to hide a sly smile.
"No. Nothing like that has been uncovered. Only the sightings of an Iwa shinobi leaving the scene." The Kusakage rehashes, making the Iwa-nin red faced in anger.
Shikamaru steps forward, next to his sensei. "I believe if none of you have proof for each other, then you're talking about a possibility. It's possible for the Iwa-nin to have blown up your shop, it's also possible they just witnessed it happen. This conference was called to soothe relations between the two nations, this is your chance. If you throw accusations at one another, it ruins that chance."
The Kusakage gazes at the young Nara, then his sensei. "Is he always this outspoken?"
"Only when he's right." Daishin tactfully states with pride.
"We're willing to put your accusations behind us, Kusakage." The Iwa delegation's leader announces, his stare piercing the Kage through the soul.
The Grass Shadow considers both shinobi, then looks at his assistant who merely shrugs. "Fine, let the peace talks continue, but I assure you if I find out that you did have something to do with it, there will be hell to pay, Iwa."
"Are threats really necessary at this point?" Daishin wonders aloud, looking at the Kage and then the Iwa delegation.
The Kusakage takes his seat. "No, but it should be said. Let's begin, shall we?"
Sunagakure Village: 17:00 - Tuesday | Two Days Later
Shikon spots Sunagakure on the horizon and smile. 'Finally, some time out of this damned sand.'' He thinks to himself. Upon seeing it, he speeds up and makes way for the village at a breakneck pace. He darts around to a side of the village rarely watched and digs under the wall using an earth jutsu. Once inside he completes a henge and waddles around as an old man through the village.
He surveys the comings and goings of the shinobi, noting very few around the Kazekage's building, bar the guards. He takes a seat on a public bench capable of seeing everything from the eastern gate to the Kazekage's building. He found over the years that repressing his chakra signature became easy, given enough time to develop a personal way of doing so. With his natural sensing ability he could find each shinobi's signature like a light, unable to flicker on and off. With enough training he figured out how to 'flip off the lights' and repressed his chakra.
Of course, this made him just as feeble as any civilian, but it also meant that he could easily be mistaken as one. Many people pass by him, curious about the comparatively light skinned aging man. None of them stop to ask him any questions, none at least, until a certain red-headed child.
"You seem off, old man." Said the red headed child carrying a gourd and a tattoo of the Kanji 'love' on his forehead.
Shikon reacts as any old man would, confused. "Oho?"
"Why are you here?" He asks, the sound of sand scraping in his gourd begins to worry a deep part of Shikon.
"I like the sun, sonny." Shikon answers, almost wishing to bolt from the child and hide, then Shikon realizes it's killing intent that's making him feel this way, another side effect of hiding your chakra.
"Hmm." The love branded child draws out.
A Jonin jumps down from a rooftop, far enough away from the child not to aggravate him. "Gaara-sama, he's just an old man."
Gaara slowly drags his gaze from Shikon and sets it upon the Jonin. "Ebizo and Chiyo are old. Someone may see them only as old, does that make them 'just old'?" The young shinobi argues to which the Jonin scratched his head quizzically.
"Well, no. But he-" The Jonin tries to finish.
"Save it." Shikon answers, fading his henge to show both shinobi his true self. "You have one hell of an instinct, kid."
Instantly sand envelopes Shikon, grating against each other loudly and threatening to kill him at any moment, along with the kid's intense killing intent. "What are you doing in Suna, Konoha-kun?" The Jonin reacted just as fast by grabbing a kunai and entering into a combat stance.
"Your Kazekage went missing, did he not?" Shikon asks both shinobi.
The Jonin was too good, he didn't react at all, however the young one's sand began to tighten. "What are you talking about?"
"The Kazekage is likely dead." Shikon answers, to which the sand tightens again, making it difficult to breath. "But it wasn't us. It was Oto." Shikon accuses, knowing he has no proof.
Gaara's sand loosens, letting the invader breath again. "Go on."
"Otogakure shinobi were spotted in the area, along with the Kazekage's ruined caravan. We don't have proof, and I can assure you I believe Rasa could beat any Oto shinobi he came across, but with the reports of him hiding himself… the Hokage is worried." Shikon explains, with the sand loosening as the Jonin and the child consider his thoughts.
"Suitably so, it seems." The Jonin says, his stance shifting from combative to at ease. "Some of us in the higher ups were beginning to think so as well. This news about Oto seems to shed these fears in a new light."
The kid's sand retreats into his gourd, stewing as a grating sound the whole while. "Why did the Hokage not tell us he was sending shinobi?"
Both Shikon and the Jonin loot at the child for a moment before realizing he is just a child. "If the Kazekage was replaced, and the Hokage sent word, the replacement would get first notice." Shikon explains. "It defeats the purpose."
The redhead clicks his tongue in annoyance before the Jonin spoke up. "What were you planning on doing, Konoha?"
"It's Shikon. I was planning on scouting out the village today and finding out tonight. The Hokage expects me in four days, and we both know the travel time." Shikon explains to the Jonin.
He nods his head and considers Shikon for a moment. "It's possible we could just walk in and ask, but our sensors haven't been able to sense anything beyond the door. Either he's put up seals or he's not in there."
"It could very well be either. Though I lean more to the former. Orochimaru would put up a clone capable of doing exactly what he wants accomplished." Shikon informs. "If I have Suna's backing, we could just waltz in. A clone couldn't fight me, let alone the entire village, and if it's the real Rasa, then he has a bit of explaining to do, I'd imagine."
The Jonin nods. "That isn't for me to decide. The council would have to vote on that, along with you entering Suna without proper documentation."
Shikon shrugs. "Then I can work alone."
"I will take you." The child states, beginning his walk toward the Kazekage's building.
Both Shikon and the Jonin consider the kid before falling in step. "Can he do that?" Shikon asks.
"I doubt anyone in the council would argue his son visiting his father." The Jonin responds. "But it's likely he'll be all the backup we get."
"Then I don't see a problem." Shikon returns, following the red headed child. "Wait, Rasa's kid?"
The Jonin nods. "One of the three, yes."
Shikon inwardly slaps himself for not realizing. A giant sand gourd, red hair and a 'love' kanji tattooed on to his forehead. This isn't just Rasa's kid, it's Gaara of the Sand. The one-tails jinchuuriki. The two follow Gaara into the Kazekage's building and were stopped by no one once they see who Shikon's company is.
Up several flights of stairs and down a short hallway lies the Kazekage's room. The child tries to call out to the other side, with no audible response. The Jonin also tries before giving Shikon a shrug. Gaara looks at Shikon with narrowed eyes.
"How were you planning on getting in?" He asks, purely looking for an easy way.
"I was going to enter through the window on the outside, but I figure if we're all here… I could just bust it open?" Shikon asks more than suggests, earning him a stern look from both shinobi.
"Bust… it… open?" The child wonders aloud.
"Sure. Give it a good 'ole whack. Never met a door that could stop me." Shikon adds the last sentence with a bit of pride.
"Absolutely not." Suna's prideful Jonin lays his foot down.
"Do it." Gaara gives his leave.
The Jonin looks at Gaara and then Shikon who begins to roll his shoulders, flabbergasted yet not at the same time. "This is going to go poorly." He comments loosely.
"Can't go worse than it is!" Shikon returns, rearing his fist back.
Shikon takes a step forward in his arc, putting his full weight and chakra into this punch. His fist slams right into the wood and it stays stiff, bruising his knuckles and making a dull thud of a sound. Shikon slowly pulls his hand back in surprise and shakes it a few times.
"That's never happened before." Shikon remarks, thinking of all the doors he's smashed in his life. "I can't let this stop me. I've never failed to break a door before. Challenge accepted, Kazekage!"
Without warning, Shikon's chakra spikes rapidly, causing both shinobi to gaze at him intently. "Gate of Opening!" Shikon roars and opens the first gate, letting his muscles tense and gain five times their original power. He flexes them, getting used to the muscle once again.
"Really, you opened a gate for a door?" The Suna Jonin asks with sass. "You've risked damage to yourself for this?"
"First gate barely does anything. I'll be sore for five minutes when I'm done with it." Shikon responds, taking a step back and rearing his fist.
The step he takes this time is far faster, with a far stronger punch. Once his fist hits the door, it cracks and a loud ringing sound fills all three shinobi's ears. Relentless now that it's begun to work, he slams his fist into the door three more times and his fist flies through the door. Smiling, he latches on the inside and peels off the right half of the door, which both Suna shinobi take full advantage of and body flicker inside. It both surprises and comes as no surprise that a Genin could body flicker.
Shikon walks into the room after the other two who search around it, trying to find something out of place, and one glaring feature seems too. Rasa, the third Kazekage is missing. Shikon starts to worry his Kage was right, before Rasa materializes out of thin air by his bed. All three shinobi jump back in surprise and enter a combat stance, which seems to worry the Kazekage.
"Are my own shinobi and allies turning against me? What kind of treason is this?" Rasa asks, crossing his arms with a stern expression.
The Jonin kneels instantly, recognizing his Kage's social cues. "We are sorry Kazekage-sama. We did not mean to interfere with your duties… it's just that the shinobi were starting to have doubts of your presence."
"Oh?" Rasa remarks. "Is that so? I have done nothing but help this village. I love Suna with all my heart, and you dare to believe I would abandon you?"
Gaara and Shikon remained on the fence as the Jonin continues. "No, no, of course not Kazekage-sama. We just… didn't know if it was you or not."
Shikon looks down to Gaara, who seems unconvinced, yet on the fence. "What do you think?"
Gaara leaves the room without saying a word. Leaving all three grown shinobi to wonder what the next move is.
"And why are you here, Konoha-san?" Rasa asks the wayward shinobi.
Shikon scratches his face. "The Hokage had the same worries as your Jonin did. I was unaware that you could use time-space ninjutsu."
Rasa snorts. "I don't, that was genjutsu. If your worries are abated, you can leave."
Shikon shrugs. "I completed my mission, the Hokage can't complain too much."
With those words, Shikon ambles out of the building without further ado and begins his long trek back to Konoha, completely unconvinced Rasa is who he says he is.
