"Mission complete."
"Good. Have the hidden cliff notified that-"
"Actually…"
"What is it?"
Kakashi handed the scroll cases to the Hokage, leaning back as he examined them.
"Just some unusual things about this missing-nin…and he wanted a chance to speak to you."
"About what?"
"Well, for one thing, he seems to think unsealing these scrolls would pose a serious danger to the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clans. He said he'd explain it, but only to you."
"Do you thing there's any truth to what he said?"
"Well…he seemed terrified at the prospect of the scrolls being unsealed, and there's something nagging me about a technique he used…something I can't quite remember."
"What was the technique?"
"He used his blood to burn through the wire I bound him with, and when he was injured, the blood congealed instantly, even though he was unconscious."
"Blood? Blood…where have I…it couldn't be…"
"Do you know it from somewhere?"
"Yes, from many years ago, when Tsunade was still my student."
The Hokage stood and motioned for the guards to follow him.
"Take me to him."
Outside Konoha, the guards stood as a group of men approached. One, apparently the leader, kept walking and looked almost insulted when the guards stood in his way. He shoved a seal into the nearest guard's face, not even looking at him as he examined it, then snatching it back when he was done, the whole group then marching past like they were escorting the emperor himself.
The squeal of rusty hinges announced a visitor, several footsteps approaching a cell whose occupant was both chained and behind chakra-disrupting seals.
"You are Maikeru?"
The man inside the cell took one look at the speaker before bowing as deeply as his bonds allowed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I am Maikeru, student of Chishio-sama."
"Ahh! How is the old man? I haven't seen him since Tsunade trained with him, almost…thirty years ago?"
"He is dead. Murdered."
"I…How did this happen? And who? Why?"
"I know the who, but I cannot prove it. As for why…he was killed for something he accidentally discovered during the course of his research."
"His…when I first met him, he was studying advanced bloodlines."
"True, and he had continued the research over the course of his life. But first, the guards."
"They are my personal guard, absolutely trustworthy. Speak freely."
"Very well. As you know, families who possess bloodline limits never mix their blood. The results of such unions, if they survive long enough to be born, are invariably…unpleasant."
"Yes, I once heard a rumor about the product of a tryst between an Uchiha and a Hyuuga. I never knew if it was true, but I know they are absolutely forbidden to mingle."
"Yes. There is a quality in a bloodline limit makes one impossible to mix with another. During my master's research, he found a way around this."
"I see. But while such a thing might be worth murdering someone in the world of the shinobi, I don't understand why it would be a threat to an entire clan."
"It is because of the manner in which it is done. The clan to which my master was a descendant were medical specialists. Over time, they pushed the limits of their abilities to alter themselves more and more after each generation, and that scroll details a finished process in which the chemical properties of a shinobi's blood can be consciously controlled, to become acidic, poisonous to varying degrees, to provide accelerated healing, greater metabolic efficiency, and several other minor benefits."
"They were able to birth a new advanced bloodline?"
"Yes. Artificial created and not terribly powerful, but an advanced bloodline all the same. The problem, however, is that during experimentation, my master discovered the body of someone who has undergone this procedure does not reject the cells of another, rather, they will…absorb them."
"Absorb? What do you mean?"
"Normally, for example, in an organ transplant, the recipient's body may reject the tissue for any number of factors. With the bloodline I have been given, this will never happen, even if the tissue is from someone with a bloodline limit. If I were to, say, yank out my eyes and replace them with an Uchiha's, they would become a fully-integrated part of me, and I would have full control of them, and I would not have to keep them covered when not in use, unlike what I've noticed with your famed copy ninja."
"I see. Normally, it would take years of research to understand a bloodline limit, if at all. And even then, the result would be techniques that are only pale imitations of the real thing. I see why you want to keep these scrolls sealed. If the knowledge spread, clans who possessed advanced bloodlines would be under constant danger, their members hunted like animals."
"Yes. Please, I beg you. Allow me to disappear. I am the only one who can unseal the scrolls. This knowledge must not enter this world."
While the Hokage paused in thought, an ANBU approached and whispered something to him that made his expression darken.
"A contingent of ninja from the hidden cliff has just arrived, and they are asking for you to be turned over. Somehow, they learned of your capture."
"I'm sorry. I've made things difficult for you."
"The only way to avoid turning you over to them without serious repercussions would be to find the true murderer. Tell me, whom do you suspect?"
"Kyosuke Date, the son of a nobleman who used his vast influence to allow that arrogant brat to receive shinobi training in the hidden cliff. Even that wasn't enough for him, and he demanded to be trained by Chishio-sama, who had no heir. He became furious when I was accepted instead of him. In the beginning, I was a placeholder, little more than a way for him to evade those who desired his clan's secrets, but I, who had no past and no connection to the games of power and influence surrounding him, eventually became the only one he could trust, and his true apprentice. I have no doubt Kyosuke Date is the one who murdered Chishio-sama, with help from the shinobi that his father keeps fat and wealthy as his personal guards and enforcers."
The Hokage stood silently as the nin spoke, listening carefully and considering what was said.
"I will question the group that has arrived and listen to their story, and attempt to discern what the truth is in this matter."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I know that is the most I can ask of you."
The Hokage and his escort turned and left, rusty hinges announcing his departure and the return of the long, uncomfortable silence.
"Ah, welcome, I'm sorry for the delay, but there was a matter requiring my attention."
"Of course, Hokage-sama, such are the demands made to those in our positions."
Our positions?
Only a few moments after the man had entered his office, and the Hokage disliked him already. He was dressed more for a formal event then shinobi work, fine silks and costly buttons made of precious metal, his clothes worth enough to buy a small village.
"The mission to capture the missing-nin was completed just a few hours ago, I-"
"Yes, fortune seems to have smiled on us, hasn't it? I went out in search of this vile man as soon as my injuries allowed."
"Injuries?"
He hadn't noticed the slightest scratch or speck of dirt on the man, and he certainly didn't move like someone who had been recently hurt.
"Oh yes! I had been sent to retrieve an important package from Chishio-san, and when I arrived, I found him dead, his student tearing through his belongings like a common thief! I boldly called for his surrender, but he refused my generous offer and attacked me with great ferocity! I was about to make him pay for his horrible deed when he brought the entire house down around us! I was barely able to escape, and would have pursued him, but my injuries forced me to seek medical attention. Once healed, I set out immediately to bring justice upon him. Though I was not the one to capture him, I am sure as long as that man suffers for his despicable deed, Chishio-san's soul will be able to sleep peacefully."
Merciful Kami, I've seen Kabuki performances with less poses.
"Of course. I look forward to executing him personally."
"WHAT? Oh, no, that's…he would be brought back to the hidden cliff and punished there...I could not ask you to sully your hands in such a…sully-full…way…"
"It is no trouble."
The man shrunk back as the Hokage leaned forward, allowing bloodthirst to seep outwards across the room.
"That…man…killed someone who was a good friend to both myself and all of Konoha! Chishio-sama's killer will die by my hands for this affront!"
"Of…of course! It is…the least we can do, for your assistance in this matter! Yes! I, I look forward to it!"
He bowed deeply, then a second time, before backing towards the door.
"Ahh, Hokage…sama?"
"Yes?"
"I almost forgot…were you also able to recover the scrolls he stole? They possess…secrets of our village…very important to be sure they safe, you understand."
"Yes, I have them secured nearby. I will have them sent to you straightaway."
"Ahh, thank you, thank you."
The man bowed again before hurriedly leaving the room, and the Hokage leaned back in his chair and reached for his pipe.
A fop like that…could never have killed Chishio-sama, and I doubt he could stand against Maikeru from Kakashi's description of the battle. Maikeru did say that he was the only one who could unseal the scrolls, and the idea of his sudden death disturbed that man greatly.
The Hokage exhaled slowly, watching the smoke drift lazily through the air.
This lends itself to Maikeru's explanation of events…but nothing can be taken at face value in this life of ours. I'll need to have something more substantial before I make any kind of decision…Young ninja always think in terms of ninjutsu and taijutsu…but this kind of situation, where the truth is obscured, with only your own prejudices to guide you…this is the true domain of a shinobi.