The courtship of Naruto Uzumaki
XXVI. More interviews
"Tell me about your relationship with Moreo Murai, Iwao Iseki. Do you know of anyone who'd want to kill him?"
"Relationship? I had no relationship with him. I barely knew he existed. I know absolutely nothing about him or his enemies. I don't even think I'd be able to recognize him in a lineup," drawled Iwao Iseki as he sat comfortably on the tatami floor with his wife closely beside him.
"Darling, please, don't be so insensitive," Chiyoko Maeda, his wife laid her hand on his arm. "It may seem harsh, but we really had very little to do with the ordinary players. We never socialized with them. As headliners, we never worked with them."
He shrugged. "I can't keep track of every deadbeat Leiko picks up off the street. I've got better things to do with my time—which is just as well considering how frequently they desert us. You really can't get good help these days."
Neji studied the man before him. He'd refined his own supercilious expression to a degree of perfection that was far superior to this man. He didn't allow any of the usual signs of dislike such as a curl of the lip, an arch of the brow, or flair of the nostril to evince. However, he'd felt an extreme dislike for this conceited pretty boy as soon as he'd seen the condescension in his eyes. Faced with the man's blatantly annoying arrogance, he could suddenly appreciate how his own arrogance must have so often annoyed people. Of course, he felt he was supremely more justified to a natural superiority than this man. What was he except some overrated circus performer? He didn't have superior ninjutsu skills bestowed on him from birth. He didn't risk his life on a daily basis to protect his clients or village. He didn't even appear to have a bond with his own troupe. His superiority was only in his own mind not in fact.
Iwao looked very much like his brother except much younger. He had the same white hair, and violet eyes in a thin aesthetic face. Neiji had never bothered to attend a performance of the Iseki Acting Troupe, but Tenten had described it to him on their way to the interviews. He was just as glad he'd never wasted his time or money on such a frivolous pastime. He wondered how such an arrogant man could subdue his conceit enough to hide his pretty face behind a totally concealing mask. He was obviously the type of man who used his looks to every advantage. Why wouldn't use that weapon on his audience as well?
"Don't you even care that a fellow human being has been killed in a completely inhuman fashion?"
He waved his hand airily. "Naturally, any untimely death is tragic. Of course, I shared my brother's grief, but I've had more to say to you than I ever did to Murai. It was a shock, of course, for someone in so close a proximity to me to die, but I've recovered sufficiently."
Even Tenten who'd been gazing at Iwao with sickening admiration since they'd entered the room, looked a little shocked by his callousness.
"Please, my husband, does not mean what he says," Chiyoko pleaded drawing their attention to her beautiful face. She had very white skin, small, perfect features, blue black hair, and pale blue eyes. Her speaking voice was just as melodious as her singing voice. "He was extremely shocked when Leiko told us the news. He protects his feelings behind a mask of indifference only because he feels so deeply. It should be no surprise that a man would hide his feelings. Men must always appear stoic."
"Chiyoko, these ninja don't need an explanation for my reactions. I would think that they'd appreciate honesty. I can't pretend what I don't feel. Naturally if the victim had been my wife or brother, I would have been devastated, and inconsolable. I can't take every insignificant death to heart."
"We do appreciate honesty—when we find it," Neji said dryly. He had to remind himself that these people were actors. Who knew what was true or false in their behavior? This could all be an elaborate play to distract them from—from what he wasn't certain. He simply had to be aware of the possibility, and report his reactions faithfully.
Iwao smiled. "Have I satisfied your questions?"
"I've only asked one so far. Tell me, have you noticed anything suspicious during your stay in our village."
"Suspicious? How could I possibly be able to distinguish suspicious from normal? I don't know what normal is in your village of—oh, what's the name of this dreary place?"
"Konoha."
"Ah, yes, Konoha. Quaint name. Frankly, I've found your village one of the dullest of its size we've ever stayed in. These odd attacks must be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to you."
"Iwao!" his wife exclaimed before their interviewers could react. "Honesty and tactlessness are two very different things. Please behave yourself. This is an alpha male thing, isn't it?"
"Chiyoko, must you give away all my secrets."
"What do you mean by that Lady Chiyoko?" He chose to ignore her husband.
"My husband doesn't do well when dealing with strong male figures. He must always be the dominant male. You have a very strong aura, Mr.—ninja—" She looked at him in askance.
"You may call me Huyga."
"Huyga," she said lingered on the name in a sweetly appealing voice. "My husband would behave quite differently under the interrogation of your partner. Your command, and bearing must obviously raise his hackles. You threaten his dominance with your very presence. Huyga." Her eyelashes fluttered coyly as she looked at him flirtatiously from her half-shuttered eyes.
Neji knew she was being obsequiously flattering, but still he felt flattered despite himself. When a beautiful woman looked at you with soft, admiring eyes, how could you help but be affected? He was momentarily struck dumb as he gazed deeply into her mesmerizing eyes.
"If we can return to the interview?" Tenten interrupted, her voice dripping with disapproval. "I didn't find your response to the question very satisfactory, Mr. Iseki." She was no longer as affected by the incredible beauty of his face since he'd revealed his true nature in every statement. There was only one male in her life in which she tolerated arrogance only because she believed there was kindness, and caring behind the façade.
He smiled at her caressingly. "For you, I will answer more directly. No. I neither saw nor heard anything in this village to lead me to believe that one of our troupe would be found drained of blood in the near future. Neither my wife nor I venture forth very frequently into the environs of your village. Your shops are pedestrian at best. I save my coins for the larger cities with their wider variety of fine goods."
"What do you do in your spare time?" Tenten took over the questioning while Neji recovered from his stupefication. She was disappointed in his response to the Lady Chiyoko. She'd thought him too intelligent to be taken in by a pretty face. She was not as good at keeping her disapproval in both males in the room from her voice or visage, but she did her best.
"Is that a personal or professional question? I do hope it's personal."
"I have no interest in you personally, Mr. Iseki. My questions are purely professional." After his initial callous responses to Neji's questioning, she'd gotten over her admiration. She was now able to separate admiration for his performance from the man himself. He would have to do a lot more than smile prettily, flatter lavishly or flirt outrageously to recover her good opinion.
"The reason I ask is that the question seems superfluous to your investigation. What I do in my spare time is hardly germane."
"I think you should leave the nature of the questions to my professional judgment. None of your fellow performers have objected. Do you have something to hide, Mr. Iseki?" she asked sweetly.
He smiled admiringly at her. "Only that I might appear a very dull fellow to such an attractive kunoichi. In my spare time, I like to read. Leiki and I write the plays that we perform. I find that reading stimulates my imagination. We don't plagiarize the words of others, but we do build on their ideas."
"I see. What do you do in your spare time, Lady Chiyoko?" With some difficulty she turned her attention to his wife. He was so very easy on the eyes.
"I like to paint. It relaxes me, but I'm no professional in that field. I paint for my own pleasure not for fame or profit."
"Don't be so modest, darling. My wife could be a professional artist if she wished. One day when we retire from the stage, she may find herself a successful new career," he said proudly, and reached over to squeeze her hand. Despite the flirtatious behavior of the two of them to members of the opposite sex, they did display a great affection for one another. Tenten wondered if perhaps flirting was just a part of their acting persona. Maybe it was simply second nature, and not serious.
"Have you witnessed anything suspicious since you've been in Konoha, Lady Chiyoko?"
"No. Nothing. Despite what my husband implied, I find this a charming little village. We've never performed in a hidden village before. I had no idea they even existed. I've never witnessed so many ninja in one place. It's quite exciting. I wish I could observe you in the performance of your duties."
You are, Tenten thought dryly, but out loud she said, "You mean fighting? You should return to the village during our chûnin exams. You'd see some remarkable fighting then. Ordinarily, you'd only see us fighting in the pursuance of an enemy or criminal."
"I wish we could stay to see it. It sounds most interesting. When are these chûnin exams?"
"Not until the spring."
Her face fell. "Oh, that's too bad. We couldn't possibly stay that long. I wonder if we shall ever pass through a hidden village again. Are there others?"
"Yes. Many countries have a hidden village which train ninja, but our village is the only one which holds the chûnin exams."
She turned excitedly to her husband. "Wouldn't that make a wonderful story line for a play, Iwao? I wonder how difficult it would be to stage."
"For you, my sweet wife, I will consider it. Now my dear ninja, have you any other questions? We need to prepare for our departure sometime tomorrow—if we shall be allowed to depart?"
Neji stood up with Tenten following suit. He knew when he was being dismissed. He could fight it, but he really didn't have any more questions for these two. They were the last of the interviews. He and Tenten had taken on the specialty acts, the Super Tanaka Brothers, the trainer of the Wonder Dogs, Lady Chiyoko and the Amazing Iwao while Lee and Konohamaru had taken on the rest of the actors. He wondered if they'd finished by now.
"The Hokage will send word once we've reported the results of our interviews," he said blandly.
"It's been a pleasure meeting you however unfortunate the circumstances. I wish you every success in discovering the perpetrator of these horrible crimes," Lady Chiyoko told them as she led them to the door. Her husband had already dismissed them mentally, and physically by picking up a book, and leaving the courtesies of their departure to his wife.
"We intend to," Neji told her confidently.
"Thank you for your time," Tenten added as they left the house. "Should we wait for Lee and Konohamaru?" she asked as they started down the road towards the ninja complex.
"Lee knows to meet us in the Hokage's office."
They walked together quietly for a few moments before Tenten broke the silence. "She was very beautiful, wasn't she?"
He could pretend to misunderstand, but Tenten wasn't stupid. She'd probably get the wrong idea if he denied it.
"Yes."
"Is she the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?" she persisted. Neji was such a private person, she couldn't help wanting to know what he was thinking. He'd blatantly been affected by the lady's flattery. Did he like all that flirtatiousness? Was that the kind of woman he preferred?
"No."
"Could you elaborate?" she asked in exasperation.
"Why?"
"I'm curious—okay? I've never seen you with a woman. You never talk about dating or anything like that. I've been your team mate for seven years, and there's still so much I don't know about you, Neji. Can't you reveal just a little more about yourself?" she wheedled.
"I don't think about women. I have no intention of getting involved with anyone. I don't intend to perpetuate this cadet branch of the Huyga family," he told her bluntly. Part of that was a lie, but he especially wouldn't tell her which part.
"You seemed rather bowled over by Lady Chiyoko," she observed watching him from the corner of her eye. Let him deny that if he could.
"I was surprised. I don't think a woman has ever attempted to flirt with me before. I needed to absorb and analyze it."
"That's what you call it? You looked completely captivated to me. Dumbstruck, in fact," she said with annoyance. Why would he never answer a straight question with a straight answer?
"Your analytical techniques could use some refining, Tenten. I assure you, to me, the woman was just another woman."
"You wouldn't say that if you'd ever heard her sing. She has the voice of an angel."
"I think you may be mistaken. I've never been fond of music."
"Neji! You are incredibly frustrating. Have I ever told you that?"
"Not in so many words. You're usually very pleasant and cheerful around me."
"I thought you found that annoying."
"Please, Tenten, with Guy and Lee on our team, you could never be the annoying one."
She giggled. "They can be a bit over-the-top."
"Which is a complete understatement," he said dryly. He was enjoying this interchange with Tenten far too much. He had to stop it now. He didn't want to change the slightly distant relationship he maintained with his team mates. He couldn't afford to be emotionally involved with anyone. It would only lead to disappointment, unhappiness, and pain for all concerned. "What did you really think of those two?" he asked slightly changing the subject.
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "All along, I couldn't help being aware that they were both actors. I really don't know how much was real, exaggerated or completely misleading."
"I entirely agree with your analysis. I didn't sense anything obviously false or wrong in their responses, but I didn't sense complete sincerity either. Even Iseki's callous honesty held a sense of falseness."
"You're right. It was almost as if he were testing our responses rather than giving us genuine answers."
"That's very perceptive, Tenten. I suppose our real dilemma is deciding whether their behavior hid something reprehensible or was simply acting."
"What do you think?"
"Like you, I'm uncertain. My tendency would be to keep them here a little longer just because I don't like being played, but that wouldn't be a mature response. We'll just have to leave the decision to the Hokage once she's been given our impressions."
"I suppose that's all we can do," she agreed.
They walked silently until they reached the Hokage's office. Tenten really wanted to pursue Neji's reaction to Chiyoko, but knew it would be futile. He didn't want to talk about it, and when Neji didn't want to talk, he didn't talk. He'd just become more withdrawn, and distant to her. She certainly didn't want that. She had so few opportunities to just talk to Neji about non work related topics that she didn't want to blow future opportunities by pissing him off. She'd just have to wait for the next time he seemed more receptive than usual to question him. Whenever that might be.
Neji and Tenten were able to give the Hokage a complete report of their interviews before Lee and Konohamaru showed up following their own visit to the Iseki Acting Troupe.
"Where have you two been?" Tsunade challenged them. "You didn't stop off anywhere on your way back, did you?"
"No, ma'am, we did not. We completed our assignment as soon as we were able," Lee told her defensively.
"Good. Neji and Tenten have already given me their report. What did the two of you discover?"
They exchanged a glance. "Nothing, ma'am."
"Nothing! All this time, and you have nothing to report to me?"
"We interviewed 4 women and 3 men. We asked each of them the same questions: Have you seen anything suspicious during your stay in Konoha?; What can you tell us about Moreo Murai?; Do you know any reason for anyone to kill him?"
She nodded her head. "Yes, those were the questions we discussed—and no one knew anything?"
"It is true. None of the actors we spoke to had witnessed anything in or around the village that would throw suspicion on anyone. None of them were friends with Moreo Murai. No one knew any reason for Murai to be killed. They validated everything you had learned from the manager, ma'am."
"No one knew anything? No one had seen anything? No one was friends with Murai?" she asked again incredulously. How could they know nothing especially about their fellow performer?
Lee and Konohamaru answered no to every question.
"Damn! That's exactly the same thing Neji and Tenten learned—absolutely nothing. I was hoping you'd give me a reason to keep that troupe in town until we've solved this case. But you've provided me with nothing concrete to base that decision on," she said with displeasure. "I can't possibly justify keeping them here with not one hint of malfeasance."
"I am sorry, ma'am." Lee hung his head.
"Oh, stop it, Lee. It's not your fault. I'm just frustrated. How could this attacker do all this damage in public without anyone witnessing it?"
"He does attack at night when fewer people are around," Neji pointed out.
"I know. I know. I still can't believe he—or she could be lucky enough to avoid detection for so long. Someone has to know something."
"Maybe it's something they don't realize is wrong," Tenten suggested.
"Do you have anything in mind?"
"Not really. It was just an idea."
"It's a good idea. We need to think outside the box."
"How's that?" Konohamaru asked.
"It's the only reason I've entertained the idea of vampires. We need to think of any possibility no matter how bizarre or impossible. If this attacker were the average garden variety criminal, he or she would have made a mistake by now. This attacker is different. How different? What kind of different? I don't know, but once we do know what makes him different we'll be able to find him."
"Or her."
"Yes, Konohamaru. Or her. I might not always say it, but of course I haven't established the sex of the attacker yet. He is merely an expression of convenience."
"What's our next step?" Neji asked.
She sighed. "We'll continue to do what we've been doing. Patrol, investigate every victim, and ask for information from every resident."
"What if there are no more victims?"
"I'd almost prefer that, but how would we really know the attacks are over? Without knowing the reason, we wouldn't know if they might not start up again any day."
"Would you post a curfew if there are more attacks?"
"It might come to that, but that doesn't mean the attacker won't find a way around it. The victims may be random now with chance the only variable. If the attacker has to break into homes to find victims then the weaker members of our village may become the next victims."
Somber seconds passed as this thought sunk in.
"Hokage—" Neji began when he was rudely interrupted.
"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto said loudly as he burst into the room.
"Naruto! What do you think you're doing? That's no way to enter my office." She yelled at him. "Did you ever hear of knocking? Did you ever hear of waiting until I give you permission to enter?"
He looked around at the assembled company, and grinned apologetically. "Ah, sorry. I just assumed you'd be alone."
"I'm sure you remember what that makes you?"
"Yeah," he said sheepishly.
"What? What does that make him?" Komohamaru whispered loudly to Lee.
"An ass," Lee whispered loudly back.
"I don't get it."
"I will explain it to you later."
"We're finished here. Neji, Tenten, Lee, Konohamaru, I'll expect you to help with escort duties this evening. If any new theories occur to you let me know. Dismissed."
They filed out of the room while Naruto waited impatiently shifting from one foot to the other. It wasn't until the door was firmly closed on them, and she'd settled comfortably behind her desk that Tsunade deigned to address Naruto.
"Well, Naruto Uzumaki, what's so all-fired important that you had to interrupt an important briefing?"