Chaos herself's note:

Hey there!

How are you doing? I'm glad you're back for another chapter. :) This time we get to see the new squad in action.
In case you wonder about their codenames, they are just the Japanese translations for the flowers painted on their masks (Mokuren=magnolia, Irakusa=stinging nettle, Kizuta=ivy, Kinka=convolvulus, Kinsenka=marigold and Jigitarisu=foxglove).
Anyway, have fun reading!

Chaos

...

Chapter 7: The First Step

The dry start was always the hardest. But things would go more smoothly once you knew the ropes and got into the flow; Touka knew that, the brats knew that...everyone knew that.

And yet the five of them were beyond displeased with their progress so far; Touka wished she could have jumpstarted operating right away and have their first grinning traitor-skulls sitting on 'Mokuren's' desk already in a neat row, and the teenage Kunoichi were moping about their shortcomings and were being a general nuissance. The squad commander clicked her tongue.

It couldn't be helped, though. The war veteran was on a whole other level than these half-baked kids; even among the four girls there were great differences in skill and knowledge gaping like bottomless pits.

'Kizuta' was often absentmindedly pushing up her ivy-mask and inevitably disclosing her identity so she could stuff her face with sweets and Onigiri whenever she was stressed and nervous but her strength and reliability were not to be disregarded.

The blabbermouth 'Kinka' relied on her clan Jutsus too much for reconnaissence and interrogation tasks so her unconscious body was almost always nothing but a drag and a burden to haul around; however, she had a distinct knack for messing with her targets' minds enough to extract the significant bit of intel needed. The convolvulus-mask suited her like chalk and cheese, Touka mused.

'Jigitarisu' was about two years younger than the rest and had to start from scratch because, unlike the inseparable clan girls trio, she hadn't been a proper Kunoichi at all. Yet she had a surprisingly neat Chakra control and took to toxicology and flower language like a duck to water; the pink foxglove became her signature fast.

And finally there was 'Kinsenka', the Kunoichi with the lowest stamina and Chakra reserves, who often pushed herself harder than her lanky body could handle and then complained about the strain. But what her physique couldn't take she easily compensated with the sheer capacity of her mind. This kid was a freaking genius, but Touka had already known that; she came up with a bouquet of tactical flowers within seconds and could pull strategy-rabbits out of the hat anytime, which spawned in the tightest of situations even faster than their namesakes.

They were just young and green; they had undoubtedly potential to become what 'Mokuren' and 'Irakusa' needed for their secret assassination organisation and Touka would make sure to shape each and every one of them personally into deathly weapons and excellent spies more loyal to their squad than to their own body, mind and soul.

She would make sure Hashirama-sama and Tobirama were safe and their enemies rotting in their graves even if it cost her life!

"So move your lazy asses and get the job done!" Touka said coldly while she didn't even look up from the scroll she was studying right now; from their breathless pants, exhausted moans and quiet curses and complaints she already knew how the four Kunoichi were faring on their individual training assignments. "You brought this unto yourselves with coming to me in the first place...and I won't let you back out of this so easily now; I told you beforehand: either you're in or you're dead," she added calmly.

Jigitarisu was struggling her way through a light spar with Touka's stinging nettle-masked shadow clone, a very useful technique which the warrior had picked up from Tobirama lately after having seen him use it; the girl would be forced to use all the required skills any Kunoichi had to know to stand her ground.

Off to Touka's left Kizuta was stuck in a quite vicious Gen-Jutsu, that would teach her not to take off her mask during her work for the organisation ever again unless Irakusa or Mokuren told her otherwise.

Squatting further down to the right Kinka had her own ordeal to deal with as she was instructed to attain a certain kind of intel from Kinsenka within a set amount of time without using her signature Jutsus. An intricate contraption strapped to her body would ensure the blonde was stressed enough to be tempted while it would punish her severely for giving in. And the clock was ticking...

However, Kinsenka on the other hand had to fight the effects of a low, controlled, dose of sodium thiopental, commonly known as a kind of truth serum, which Jigitarisu had helped Touka produce during their previous experiments; a spy with such high intelligence and mental capacity for sensitive intel needed to be trained to keep shut extra thoroughly, after all.

This was going to be a long day, Touka ruminated with a silent sigh and tapped her fingertip on the parchment. They probably needed a bunch of more recruits, who had a little more experience both in life and battle, too...and yet it was the young, innocent ones who were easier to be shaped and influenced into the most loyal of tools; the four girls had been a good choice, they just weren't enough.

But who could be trustworthy enough to be included in their circle? Who else besides herself and Tobirama and perhaps Mito could Touka trust, anyways?

Until she found out she had to work with what material she got either way...


"Sometimes, achieving the mission objective requires inconvenient methods," she quietly stated later that evening, "that entails making calculated use of all the assets a Kunoichi possibly has, both potentially and actually. And tonight you're going to witness some of the arts of manipulation you are expected to master."

Inoko Yamanaka, now without her Kinka-mask, blinked wide-eyed at Touka and was soaking up information from her squad commander like the dry sponge the older Kunoichi expected her to be.

"If done deliberately and with a bit of expertise a few subtle gestures can be enough to achieve the results you want," she whispered as the two of them crouched down behind the sliding doors to the noisy room. Carefully and noiselessly she moved the door ajar just so Hashirama-sama and his wife could be noticed seated at the head end of the low table. "Look..." she motioned for Inoko to watch and the girl scooted closer.

Days prior Touka had suggested to Mokuren that Mito and Hashirama-sama should host a little gathering at their palace to celebrate and deepen their 'one year of allegiance and friendly relations' and invite some of the resident clan heads and a 'plus one or two' to the sans weapon-party. Apparently Mito had succeded in convincing her husband of the idea quickly. So now a couple of important people were already sitting at the long table early and having a headstart of hard drinks and light chats while others were still to arrive at the casual congregation.

Of course, Mokuren was aware of Irakusa's plans and after a splitsecond of eye contact between the two Kunoichi she started the show.

Seemingly the pair continued their quiet conversation without any kind of change to its nature. But after only a discreet flash of wrist beneath the sleeve of her Yukata to her husband, a secret brush of fingertips against his thigh and a well placed meaningful glance and the head of the Senju clan seemed a little strained to keep his fluster hidden from their guests...

"But Irakusa-taichou" Inoko whispered with a pout, "they are husband and wife...I think it's pretty easy to seduce the man you're already in love with."

Touka briefly formed seals to hide her battle armour underneath a Gen-Jutsu, that transformed her attire into a black, traditionally longsleeved silk Yukata with a more lowered standing collar at her bared neck than was to her liking and beautiful red hyacinth and white hydrangea embroidery. "Lover or archenemy, friend or complete stranger - it shouldn't matter to you who it is, and you should be able to do it regardless of how you feel; you're a Kunoichi," she silently told her while she inserted a belladonna hair jewellery to her topknot and gave the teenager a hard stare.

"Remember, you're not to drink on the job but press your lips to the cup and wet your lips should proper decorum demand it; if I catch you not sober at the end of this event I'll beat you within an inch of your life, got it?" she warned and Inoko hastily nodded.

"Now don't stare, observe!" she instructed before properly kneeling next to the sliding doors, efficiently and soundlessly pulled them open and entered with a quiet "Coming in". Inoko was quick to follow suit with a tablet full of Sake refill while Touka half-closed the doors behind her again and swiftly assessed who was already present at the long low table.

Opposite Hashirama-sama and his wife the Aburame, Yamanaka and Inuzuka representatives were crowding the bottom end of the table with a good dozen Sake bottles between them; and the alcohol had already loosened up the tension enough to dispel the sitting order and have them mingle and change seating cushions as it seemed fit to the merry chatter and heated discussions. Inoko joined her father's side after distributing the replenishment.

Apparently the Nara and Akimichi people were being late but there was no strictly appointed time for everyone to be there, anyways.

Tobirama, naturally, was the other Senju representative present and sat close to his brother and his sister-in-law where he could face the doors and observe everyone coming or leaving the room. While Touka approached the table in a few floating steps his crimson eyes studied her appearance and he straightened his position; the cushion to his left was not taken yet.

However, she chose to gracefully sit down opposite him and next to a glum looking Madara, who apparently had taken along some Uchiha boy of Inoko's agegroup, so the Kunoichi could be a buffer and shield between her clan chief and the devil; instantly Tobirama frowned a fraction but seemed also apprehensive of her intention.

Quietly Touka said her greetings and listened to the host's passionate rant while she dutifully poured some more Sake to Hashirama-sama's and Mito's papboats. The appropriate order would be to proceed with Tobirama-dono's one but she turned to her neighbour instead and calmly murmured: "I see your cup is almost empty, Madara-senpai. May I offer you another one?"

She noticed him stop short in surprise the same way Tobirama betrayed he was puzzled; and while they still hesitated, she politely inclined her head in a brief flash of exposed neck and just did as she had suggested, then filled her own papboat and lifted it to her lips.

Let's get this war started, she somberly thought to herself.


It was already dark outside when the gathering slowly disbanded and the few people who could still stand on their own two feet after this drinking orgy shouldered the less hard-drinking ones on their way home.

Touka rose to leave the hosts to themselves and shuffled to the doors with a sigh where she staged a frail stumble on the threshold. The bumping into the man right behind her left her with an arm instantly wrapped tightly around her midsection in a familiar-yet-unfamiliar way instead of the Kunai to her flesh, which she still had expected somehow in the back of her mind. "Careful. You sure drank a lot tonight..." she heard his low rumble close to her ear and inwardly she bristled at it.

"Hmm...maybe," Touka hummed, languidly tilted her head back until it met with the shoulder of that man and cast up her eyes at him in a perfect drunken gaze. She was met with a small wry grin and an at least tipsy bloodred stare.

So she sighed again and let her body ease into the curl of his arm around her smaller form despite her suspicion of a sudden choking deadlock grip, that didn't come. "Interesting," he murmured thoughtfully, "...who would have thought enough alcohol to chill out a bull and a change of clothes could turn a fierce warrior like you into such a soft and smooth temptress in the arms of a man?"

Touka let out a discontented sound and turned around until her face was buried in his shoulder and she could breathe against the skin of his neck, watch the blood pumping through his veins beneath it and feel his heartbeat against her chest; his hand seemed to burn through all the layers of silk at the small of her back. She definitely had never thought to ever be this close to that man in her darkest of nightmares!

"Don't look; this is embarrassing," she moaned into his shoulder and grabbed the arm, which was still holding her in place, close to his humeroulnar joint for support. "I usually don't wear anything other than battle armour; I must look so weird now... in a fancy feminine Yukata like this," she muttered a complaint in a well placed pout.

"I wouldn't call it weird...just unexpected, and definitely a rare sight to behold," he mused quietly, the wry grin still audible in his tone. "You have an interesting taste in clothes, though, Touka Senju," he drawled on and lifted her other long sleeve in his free hand as if he had to verify through his touch that she really was husbandless, "black and red and white...you are aware these are usually my colours, yes?"

"So what if they are?" she breathed against the skin of his neck and watched his reaction from the corner of her eye. "Damn you, Madara. It's all your fault. Whenever I hold my Chakra blade I can't help but think of you now..." she didn't even have to lie if omitting the fact that it was the anticipation of butchering and beheading him with it was what crossed her mind didn't count as lying. Her grip on his upper arm tightened as if she was about to break it while her other hand deliberately slid up his chest.

Likely she would have the longest bath in her whole life after all of this was over...

"Don't you ever remember that hot day in summer...you and me and nothing but the fire of your Amaterasu burning between us?" Touka exclaimed and looked up at his face when he stirred and held his breath. Her perfect drunken stare matched his for as long as it took him to consider her cleavage, and probably the memory of her almost exposed breasts, and quietly concede: "I do remember..."

She deliberately flicked her tongue to wet her lips and take a final gamble. "So I'm not the only one, right? 'You feel it, too, don't you? This...wrongness'," she breathed as she craned her neck, tilted her head upwards and snaked her hand further up to have it come around his neck and brush the sensitive skin while he leaned likewise closer. Both their eyes fell half-shut as she could feel hot Sake-breath dance between their parted lips.

Just a little closer...

But the Uchiha was fast and gripped her wrist tightly. "Indeed," he sobered up within seconds and his voice grew cold again, "so you can finally drop this Gen-Jutsu now!" He somehow managed to wrestle the poisoned Senbon from her fingers before she could do the deed and pierce the neural pipelines in his neck.

Touka clicked her tongue, dropped her drunken ruse and pushed herself free so she could gain enough range to draw her blade; she prefered her battle armour anyways and she wasn't exactly unhappy she didn't have to rinse her mouth with Sake as mouthwash now.

However, she would have really liked if the assassination attempt had gone smoothly and she could have presented Madara's corpse to Mokuren tomorrow...

"Not bad...almost had me there," the Uchiha remarked while he inspected the Senbon, then his face twisted in a deathglare; at least Inoko had made her getaway safely like Touka had instructed her to beforehand.

A fight on this narrow corridor seemed inevitable. Then again, Touka couldn't wish for anything more than a proper bloodshed... The archfiend to the Senju deserved better than a little pinprick and a quick death, she felt.

However, the next moment she felt a hand on her belly, the right one this time. "Wow, wow. Hold your horses, you two! Didn't we all just celebrate the anniversary of the Senju-Uchiha-truce?" Tobirama interfered with a sharp hiss. "My brother is right behind these doors, so don't you dare to break it now! Go home, go to bed and sleep off your inebriety until all of this drunken frenzy is forgotten!" he insisted and shooed Madara towards the exit with expansive gestures until the fire-breather reluctantly relented.

"You know, I'm more sober than you, Tobirama-dono," Touka deadpanned. He shot her a glare.