I have a feeling that it's finally going to happen today. I smile at the thought for a second, then look back at the lists in front of me. On the left is the extensive list of drugs, contacts, and opponents related to Taizo. Yesterday I did a bit of research on the drugs, aiming to find which were the more addictive ones. Nearly all of them had awful side effects if regularly used for long periods of time, I was just trying to see which ones got their hooks in the fastest and deepest. One of them, known as "goomba", comes from the giant mushrooms in the ninja village of Kusa. The spores are a fierce hallucinogen, and also deadly- there are a number of other ingredients in goomba, mainly there to keep the spores in balance. Another, known as razorleaf, is listed as inducing a sharp, yet floating and disconnected kind of awareness. It's produced in from a shrub growing deep in the forests of the Land of Fire, and manufactured in several different spots around the country, one of which just so happens to be about a day away from the daimyo's palace. The next nearest one is two days away from here, about the same distance to Tanzaku Quarters, but to the North-West. Looking at my map, the way is easy, with only a few splotches of forest and streams to cross over- a much easier run than to the Quarters. Alright...

And with that decision made, I turn to the other list: Yusei's list of items to tutor the daimyo's daughter, Lady Sorano, in. I've decided to not approach this as turning her from her father- after all, most of the Land of Fire's policies are made by the daimyo's advisors, and not the man himself. And it's not like their policies haven't been working either. Again I try to get inside the mind of Yusei and his father, and see what kind of future they envisioned for the Land of Fire. A strong one. A decisive nation of action. It's a very different nation than the one I live in right now, but perhaps there are some things that need to change.

Then there's the matter of the appearance I'll take at the daimyo's court. It most certainly can't be my natural one, and I also can't take the appearance of Raiko, either. I also don't want to look like the kind of girl that would attract interest from Taizo. Someone young enough that Lady Sorano can relate to her, but not... that young. Beautiful enough to not look out of place in court, but also not too good looking, so that I don't attract any unwanted attention. Something just right... I decide on auburn hair. Uncommon, but not a shade that would stick out like my natural one, or like Sakura's pink hair. I move to in front of my mirror and prepare to use the Transformation Jutsu. As the puff of smoke clears, a delicate and angular face is framed by thick auburn hair falling over my shoulders. Very nice, I think, but the features aren't very well suited to the hair. A second try. This time, the features are stronger, the face more oval than heart shaped. But no, they're too hard, like Raiko's, so they won't do either. Not quite so long, but the same nose... there. On the third try I get something I think will work. With the slightly shorter face the cheekbones stand out a bit more, enough to balance out the nose, and overall it's a softer face. I pull my hair back, then twist it and gather it on top of my head, and then let if fall back down onto my shoulders. Yes. This will do very well.

Satisfied with the transformation, I take a moment to use the Chakra Sensing Technique. My clan members are all around the estate, going about their daily tasks as usual. However, my my baby sister Hanabi's chakra signature isn't among them. I smile, and head off to her room. The door is unlocked, and stepping in, everything looks as normal. I start by checking the most obvious places, and find them empty. Under her bed, not there. In a box in the closet, not there. No suspicious cracks in the floorboards, either, and there wouldn't be enough room in a false bottom in a drawer. I take a minute to look through her dresser, but it's not underneath her clothes.

I then move to the small book shelf on her writing desk. Some of the volumes used to be mine, but I flip through them anyways just to make sure nothing's been sealed into them. My old textbooks are clean. There are a few other slim volumes dealing with the Gentle Fist style and the basics of ninjutsu, but nothing is out of place with them, either. I move a small scroll out of the way to check the last volume, but pause for a second. Not out in the open, but at the same time, out in the open where it could be easily found. The scroll is about the size of my middle finger, and when I unroll it there is a simple seal on it. I undo the seal, and Hanabi's old stuffed bunny Haruko pops out. She's a faded gray and well worn, but still in one piece. I stuff her into my jacket and roll up the scroll, and leave my sister's room.