What would Raiko do? I ponder the thought as I look at myself in the mirror, studying my features. They aren't my natural ones, they're the hard and purposeful looks that my Raiko alias possesses. What I need isn't just the Transformation Jutsu, I need to see from her eyes. I sigh and close my eyes, and decide to live in the moment. I look up into the mirror and pull my hair back over my shoulders, and walk out of the restroom.

It's noon, and time to get things going. The palace is a few blocks away, separated from the rest of the city by a wall. Right up against the wall would be too suspicious, so instead I walk around to the alley, behind the tea shop I was just in. This will be the biggest test of my range with the Rainmaker Jutsu so far. I calm myself and work up my chakra, then make the hand seals and raise my arms to the sky. Away over the palace the clouds begin to form, and I already notice the strain on my chakra. I hope Yusei sees this soon, because I won't be able to keep it up for more than a couple minutes. While I'm focusing on the jutsu, I'm once more in awe of how Nagato was able to cover an entire village with it. Perhaps If I didn't have to go up before out I could cover more area- but then it wouldn't really be rain, would it? I begin hearing people stop their errands and murmur about something, and from close by hear a young child shout "Rain!" What are the people in the palace thinking? Though the rain isn't unseasonable, there were only a scattered handful of clouds in sight before I began. As the murmur of the crowd begins to rise I dig down within myself struggling to work together more chakra. I'm surprised and pleased that I can keep up the jutsu on such a scale for this long, but I'm beginning to run low on chakra. I decide to not exhaust myself and end the technique early, so that I'll be able to work up more chakra in case of an emergency.

I lean back against the wall to catch my breath, and as I do so a young couple under an umbrella runs into the alley. The girl sees me and smiles, waving to me. "Did you get here soon after it started?"

"No, I was here before it did," I say truthfully.

"I hope it doesn't spread," The man says. "We were planning on having a picnic today."

"I don't think it's going to ruin your picnic, I can already hear it starting to die down." The man nods and closes the umbrella, hooking the handle into his belt.

"But isn't it wonderful, though?" The girl asks, still smiling. "Maybe it's a good sign, a blessing on our picnic." She says, looking up at her boyfriend. He nervously smiles, and I feel a grin beginning to creep onto my face. The man motions towards the street with his head, and the couple leaves the alley. I relax for a moment, before I remember what I'm here for. Hmm. What if Yusei isn't even in the city? What if he didn't see? I'd have to imagine that even if he missed the shower, he would hear of it… Thoughts of the other things I planned to do while I'm in the royal city float through my mind, but before I can catch hold of one of them I hear someone walk up behind me at the other end of the alley. I turn to look, but it's not Yusei or one of his men- it's a pretty woman with long black hair, carrying her umbrella over her shoulder. Though she seems delicate, I can see a hidden strength in her step, and as she looks up at me, she has the look of someone who doesn't want to be caught on their way somewhere in her eyes. I step in front of her, and fold my arms.

"Where."

The woman sighs and looks down, letting her arm fall behind her heavily. Though she is fast for a civilian, I easily sidestep the strike from the hidden blade and grab her arm, spinning and tossing her into the wall. She brushes her hair out of her eyes, now scowling. "No. There's just no way anybody should have been able to know I was coming for him…"

"Who sent you?"

The woman spits at my feet, artfully coming up just short of them. "Ogata. There was a hit on his plant, and I was sent to get answers." I drill my stare into her, and after a short silence she continues. "It wasn't an assassination- well, planned as one- but then, you probably know how him and his men are." Though I don't immediately put it together, the pieces soon fall into place.

I let the silence stretch out, until the woman stands. "...Tell both of them you ran into The Rainmaker." I move aside, and nod to towards the end of the alley.

"That's it? You aren't going to take me out right here?"

"No. The arrow has already left the bow." A baffled look comes over the woman's face, and she shakes her head and quickly walks away. As she rounds the corner, I hear a group of people enter the alley behind me again. It's a group of men wearing loose clothes with fairly obvious sharp lines sticking out, and among them is Yusei. I lean against the wall of the tea shop, coolly watching him approach.

He comes to a stop a couple yards away, and looks me over for a second. "You're here."

"...You know, I just met a woman Ogata sent to Taizo. You haven't let anyone know we're in contact, have you?"

"I don't have to," Yusei answers. "You've been doing our work for us, tying up loose ends like you have. You're already something of a legend amongst the fences and dealers for the hit on Nurari."

"They never even found the body," Says one of Yusei's men.

Yusei nods in agreement. "Look, I get that you want to remain anonymous, but people are starting to talk. Sooner or later you're going to have to step out of the shadows if you really want to make a difference."

"...I already have. I intercepted that messenger bird you sent to Konoha, Yusei-"

"What?!"

"-And I figured, that since I had the clearance in my schedule, I would come here to do a job that I myself suggested."

The look of shock on Yusei's face expands. "You're really going to do it?"

"Yes. And since I'll be preoccupied with it, I think it's only fair you do a bit of my work for me."

Yusei folds his arms across his chest. "I'm listening."

I take out the scroll Ibiki gave to me, and hand it to Yusei. "My next target was Shinseki's razorleaf outpost about a day away from here. With Ogata's plant gone, that's the next closest place. Burn it to the ground and salt the earth."

"Reasonable enough. What's on this scroll?" I give it a nod, and Yusei rolls it open. His eyes slowly grow wide, and his jack hangs open in disbelief. "...A pretty exhaustive list. You sure you want to let go of this?"

"Right now, I'm a tutor. I will leave the work of the anti-imperialists up to you." Nodding, Yusei rolls up the scroll and tucks it into his top. "And speaking of being a tutor, I will leave on my own terms, at a time of my choosing."

"You have to stay long enough to make an impression. Teens like Sorano are at a place in their lives where they need role models, and an opportunity like we have now can't be wasted."

I consider the irony and truth of that for a minute before answering. "I understand. I'm just saying, if Taizo begins to suspect me, I'm out."

"How would he begin to suspect you?" Asks the same friend of Yusei's who'd spoken up earlier. "You're not going to tutor Sorano as yourself, are you?"

"Of course not. Though he has many faults, Taizo isn't stupid. He knows how to cover his tracks, and he knows how to follow the rabbit trails to get game."

"If you're going to be in the palace under a separate identity, what could there be for him to pick up on?"

"...Quite a bit." Yusei searches through my eyes for a moment, then clears his throat.

"So, would you be willing to trade messenger birds to discuss business? Say, in about a week or so?"

"No, I only talk face to face. I'll... see what I can do to be free in a week."

"You'll make it rain again?" I nod. "Alright." Yusei offers his hand, and I give him a brief handshake. He signals to his men, and they walk back down the alley. Checking to make sure the way is clear after they're gone, I shift my Transformation Jutsu to take the appearance of Ruza. My hip bag is now free of incriminating evidence thanks to Yusei taking the scroll that Ibiki had given me, and I'm free to make my way to the palace.

The streets are filled with people still there from watching the brief shower, and I quietly thread my way through them. As I near the palace wall my anxiety returns, a different type than before my meeting with Yusei. Being from a recognized clan within Konoha, I'm used to formality, but nothing like what I'll have to endure as Ruza. I imagine it's like being trapped, a marionette and a puppeteer at the same time. As the crowd thins out I can see the guards standing at the open gate, their uniforms looking a bit more like a tapestry than functional attire. A few people are going in before me, and are quickly waved through. Servants, or friends of the daimyo and his family? I finally come before them, and the taller one stares at me expectantly. "Papers?" I take the small scroll out from my hip bag, and hand it to him. The guard raises an eyebrow and snickers as he reads it, and motions the other guard over. Though he looks stern, there's the hint of a smile on his lips.

"...But that is her signature, if I remember correctly."

"What is it?"

"You're going to try tutoring Lady Sorano?" Asks the tall guard. I nod, and he chortles. "Good luck with that." He motions for me to go through, and I begin to get a sinking feeling in my stomach. As I walk the winding path towards the palace I wonder how Lady Sorano will be. Yusei mentioned that she was intelligent, didn't he?

Close to the nearest building of the palace, a row of bonsai line both sides of the path. There's another pair of guards standing watch, but they say nothing as I step up to the door and ring the bell. Very quickly the door slides open, and I'm ushered in by an older gentleman, dressed sharply in a traditional kimono. He has a very humble and sincere look to him, and right away I resolve to get on his good side. People with looks and a position such as his are invaluable allies in any royal court- or at least, they are in the novels I've read. "Greetings, young miss," He says with a bow.

"Good day to you, sir. I, uh, was selected to be a tutor to Lady Sorano," I say, offering the scroll of recommendation to him, "And I thought to perhaps introduce myself, should she be available."

"Ah, so you're the tutor?"

"Y- yes."

"Lady Sorano was quite creative this time, saying she will summon the ghosts of her previous tutors to assemble and bind you to a stake, whereupon you should be burned."

"How lovely."

"Give her time, you're the first in many months. I'm sure she'll warm to you."

"It's not much use speaking with someone who has already decided to be angry…"

"Ah, very true. Ahem. At the moment, to the best of my knowledge, the young Lady is unoccupied, and has retired to her room. Follow me." I follow the doorman through the building, taking the small and empty servant's passages; I think I catch the smell of food being prepared near one room, but we are soon past it. Even this, one of the smaller buildings in the palace, is large, and it takes a while to navigate through it. As we do so, I try to remember as many of the hallways and turns as I can.

Quite abruptly, we're out of the building, and headed towards the main building. The lawn is immaculately kept, like a painting brought to life. The doorman catches my eye, and smiles. "The palace is lovely."

"Indeed, the gardeners do their work well. And the sudden shower has lent a beautiful sparkle to the lawn and trees." Too soon we come to the main building, and step inside. "The way is short from here." We take a winding staircase, and come to another servant's hall. This one is lively, and I can hear giggles and conversations as we walk along it, the maids happily greeting the doorman when we pass. They eye me with a casual interest, but say nothing. We pass through a set of double doors and into a spacious hallway, soon turning down a smaller one. "Her quarters are at the end of the hall," The doorman explains. At this point I half expect Lady Sorano to be some demonic humanoid with horns and leathery wings, wearing armor made from the charred bones of her past tutors. We arrive at her rooms, and the doorman takes a moment to clear his throat before knocking. "Most Lovely and Intelligent, Courteous and Kind, Magnificently Youthful and Bashfully Aloof, Lyrical Lady Sorano, you have a visitor-"

"No, finish it!"

"...Bashfully Aloof, Lyrical Lady Sorano, Marvellously Opulent and Touchingly Heroic, Exceptionally Ravishing, Fine, Undeniably Cool and Keen, Elegant and Refined Royal Highness, you have a guest."

"Better. Let them in." The doorman slides open the door, and gives me an apologetic look before bowing and making his exit.

When Yusei said Lady Sorano was young, I'd thought he meant her to be twelve or perhaps thirteen, but she looks to be at most a year or so younger than me. She has her mother's dark hair, and nose and ears, and is dressed in what I assume she thinks is a very casual yukata(that likely cost a fortune). Her eyebrows are trimmed short, and she's wearing a bit of blush. I give a polite(but probably not deep enough for her) bow, and say hello.

"And you are…?"

I take a deep breath before beginning. "I am the Friendly, Understated, Calm and Knowledgeable, Youthful and Observant, Unbelievably Radiant and Enlightened, Ingenious and Gracious, Honest and Terrifically Excellent, Ethereal and Nuanced, Genial and Even, Noticeably Efficient, Rational and Astute, Tenderly Illuminated, Objectively Neat and Sensitive Ruza Hirawa. I am to be your new tutor."

Unexpectedly, Lady Sorano breaks into a grin. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."