Chapter 40 - Mirror Knife

The troubles for the Cloud ninja began largely when the squadron that went to go check up on their guard team found one of them frozen to a wall and three of them still unconscious, with the remaining one, Kurai, trying to release the frozen one.

So Kiine hadn't been kidding. What the hell had happened?

"I don't know, just help me out here!" Kurai replied, irritably, chipping away at the ice with a kunai.

Fuzan couldn't stop shivering. "P-p-p-please be quick, I'm fuh-freezing…"

Kurai had been trying to radio them since a little before their arrival, finally responding to calls out toward the guard post. When asked what had taken him so long—had he been knocked out?—he replied, "No! I got restrained by some… weird weapons summon! The red-haired girl had chains, but they… I dunno, faded away after a while. That's how I got freed."

Kurai had no idea how Fuzan had gotten into his situation, however. They kept him talking about it as they worked on getting him free from the ice. "I-I-I-I dunno, man, it was suh-some scary girl. Buh-black hair. She had a suh-sword. W-w-w-wicked good with it."

"That's not answering our question, Fuzan. How'd she freeze you to the wall? A jutsu?" the head of the squadron, a man named Hokori, said.

"I don't knnnnnnow, okay? She just h-held out her hands an' then it got fuh-freezing cold, man, an' then I got f-f-f-frozen." Fuzan sneezed, and winced, the ice digging into his skin from the movement. "Can you work fuh-faster, my arm huh-hurts an' I'm freeeeezing…"

"We're working as fast as we can, Fuzan." And they honestly were, because using a fire-based jutsu held the risk of hurting Fuzan, and warming the ice with chakra would be slow-going, so chipping away was the best solution for the time being.

It took them a while. Fuzan's body was limp as it fell away from the wall, and very cold. He couldn't stand, and his right arm was bent off at an uncomfortable-looking angle, at the shoulder.

By then, the rest of the team—Namakura, Kanji, and Akari—had all come to, and were recounting their version of the events as best they could, for the initial reports. The base was just as quickly evacuated, and the team was brought to the main base, where negotiations had already gone underway. Fuzan had to be carried; he was unconscious by the time they got there, from the pain in his arm and the effect of the ice.

Captain Omoi was very keen on learning about what exactly had happened over there, and took the time to get the story as completely as possible in the break between negotiations that Kiine had called for.

"You mean to tell me that snotty little ginger did all of this to you?" Sairi said. Her eyes, bottle-brown, were wide.

"Well, uh, not just her," Namakura admitted. "She had someone with her, that girl with the sword that was sitting behind her, in the purple."

Omoi bit down on his lollipop. "There were only two of them, then? Takin' out all of you? Chuunin? Man, what do you think she could do to us? I mean, strength in numbers, but they got numbers too, and she's the daughter of that Taki guy and…"

Sairi bumped him on the shoulder. "C'mon, Captain," she said. "That's weird, then. You think that girl used the ice jutsu on Fuzan, or something?"

(Fuzan still hadn't woken up, even though he'd been treated for his arm and was buried under a mountain of blankets. He was still shivering.)

"Well… Fuzan didn't say anything about hand signs," Omoi said, thoughtfully, "though you said that he was kind of in bad shape when you were talking to him, right?"

Hokori nodded. "Yeah, we kept him talking to keep him awake. We'll have to ask him further when he recovers. Though…"

Omoi's expression shifted, slightly. "Though, what?"

Hokori was a fair bit older than Omoi, though he continued his work for his country out of a mix of what was incredible nationalistic pride and sheer stubbornness. The stubble on his wooden skin was like dust. "Just, funny, did you recognize that guy they had with them? The silver-haired one, with the huge sword."

"I didn't recognize him," Sairi said.

"…barely. Who was he?" Omoi said.

"Hozuki Suigetsu. You know, the former Mist ninja?" said Hokori. "You served in the War with me, Omoi-san, surely you remember some things."

"Hey, we weren't stationed in the same squadron," Omoi replied.

"But still." Hokori wet his lips, and continued. "It's just, given that he was there… well, I just remembered a thing I had learned, years ago."

"Like?"

"Well, I remember hearing a thing about how Mist used to have these guys. They had this… ice-based kekkei genkai, and could perform jutsu with just one hand. The Yuki clan, that's what they were called—like snow, you know? 'course," he added, quietly, "the emphasis is on 'used to.' They mostly got killed off during the Fourth Mizukage's reign, I think. Like all the rest."

"What, you serious?" Akari said. "All of them, just killed off like that? Even though they were so powerful?"

"Of course I'm serious! Didn't you ever pay attention in school? Honestly, kids these days." Hokori shook his head. Akari pinched her face into a frown—excuse her, old fart! She was only sixteen!

(But the fact remained; the Age of the Bloody Mist and the Bloodline Genocide of that time was, by then, just another piece of history, as easily forgotten as any other battle, any other bloodbath in a textbook.)

(Just another name and a date to memorize.)

(At least, outside of the Land of Water.)

"So what's your point, Hokori-san?" Omoi said.

"I'm thinking we should maybe ask further about this. Mist hasn't been the easiest country to get along with, and if they're involved with this…"

Omoi cracked through his lollipop and chewed on what was left over with a grimace. "That would be really bad."

They brought it up at the negotiations the next day.

It lasted briefly.

"I'm not associated with that place any more, end of story," Suigetsu said. The grip on his sword tightened and his sharpened teeth gleamed dangerously from behind his lips.

(His weight shifted slightly, unconsciously back, toward the young boy sitting with him, in the cloak.)

"Then what about the girl there?" Hokori said, gesturing towards her. "Behind Kiine-san."

The girl looked up, blinked once, twice, and then turned a deep shade of red, bowing her head and hiding her face behind her hair.

"That's my brother, you moron." The speaker was the man behind Boss Tensho, with the scarred lip. His expression was angrier than Suigetsu's.

There wasn't much resemblance. "Ah, well." Hokori cleared his throat, gathering his composure. "Then are you both members of the Yuki clan?"

"Yuki clan…? His name is Yuki, but we're members of the Inaba clan. Always have been, always will be," his brother replied. "Why the hell you askin'?"

"Well, the Yuki clan is a ninja clan, traditionally known to have abilities related to ice and water manipulation," Hokori continued. "And, well, given what's happened to our guard squad, we only thought-"

"We ain't a part of this Yuki clan and we sure as fuck ain't ninjas! So shut up an' let's get on with it, okay?" The scar-lipped bodyguard was leaning forward, now. His teeth were bared in a raw, animal way.

The boy Yuki's head lowered further.

"Omoi-san, please," Kiine said, waving her hand. Her tone in the negotiations was far politer than her initial command of attention. "I think we have other things to discuss."

(She had been asked, the day before, where she had received her combat training. Her reply: "Two or three weeks of informal ninja training and years of practice outside of that.")

(And as for her companion: "Yuki can just do these things, I don't understand how they work.")

(Which is what had gotten them in that conversation in the first place.)

They still decided to bring their findings to the Raikage, who was very interested in learning how things had turned out in the negotiations, and had been insistently telling them so via messenger hawk.

The journey back took some time. Fuzan still hadn't fully recovered, so he had to be carried. Even Akari, who was annoyed that he hadn't seen the approach of the intruders—he had probably been freestyling again—couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

And once the Raikage, Rotsuki, was fully debriefed, about the terms they had reached, about Suigetsu, about the Yuki boy, he excused himself to schedule a teleconference with the Mizukage.

He got her secretary, Mizuno, first. "Ah, Raikage-sama. To what do we owe this call?" she said from the screen. Her dull voice, as always, was full of tepid disdain.

"I'd just like to speak to your boss, thanks," Rotsuki replied. He smiled, slightly.

This didn't help. "My boss is a very busy woman. Might I inquire about what you wish to speak to her about?"

"Some possible ex patriats of Mist collaborating with criminal organizations. How does that sound?"

Mizuno said that she would get Mei immediately.

She scoffed when Rotsuki told her about Suigetsu. "That little bug. I never liked him," she said. She rolled her eyes, pursed her lips. The wrinkles around her mouth increased. "What happens to him, or whatever he's doing, I couldn't care less. Do you have anything important to tell me, Rotsuki-san?"

The mention of the Yuki boy seemed to capture her interest far more. She leaned forward. "Tell me about him."

Rotsuki did, mainly through telling her about what had been done to Fuzan. "Fuzan-kun didn't report the use of any hand signs, which is what got the attention of my commanding officers," he explained. "And it's what got them thinking that perhaps he belonged to the Yuki clan. Of course," he added, "when they were asked, the boy's brother said he had no idea what the Yuki clan even was. Claimed they were Inaba, whatever clan that is."

"Was he a very feminine boy, Rotsuki-san?" Mei was now resting her head on her hands.

Rotsuki rubbed his chin. "I wouldn't know, lemme check. We didn't get photographs, unfortunately." He leafed through the reports on the desk in front of him. "Well, the initial reports mention a girl, but the event summary mentions a boy, and that's what I got told after the fact, personally."

A sweet, sweet smile appeared on Mei's face. "Really, now," she said. "That's very interesting. I think I'd like to send some of my agents over to meet with this boy. I'm very curious about him."

"Nuh-uh."

The smile fell slightly. "What do you mean, 'nuh-uh,' Rotsuki-san?"

"Some negotiations happened during all of this, Mei-san, and one of the terms was that ninjas—meaning us—can't touch the clans, at least until we meet to talk again," Rotsuki explained. He leaned back in his chair. "And considering that they promised to completely stop their trade of illicit goods until then—which is exactly what I wanted, by the way—I'm pretty inclined to hold fast to my end of the deal. Which includes keeping other guys away from them. Sorry, Mei-san. You're gonna have to wait."

A sweet, sweet frown wrinkled Mei's face further. "Then why did you even tell me?"

"Well, the terms aren't gonna go forever, 'course," Rotsuki replied. "Perhaps I should let you know when we get our further talks booked? You could do your thing then."

"I suppose. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"No, not really. I just wanted to see if you were aware of what we thought was Mist involvement in some… less-than-nice activities, shall we say."

"Hozuki Suigetsu is no longer associated with our country, thank you very much." Mei sat back, lacing her fingers together in front of her.

"You said that already. And we dunno about that Yuki kid, so."

"I still want to see him."

"And you will, I'm sure, Mei-san. Patience is a virtue and all that." Mei sighed, rolling her eyes, again. "So, if you please, just stay put. I'd prefer not to cause further trouble with the Hakaza clan, that'd be not-so-fun and it'd kind of be counter-productive to the negotiations so far. I'll see you at the chuunin exams in September, if not sooner."

"Well I certainly hope so." She terminated the connection.

On Rotsuki's end, he sighed. "Ah, she never changes…"

On her end, Mei sighed, also. "Infuriating passive-aggressive little twerp. I almost miss the last one, brute that he was."

"I'll say," Mizuno said. She'd been watching, from off-screen, the entire time. "Surprising news, though—a Yuki clan survivor? I thought that Haku was surely the last one, and well… He's been gone a while. So young, too…"

"I hope that's what it is, a survivor. For once," Mei said. She was holding her elbows, now, at her desk. "I've tried so hard, but so much potential just seems to just… slip through my fingers."

"There, there." Mizuno reached over and rested a hand on Mei's shoulder. "Much as I'm inclined to think this is fluke, we should be… optimistic. Hope for the best."

"We should. Though I've been so disappointed already…"

"Don't worry yourself so much, Mei. When you worry, I worry, and I've got enough on my plate already… if you don't mind my saying." Mizuno had closely-cut black hair, giving her a modern, professional air, especially when combined with her frameless glasses.

"Oh I know, Mizuno. It's Kurunari-kun, again, isn't it?" she sighed, again, when Mizuno nodded. "Well, at least he's not some skirt-chasing swine. Though I do wish he'd stop writing and train once in a while. What if something happened and we needed him to fight? He's unprepared."

"You don't need to tell me twice, Mei. I'm about ready to just give up on him altogether and focus on Yuu-kun."

"Wouldn't be a bad idea."

Mizuno cleared her throat. "If there's nothing else, then, I'll take over the desk."

"Thank you, Mizuno," Mei replied, and returned to her office, pushing a rust-red hair back into place.

So much potential, just slipping through her fingers.

So many clans, either lost forever or refusing to cooperate.

And Kurunari, a coward of a jinchuuriki. He hadn't turned out right.

The little one, Yuu, showed more promise. But.

Maybe this time.

This time.

A few days and a few hours previous, Shingetsu was getting a mild talking-to, away from the negotiation house.

Suigetsu was not terribly pleased, when he found out about his involvement in what was very much an unapproved mission.

"But she told me it was part of the plan," he tried to explain.

"What plan?"

"The plan to rescue Kou-san!"

A groan of frustration. "There was no plan, Shingetsu. You got tricked, plain and simple."

The look on the boy's face was heartbreaking. "Kii-neesan… tricked me?"

A sigh, sharp and almost angry. "It's not your fault… And would you stop calling her that? She is not your older sister!"

Shingetsu breathed in, deeply, a hiccup of a thing. "I was just tryin' to help, Daddy…!" Big, child's tears began rolling down his face.

Another sigh, gentler this time, and Suigetsu kneeled down to eye level with the boy. "C'mon, quit cryin', all right? I'm not mad at you."

A sniffle. "But you just said…"

"I'm more mad at myself than anything." Suigetsu reached out a hand and wiped the tears off his face. They remained on his skin, shining slightly. "You know I can't let any of those three get hurt. I'm already gonna be in deep shit for what happened to Fuzan…"

Shingetsu sniffed, again, deeply. Another tear, one of the last, fell down his cheek. "De-ep shit, huh…?"

A pause. "You didn't hear that from me."

A giggle.

(A reluctant smile. That kid, every single time...)

"At any rate." A third sigh, annoyed, this time. "We're gonna have to report in about this. Damn it…"

Shingetsu giggled, again. "Da-amn i-it…!

"…you did not hear that from me!" Suigetsu reached over and ruffled his boy's hair, roughly, affectionately. "C'mon, let's get going."

"We goin' home?"

A pause. "Not yet. But soon."

The tears had finally disappeared, and Shingetsu's smile was as bright as the moon. "Okay. Let's go, Daddy!"

And though he didn't quite know the way at all, Shingetsu ran ahead, and Suigetsu followed, mouth spreading into a smile that he tried not to show others.

The wind across the plain blew the boy's silver hair sideways and upways and away from his neck, where a ring of redness, like a tender bite, like a hard kiss, stood out against his skin.

Suigetsu's eyes fell when he saw it, for just that brief instant. He couldn't help but notice.

(He always noticed. In watching the boy sleep, in those brief moments of motion where, even when he wasn't looking for them, they were there.)

It was a reminder.

(Of everything that held him.)