Reckoning Arc: Orders are Orders

"You'll be participating in the next chunin exam."

Orochimaru had never pressured her before, so him telling her that she would be participating without any consultation threw Yuina off.

And why did the conversation require privacy? Private enough that her home wasn't deemed secure enough. Kakashi wasn't happy that the rest of their training was canceled, but understood.

"And if I want to forgo it again?"

"You won't have that right. Not this time. I'm granting you the time to decide how you follow through. Though, if you rather go in blind, you can."

He couldn't say something like that and not give details. He made it sound like it wasn't on his demand. That there was something more to it.

Yuina leaned back against the wall. She had been waiting for bad luck to catch up to her again. It merely presented itself in a way she didn't expect. "Details."

Orochimaru smirked as if he knew she would hear him out. A fair assessment. "The next exam is being hosted by Iwagakure."

Yuina knew where this was headed. For years they have been hostile neighbours of sorts, but even the 'unoccupied no man's land' that totally had plenty of occupation wasn't enough of a barrier between the two nations. She had started to cling to the idea that they could remain hostile neighbours, but the evidence was growing to point otherwise, and that was with her limited insight. If she only knew a bit, she wondered what information those higher up had.

"Things have always been tense, but lately it's become more complicated."

Yuina wondered how much each side contributed to that. It probably wasn't even limited to the two nations. People were opportunists and she doubted military states would let those opportunities slide.

"The exam offers the opportunity to enter their village. They may say the exams are a sign of trust, but one doesn't host such an event without precautions in place."

No, it would give them more reason to keep extra set of eyes on them meaning if they wanted something done, it had to be with the ability to do it in full view. Add in that someone had recently taught her how to do so like a magician and suddenly everything felt meticulously planned. Contingency, huh? Even so, she was still a genin. There was only so much they could expect from her. A cog in a machine then. She still didn't know whose idea it was. "Are you coming?" It could go either way. His notoriety could attract extra attention, but…

"No. The less connections made the better. We have a network in Iwa, but the opportunities to pass along information have become less frequent." He crossed his arms.

"So it doesn't matter how it's achieved as long as it is?" Yuina was fine following orders but she hated the thought of being a puppet to a puppeteer who wouldn't even show themself.

"That's still to be determined. It won't be decided until after tomorrow's Council meeting." Straight from the top then. "During or after, an ANBU will be ordered to collect you to discuss."

They couldn't be spending that much time discussing this. She looked to Orochimaru in disbelief. "It hasn't been proposed yet." Yet Orochimaru knew. Not unless this was some huge prank which would be very uncharacteristic of him. The Hokage then? But he could make unilateral decisions. Perhaps there was a delicate factor that needed to be consulted first. Orochimaru could know if someone approached him to ensure she could complete the task.

But then why was Orochimaru warning her? An order was an order. Did he dislike the arrangement? Did he want to give her more time to prepare? The next chunin exam wasn't until December. There was enough time that an extra day didn't mean much.

He was allowing her to prepare her reaction at tomorrow's proceedings, assuming the idea wasn't scrapped. She didn't know if that would be enough to do anything, but at the bare minimum she appreciated not being blind sighted.

"Thank you," she said.

"I know nothing about this."

Her chest fluttered. He probably wasn't meant to tell her.

Yuina had a lot to think about that night.

The next day, it was like Orochimaru said. She was with a squirrel when a masked ninja approached her. She never had to speak to an ANBU before, but their masks were iconic.

Yuina was guided to the Hokage's Tower. In the room were four people seated. She was familiar with the Hokage, but she hadn't ever met the other three. They must be Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzo, and Utatane Koharu considering Orochimaru claimed it would be discussed at a council meeting. She had heard of them in passing as they were considered village elders of sorts.

It was uncomfortable to know that someone in this room cherry picked her for their goals.

She bowed and greeted them as politely as she could.

"Thanks for coming," said the Third. As if she could reject the ANBU. "Everything from here on is considered confidential."

She motioned that she understood but otherwise stood tall and kept calm.

They described the secret mission in more detail, but without explaining the reasoning behind it.

Yuina needed to offer something of equal or greater value. For that to happen, they needed to be confident of her skills and knowledge. "Is this because of the threat of war?" she said in an even tone. She almost couldn't believe herself. Look at her opening a dialogue to rebel.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Yuina couldn't believe Koharu had to ask. It was incredibly annoying she had to be asked when they had the audacity to give her a mission that would land her dead at the hint of suspicion.

"It's not subtle." Yuina would only accept greenhorns missing the signs. The watch over our resources furthest from the borders between us. The watch on Musoku and likely other villages. Theft. Possibly even the giant wildfire. "Would you trust me with this task if you thought I was that careless?"

It had been one of the reasons they forced her to graduate early. Too late to go back and claim she was inept now. "However, if I may?"

Koharu crossed her arms, Homura adjusted his glasses, Danzo narrowed his eyes, and the Hokage voiced his allowance for her to continue.

"What if I give it my all to stand out? Surely, we can benefit from exposing our strength in an attempt to deter people." Yuina hated the propaganda that came from her mouth, but she wanted more power to control what she could if she had to go.

"That's not the primary goal," said Homura.

"What if I assure you, I can do both?" She stared back with an unwavering gaze.

"I would question the validity of the statement." Homura stared back with eyes as intense as hers.

"Can you?" the Third Hokage's eyebrow lifted as he interlocked his fingers and tested his chin on them.

"I've been honing stealth throughout this life of mine, but I do know how to cause a commotion. More than Kakashi did. Big enough to be a distraction." She was careful in what she promised but it wasn't beyond the realm of impossibility.

Danzo interjected. "And you'll connect with the agents how if all attention is on you."

"The same way I can tell you a fight is breaking out in Toriko District as we speak. The police is currently handling it. Or if you prefer…" Yuina showed a Ryo coin before vanishing it before their eyes. "The more attention on one target gives more leeway for other pieces to move."

"You would need to be known throughout the whole village, not only from a few proctors," said Danzo.

"Then it's a good thing being hosted means there's plenty chances for interaction." It likely sounded conceited but it was the only way she could think of gaining their attention. They didn't need to know her current plans were incomplete. "I do know how to use group psychology and behavioral science for gains. With Orochimaru-sensei as an added distraction, I can get most eyes on us." There was no need to keep him away. Having an ally with her was a bonus and she wanted to make a statement that they couldn't get around Orochimaru to get to her.

This probably wasn't what Orochimaru meant when he gave her time to prepare.

The Hokage lifted a hand and stood up. "Have a detailed plan ready for briefing by the end of the month."

The other three voiced their dissatisfaction which the Hokage countered. Normally, she wasn't one for unilateral decisions but it was played in her favour.

"I'll re-evaluate in a month. If it's not satisfactory we'll revert back to the original plan." He took a seat at his desk which signaled everyone else to leave.

Yuina felt elated. They may still be getting what they wanted out of her, but it felt nice to derail expectations.

Orochimaru must agree because he gave a small chuckle when she got a chance to debrief him. She realized that she broke the confidentiality already. She was going to remain silent on the matter but justified it in her mind considering he knew what would happen before her.