Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 70
"Smart Fellows"
[Calamitous Ascent, Part 2]
"You know, I appreciate a good meal, especially on someone else's dime. Just makes me wonder if it'll be worth what's coming next."
A small, out of the way little establishment that specializes in food harvested from the seas. Suigetsu is his curious self today, throwing on a dark sport jacket over his usual attire as an attempt at dressing up. It's rather adorable of him, and I appreciate it for what it is. We're currently on a lunch date.
It's been about a week since the emergency meeting. The Tsuchikage agreed to a meeting with the Hokage after a few days of rambling and complaining, and currently the relevant parties are waiting on a final confirmation from the Hidden Rock. The meeting places will be chosen from Tanzaku Quarter and Mikawa Valley in Fire Country, and Silver Vine Village in Grass Country. Once the meeting place is confirmed, there will be a wait while preparations are completed in both villages with the respective Kage. That should be a week or two, which is enough time for us to go on our mission to Water Country, ensure the safety of Utakata, and then return home. If things don't go to plan on our side, everyone else will carry on without us.
Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but one can't be assured of anything in this life.
"I have to wonder what you mean by that," I say to him. Cursed with a need for style as always, my outfit for today consists of a pink blouse topped off with a silk scarf, and a neat blue pencil skirt. It has a slit on one side so that I can show off my lovingly crafted legs, of course.
"I mean that every guy within the village walls is gonna want to put my head through glass once they find out I was eating lunch with you. Because unfortunately for me, people think your whole lesbian thing is just a rumour or a phase or whatever. Those idiots think they have a shot at you."
"Mm. Unfortunate sounds like the correct word."
"So when are you gonna jump out of the closet?"
"Not soon enough to save you from the worst."
He sighs and shakes his head. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I was just messing around anyways. It'd be a jerk move to make anyone come out to the world before they were ready. I'll survive whatever beating is coming for me."
"You carry on too much. Karin and Fio will protect you. Jugo too, when he's around."
"Two of those I don't doubt. Karin? Tch. She'll charge those guys money for a free swing at me."
"The love you have for each other is so precious," I say with a smile.
"You sound way too much like Chief," he says before sipping water through a straw. There's plenty of it at the table, per my request. Wouldn't do to have the poor boy dry out. "Or maybe I have it the wrong way. She sounds way too much like you."
"I am quite the influence, yes."
"Did you influence her into going crazy for girls, too?"
"I think that's a story she can tell for herself."
"Fair enough." He drains his glass and sticks the straw into another. "So, let's get to those ulterior motives of yours before the food shows up. Bet you've got a real nasty mission lined up for me, or something like that."
"I realize that you gave some information to Intelligence earlier, and so I wanted to follow up on that. Intimate meetings can help bring out details that normally are glossed over or missed in more formal talks, as I've found out over the years."
"More relaxed and stuff," he says with a nod. "I get it. So I guess we're talking some more about those two psychos, eh. Well, if you can manage to off them, it'd be doing the whole world a favour. I'm more than willing to help out, especially after this fine dining experience. Hell, even the water tastes fancy here."
"Glad you're enjoying it so far."
"The Shigisei siblings, eh. Kaitaikojo and Ishako...little brother and big sister. Couldn't tell at a glance, but there's a lot you can't tell about them just from looking. Got yourself acquainted with their brand of fighting, I bet."
"Many surprises to be found."
"Yeah, never a dull moment with them. Ah...guess we'll start with big old Kai. The muscle of the operation, if you couldn't tell. Guy's always been big for his age, or any age if you think about it some."
"It seems to be so."
"I was around him and his sis for a while before getting scooped up by Orochimaru and everything. Really humiliating...I wanted my shot at him, but you guys in the Leaf put him into the dirt first. Tough, but I'll live with that. Getting back to Kai's whole deal, he's crazy big, crazy strong, and crazy durable. Guy used to take kunai to the chest and have them bounce off like they were rubber balls. Pulled up trees with his bare hands and used them to smack away unlucky bastards like they were flies. Even has a mastery of the elements without knowing a single damn jutsu."
"You're going to have to explain that to me in detail. Our food is coming."
"Really? I don't see anyone."
"Thirty seconds or so."
The food does arrive on schedule, exquisitely cooked and seasoned fish, paired together with special sauces and an assortment of cooked vegetables. The waiter delivers me a glass of sparkling lemonade and leaves once I give him the okay.
"Yeah, you're definitely spooky sometimes," he says.
"Just a simple matter of observation, darling."
"You think so, huh. I wouldn't call it so simple, but you do you."
"Hm. I suppose it is easy to forget sometimes."
"Heh. So back to what I was saying," as he readies his utensils, "Kai is an elemental master without use of elements. You want Wind Release? Have him take a deep breath and then blow out for a hurricane. Water Release? A big drink of water first if you're on land, and if you're out over the water he can make a few tidal waves with a swing of that hunk of metal he calls a sword. Earth Release? Watch him dig his hands into the ground and hold it together with a bit of chakra before throwing it at you. Doesn't matter what type ground it is. Dirt, stone, asphalt, concrete. He'll grab himself a chunk of whatever. Fire Release? Watch him rub his hands together real fast and then heat something up like that sword of his. Instant flaming death. And Lightning Release is a bit trickier, but only because you gotta get the right materials on that oversized body of his first for the static effect. But he can make himself into an instant lightning rod too, between his height, reach, and again, that big dumb slab of metal he carries around."
"Illuminating," I say flatly. "And patently absurd."
"That's Kai for you." Suigetsu starts on his fish and nods. "Man, that's good. I feel like I got golden blood going through my veins after one bite."
"Has anyone ever told you that you lay it on a bit too thick sometimes?" I tease.
"Story of my life. But this really is good stuff. I appreciate this, Snake Lady."
"Think little of it. Luxuries like these should be experienced by everyone."
"I hear that."
Suigetsu and I finish our meals quietly, with him going through plenty of water in the meantime. I have our waiter bring out a few more jugs upon his return.
"The guy's personality is...nonexistent, I'd say," Suigetsu continues. "Real quiet, never once heard him speak. Ishako does all the talking and translating for him, though there's obvious stuff he points out so that she doesn't have to. He follows her around like a puppy. But the guy's not dumb or anything, something you probably figured out already."
"I did, yes. He knows how to handle himself and is more than just a simple brute. The way he can anticipate movements, and act in time with his sister...those are things that take a fair amount of intelligence and understanding of the flow of battle. He uses more than his size and bulk to intimidate in addition to all of that. I'm sure he could break the wills of most mortals just by staring at them."
"Yeah. When he gets intense, it's enough to make you want to turn tail and run, if you don't wet yourself first. Guy barely reacts to anything that isn't killing or his big sister. And when he's really in the groove, it's scary as hell. Guy's enjoying himself a little too much while fighting and hacking off limbs. Couldn't mistake him for a human being at that point."
"I see."
"With him and Ishako, you get the feeling that they're way too close, even for a brother and sister pair. They must have gone through a whole lot, what with the whole Bloody Mist thing and being orphans, but it's always rubbed me the wrong way."
I nod and slice apart some of my fish on the plate. "That only makes sense. They're fucking."
He chokes on his water. "W-what?! You're messing with me. You gotta be."
"Not at all. They confirmed it after I spent some time taunting them. But then, she gave herself away earlier when she was telling me and my partner her life's story."
"Man...that's way over the line. Not to mention...ah, forget it. I'll give myself a headache trying to figure out how any of that stuff would work..." He drains his glass from top to bottom before refilling it. "I guess it explains a lot, though."
"It's not an exploitative relationship, at least not in the ways that we would think. They genuinely love and care for each other, twisted as their relationship is. She's extremely jealous of any woman that comes into sight, and he protects her at every turn. I don't doubt any of the affection they have for each other," I say.
"Still incest, though...kinda gross."
I sip at my lemonade. "It's disturbing for many reasons, but...not all of the ones that I agree with. I think I should leave it at that for now."
"Yeah, I probably wouldn't get it. You elite types are wired different from my experience."
"Tell me about Ishako next."
"Ishako, right. She's a gal on the smaller side, not as tough as Kai...but man can she take a hit and keep going. I've watched her get into slug-fests with women twice her size, and she'd be standing over them all bloodied up and stuff at the end. Obviously she does all the talking for them and can figure out whatever it is that Kai means when he waves his hands or swords around or something. Somehow. Hella smart, definitely a genius type. She can figure out enemy jutsu and how they're gonna attack and defend with a little bit of studying."
"I saw that first hand," I say.
"Figured. Got a talent for Water Release and acts as support most of the time. Basically Kai's control tower. Long range sniping with arrows, that's usually how she gets around in a big fight. She gets him into position and they pick their moments to attack together. Don't even have to say a word, they read other on the fly and make everything work. Almost, I guess. Judging by the fact that I'm having lunch with you right now."
"A fine observation."
He smirks. "I have my moments."
"She has medical expertise as well, I assume?"
"Yeah, always patching up her little bro after a fight, no matter what. I remember it looking like he didn't have a scratch on him one time, and she was still floating around him, healing random spots with her medic jutsu. Really doted on him like crazy. Though from that bomb you dropped earlier, it makes a lot of sense why she'd go that far."
"Hm."
"Something else, though...I dunno if I was just imagining it, but when she's in a fight, she kinda slows down sometimes to get a good look at things."
"She seemed like she was exerting herself a bit."
"Yeah, that's the best way to describe it."
I nod. "She must have kept that mask up enough around you, because she's a genuine sadist. Her favourite pastime, aside from the obvious, is to watch her little brother slaughter opponents. She gets off on it."
"Here I am telling you about them, and I'm the one learning a bunch of stuff that I really, really didn't need to know." He sighs. "So she's like you, then?"
"No. I need to have my hands around my victim's throat in order to enjoy it," I say firmly. "And wanton slaughter is not part of my routine, nor will it ever be. Please do not make the mistake of confusing me for savages like them."
"Sheesh, my bad. I mean it, I wouldn't want to be compared to those weirdos myself. The word of artisans, right?"
"That's right. You would understand, prodigious at the art of murder as you are."
He raises a brow. "Did some studying on me?"
"I would be curious about my Fio's teammates," I say with a smile. "The other second coming of Zabuza the Demon, and younger brother of Mangetsu Hozuki, a genius and member of the Seven Swordsmen himself."
"Yeah. Big bro got himself into the group and figured out how to use every one of those swords well. Even Samehada acknowledged him the first time, which isn't something anyone heard of while it already had a master. The only reason we could survive out in the Mist was because we were chasing that dream. I was jealous when he got his invitation, but motivated as hell. Then...idiot went out and got himself killed, somehow. Overextended, brutal missions one after the other. I didn't want to join after that. My dream now is to collect all of the swords, and create a new Seven Swordsmen. I'll be the leader, of course."
"What would you do as a group?" I ask.
He shrugs. "The usual stuff. Being swordsmen and cutting all sorts of things. We'd make money and hang out in a cool lair. Like a cave or something. Fancy robes, and of course some cool chairs and a table we can plot at."
"Truly a man's romance," I say.
"You laugh now, but soon enough you'll be asking to see the inside of our secret hideout. I'll give you a special pass, of course. You and Fio, since you're both nice and stuff."
"What about Karin?"
"Nah."
"For me, then?"
"...I'll give it some thought. Talk it over with the crew when we get together." He rubs at his nose. "No promises."
"So how far are you into your quest? I assume that you'll want to battle Kisame for possession of his blade, Samehada."
"Yep. But believe it or not, I got one down already," he says with his sharp, toothy grin. "Went down to Wave the other day and got the greatest haul. Zabuza's sever-sword, called the Executioner's Blade!"
"It was still there?" I say with surprise.
"Yeah. You shouldn't be too shocked, the damn thing weighs so much that normies can't move it. Weighs more than me...gotta be at least sixty kilos."
Zabuza was truly monstrous...if he could swing that kind of sword around regularly, it meant that he could toss me like a baseball with one hand. Frightening to think about. And Kai is magnitudes of order stronger than that...
"Yeah, it's wild. Though Kai could definitely wave it around like a kitchen knife, that's how strong the guy is. But I got my hands on the thing. Only six more to go."
"It weighs more than you or me," I say. "So how would you use it in battle?"
"Hozuki secret sauce." Suigetsu takes an arm out of his jacket sleeve, then flexes. The arm alone becomes massive, bulging with muscles. "Water Release: Great Water Arm."
"Simple and effective."
"All about it. Uses our clan jutsu to move water around, so we can do stuff like this. Gives me the crazy strength needed to swing around that heavy sword properly, and do some real damage out on the battlefield."
"And of course, you can liquefy your body. Orochimaru took advantage of that to capture you. Overwhelmed your body, and then trapped you somewhere you couldn't escape from."
"I'm not even gonna ask how you figured it out to that degree. But you got it in one."
"And I suppose that I'm your natural enemy." I give him a smug look. "One more reason to stay in line, hm?"
He grumbles at that. "Come on, Snake Lady. I'm not gonna go out and betray you guys all of a sudden. Fio's really cool, and I'm getting attached to Jugo, the big lug. And Karin is...Karin. I guess."
"Good to hear. Just keep me in mind whenever you have to make big decisions."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it. The Leaf is the place to be, even if it gets way too hot in the summer...wish I had cash like you do, I'd have some central air put up right away."
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. You find someone reputable, and I'll cover the bill for you," I say.
"Oi-"
"Don't you think of refusing. It's not going to help anyone if you melt in the middle of the day."
"You're worse than Karin."
"A compliment if I ever heard one."
He shakes his head. "I'll talk to Chief about it later, fair?"
"Fair. Anything else that comes to mind regarding our favourite rogue couple?"
"Nothing much. Ishako's super smart, fast, and crafty...and Kai's just a big brick that smashes everything he comes across. Obviously if you focus your fire on Ishako, they'll figure it out real quick and switch gears. Plus, Kai has that freaky sword."
"Yes, the blood sword. Please tell me more about it, as much as you can. It's an existential threat, even for me."
"The thing's called Sessho-seki. Legend says that it's sentient, but I wouldn't know if that's the case. Sure hope not. Some guy I don't even remember had it before Kai...it was forged in the blood of thousands of victims, and gained demonic powers. Lets him control blood to some degree, never figured out how much."
"It absorbs the blood from victims and the surrounding area," I say.
"Yep. One good stab and...lights out," he says with a grimace. "Like drinking out of a juice box. Scary as hell. I wouldn't be safe, either. All the blood that it sucks up can be used for different kinds of attacks. Kai's a simple guy, so he likes to use giant blades of blood that can rip through anything."
"Ishako can use the blade as well."
His eyes widen. "No kidding...that's a real shock."
"Why?"
"The rumours about it say that it chooses its master, so acknowledging someone else aside from Kai is a big change. But maybe that makes sense since they're so...close." He gags a bit. "Otherwise, I know that if anyone else tries to handle Sessho-seki, it skewers their hand and flies right back to Kai."
"Very useful information," I say with sincerity. "I suppose stealing it is out of the question."
"Yeah, sucks. Thing's remote controlled."
"It means that the only way to truly stop him is to kill him," I conclude. "Not an impossible task, but certainly difficult with Ishako on guard."
"Good luck with that. I'll probably have to stay clear...if I know Ishako, she's probably got everything down about me off of the few missions we did together."
I think for a moment. Kai has to have some small weakness that we can exploit. Taijutsu, no. Ninjutsu, has to be specialized. Leaves the last thing. "How well does he handle genjutsu?"
"No clue. Never saw him hit with one, and Ishako always made sure that he wasn't in range of any genjutsu users before any fighting started. Why, you thinking of using that as a strategy?"
"I only have a few simple misdirection arts at my disposal for now...but there are others that I can think of who have much more prowess in that area. It might be worth a shot," I say.
"Make sure you bring someone good at dodging. Between those arrows and totally not Wind Release techniques flying around, it's not gonna be a fun time trying to land a genjutsu on those two."
There's an interesting decision to make now. Do we try to match Kai blow for blow while keeping Ishako busy? Or do we try to remove Kai from the picture first with a special strategy? It could mean the difference between life and death, more so than usual.
"Lots to think about. But all of your help is greatly appreciated, Suigetsu. It should help with stopping those two, and keeping this world safe."
"Well, I'll be rooting for you. Can't collect swords if the world's all nonexistent, after all. Also...I might be interested in what your swords guy has for sale. Where's he located, again?"
"Hot Water Country."
"Might drop by while I'm out there. See what he's got for myself..."
"Did we want dessert before hitting the road, so to speak?" I ask.
"If you're springing for it, no sense in turning it down."
"Excellent. We have a small dessert menu for convenience here," I say as I hand it to him. "Pick whatever you like."
"Hey, they've got some jelly desserts on the menu. Nice...and I can get some extra toppings."
Kai and Ishako going towards the eastern sea...but not after the Three Tails, Isobu. Why is that? Why would Obito bypass a supposedly easier target to have them go after an experienced host? It can't be a simple matter of strength.
Whatever the case, I have to stop them. Seven tailed beasts, six jinchuuriki...and none of them ready for the surprises that Akatsuki will bring with them. Pain in a hidden location, and Obito mysteriously silent. So much going on...
"But we'll get through it. One step at a time."
I know I'm missing something, but I don't know what it is. I'll have to sleep on it, and put the worry out of my mind for now.
"Oshiruko sounds good today. Haven't had it in a while," I say to myself.
"Between looking after Mirai, and all of the other stuff coming up...I was thinking about having this conversation with you at some point."
Kurenai is out today, taking Mirai for a walk in her favourite wooden basket. I wanted to share my thoughts with her about the upcoming mission, and I did have my worries about her joining the campaign against Kai and Ishako, even if we weren't meaning to clash with them intentionally. It's nothing to do with her capability at all, but...
"I hope you know what I mean with..."
"I do, I really do. Asuma and I were talking about it, and he says the old man was giving it some extra thought, too. I haven't talked to Hinata and Shino yet, but I can only assume they're thinking along the same lines. The village is organizing a bunch of platoons to keep Akatsuki in check, and since Asuma will be on call for that, we can swap places from time to time. That way, Mirai will be okay. Shikamaru and his gang are going to be busy too, or else we'd leave her with them for a bit. And of course, you're always on the go these days."
"Yes, very much so."
"Yeah. So...if I can stay closer to home, it would mean a lot. With all that said, if you think you need me no matter what, I'm there for you. I can put aside all those other plans and vet a babysitter or two for Mirai. Easily done."
"I understand." I think on it for a moment. "But...it doesn't make sense to put so much pressure on you like that, especially for what is a guess at this point. That boy could easily have so much willpower that genjutsu isn't effective. Or worse, he could have some subconscious talent for reflecting it. Anything is possible with him."
"You'd think that the Mist would do anything and everything in their power to keep someone like that from skipping town," Kurenai says. "A real one man army from what you've been telling me."
"Indeed. I think Shino and Hina should be enough for us to hold our own against them. The last thing we want to do is get into a long fight over the water with Mist natives."
"You're sure you won't need me?" she asks. "I mean it, I'll drop whatever I can for you guys."
"If we need a fourth, I have a list of alternates. But we should be fine, and I mean that. You have to do what you think is best for your family. None of us will think less of you for it, or resent you. And if you come across anyone who does-"
"Lili, no."
"If you let them get away with it, they'll only get bolder," I warn. "Fear is a great tool for correction."
"Stop." She chops me on the head gently. "I can handle myself fine, and we don't need you making people wet themselves right now. The old man needs functioning bodies, even if they're dumb ones."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You three let me know when you're heading out, at least. I'm gonna give Shino and Hinata a call later to give them a heads' up, and see what they think of it. Have a feeling they'll agree with you, but always better safe than sorry. We'll see you later, alright? Try to stay out of trouble."
"Mm."
"I'll comfort myself by interpreting that as a yes." She kisses me on the forehead. "Make sure you get enough sleep."
"Yes, nee-san. Bye, Mirai."
"Au."
I watch them go while turning over some things in my mind. There are a few people that I can think of already, but I don't want to make the group too big. We still have to see what the Hokage is going to settle on in terms of personnel.
"I can still make something happen. I just need the right amount of time...and some luck in who the Hokage chooses to send out in the next few weeks."
Well, time to head home. Kurenai is annoying about it, but she's right about my lack of sleep lately. I should fix that...but ignoring the papers on my desk will be difficult. I don't want to leave them too late.
"..."
Just one report before bed tonight. One is fine.