Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 43
"Declarations"
[Spilled Ink, Part 2]
When it comes to things like spycraft, there is meaning to the name: it is an art, carefully refined to achieve the maximum effect. Interpretations of data, abstractions, the flow of the world itself. Adjusting to circumstances as they arise, forging new paths in an instant, and making attempts to manage and predict what is alleged to be unpredictable.
Tendencies are not boiled down to simple, repeatable formula for shinobi. Thoughts, actions, feelings. Those can change wildly depending on which way the wind blows – and for the truly paranoid, the very pressure at which the wind does so is enough to place them on high alert. To understand and pick out irregularities at a moment's notice is part of being an elite operator. And so is concealing said irregularities from the enemy. That is why I have spent the past few days making observations of the areas I suspect members of ROOT have been using for surveillance, passing by using the excuses of daily living: shopping, eating, gossip, so on and so forth. Ino and I can carry on conversations while sensing for people who we think shouldn't be there, and Erika is doing her part as well.
We gather data and tease out patterns from it. Now we have an idea of how ROOT is moving...the final piece is to definitively get at Sai, and figure out exactly how quickly we need to move on him. The framework has already been constructed for our advance, days earlier with my call to Hyuuga. To say that Hiashi was furious understates the magnitude of it, but the way it is being handled at this moment is intense without being explosive and pulling public attention towards the situation. Hyuuga is now actively applying counter-surveillance, in a visible show of force towards Danzo's hounds. The recent meeting between the village's so called underworld boss and the Hyuuga Head was brief, hostile, and according to Tamaki, loaded with air-thickening malice. It sounds like it was exciting, and I am a bit sad I missed it. But things are going exactly the way I want them to: now the ROOT operatives are scrambling to regain position, and we're going to take advantage of that opening before they can properly recover.
"Are we all ready?" I ask Erika.
"Ready."
"Alright. Let's get ourselves into position." We start by suppressing our chakra and move silently towards our locations. Erika will be perched among the branches of a tree, next to the roof of a small shop. I've found myself a convenient little depression behind a set of bushes, and lie on my stomach. The small earpiece goes in, and I hear Erika switch on her microphone for recording.
When civilians talk about shinobi techniques, they only focus on the immediate utility of them. Fire can be used for direct attacks, or something ostensibly clever like entrapment, for example. Lots of things that could or should happen because of the assumptions they have about this sort of work, and about the natural forces that act on the world around them. One of the frequently uttered comments is that stealth and infiltration is trivialized by the Transformation Technique, which allows one to change into an object or living being of their choosing with chakra. There are a few reasons this is foolishness, but two immediately come to mind. First is that changing into other beings or objects varies wildly in difficulty, inanimate objects especially since they need to be of certain sizes, weights, and properties in order to be truly convincing. In other words, while it might be relatively easy to imitate a person, it's much harder to replicate an object. Both require at least some measure of observational skill and familiarity.
The second reason is that it's often suicidal against high level enemies.
Most people on this tier, which includes those of ROOT, are going to have many different ways of figuring out when someone or something doesn't look right at a glance, in addition to their secrecy and psychosis in these sorts of situations. Elaborate transformations only serve to waste valuable time, which when it comes to reacting to mission changes is the difference between life and death. Instead of changing back and forth, keeping things simple by not being perceived at all is the safest and surest bet. Being able to activate weapons or distractions and having access to your full supply of chakra is crucial when the other person has roughly the same level of skill that you do. Once you are detected, being able to fight back and survive is the most important thing. There are situations where a simple transformation or two can be of use, such as when the enemy is focused on moving from place to place. But those spots must be chosen carefully, and just add to the required mental load. And that sort of knowledge only comes with experience, something that, for many reasons, not everyone has.
There are currently no members of Hyuuga in this area, which serves the purposes of the ROOT members meeting here. And unbeknownst to them, our purposes as well. Erika starts moving as soon as she can detect their presence, and our earlier observations are coming in handy once more. These two are not sensor types, and thus will have to rely on manual sweeps. I can hear Erika setting the microphone down before moving further away and into a place where she can get a clear look at the pairing.
"No tails, then."
"They're busy looking at our decoys through some walls. We have time to talk."
The voices are coming in clearly. Very good.
"Have we seen any movement from the other clan heads yet?" the first one asks.
"No. They seem to be in agreement on staying out of this. Any clues on who's responsible for the leak?" the second one asks.
"Someone connected to Sarutobi's office. Might be the snake woman, but we don't know anything for sure. She hasn't been spotted doing too much that interferes with our plans, even if she is the old man's pet."
"We'll probably need to keep an extra eye on her regardless. What about Kotowari?"
"Lord Shimura said he has something cooked up for her."
"Good, good. She's extremely dangerous, we can't let her get close to this in any way."
"She would need some help to put a stop to it all. Sai's surveillance was going well enough until someone tipped her off, and I know it wasn't the steam freak. That one has rocks rolling around in her head."
"She's close with the snake woman?"
"They're hanging out together in a hotel midtown or something. Sarutobi has some protection on it and they've been careful with their conversations. Like I said, we have some people keeping an eye on her already."
"Ah, she's a sensor type, isn't she? We have an idea of her range?"
"Might be a few miles if she extends herself, but I don't think she would do that too often while we're at home. We would know if that were the case. We need to coordinate another move on the garden, the budding plants especially. That's what we need to take care of first. I have some green thumbs I know lined up for tomorrow."
"What are we going to be doing? Going down to the store for fertilizer?"
"I was thinking about that and some grass seed. The lawn isn't looking the best lately."
"So we'll have two of your friends on it early."
"Around eight in the morning. Everything we need should be on site, and we shouldn't have to worry about doing too much digging."
"Sounds good. I'll make sure he knows, too."
"Then I'll see you later."
They take off in opposite directions. Erika waits a moment before quickly following the first person. I wait a bit after that, collect the microphone from its hiding spot, and then carefully follow the other person through the village. If the mystery person is who I think it is, we will be in excellent position at an earlier time than we expected. If not, then it will be business as usual. One of the obvious problems is that these Foundation worms are also part of ANBU, and they report both to the Hokage and Danzo with the latter taking priority in any matters. It makes them extremely hard to root out without some good leverage. That will take some time to realize, but at least we will be taking a firm step forward here.
My target leads us to a small, plain looking apartment building. As I suspected, Sai is on one of the upper floors, and I see the shinobi go quietly through the open window leading to his home. Suddenly, there's a flaring of the two chakras, and a faint sound of weapons clashing as I continue my approach.
"...reflexes. But you should remember...never let your guard down."
This must be some stupid ritual that is meant to keep the membership paranoid and alert at all times. Insane, and expected of those made to be nothing but military lapdogs. I land lightly on the wooden overhang and press myself against the wall next to the window.
"New orders from Lord Danzo. We'll be taking care of the young ones on our own, your job is to make sure that the steam woman and the snake bitch are kept at a distance from everything else. If they show up to investigate however, we can make use of that," he says to Sai.
"Bait, sir?" Sai asks.
"Something like that. We don't want to make it look like we're doing anything that would cause problems with Hyuuga."
"Understood." The rustling of paper and other vibrations tell me that Sai has been handed a note. "Should I try inducing her to take direct action, sir?"
"If you can. We have measures in place if she decides on doing something stupid, so don't worry too much about your health aside from the usual. ROOT can't be derailed by empty threats like that."
"Of course, sir."
"The future of the Leaf depends on how successful we are. We can't leave things to fools like Hyuuga, or savages like that snake woman. Once we gain more information on her activities, Lord Danzo will have you assigned to her properly. This time, the Hokage absolutely cannot get his way. It will be the end of the village otherwise."
"That bad, then..."
"It's not just physical strength. There are an increasing number connections to deal with...rumours are going around that she has Madoka's ear now."
"Then it makes sense we move as soon as possible."
"You get it, then. Good." Sai's alleged superior starts towards the window to leave, then abruptly stops. "You...you're still carrying that thing around?"
Sai is quiet a while. "This is...it just makes sense to have it here. That's all, sir."
"Remember what you were told. What you've been taught above all else. Those of ROOT have no names, no feelings..."
"No past, and no future," Sai finishes. "There is only the mission."
"We...are the unseen ones who support the great tree of the Leaf, from the depths of the Earth. Never forget that."
"Yes, sir."
I let my chakra rise enough in order to perform a simple transformation, becoming a weighty little leaf in the corner that shouldn't be noticed by anyone as they pass by. The ROOT captain sweeps the area visually, including the space I was standing in before. With nothing out of place in his eyes, he takes off for a new destination. Sai comes up to the window briefly and pulls it some distance closed, but not all the way from what I can hear. His footsteps fade away soon after.
Alright.
I undo my transformation and let out a breath. "That went well. I think we have everything we need...and I know what I have to do with Sai. Seems that things will be a little bit more difficult than anticipated, but I've never been one to skip out on a challenge. The extra effort just makes victory even more delicious."
I dust myself off after dropping down to the street again.
"Don't worry, boy. I'll make sure you understand why you should have taken my threat seriously...in your last moments on Earth."
A rendezvous with Erika allows us to compare notes, and we come to the same conclusion on what ROOT will be doing next based on our understanding of their positions and phrases.
The intention is to shadow Hanabi and any other young Hyuuga she might be travelling with, as a means of surveillance and leverage against Hiashi. They must have some kind of means of evading those special eyes, as the third in line to be the clan head would be watched carefully. Hanabi is more than aware of the situation, so I haven't made anything complicated by contacting her directly.
"Anything on your side?"
"Nothing at the moment."
A quick phone call with Hina this morning, while still in my hotel room. We haven't spoken much either, but I have sent a few messages so that she knows what's going on. Keeping her away from this would be ideal, but as the next clan head, it seems to be a bit late for that. Even so, keeping our communications short and vague means that the enemy can't use anything against us. They're clueless as to what I might be doing, and I intend to keep it that way until there's nothing they can do to stop it.
"Alright. How is your father doing?" I ask her.
"Stressed at the latest news. I'm doing my best to calm him down, but he is understandably angry at what's happened. To be honest, I am a bit frightened myself."
"Hopefully Lord Hokage can sort this out before it becomes too much of a mess. These things getting out of hand would be a threat to his order."
"That is true, yes. Well, I have a few things to take care of. And it might be a while before we can speak again, unfortunately."
"I understand. Take care of yourself, Hina. And remember to send for me if you need anything at all."
"I'll remember, Lili. I love you."
"I love you, too. Bye for now."
"Bye."
I hang up and then dial a new number quickly.
"It's me. How many people on maintenance do you have available for today? Those ones...mm. Send the third to me, then. I remember that she has a knack for what I'm thinking of. As always, you outdo yourself. We'll talk soon, Nami. Bye."
Fio is out running errands and won't be back until afternoon. That's well after I finish this task, so she shouldn't have anything to worry about. I make myself some tea and tackle some paperwork before the phone rings again.
"Miss Kobayashi, you have a visitor at the front desk."
"Tell them to wait where they are. I'll be down shortly."
"Yes, ma'am."
I finish my tea, put away my papers, and then push my feet into some plain slippers before heading downstairs to the hotel lobby. A slender young woman in a white robe with blue frills peeking out of it is sitting on one of the lobby couches. She has shoulder length black hair that bounces slightly with her movements, and rosy cheeks. This one's name is Nawa, and she has been identified as a quiet and stealthy presence within Edelweiss, allowing them to accomplish more than a few daring things to help with their growth.
"Good morning, my love. Thank you for coming to see me," I say to her.
She stands and bows for me. "Thank you for calling on me, ma'am. I am honoured to be of service to you. Please, tell me what you need from me." She bows again.
"There are certain elements within this village that conspire against us. More specifically...they mean to bring harm to our sister, Hanabi."
"Lady Hanabi." Her eyes narrow. "We cannot allow such a thing, milady."
"Surely not. And so..."
I take a small envelope from within my sleeve, then hold it in front of her.
"I want you to handle it."
She takes a moment to steady herself before taking the envelope firmly. She opens it up and reads it, then nods once she's finished.
"No objections, milady. Consider it handled."
I smile. "Good girl. You will have your reward in time, and all you will have to do is ask whenever you please. Fair?"
"More than fair. Thank you for considering me worthy enough to carry this out." Nawa puts the note within her robes and bows deeply towards me. "Good morning, Lady Lilith."
"Good morning, Nawa." I kiss her on the cheek, and she smiles brightly for me before leaving. At last, the stage is set. And no one within this village will be wise to what will happen next.
I walk outside and towards a payphone, take out my special coin, and place into the slot before dialing Erika's number.
"Good morning. Erika Kotowari speaking."
"Erika, my darling. The boilers have been stoked, and we are moving ahead at full steam. Tomorrow evening is what we are aiming for to start."
"Understood. I will make preparations for the event."
"Is there anything you will need from me, in the meantime?"
"Yes. I would greatly appreciate it if you looked after the hounds that have been going from place to place. Preferably in the morning."
"Mm. Easily done."
"Thank you. I have some good workers available, and they will take care of the cleanup at your signal."
"Very good. Tomorrow, then."
"Tomorrow. Good morning, Lili."
"Good morning."
I hang up and retrieve my coin, then head back into the hotel. I think I'll spend the rest of the day relaxing, as much as I reasonably can. Tomorrow is going to be a busy and exciting day, and it wouldn't do to be exhausted at any point.