mocking

by Lazydaily

naru OC in root no mass

4. Chapter 4

Mist was miserable.

It was grey and wet and depressing. It was no wonder their shinobi turned out to be so mentally unstable. If I had to deal with this weather all of the time, I'd probably turn out to be a murderous maniac too...okay, maybe not, but I had a lot more empathy for them.

We had been in Mist now for two weeks and my mood was really starting to dip. I was acclimatised to a lack of sunshine, what with being kept underground in ROOT for years, but for some reason I was finding this harder than normal.

The mission was actually going fairly well, so it wasn't that. We had set ourselves up easily - resuming the roles of Hunter Nin duo whom had been abroad for months, but required downtime for medical reasons. Accommodation was easy to arrange, we had enough funds for people to presume it was leftover from previous bounties, and we were accepted with relative ease.

Gai's role as Hattori - my gruff and overprotective Hunter Nin partner - was going better than I imagined. He managed to exude a confidence that people in Mist took to well. His mannerisms were abrupt, similar to his own but more abrasive, his volume was slightly lower (although not by much, to be honest) and "Youthful" had been replaced by grunts.

No one seemed to find him strange at all. I think it had a lot to say about the general behaviour of the Mist population - they seemed a lot more at ease to express themselves. In Konoha, I knew that clans like the Hyuuga and Uchiha repressed their behaviours slightly, but now I realised the whole village was restrained. No wonder Leaf had a reputation for being sticks in the mud.

With everything, I think Gai was somewhat enjoying himself. He had formed some kind of weird rough friendship with a couple of locals we met in a bar (the attitudes to drinking were also much more liberal, and I was also accepted despite my age - I would replace my drink with water to keep my wits, though). It started when one of them was drunk and accidentally spilled their drink on me - Gai then stepped in and threatened him, which somehow ended in an arm wrestling contest, followed by a shrimp eating contest...I had to clean up Gai's vomit in the morning, and nagged to hell about appropriate competitions (why shrimp?), but it had been worth it. It turned out they were a group of Jounin and Chuunin that worked within the Mizukage's administration building, and the information they gave us was...interesting.

Until a few months ago, Yagura had been very well respected. He was a stern ruler, however would take care of his people. He also took a very 'hands on' approach (compared to the Hokage), and would often accompany his Shinobi on more difficult missions, if he felt he could increase the likelihood of success. They said he almost had a personality change overnight, after accompanying a group of Hunter Nin on a mission, of which he was the only survivor. Since then, he had raised taxes and introduced new ones, and openly commended aggressive tactics and unnecessary violence.

Due to this, it caused a lot of upset in the more reasonable members of the population, while others thrived in the disorder. Any hint of discontent or whispering of treason was treated swiftly and harshly - which led the others to become nervous when they spoke (I felt bad as I always engineered the conversation, but they needn't have worried as I activated privacy seals whenever they started on this topic).

Now, this concerned me greatly. A Kage going through a sudden mental breakdown was a dangerous thing. And a Jinchuriki Kage having a mental breakdown was fucking disastrous. I either needed to find the reason for the problem (whether it heartbreak or an unstable Bijuu seal) and fix it, or find the rebellion (which the others hinted at) and support them.

First, though, I needed access to the our friends had access to him themselves, they weren't in a high enough position to try and manipulate to get us an audience. Even methods like the Chameleon tags were too risky, and the Time Bubble would be pointless unless I could observe him first.

I was still trying to solve this problem, when Gai took us on one if his regular training sessions...and I hated him for it.

While training is a necessity of shinobi life, Gai was a monster. Even undercover, his routine barely changed and it was exhausting just looking at him. I managed to find excuses to avoid it, but on rare occasions there was no escape, and I genuinely feared for my life.

"I don't care."

"Hmmft," Gai snorted. "Training is important, Maseko. You should join me, it would be most fruitful."

"No, thanks but no thanks."

"You require strength to succeed as a shinobi!"

"I'm happy being weak."

"Maseko, that is a terrible mindset. If you do not come, I will run around the village a thousand times screaming you name."

I deadpanned. "You wouldn't."

"You are lucky your name rolls of the tongue, I doubt I will even hurt my voice." Gai grinned.

I groaned. If there was one thing I learned about him, if he said something - he meant it. It was a character trait I respected, but it was also a pain in the ass when he was in an annoying mood like this.

"No running except a gentle - and I mean gentle - warm up, understand?" I went running with him once, never again.

Gai must have taken pity on me as he was not as brutal as normal, but that didn't mean my arms and legs didn't feel like jelly at the end of the session. When he suggested a small spar with weapons after, I almost cried.

"I hate you. You are evil and I wish your return to hell immediately."

"If you have the energy to complain, you have the energy to spar!"

As much as Gai was our reason for success so far, I have never regretted having a partner on a mission more.

I opted for my tanto, whereas Gai used knives. He wasn't a natural with weapons, but using short knives allowed him to use his taijutsu near enough intact. As we were in Mist, he needed to use blades with some proficiency - a Mist-nin using taijutsu only would never have worked.

Several minutes into the spar, I won after feigning a dive and using my momentum to flip and jump onto Gai's back, blade of my tango at his throat. It was my only win against Gai to date and I was ecstatic.

Until I heard a faint clapping at the edge of the training field.

Somehow, we had gained an audience without realising. He was tall, blue and a scary looking mother fucker. I had seen the Bingo Books enough times to know this is Hoshigaki Kisame - one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. And an all round mean bastard, if the rumours were anything to go by.

"Nice little display there, kid." He grinned ferally. "Too bad your sword is more of a toothpick."

"Well, this toothpick works plenty good for me, thanks." I clapped back, sheathing my tango and crossing my arms.

He laughed. "A toothpick for a toothpick - it's fitting!" Rude...I mean, I knew puberty was a bit slow on the uptake (it was something young females in ROOT had to deal with), but he didn't have to rub it in. "Haven't seen you guys around here before? And I thought I knew all the interesting fish."

"Not very observant then, are you?" I smirked, "Kidding - we've been away on assignment for a while. Only back a couple weeks - medical leave."

"Interesting," he pondered. "Medical leave? Well, it's not physical, based on your little training session...and with the protective stance of your bodyguard, I'd say it was you," I turned around, and Gai was glowering, in a defensive posture near my side. "And if not physical, then mental...tell me...torture or rape?"

I sensed Gai stiffen and take in a breath beside me. He seemed ready to pounce.

"Oh, did someone fail and let their little Kouhai get taken?" Kisame laughed. Whatever he was reading from Gai's reaction was totally wrong, but I could play with that.

"It is what it is," I smarted. "Now, are you finished trying to provoke us, or should I take a seat? I'm exhausted and would prefer to take whatever insults you have in some comfort, as least."

"Hoho, I was just having a little fun! It's more fun if your victims are a little unstable," he tilted his head and nodded at me. "See you around, Toothpick."

And just like that, he walked off. Gai didn't relax until we got back to our apartment.

"I apologise for suggesting training - had Hoshigaki suggested a fight, our cover may have been blown," Gai said morosely, when our conversation was secured.

"Hattori, don't apologise. Because of this, I've figured out our 'in' to get access to the Mizukage."

Over the next two weeks I tailed Hoshigaki when he was in village. I used a combination of Henge and Chameleon Seals to avoid attention. He had audience with the Mizukage before and after every mission, so I had to anticipate when this was to occur.

Hoping my predictions were correct, Gai and I made way to the administrative building. Now - while we played Mist Shinobi, we were not registered and so could not get access to it or the Mizukage...I planned to piggyback on Hoshigaki to get in. I figured no on would question his acquaintances, or him...it just depended if he accepted our story.

A few minutes from the building, I staged an argument with Gai, directly in the path of the building. In his part, he was meant to be against my wish to see the Mizukage to request a return to duty, stating it was too soon. I was arguing vehemently, and as predicted, we gained on lookers - both shinobi and civilian.

"Hoho, what's this? Trouble in paradise?" Hoshigaki laughed as he saw us. "Looks like the little Toothpick as turned into a matchstick! What's gotten you so heated up!"

I huffed. "Someone!" I sent Gai a scathing look. "Doesn't think I'm fit to return to duty. I'm trying to explain it isn't his call - only the Mizukage can decide. And he's trying to stop me from getting to the meeting."

Hoshigaki placed an arm around my shoulders and grinned. "Coming back to the fight? Excellent. Ignore this little busybody - if you say you are ready, you're ready." I sent Gai a triumphant look. "No time like the present - I'm on my way to the Mizukage, so lets get you there without little shrimp trying to interfere."

Hook, line, sinker.

As predicted, with Hoshigaki with us, we walked right in without even getting our names taken. It was a pretty foolish move on Hoshigaki's part - but who would have thought a fourteen year old with sharpened teeth would be a spy?

Once inside, we followed to the meeting hall. The set up was a lot more open than the Hokage tower. Karatachi Yagura sat behind a large desk in the room, draped over the seat casually. I knew we was rumoured to be young, but his appearance startled me - the more I looked, however, I realised he was not as young as he looked. Not only that, there was something 'off' about him - he seemed expressionless and disconnected. At first I thought it was his Jinchuriki seal malfunctioning, but this was the polar opposite of what I had seen when I encountered Gaara - instead of unstable energy, it felt suppressed.

"Kisame. Punctual as always," he droned, sounding bored. "And who are your friends?"

"Some stragglers I picked up on the way. I believe they have a meeting with you today." He said after giving him a quick bow.

"Oh? I cannot recall," he slid his glazed eyes over to me. Something was not right. "What was it about?"

I bowed. "Sir, I am Namazu Maseko, and this is Ungaiike Hattori. We are Hunter-nin on medical leave and I would like to request a return to duty!"

"Oh, is that all?"He asked, tilting his head. "Why should this bother me? In future do not bother me with such trivial requests," he said, with a clear threat hinted. "Go and leave us - you are declared fit to return."

I bowed and scurried out of the building, with Gai behind me. I didn't bother to look at Hoshigaki, or anyone else in the building as we left. When back in the apartment, I activated a security tag and started to hyperventilate.

"That was most terrifying!" Gai said. "A most Unyouthful Kage."

"No shit." I said, still panicking internally.

"Did you get what information you required? Whilst the meeting was short, I would prefer not to make a repeat."

"I did...I...I think we're going to need help." I said.

Gai looked concerned. "In what way? Surely our youthful talents can be of use?"

"Not this time. It's not a mental breakdown, and it's not his Jinchuriki seal - there were no traces of issues of either." That much had been obvious. "His demeanour was suppressed and disconnected...had he been like this always, then he would just be another emotionless bastard in power. A personality change doesn't happen so suddenly, which leads me to one conclusion."

"And that is?"

"Someone has placed the Mizukage under a high level genjutsu."

We sent a request for assistance to Konoha to arrive ASAP. I requested a high level Sharingan user, but did not state why - if our message was intercepted it would be disastrous. Part of me felt bad about placing an Uchiha at risk, but I had no other choice - I could not think of any other means to destroy the genjutsu placed on a Jinchuriki safely, as it also allowed a security blanket should the Bijuu become free.

We received a reply stating a small team would be with us shortly, and to meet them in a designated area outside of the village to debrief them.

We headed to the abandoned building, as indicated. As we fully entered the building, we sensed an attack, and soon found two blank faced ANBU coming towards us. He had enough time to signal to each other the agreement to split up, with a quick gesture.

Gai was holding his off well, but I was struggling. He was ridiculously fast, and skilled with the katana. It took me longer than I cared to admit to realise I knew most of his moves.

I narrowly missed a slice to the neck before I had enough.

"What's this? Double Trouble?" I asked. He didn't respond, but stilled in his actions. "What's the matter? Weasel got your tongue?"

"Erena?" Itachi hissed.

"In the flesh. Now, could you tell Shisui to calm down? I'd prefer my partner unscathed, thanks!"

"Karasu! Stop, they're our targets," he shouted, sounding a little confused.

The battle immediately stopped, and I has pleased to find both Shisui and Gai were completely unharmed. In fact, Gai looked elated - I'm guessing he hadn't had a good a fight in a while (I am more than happy to admit my taijutsu skills are lacking compared to him).

"Weasel, explain," Shisui said, emotionless. "These are Mist-nin, not Konoha agents!"

"Always so grumpy, Shisui," I smarted. "It's like ANBU gives you a personality transplant."

"Wait, what?" He sounded confused.

"It's Erena, Shisui," Itachi said, sounding exasperated. I really did invoke this kind of response on him quite frequently, it made me feel a little bad.

"Erena, but she's..." I grinned. "What the fuck!"

"Nice to see you, too!" I chirped.

Against protocol, he pulled his mask off and Itachi followed. His face was screwed up in confusion and he looked me up and down. "This is where you've been? Mist? And what the fuck have you done to your hair and your teeth? You don't even look like you!"

I shrugged. "That's the point. Do you not like the teeth? I think they add to my...what did you call it? Creep factor?"

He shook his head. "I don't believe this. All this time and you've been in Mist? Are you insane?"

"You know, many people ask me that question - I'm starting to think they at have a point..."

He opened his mouth to reply, when Gai interrupted us by clearing his throat. Right, mission.

"I'm surprised the Hokage sent both of you...or even any of you."

"It was strange for us to be paired together, but the Hokage would not give us more details," Itachi said. "He did not even tell us of your involvement."

"Ah, pity. If he did, it probably would have stopped the whole nearly getting decapitated thing."

"Indeed." When did Itachi start sounding like Fugaku? I've clearly been away from the village too long, he needed an intervention.

"Perhaps you should explain the situation, Maseko?" Gai said. He wasn't breaking character despite the clear safe space. I was proud of him.

"Right as always, Hattori!" I beamed at him. "So, boys, once upon a time - "

I didn't explain the overall aim of the mission, but I explained the situation that had called for their help. When I told them my concerns regarding the Mizukage being held in a genjutsu, they seemed concerned and surprised. What I needed one of them to do was use their sharingan to assess this (I didn't know how it worked, and never asked - all I knew is that it could do it), and if possible - break it. If it turned out he wasn't in a genjutsu or it couldn't be broken, then Plan B to destroy his reign would commence.

"But how will we get access to him? And then, what's to stop him from fighting us? Even we can't take on someone of his level. It's rumoured he has full control of his Bijuu."

"Oh, that's where I come in," I said. "How do you all feel about getting a new tattoo?"

I may or may not have applied Time Lord seals to Shisui, Itachi and Gai...and I may or may not have forgot to tell them about the risks. It didn't matter, as I'd remove them immediately after, but I did feel a little bad about that (but even if I had told them, I suspected they would still agree).

Now, my plan was to create a Time Bubble, almost village wide - and then we could just walk on up to the Mizukage building without any intervention. I had already been in the process of making the seal while waiting for a Sharingan user to arrive, but my problem was the chakra consumption. In order to create a seal of that size, it required far more chakra than I had. I could do a smaller seal, but the risk of being caught was too high - and the whole point of this was to be untraceable.

To combat this, I decided to create a Chakra Battery seal. It would take me a week to store the chakra, and I would be left near useless each day after the transfer. I had Soldier pills that would replenish my Chakra between, but it was not without risks - using solider pills to replace chakra artificially for an extended period of time can damage your body and chakra coils - but it was the only option I had at the time.

I don't think Itachi and Shisui fully understood what I was doing, but Gai did...I suspected it came from having an Akimichi as a sensei.

"Maseko, while your idea certainly has merit, the risk to you is not small. Even if only for a week, the recovery time will be extensive. Putting yourself in danger is not very Youthful!" He said, once the others were away discussing their aspect of the plan in private (I suspected they did not want to give away Sharingan secrets). I also glad Gai had some tact not to discuss this in front of the boys.

"It'll be fine. I've considered the risks and I'm okay with it," I replied, waving him off.

"You should have more concern about your own safety, Maseko," he said solemnly. "I have almost lost one friend to a similar mindset, and I would hate for another to go down that path."

The thing I've learned about Gai was that, while he was a powerhouse of positivity, it didn't mean he didn't feel other emotions just as strong. And sadly I had evoked a deep concern for my wellbeing.

"It's okay, Gai. If I could think of any other possible way that wouldn't compromise our mission,I would consider it...but there just isn't. I promise I've taken the necessary precautions. Besides, while they are away doing their thing, I'll have you right here to protect me! And once this is over, we'll head back to Konoha and I will have the longest R and R period to recover before making stupid decisions again, okay?"

"If I cannot stop you, I will do my best to protect you! You have my word!" He grinned and gave me a 'good guy' pose. I knew he was faking it, but I understood.

"Glad to hear it!"

While I prepared the Chakra Battery, the Shisui and Itachi moved into our apartment. With privacy seals in place, it was far safer than remaining on the outskirts. They both thought Gai was a member of the Infiltration Corps, which amused me to no end. I think Gai was enjoying the ruse, and so neither of us bothered to correct them.

On day four of the chakra transfer, I was starting to feel the effects of daily chakra exhaustion followed by artificial replenishment. My muscles started to become weak and shaky, and even my train of thought was difficult to keep up. I still had another three sessions, and worried about what I would be like at the end of it. All of them tried to talk me out of it, with Shisui becoming angry, but I couldn't be dissuaded. They even offered to take over, and channel their chakra - but I explained that the Battery Seal was already at risk of being unstable, and additional chakra signatures could have explosive consequences.

Finally, the day arrived. I was still conscious and mobile, although I did need assistance. My head felt fussy and filled with cotton wool, but I was still able to make conscious decisions, even if it took me longer to get them out. We decided on activating the Time Bubble in the evening before sundown, as people were finishing for the day.

Once activated, it would last for an hour. The others didn't think it would take long to examine and dispel a genjutsu, if it was there, but they suggested that to give appropriate time for any other issues. Shisui also said he had a Plan B, but wouldn't tell me what it was.

The Time Bubble seal was unrolled along the apartment floor, and the Chakra Battery seal placed in the centre. Once I channeled a small amount of chakra into the battery, it would automatically filter into the seal below and activate.

I activated the Battery, and felt the sudden cool wash of chakra flash through me. I fell back, but Gai caught me.

"How do we know if it worked?" Shisui asked.

"Look outside," I rasped, as Gai picked me up to place me on his back.

Once Shisui opened the curtains, the three looked outside to the street below. People had stopped mid step, and birds were still in the air.

"Wow." Itachi whispered. All were staring at the scene wide eyed.

Yea, I know. I'm pretty impressive.

We ran to the Mizukage administration, or carried, in my case. Kagura was found in the same area as before, except this time he was standing and appeared to be in the process of punishing his subordinates. They were kneeled on the ground and he was standing over them glowering, staff in hand.

I didn't know if whatever technique they were going to utilise would be possibly when he was frozen in time, but they seemed confident. If not, I had a back up Time Lord seal to apply.

It seemed they had decided Shisui would do the honours. He activated the Sharingan - except it also wasn't? It wasn't like any sharingan I had ever seen before, as it had a large pinwheel instead of he usual tomoe. Huh, somebody has been keeping secrets from me. I thought that was my game?

After a few minutes, his eyes widened. "He is in a genjutsu...but it looks like one created by a Sharingan."

"How?" Itachi asked, perplexed.

"I don't know..." He narrowed his eyes. "I can't tell who it originates from."

"That doesn't matter right now," I drawled out. Keeping conscious was hard. "Can you break it."

"Yes," he replied with confidence.

Less than ten minutes later, he was satisfied the genjutsu was broken, and Yagura should resume to normal once the Time Bubble was over. There was still at least half an hour left, so we had plenty time to escape. And I saw an opportunity.

I asked Gai to put me down, and I removed the Time Lord seal from my pack.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked.

"I think we should have a little chat, without annoying interruptions," I said, and placed the temporary seal on him.

It worked instantly, and he started moving. His glowering look turned into one of confusion in a split second.

"What just happened?"

"Mizukage..." I said, bringing his attention to me. "I'm sorry to inform you that you have been held under a powerful genjutsu for some time. My colleagues and I have now broken it, and you are free of it's hold."

He frowned at me. "I fear you are correct. My actions have not been my own, and it appears even Isobu has been held at bay...This is most unexpected."

He seemed calmer than I thought he would be, and was taking it very well. He didn't even seem bothered by his frozen subjects.

"It seems I have work to do to right the wrongs within my village. I only hope I have not lost the faith of my people...tell me, whom do I have to thank for my liberation?"

He looked to the four of us.

"Konoha, sir."

He frowned and sighed. "Unexpected, indeed."