Scarlet Justice - ep. 86
"Due North"
[Fleeting Dreams, Part 1]

It's been about two weeks since my trip to Tanzaku Quarter. My focus has shifted to developing more useful techniques for fighting and for general use, though these will mostly see use against high level opponents as it is. The long range ability of Mobius allows me to eliminate most enemies before they can react to me, and at times an easy and boring mission is to everyone's benefit. A few of the top-level missions that I have been assigned were taken care of this way.

Messenga has also been improved with extra effort. Still difficult to use and puts a terrible strain on the body, but it's far more manageable than before. Always good to be prepared for the worst situations.

Today is a warm and clear day. The previous waves of snow have melted, and for a moment in time we've traveled to the comfort of an autumn morning. Hina and I take the opportunity to go on a short trip, running towards the edge of Fire Country and back again for our exercise. She's grown brilliantly since the first time we did this together, and now we can run together at an even pace for as long as we need to.

"It's really been too long, Lili."

"It has been, yes." The forest is quiet aside from the distant sounds of animals and our breathing. I pull the zipper on my light jacket down a bit to get some more air. "You didn't invite Shino along?"

"I did, just to be sure. He wasn't going to come, so I knew it would be just the two of us. It would be nice if he did show up, though."

"Mm. It would be."

"Speaking of us...well, I wonder if you heard the news."

"I haven't. What might be going on?"

"Oh, that means I get to tell you myself," Hina says with a smile. "I'm happy."

"Now I'm definitely curious. What's going on?" I ask.

"The Hokage has made a recommendation. I'm getting my promotion to chuunin soon."

"Oh! That's wonderful to hear, Hina. Congratulations!"

"Thank you. Please continue to watch over me, senpai."

"Without a doubt. I'm very proud of you...it should have been done a while ago as far as I'm concerned, but I can't complain now that it's over with. I am very much looking forward to our continued success."

"I am too. I really do feel great about it. And of course, Father is proud of me too. Hanabi and Brother Neji are going to take me out later in the week to celebrate. You should have seen her, she was beside herself with happiness." Hina sighs happily. "So much has changed for the better."

"You more than deserve it."

"Are we being modest again?" she asks.

"We might be. Who can say for certain?"

"Hm. I suppose I'll leave it at that. For now at least."

"Much appreciated," I say. We continue our run along one of the mountain roads, looking across the way at the natural beauty that remains preserved in this part of the world. Mom did have a great fondness for nature over the so-called developed world, and it's in times like these that I can see why.

"Is Fio well?" I hear Hina ask.

"She is. She seems cheerful enough, anyways. I can never truly tell with her, especially when it comes to letters and postcards and the like. Phone calls are easier when it comes to that."

"Really, now."

"Mostly, she's an annoying brat who runs her mouth too much."

"Ah. So you really do love her."

"Oh, definitely. She's a very sweet girl, you know. I'm blessed to have met her."

"At last. You know the joy of pursuing and being pursued in this world of ours."

"It seems you've become a woman in spirit as well, Hina. I'm proud of you for that as well."

"That sounds like a compliment."

"Only sounds?"

"You're a strange sort of woman yourself, you know."

I stick my tongue out at her. "At the least, cherish your youth. While you still can, at least."

She looks at the path ahead thoughtfully. "Yes. Though eventually, I will have to let go. No matter how bittersweet it might be."

"What brings this on?" I ask.

"There's Guy-sensei to consider."

I reflect on that man for a moment and nod. "Mm. Youth should be shed gracefully."

"Yes."

"Gracefully..."

"Yes."

"Spandex...it's impossible. Especially for women."

"Gross."

"Yes. Age gracefully with me, Hina."

"I promise. Lili?"

"Yes, my love."

We look at each other again. "You're strikingly beautiful. I realize that more and more now."

"Do you?"

"Yes. I understand why people are so drawn in by you. Not just for lewd or lustful reasons, though I suppose that helps."

"Ah. That's sweet of you to say. You're beautiful too, you know. You always have been."

"Is that so?"

"It is so," I reply with sincerity. "Even as shy as you used to be, you stood out among the other girls. I know they were jealous of you on some level."

"It makes me feel warm to hear. You really are my best friend...someone I will always admire with all I have. I love you, Lili."

"I love you, Hina."

We share a smile before continuing on, at a slightly faster pace. Our feet take us through the trees and across the rivers and hills until they part for us, and we stop at a cliff's edge overlooking the vast and churning ocean waters. The sun is shining high in the sky, rays of light piercing the clouds and giving the world ahead of us a lovely glow.

It really is a magnificent sight to come to.

"Marvelous," I say with a smile. "Nature's wonders truly never cease."

"I've never said it before but...things like this are my second favourite reason to run with you."

"Ah, and what might your most favourite reason be?" I ask Hina.

"You, of course."

"You shouldn't say things like that. I'll tease you horribly afterwards."

I hear her giggle beside me.

"Lili?"

"Yes?"

"I...there's something I want to say. You might find it strange, and..."

"I'm here to listen to anything you have to say. You know that," I say as I turn to her. The sun's light is wrapped around her, making her glow like someone who stepped right out of the clouds themselves.

"If...you're sure. Then I have something...a plea that I want you to hear."

"Yes."

"I can see so many things as I look at you," she says, tears falling from her eyes. "How beautiful and lovely you are, and more than that. I...can see that you're beyond us. Beyond someone like me. Please...when you do move forward, when you truly start to rise higher than ever before, please...don't come back to this side."

"..." I realize what she's asking. But it's...hard, something like that.

"Please. Promise me."

"Hina, if I..."

"I don't care about that. I know what it means. But I also know that you are no longer just a human in this world. You're no longer like us. Like me."

I am reminded of Itachi's words. How he chose to venerate me as we met on that snowy day, and asked me to slice apart the flow of progress into oblivion. Dramatic things like that. It only makes sense that someone so close to my heart would see the same things.

"I won't leave you," I say.

"I know. You would never do something so cruel. We will always be together."

"Then...I promise, Hina. Once I reach that place, I promise that I will not become human again."

She smiles and wipes away her tears. "Thank you, Lili. I love you."

"Yes...I love you, too."

"I'm sorry for getting so emotional all of a sudden, but this is the first time that we could be so close recently...I could see how much you've changed since meeting 'that person'."

"Ah. Yes."

"What...was he like? Can you tell me?"

I walk closer and take her hand in mine. "His eyes are just like Naruto's."

She stares at me a moment before slowly closing her eyes. A hand goes over her heart, and she smiles once more. "Yes. I see now."

"There are many stories of people beyond us who...continued to feel for those nearby. Mom told me that even the Christ wept for those he loved."

"That only makes sense. Your personhood doesn't just disappear."

"Mm."

"Our next mission will be a difficult one. Kurenai said as much. You have experience in those, don't you?"

"A few S-Ranks so far, at the least. Maybe five or so?" I muse.

"You're losing track already?"

I shrug. "They're supposed to be more troublesome and memorable as a result, but high speed assassination is easy with that jutsu. Are we set to do one of those?"

"It's transport and security."

"Interesting. Well...let's head back home, shall we?"

"Yes." We both start our running again, at the same even pace from before. It feels a bit warmer now.

"Speaking of fated things and the like...have you and Naruto gotten anywhere yet?" I ask.

"Hm...it's complicated to say, I think. But I know that he's not as dense as he seems. So I can say that we're progressing nicely. I can't be upset at the pace, since just being that close...well, it almost feels like reward enough, even if I know better."

"I see..."

"There's still the issue of Sakura, I think."

"Oh. Will you take care of it, then?"

"No. There's no need to...I believe in my future husband," she says confidently.

I smirk. "You see? You're growing up too fast for your own good."

She says nothing and smiles back. We continue our run together peacefully.

It's now deep into winter. Productive time passes, more jutsu in my toolkit are refined for battle, and personal matters are mostly sorted. Christmas will be arriving quite soon. Though I don't really have anything in the way of plans. Midori and Luna say that we should simply eat and drink heartily at home. That sounds fine enough.

The Hidden Leaf is currently covered in a thin layer of snow. Everyone is walking around with jackets and scarves, a few hideous sweaters also establish themselves this season. Though it seems to be unusually cold, even for this time of year.

"O~i."

"What? What is it?" Kurenai says while glaring at me. "It's too cold for this."

Tonight is when the details of that difficult mission Kurenai mentioned have been released to us. We've met at the usual spot on our training field, and the rush meant that our sensei has come a bit under-dressed for the current climate.

"So why are we here in particular? I said that I would pay for us to go to a tea house."

"I can't go around getting treated by a kid all the time," Kurenai says while shivering.

"Yes, I suppose that would ruin your cool big sister image. My apologies for that," I say insincerely.

"Shut up. You're always bullying me."

"I wasn't even trying to that time. It seems to have become subconscious...curious, that."

She grumbles as Shino and Hina arrive.

"Sensei, you should have worn more layers. That jacket isn't enough for this weather," Hina points out.

"I was only planning to be out here for a few minutes. Blame yourselves..."

"Don't worry about her too much," I say. "As soon as we finish, some skinship with Asuma should-"

"I'll kill you. I'll murder you in cold blood, woman," she growls at me.

"It seems that sensei really is freezing. Perhaps we should spare her the torture...physically, at least," Shino says.

"Ah? What a good child you are, Shino," I say with a smirk. "Well, let's get down to business."

"Yeah, fine. Here's the important information," Kurenai says as she rubs her hands together. "We're guarding a shipment of parts and equipment to a small village in Frost Country. They've gone on a run to various, obviously classified locations and the Hidden Frost made arrangements for the team to detour through Fire Country and pick up a few escorts. Apparently several merchants and important authority figures have been attacked and killed along the only route to said village, where the parts need to go. They're paying a handsome sum for the mission classification, which is listed externally as A-Rank and internally as an S-Rank. There will be six of us going in total. This group is naturally included already, so we'll need two more people."

"What kind of cargo is this?" Shino asks.

"No clue. But it's clearly something worth dying and killing for, and something that from what I've heard will make the Frost Country a major economic power. That's all we really know right now."

"Do we know anything about the attackers?" Hina asks.

"No. The Hidden Frost is withholding that information, too. We've just been asked to escort and defend, then get out of there as soon as possible. It's...honestly pretty shady, all things told."

"Which is why we were asked to take it," I follow up.

"What do you mean by that, Boss?"

"We're the top tracking and reconnaissance squad in the village," I say to Shino. "We have all kinds of tools that would allow us to sense danger from afar, a proven track record, and two elites ready to go as is with strong synergy."

"The Hokage didn't say all that, but he didn't need to," Kurenai says. "Which also means that we might be asked to abort or even sabotage the mission if it's relevant to our interests. We'll be doing some investigating as the mission progresses."

"It also might be in the interests of our country's elite."

Kurenai gives me a nod at that. "We leave tonight at midnight. Make sure to dress warm, this is nothing compared to the average up in Frost. And clear your minds to prepare yourselves, anything can happen out there. Lili, I'm leaving the final personnel selection to you."

"Understood. We'll see you in a few hours, Kurenai."

"Yeah. See you in a bit. I'm gonna get inside, it's so goddamn cold...!"

There are those two stops to make. Several people to choose from for a mission of this type, surely. But thinking about who would be best for something like this...it's certainly classed as a high-level mission, but with six people we don't need the absolute highest level of skill in every position. Not to mention that we don't know exactly what we're up against in the first place.

"..."

Well, alright. Let's hope that Tsume doesn't get too upset with me.

I head over to the Inuzukas' part of the village and make my presence known. Tsume's place comes into view and Kuromaru is outside of the front door to meet me.

"I see that our little snake has returned."

"She has." I smile and rub behind his ear gently. "I'm here on business, actually. Is Hana home?"

"She is. I'll go and fetch her for you. Please, come inside for now."

"Thank you. Is Tsume home?" I ask as I step in.

"Currently on a mission. She should be back later this morning."

"Mm. I was hoping to get her approval, but we're a bit pressed for time ourselves. There's an important event that I would like help for."

"I see. A moment, then."

"Yes." I wait for a minute or two on the mat before hearing steps come down the stairs. Hana appears behind Kuromaru, wearing a light sweater on account of the evening chill.

"Hey, Lili. Heard you had something you wanted to talk about."

"Yes. I was wondering if you could come with us on a mission. It's at midnight, going out to Frost Country. Team Eight is assigned to it with two more people as backup, and I thought of you. Top-class medical skill and great tracking ability is what we need."

"Wow. I'm flattered, really. Yeah, I'm definitely free. The boys should be good to go, too."

"Excellent. We'll be meeting at the main gates. Be sure to dress warm, the weather is apparently quite frightening over there."

"Got it. I guess Kuromaru can tell Mom the good news when she gets back," she says with a smile. "Though if she does pitch a fit, Kiba will get the worst of it..."

"I will be sure to inform Tsume of what has happened," Kuromaru says.

"Good. Then I will see you in a few hours, Hana."

"Yep. See you soon, Lili."

I nod and make my way out, towards my second stop. With medicine and an extra nose shored up, we could do well on stocking more firepower. Naruto...hm. While it would be a great experience for him, lack of experience might be an issue here as well. And given that many people have been killed attempting this mission already...I really shouldn't risk it here. There will be other opportunities to have him tag along on specialty missions similar to this.

"Not everyone is available, either. Which is unfortunate...I would have taken Kakashi with me if that were the case. Well, I know exactly who I want for this one, so I'll make a call before it gets too late."

I find a phone on the street and stick a coin into it.

"Good evening, operator. Please connect me to the Hokage's Office. Kobayashi, 012599."

"Yes, ma'am. Connecting."

I bid my empty home farewell for the time being. Luna has gone back to our old home to help Emi with a few things, mainly personnel changes and restructuring. She wants to clean up the estate in many ways. Luna is also going to tend to Midori's place up the road and advise on any adjustments that will need to be made there. It's going to be a busy time, but nothing she can't handle easily. It is Luna, after all.

Paperwork is quickly completed for our two associates on the mission, and I deliver the documents into Imari's hands directly. She and Tamaki are already working hard, and I haven't seen much of them as a result. But they're productive and happy in their new roles, which is all I could ask for. Imari wishes me well with her refreshing smile, and I feel ready to take on anything as a result.

Arriving at the meeting point, my comrades looks as I expected they would. Hina, Shino, and Hana have the same type of wear: a white cloak and scarf matched with thicker than normal gloves to help with the cold. They're sturdy and flexible enough to handle combat and channel chakra if needed. Kurenai has a heavy jacket on with the same symbols as the standard flak jacket and sweater, that of a long destroyed village that was closely tied with the Hidden Leaf. It's disputed among some whether the proper name was that of 'eddies' or 'whirlpools'. Most go with the latter these days.

"Uzumaki, then..." Right. That only made sense. But if his blood is from there, then...hm. I'll have to look into that later. As for myself, I have to look chic in these times. The fur jacket that I bought last winter will come in handy here, styled in hot pink along with a very cute pair of earmuffs in the same colour. Naturally, I had earpieces and microphones installed for missions. And of course, a pair of pants with several extra pockets for tools. If what I remember is correct, we'll be travelling to an area that's out of the way. Preparation as always is key.

"It seems that everyone is present and accounted for," I say as I note the last member. Naturally, he's being his silly self and wearing one of those hideous sweaters underneath his flak jacket with a scarf around his neck. His head is fitted with a wool hat over the usual bandana with his forehead protector on it. And yes, the senbon that is perpetually in his mouth every time that I encounter him.

"Glad to be aboard, Princess."

"You really are too much," I say to Genma. He chuckles and gives me a mock salute.

"Alright, enough banter. Line up so that we can do equipment checks. Come on, hurry up," Kurenai says. She's annoyed and I feign ignorance as she glares at me. Looks like she's not too amused with being co-leader, but her pride prevents her from letting me take point on my own. Naturally.

Everything is done quickly and our group is re-briefed on the mission and its goals. At the end, we come up with two suggestions on how to proceed: either heading to the first rendezvous point thirty minutes north, or waiting until the group arrives on their own near the gates. Both options would seem the same at first to the layman. Option one reinforces trust, however slightly. Option two is more cautious, and helps us figure out what they're thinking.

"I think we should take the initiative and head out to meet them. We don't want to look too suspicious to them, even if we are shinobi," Kurenai says.

"Makes sense," Genma says. "Probably a bunch of normies if this whole parts run is any indication. Though if this stuff is as heavy duty as they claim, I gotta wonder how they're moving it in a timely fashion."

"Seems we'll find out soon. I have no objections," I say. Everyone else agrees and we start on our way out of the village at midnight. Our final destination is a ways from the Hidden Frost itself, so it will take about four to five days at the least, mostly because of the difficult terrain we will have to travel through once we end up in the country. Formation is loose and variable until we reach the first checkpoint, a little under the half hour we planned for. But it's another twenty minutes before something arrives.

Stopping in front of us is a machine that looks a lot like a carriage. It has a bulky front, no horse attached, and four big, thick rubber wheels.

"Huh. Weird smell," Hana says. "Faintly sweet, somehow...?"

"An automobile, eh..."

"You know what it is?" Kurenai asks me.

"Yes. They're prevalent overseas, very much so. Some even have luxuries inside. You can chill bottles of wine and silly things like that. Many of them have their own aircon."

"Ah...that sounds nice."

"You can warm your behind with heated seats in the more advanced ones, too."

"Mm...I'd like a warm butt. Sounds really nice in this weather."

"You'd think that the boyfriend would have that taken c-"

"Do not," Kurenai says as she turns to make a face at Genma. "Listen, I already have enough to deal with here. My bones are frozen and my co-leader already bullies me endlessly."

"I mean, he's not wrong," I say.

"You see? I don't do enough to deserve this kind of torture."

"They're coming outside," Hina says.

Three people step out of the doors and stand side by side in front of us. We all exchange bows, including the Haimarus that have joined Hana today. Two of them are obvious nerds in puffy jackets, and the last one is a gal. That's what we call them, anyways.

The plain-looking nerd with flat black hair and glasses is called Takato. He's full of himself because he has a lot of framed pieces of paper on his bedroom wall. His field is biochemistry and something else. I don't really care. The other nerd looks slightly more interesting and has long brown hair. His name is Moyasu. He's pretty effeminate and arrogant in his own way, like an RPG villain. But he's more manageable than the other one. His field is natural energies and generation of such. The last, and clearly most appealing member is Inaba, who is known as Ittan. Her shoulder-length hair is bleached blonde with red tips, and she has piercings on her ears along with some jewels and accessories on her arms. Notably, her nails are short and filed while remaining colourful. Her chest isn't massive, but it does have presence with her blouse teasingly open. She wears a short skirt with fancy leg warmers. This is the group's mechanical expert, and the one who maintains the functions of the autonomous carriage.

"Black lace, huh."

"Oi. Make sure your hands are where we can see them for the duration of the trip," Kurenai says to me.

I use my visible hands to give her two thumbs up as I look at Ittan.

"The worst," she mutters.

Genma chuckles heartily at that.

The automobile here is big enough to hold all of us easily and then some, truly a mechanical beast in many ways. The seats are comfortable, and we can rest upright and even sleep without issue. There aren't any safety belts, but I suppose those are further down on the list of priorities for what looks to be a new sort of product. Takato rambles on about the machine and its greatness, but my only concern is that the project was funded by the Frost Country government and the Hidden Frost Village, and that this machine was sent out specifically for this escort mission. It would have never seen the light of day otherwise, apparently. The mission related parts and other equipment are inside, stored safely and securely. Takato and Moyasu know what's inside and refuse to tell. Inaba is completely in the dark.

Bothersome. They're clearly hiding a whole lot.

Since Inaba is the most familiar with the automobile and the most experienced with driving, it's decided that she will take a longer shift of ten hours on the road. She apparently doesn't bore easily. Takato will take seven and Moyasu seven as well. All our team is meant to do until we reach the Frost Country southern border is sit inside and keep watch. It sounds boring. It really might be.

By the time we exchange information, listen to the civilian bitching about Hana's companions, and get ourselves organized properly, it's 2 am. We finally get into the carriage and Takato takes the first driving shift, which everyone seems to be thankful for. Nobody joins him up front in the passenger seat, so he ends up yammering to himself. Inaba is daydreaming and Moyasu is reading something that looks pretentious. Shino is being Shino, of course. Hana and Hina are talking quietly, and both Genma and Kurenai have their eyes closed while relaxing. Kurenai is probably thinking of some way to get me back for bullying her earlier.

It's definitely going to be a long ride. I should review some of the things that I've learned over the past few months, to keep myself busy. Let's see.

First, what I already know. My signature technique is Mobius. There are the various type changes attached to it. The additional attack Second Barrel, then the more powerful Double Barrel, and the quick-draw blade attack Epyon. The chakra mode is present, with the second stage coming naturally. The advanced third stage is Full Boost, followed by its own 'full power' mode called Trans-Am, and then following that is the current final form called Twin Drive. I still haven't figured out the extra form that I accessed in the valley against Sasuke, but that will come with patience.

So, these are already solid types of jutsu on their own, and more than enough to crush most opponents. But my worry isn't against 'most' opponents, and even then there might be certain obstacles that can't be taken care of with normal technique usage. I want to do more than pull an adequate amount of weight, and I want to do that consistently. So what I need in these situations are 'gadgets', or 'gimmick attacks'.

These can be compared to the various types of tools that a skilled craftsman will carry on them. Unique to situations, but very effective and versatile in an experienced set of hands. These gimmick attacks or movements should be balanced by two characteristics in the world of shinobi. First, they should be things that aren't easily deciphered on a first go-around. Next, they should be able to accomplish their intended tasks within one or two uses, especially if they are attack jutsu. If it's a paralysis attack, then it should paralyze once it lands. If it's an attack that is supposed to be fatal, then it should kill the opponent right away.

The issue of course with a gimmick attack is that the more you use it, the more it becomes exposed to the point of being eventually useless because of countermeasures. So new offensive techniques should take this into account. Mobius at its core is difficult to counter, adding in natural speed and then that of the chakra mode makes it even harder to stop. But I would like a new sort of attack to help myself along against stronger and tougher rivals.

I've cycled through the possibilities. Copying something from a popular manga, maybe. Something cool and flashy, perhaps. What could there be? People have said that developing new lightning and water techniques is difficult because of how they flow, or don't flow, as elements. But I did come up with ideas in the end, ones that I rather like.

On the Sasuke mission, I had developed a new variant of Mobius that I never got to use. Coded as 'Aegis', it is the fourth of its type and draws some inspiration from Hina. It's a concussive burst attack that can paralyze an opponent at close range, or it can perform similarly to the air palm attack that the Hyuuga use at longer ranges. It's a flexible attack, not intended for strength but as a low-energy utility option. This recently led to the fifth type, coded as 'Zeta', a variable speed attack that makes use of the entire body for delivery. It's a technique that uses a burst of chakra traveling through the earth or other surfaces. It travels forward before exploding upwards at the designated point in a thin, concentrated blast that is intended to rip through the enemy. There are two styles to this: more power comes when it's delivered by the hands, and a greater speed is obtained when it's delivered by the feet.

The last technique is a supplement, and I feel quite proud of myself for coming up with it. For these purposes it's called Water Release: Sky Grasper, or 'Air Waltz'. This allows control of what would be many shinobi's weakest area, which is the sky. I very briefly manipulate water underneath my feet while in the air and as a result can 'step' through it, or redirect myself to different locations. The control needed for this technique is very high, but the amount of potential it has is truly incredible. I just have to improve the duration and then I can do...well, just about anything, I suppose.

"Maybe I can give more thought to all of this later...after some sleep."

I cross my arms and close my eyes. A few hours should do...hopefully nothing happens in that time.