Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 69
"Wise Guys"
[Calamitous Ascent, Part 1]

We get home without any problems. A few light kisses goodbye before we leave as pairs. Fio and I check in at the hotel front desk, then head upstairs. Throw our bags on the floor, drop into our bed together.

It's not the end of our work, but we should be able to get a few hours of rest before starting again.

Right?

This is what Tsunade would call a 'sucker's bet'. And if anyone knows a thing or two about suckers, it's her.

"Goddammit, it's only been five minutes!" Fio groans as the phone starts to ring.

"You stay in bed and rest. This is my work from here on," I say. I breathe out and roll my neck a few times. Alright, time to get this done with. "Phone, please."

Fio picks up the receiver and hands it to me.

"Lilith Kobayashi speaking."

"Miss Kobayashi, a call from the office of Lord Hokage for you."

"Send it through, please."

"Yes, ma'am. One moment."

The call switches over quickly. "This is Special Aide Imari Hyuuga, calling on behalf of Lord Hokage. Do I have Major Kobayashi on the line?"

"You do."

"Great. We have two items. As soon as this call ends, I will be sending Captain Morino from Intelligence to escort you over to the facility. You have an incoming call from one of our agents that will require enhanced privacy measures."

"Understood."

"Once your call is completed, you will report to a secure room within the Hokage's Office for a private meeting with Lord Hokage and two other guests. This is urgent and so we will request that you finish your prior business as quickly as possible."

"Of course. Is there anything else, Special Aide Hyuuga?"

"Nothing at the moment. Will there be any issues in completing these tasks, Major Kobayashi?"

"None at all. I am ready to take on the scheduled tasks."

"All understood. Commencing operations. Good morning, ma'am."

"Good morning." I hand the phone over to Fio and reach for my comb.

"Out and about so soon," she mutters. "Annoying as hell."

"Annoying and necessary. Just another day as a kunoichi, isn't it." I finish combing and make sure all of my personal items are in place. Today will be a day of light travel, so I don't want to leave anything important out.

"Just don't work too hard. We came back from a long mission and stuff, remember..."

"I'll look after myself. Eating a proper lunch will be a priority, and the old man might have something prepared for our meeting. We'll see. Itachi is going to be there, which means he must have caught wind of the news somehow. But that's just how he is."

"Tell him I said hi."

"I will. Remember what I said, your job is to rest for now." I lean over and give her a kiss.

"Yeah. I'll call Hina if I need anything, but I should be okay for now. Love you, Lili."

"I love you, darling. See you soon."

The phone rings again, and Fio hands it over to me. "Lilith Kobayashi speaking."

"Miss Kobayashi, a Captain Morino is at the front desk for you."

"Tell him I will be there in a moment. Thank you."

"Yes, ma'am." I hand the phone off to Fio again, and then head out. Ibiki is at the front desk waiting, and gives me a nod before we start out of the hotel together. As soon as we clear the entrance, we take off across the rooftops at speed towards Intelligence. The two soldiers at the side door salute us and open it up quickly. We cross the lobby with long strides, Ibiki snaps his fingers and points towards the elevator. The woman behind the counter pulls on a drawer and quickly punches numbers into a small keypad, then turns a key. She makes a series of hand signals for us both, to which we respond with our own before she nods and points towards the elevator again. She salutes and we acknowledge her before heading to the elevator, two floors up. We stop outside of the now secured room, and Ibiki flips through keys on the ring in his hand before using two to open both locks on the door.

A chair with a soft seat and back, one flat table, and a telephone.

Ibiki goes to the other side of the room and picks up a headset that was hanging on the wall. He gives me a thumbs up and I take my seat in the chair.

Then we wait.

"..."

Five minutes pass quickly enough. Things start to feel a bit slower as we approach ten minutes, but the silence is broken abruptly as the phone starts to ring. I pick up the receiver and press the flashing red button on the front.

"Kobayashi here."

"Good morning, Major Kobayashi, ma'am. Captain Anko Mitarashi reporting in. New discovery made with regards to Akatsuki operations." She sounds different from her usual self, but that's because of the structure of this call, and the techniques she's been using to keep her identity hidden.

"Go ahead."

"With the recent shift in activity in the western region and the results of the tailed beast campaign, I have gathered intelligence that tells me there will be concentrated activity within Water Country. Large scale operations will be set to start no earlier than one week from now and no later than four. My suspicion is that they will be sending at the least one of their permanent pairings, Kaitaikojo and Ishako Shigisei."

"Intimacy with the immediate area. Not good. Targets?"

"Understanding is that their primary target will be the host of the Six-Tails, known as Utakata. He has not been seen in or near the Hidden Mist for over a year. Requesting status report on the Three-Tails, ma'am."

"Status normal. No disturbances in chakra pattern or general movement detected by tracking centre. Visual observation is all green as well."

"Ma'am. The limited information I have obtained says that the organization's aim at this time does not yet involve capture of the Three-Tails. While upper ranked personnel are moving towards the east, there is currently an aggressive push to sell discounted routine services to those in the western region, as a result of the Hidden Rock's sudden loss in military power."

That much was expected. Still unpleasant to hear.

"Many elements of the organization are still disconnected from the leadership, and I was only able to obtain this information by way of a leak from one of the middlemen who formerly worked for Sasori. It seems that they were selling this information to others, as I discovered from their former broker that their operations met a permanent end several nights ago."

"Any breaches?" I ask.

"None. We've established secure lines of communication and I'm still at enough of a distance that the greater leadership pays us no mind. There are a few other moles and information brokers working for other villages that I've managed to pull onto my side in the past while. Unfortunately, I'm not able to tell if the information they've gathered has been of any use."

"It doesn't seem to be the case at current," I say. "Any other items?"

"None, ma'am. The rumblings within administration have remained so, and the aims of the inner circle are still mysterious and impenetrable. Obito as Madara is not known to anyone here, or in similar circles from other facilities, and Konan interacts with the other arms of Akatsuki at a distance, if at all. There is no mention of Pain, other than as the unknown Akatsuki Leader."

"Obtaining this heads' up has more than enough value on its own. I would ask for more details, but there are things afoot."

"Ma'am."

"A few days ago, we infiltrated the Hidden Rock for the purposes of attending a funeral service, first and foremost."

"Someone you knew?"

"One of the jinchuuriki killed by Akatsuki was Han, Fio's old teacher."

"I see. Is she well?"

"Yes, she is well by now. Information obtained from our visit has revealed that the Tsuchikage is planning to call an emergency Five Kage Summit if he cannot get his way within the next few weeks."

"And your next meeting must be with Lord Hokage. Understood. I will keep this information with me and make appropriate inquiries. Any new details that I find will be relayed by way of our normal ground network. Regional patterns are being observed closely by admin due to recent events, which means many things will line up properly."

"Good."

"I've taken everything down, and I've just about reached my limit for now, ma'am. My apologies for not being able to do more."

"You have done outstanding work as is, Captain. I appreciate all of your efforts. Please continue with your best efforts to remain safe while on your mission."

"Yes, ma'am. Mitarashi, signing off."

I hang up the phone, and the red light goes off.

"All good," Ibiki says as he takes off his headset. "No interference."

"Good. Then I'm off to see the old man...I hope the rest of his hair hasn't started falling out from stress."

"That old fence sitter is cooking up a firestorm, then. Tch...Rock was always a bunch of underhanded bastards."

"They're bad at playing nice, even for shinobi," I say. "It would be impressive if it weren't so infuriating at the same time. Hopefully we can avoid the worst. Is there anything else I need to take care of here?"

"Nothing. I'll lock up, you get yourself going."

"Thank you. See you soon, Ibiki."

He salutes with one hand, and I exit the room. There should be a set of stairs near the elevator...there, perfect. I enter the stairwell and drop down the two floors to my destination, then quickly cross the lobby to the main entrance and head out. I speed over to the Academy complex and then settle into a fast walk as I near the Hokage's Office. That reminds me, I really should talk to Tomo at some point soon. Perhaps surprise her with a treat or two...her work has really been invaluable lately.

I sense for Imari's chakra and find her outside of what must be the designated room.

"Far too busy already," I say to her. We kiss each other on the cheeks in greeting.

"Say that twice. Breakfast is inside courtesy of Tamaki, I know you came in just a while ago and couldn't have had time to make something for yourself. It's all for you, the other gentlemen should be fine for now."

"You're both beyond me sometimes. We wouldn't be anywhere without you two."

"And we wouldn't be anywhere without you, Lili. Go on and eat, the others are being corralled as we speak."

I nod and head inside the room before she closes the door. Just as promised, a large breakfast made just for me sits on the nearby table, along with a pot of tea. It should be enough to quell this rumbling tummy of mine for a while...

"Then they can go fuck themselves sideways, this is important. We don't have time for all of this stupid whining."

Tamaki's lovely voice comes through as the door opens slightly, several minutes later. Breakfast went down easily, and hot tea is just what the doctor ordered to finish it off.

"How much can you move?" Hiruzen asks.

"All of it. Every single bit, and they can bitch at us all they want, we run the fucking show around here. We're going to act like it. This is high stakes."

"I have to agree with senpai, Lord Hokage. Once we have your word, we will move heaven and earth as often as you ask it of us."

"Understood. I will give you authorization to act in my stead as needed. A pen so that I can sign...there."

"It's all us from here," Tamaki says. "I'm going to inform the village council of what they need to be doing next, then." She pokes her head into the room. "Lili, did you find the food okay?"

"Very good. I do love your cooking, Tamaki. Thank you for this."

She winks. "Nothing to it. You take care, sweetie. Lord Hokage, Imari...I'll be back soon. Let me know when you're finished."

"Until then, Tamaki."

"Yes, senpai."

"Looks like I'm not too late here," a new voice says. I recognize that as Shikaku, which is good. The Leaf's fastest mind will be a great help in figuring out what to do next. And the last is...

"Apologies for my timing."

"You're on schedule," Imari says to Itachi. Clad in his usual cloak and mask, he steps in after the Hokage and Shikaku. They're followed by Imari, who closes the door behind her and seals it with her jutsu. Her Byakugan come to life as she takes a seat next to the door. "There is a passage at the back wall which leads to a washroom as needed. Otherwise, this room is secured against any threats. You may begin when ready, lady and gentlemen. Oh, and if anyone would like tea poured, I can do that for you as well."

"Should be okay for now," Shikaku says.

"I believe I will be fine as well, Miss Hyuuga."

"I am fine as well, Imari. Thank you. Lili, my apologies for having you here so early after an already long trip. Shinobi are built to endure, but a good rest is coveted by all who work in this world."

"A wise and thoughtful saying, my lord. Thank you for your concern, but I should be fine for the next while, and focused enough to participate with vigour in this important meeting."

"Understood. So...the reason we are meeting at this moment in time," Hiruzen continues. "The recent mission to the Hidden Rock revealed that, in response to losing both of their jinchuuriki, they plan to call a Five Kage Summit in the near future."

"That sounds...incredibly bad," Shikaku says.

"It is one way to put it. Do we have much in the way of time?" Itachi asks.

"It is hard to say. I plan to have a meeting with Oonoki, in order to figure out what exactly he wants. He is not likely to know that his secret has been revealed, and so we should be able to make some progress," Hiruzen says. "If not, then...we will need to prepare for a summit, where disaster is an inevitability. The Raikage has become increasingly irritated with the surge in Akatsuki mercenaries. I know that he is far from a reckless man, which means we might have to endure a great deal of things coming from the Cloud in the coming months if things do go wrong."

"I see. The complete elimination of Akatsuki is currently beyond our scope," Itachi says. "We have yet to find Pain's base of operations, as one thing. I know that Jiraiya has been looking into that recently."

"We must make contact with our personnel in the smaller nations surrounding us, in order to discern the true nature of this situation. Making any moves too suddenly could trigger a reaction from someone else other than the Rock. We also need to infiltrate the Hidden Mist as soon as possible."

"There's no doubt that their continued silence has put a lot of people on edge, especially since this rash of kidnappings started," Shikaku says. "The Three-Tails is still roaming around the eastern sea, but who knows how long that will last...and given Akatsuki's ability to handle tailed beasts in the first place, it means the creature is still in great danger."

"We have extra reason to be nearby soon," I say. "New information came in earlier from Anko. The vampire siblings are set to move into the area, starting one week from now at earliest. Their primary target will be the host of the Six-Tails, Utakata."

"Perhaps in addition to our scouting, we should collaborate with the Hidden Mist in order to locate their host," Itachi suggests. "The worst they could do is say no, especially in this crisis."

"That much is true. Hm." Hiruzen rubs his chin in thought. "I don't think I have the time to schedule a meeting with the Mizukage, unfortunately. And given the current situation, having a visible meeting with the Mist might end up triggering a grievance with the Rock. Shikaku, any suggestions?"

"Trying to think of something myself. It's not going to work with those two, especially Jiraiya. Tsunade isn't going to want to leave the village for that reason. It leaves some of our clan heads, but I don't know who has prior engagements."

"I would want you to take your time regarding this matter. Getting back to us within the week will be fine."

"Yes, sir."

"Itachi, I understand that you are monitoring the movements of certain Akatsuki members, which is becoming quite crucial. My hope is that this information assists you in your day to day endeavours," Hiruzen says.

"Very much so. We are making significant strides towards the elimination of a specific asset. It seems that Zetsu has taken the bait, so to speak. We can only hope that the timelines don't run into each other."

"It's good to know that we're making progress on that end," I say. "It won't take them out of the game entirely, but we can slow them to a crawl once we can eliminate that kind of surveillance. I'm assuming that from this talk, I will be heading into Water Country soon?"

"We will make preparations to that end," Hiruzen says. "And prevent any interruptions from taking place, of course. Stopping Akatsuki from capturing any more tailed beasts is our priority, so I will be assigning this mission to you and your team. I believe they should be enough of a match against those formidable youths you spoke of earlier."

"I hope that it's the case. They're far from invincible, but they're also hard to keep down. And I know that they haven't shown all that they have to offer yet, which is worrying in a few ways. We will do our best to slow them down at the least."

"Doing that much would help greatly. I believe that is all for now, we can share further details with each other by way of the normal channels once we receive them. Does anyone else have anything to share?"

"Has Jiraiya obtained any new information during his search?" I ask.

"I have not heard back from him regarding that yet."

"Konan was quite distant from the core group even while I was present in Akatsuki," Itachi says. She would communicate using her paper clones and with origami messages, and was rarely present in person. That said, she did not have nearly as much to do as she does at the moment. If Jiraiya can uncover parts of her routine, we might be able to catch her unaware."

"The members of Akatsuki mark their headbands," Shikaku says. "Have you seen any part of hers?"

"No. Not hers, Pain's, or Zetsu's. They've taken measures to keep their origins hidden, and it seems to be for good reason." He pauses. "Perhaps Jiraiya's penchant for more adventurous undertakings might provide revelations, in ways that I would be unable to."

"You have a way of being too polite at times," I say to him.

"It might be so."

"I suppose if things get too desperate, we might have to hope for that much," Hiruzen says wryly. "Let us worry about what we can observe for now. Our personnel will need to be arranged discreetly in the next while, and the upper levels of the village informed of where we stand at the moment. Since it is still early, I will make an attempt to speak with the Tsuchikage by way of video call, or by way of secure telephone call if that fails. Regardless of result, we will be speaking by the end of this week in order to set up our desired meeting. Lili, I will have the upcoming missions for your team reassigned and your mission load suspended until the meeting is confirmed. I will need to consult with Shikaku regarding the need for your presence."

"You're planning to have her next to you?" Shikaku asks. "I don't think there's anyone better in terms of protection, but you must know..."

"It's been a long time since Oonoki and I met face to face. All I want is to ensure that he doesn't get the wrong impression of me."

Shikaku chuckles lightly. "Understood, sir. We'll check in when the time comes, but I don't think it should be a problem with what you intend."

"I plan to send Team Kobayashi on their mission to locate and protect the Six-Tails' host after that, as soon as possible. We will be in communication with the Hidden Mist and increasing the frequency of our monitoring in the eastern sea."

"We can assign a few extra personnel to that mission, and ask if there are any volunteers for overtime work," Shikaku says.

"Good. Then we should be set for now. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I wish you all good fortune and safety in the next while. We are all finished, Imari. Thank you for your diligent work."

"It's my pleasure to serve, Lord Hokage." She bows her head and turns off her Byakugan. "I'll be off to inform senpai that we've finished. Be well, everyone."

Itachi puts on his mask and makes a few subtle hand signs at his side. I sign back and he leaves silently ahead of everyone else. Shikaku shakes my hand firmly before leaving, and Hiruzen pats my shoulder gently.

"Be sure to go home and rest as soon as you can. I suppose you have a few more engagements before then."

I smile. "Always astute, aren't we. It's why we have a chance to save this world in the first place."

I feel him pat my head before slipping off. A correct assumption that my day isn't done yet, as Itachi wants to meet me in one of our more secure places. I leave the Academy complex and focus to use my tracking technique, reaching across the village to find Itachi's signature.

"There, huh."

Seems as good a place as any. No real traffic around that area, and it seems to be just civilians running back and forth for exercise. Northwestern part of the village, near a small stream if I remember correctly. I go into a casual jog and use the streets to get to my destination, keeping a slightly lower profile just in case someone is getting too curious. I haven't seen or heard too much from ROOT lately, which is both good and suspicious. I'll have to talk to Nami about that over the next few days. Better yet, I'll go and visit the girls at Edelweiss personally. Some sweets should make them happy.

I reach our meeting spot and take a seat on the nearby tree stump, next to the stream of water. Itachi appears a few moments later and sits beside me. His hand rubs my head gently.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Well enough. I plan to take the old man's advice, and will be getting some rest after this is done with. I don't have anything else planned for today."

"Good. This should be short, since I only wanted to provide you an update."

"I see. Then, I wanted to ask you something before that."

"What is it?"

"Oh, before that. Fio says hello."

"Please convey my greetings to her as well. Is she doing well after your earlier trip?"

"Much better. I think she's truly at peace with her sensei's passing now, and is healing splendidly."

"I'm glad to hear it. You had something you wanted to ask, earlier."

"I did. I have some suspicions regarding Akatsuki...what do you know about the Hidden Rain Village?"

"Hm. The population there trends towards a lower age from what I understand, because of the many battles between great powers that devastated the area. There have historically been a very high number of war refugees, making up the majority of the village's population. Information leaving the village is scarce, as you know. Nobody is able to enter without being under strict surveillance and subject to a number of security checks. Any routes through the village are tightly planned and scheduled so that no person wanders off a designated path and sees something that they are meant not to. This is what I've gathered from the stories of the handful of diplomats that have been able to visit within the past decade."

"The past decade," I say with surprise. "That sounds quite abnormal, even if there is a civil war happening."

"Yes. As for other types of entry...that is a complete unknown. No infiltrator has ever reported back from the Hidden Rain to my knowledge."

"It sounds dire in some ways...I was hesitant to say something before, but this level of danger probably warrants it now. Itachi...please don't act on this just yet, since it's only speculation. I don't want anything happening to you."

"I understand. What do you have for me?"

"Jiraiya had some students a long time ago, during one of the wars that ravaged this continent. A team of three that reminded him of the one he was on, near the Hidden Rain long ago."

"This was around when the Sannin earned their title."

"Yes. He must have felt some responsibility for them, as they were orphans. So he trained them for a few years before returning home. According to my talk with Tsunade, I believe that Konan was one of his students from that time. It's very much possible..."

"That her home village is that of the Hidden Rain," Itachi finishes. "I see. And with her proximity to Pain...though that might be a stretch. If Konan is from that area, she might have been scouted by Pain to join his cause. An orphan with a long past as a mercenary would be appealing to an organization such as Akatsuki. The possibility that she could be from the same place as Pain does remain, but given his ability to conference over long distances, he could be anywhere. It would also mean that Hanzo had been defeated, if Pain was using the Rain as a home base."

"Another possibility is that Hanzo is using Pain to deliver his justice," I say.

"That also could be the case. Pain could just as easily be a messenger himself...perhaps Obito is playing that angle as well, and controlling them both. But if Jiraiya did indeed meet Konan as a child, then it wouldn't be likely that she was from anywhere but the surrounding area. Being from the Rain might make the most sense. I won't forget your request, Lili...the Hidden Rain will be off limits for now, at least until I can gather more information for you."

"Nothing too drastic. Remember that Zetsu is still snooping around...he would find out and report to Pain or Konan. A full scale hunt for you might begin in earnest, and we couldn't protect you properly if the other villages are turned against you in that manner."

"You've thought very far ahead, imouto."

"It's nothing much. Staying vigilant when it comes to you only makes sense, since you're so reckless."

"Indeed."

"We should get to your report before we spend the rest of the day annoying each other. Not that I would mind."

He makes an amused sound beneath his mask. "Very well. You will be pleased to know that we've made significant progress with our plans for Zetsu. He is taking extra measures to monitor my movements, under the assumption that I now have a mistress. He is also diverting resources and personnel into confirming the rumours about you. Soon enough, he will be able to put the two things together."

"This has happened much faster than I dared to hope," I say.

"I did obtain some help from your friends."

"Did you. I suppose that Miss Kotowari was one of them?"

"She did not ask many questions, which is normal for her. But her help in providing additional avenues for the distribution of relevant material resulted in a significant time savings, so to speak."

"Mm. It only makes sense that you go to a woman if you want expertise on gossip."

"Indeed."

"It means that we can move soon...would the time after I return from Water Country be too much pressure?"

"Not at all. I can keep Zetsu at bay until then, at the least. That will also keep me from doing things that are too risky, like infiltrating certain villages."

"You're too cheeky for your own good."

"I might have to agree. If I catch wind of Lord Jiraiya, I will also do some light monitoring to help ensure his safety. Should I stop him if he decides on something reckless as well?"

"No...it's not that I don't care about his well being, but he's a determined sort. And with his own important things to look into. Whatever is going on between him and Konan should be left as such," I say.

"Understood. I have nothing else, so it's time for you to go home."

"I really mean it. Don't do anything stupid."

"I promise, Lili. I have things that I still need to do in this world...people to look after, and promises left to keep."

"I see. Then...be safe."

"Yes."

I turn my head, and Itachi is already gone.

"..."

He meant something else by that. Not just Sasuke, then...I wonder.

"Whatever the case, I'll make sure that you can see it all through. I have to go to that place, anyways. If only to see what Mifune did..."

Okay. Time to get some rest in, and then we move forward again. We have a lot on our plates to clear.