"So is there still a way for us to not fail the mission?" Kiyomi wondered mentally while the group of kunoichi hid around the central square. A momentous location of Yordalar comprised of an empty space on which a four-way staircase was built. Something that looked to be nothing more but a fancy stand for a self-important politician to talk to those they considered their cattle on the outside.
"Kiyomi has a point. The whole settlement hates us. Even if we do crash the election and confront the spies, we'll just end up alienating the place… Even if we beat the crap out of those spies – things'll be as if we actually failed." Meiko realized to herself, allowing this realization moment to leak onto the mental link.
"There is a way. We need to expose the spies while we confront them. Have them tell these people what they did." Mana suggested. It was true that simply beating an enemy was no longer a way for a mission to be successful. Those simple missions were long since behind the young women now as they've entered into the true life of a ninja. Perhaps, just like that Voice kunoichi that ruined Jagaimo's plans in the summit, one day the Team Hokage would have to make difficult sacrifices to complete a mission the way it was meant to be completed…
"Is there really such a way? I can poke around their minds but I can't force them to tell the truth. I can see it, but I can't make anyone else believe it." Kiyomi pouted. Her thoughts started getting murky and the typhoons of clouds that symbolized her mind turned swamp-green in color.
"We can wear their minds out. Drive them as close to a genjutsu coma as possible." Mana suggested. "In that state, they will feel too hazy to fully comprehend the benefits behind truth and lies nor will they have the imagination capacity to make things up."
"Hmmm…" Hanshin hummed out. "What you're suggesting is basically torture, in front of this crowd of people… Let Hanshin tell you one thing, this is the true way of a ninja – not letting anything get in your way. Hanshin approves of this plan. In fact, Hanshin regrets not having thought of it himself."
"Genjutsu coma… That's… As good as death…" Meiko lingered.
"Worse than death, I'd say. It's a state of mental disarray that only a handful of immensely skilled medical ninja can treat, yet they consider it too much of a hassle to do so, leaving you asleep in the nightmares that put you there for the rest of your days." Kiyomi explained. As a genjutsu user herself, the Yamanaka heiress must have at least once considered this effect as a possible outcome of her illusion. Most of the time it was a willful, conscious choice, like learning a ninjutsu that's specifically designed to kill. There were limits that no mind could have matched, just like there were techniques too powerful even for the most amazing ninja to survive.
"Hanshin has been put to sleep by an illusion once. Let Hanshin tell you this, it does not feel like days when you're put to sleep like that. Happy moments feel like seconds, a split-instant cut forever lost in time, suffering feels eternal…" Hanshin's thoughts held no enjoyment over their content, recalling how gleeful this part of the plan had made the ninja before, it was a testament to how much of a life-changing experience this vastly inferior illusion to what would amount to a genjutsu coma was.
"Maybe we should discuss this a bit more than none at all?" Meiko's voice lingered on this doubt before the entire team of ninja looked up at the top of the stand where a handful of politicians stood up in a ring formation so that all of them fit atop of the top step and none of them stood below any of the other four.
"Any of them not who they act like?" Kiyomi asked. Mana shook her head, portraying a mass of grim thoughts seeing how a head shake did not translate well in telepathic communication. By now the three had been used to each other's quirks so much that the magician didn't need to translate herself any further.
Then, Mana looked to the eastern side of the square, where another figure was making its way onto the platform. One of a bald top of their head while the sides were covered by luscious and curly, brown locks. The man looked like the most self-evident tyrant dictator that died a gruesome, karma-induced death from any history book ever written and his chakra signature was of note.
"He's not one of the spies that were in the crowd that attacked us but… He does not belong on this platform." The magician let the others know.
"It's not just a mere platform." Hanshin interrupted the magician.
"Please, it's quite hideous. Just an uneven collection of stone slabs stacked atop of one another…" Mana replied.
"For an entertainer, you misunderstand the higher meanings of art. This is a wonderful monument to the essence of ruling itself. It is a political statement. It is the stone on which all are equal as they stand on the same step." Hanshin appeared to revel in explaining the artistic point of the monument in the center of the square to the three young women. He had the same kind of passion that Meiko had when she explained music or crafting.
The odd-looking foreigner extended his hands over the crowd, given how the crowd was in no way unruly, the diplomat must have meant it as more of a symbolic, affectionate gesture. A figurative embrace of the people that have included him into their fold and granted him the chance to oversee an event of such high importance.
"Yordalarans, I have been given the privilege to oversee this election. Needless to say, an election is an important occasion, no matter the day they take place in but this election… The leader you will elect today will guide you through some of the most difficult hurdles ahead – it is a shame that Baligi, your past leader did not have the time to finish the work he had started of guiding you to your new home. Thusly, this critical responsibility shall fall on the shoulders of one of these men, or a woman…" the diplomat glanced over the gathered politicians standing on the highest step and a single woman amongst them.
"So are we just going to sit here and wait for something to happen? Seems counterintuitive if Mana can track the people we need to get." Meiko wondered.
"It might be smarter to see their game. If we can obtain proof they're trying something with this election, it will help get these settlers of our back during the fight." Kiyomi replied.
"It's not that. They're about to tell Hanshin exactly who they are." Hanshin's thoughts rippled through the link.
"Why would they do that?" Meiko pouted.
"You don't understand – they'll support a specific candidate, the allegiance of that candidate will help us put together the country they're from. If we send Konoha this information with some solid case behind it – they can work with it even if we fail here." Mana explained. It was very much her intention to listen and understand which of the candidates the spies were behind as well.
A very unusual Yordalaran for the typical build of his peers stepped forth, it was a short man with limbs so tiny they may have very well been classified as stubby. He cleared his throat and addressed the gathered people.
"Yordalarans, if I was to be elected leader, I would make sure that we strengthen our position. Yes, right now we are rich and prosperous and we have no jackals like the Fennec gunning after us. Sure, Fennec is no longer a threat at the moment but… His kind will raise their heads, they always do and that is why we have left. Only on a peaceful and stable Yordalar can we build what we all dream of, we have obtained that by moving here. That is why we needn't move any further, instead - build and grow what we already have." The man started modestly but his passion soon took over.
It was tough to say what exactly the spies' reaction was to the man or his vision. Mana certainly was way too far out of the range to sense the specific intricacies of the chakra network that would allow her to tell these sort of sensitive matters about someone. The stubby guy did, however, garner a rather powerful response from the locals. The Yordalarans were certainly not against sitting tight and seeing what they can do with what they have, instead of weaving webs of diplomacy, waging wars or taking favors from someone else in order to get to stay on their lands.
Another possible candidate stepped forward while his colleague peacefully stepped back and allowed the much taller and thicker man passage. Even in politics, these people were delicate and polite. Mana did not like politics nearly enough to stomach sitting through a single debate such as this one but so far this was the most tolerable one she's seen.
"If you asked me, it is evident what we must do – we have mighty soldiers, certainly strong enough to match even the ninja, martial artists, monks or pirates. The whole world is just one giant vendor for us. All we need to do is to point at a place on the map and we can call it our own in a couple of months. We used to always make things difficult for Fennec, no reason to let our soldiers sit on their asses and their gear turn to a rust bucket." The tall and girthy candidate elaborated on his stance. He shared the half-bald head with the foreign diplomat spy but the few hairs that did remain on the Yordalaran candidate's head were much less curly and lush.
"Maybe this one? He seems like an unstable enough guy to support if you're an aspiring spy looking to cause chaos before "inviting" a budding settlement of wanderers under your wing?" Kiyomi shrugged.
"No. As far as military enthusiasts go, this one's pretty tame and reasonable." Hanshin shut Kiyomi's ponderings down. "He has a point, Yordalar has invested far too much and has far too fascinated with the art of war culture to let their newly acquired patch of land neuter their soldiers. They're formidable, enough so for the spies to possibly show interest in Yordalar for the military alone."
The crowd of Yordalarans did not appear to second Hanshin's thoughts as they showed much more modest support for the second candidate. It was highly unlikely that this person would win, it was tough to be certain but the spies did not show any particular interest in this candidate either. The foreign diplomat only glanced at the guy on occasion, just enough to validate the fact that he was not avoiding looking at the candidate but not enough to suggest any interest whatsoever.
A third candidate stepped forward, an unremarkable elder man with nothing notable but the fact that he was possibly the first Yordalaran to wage combat with his facial hair. Besides a luscious nest of grey hair atop his head, he had nothing else that would let him be identified as a Yordalaran.
"I know what I will say shall seem ludicrous but… Kirigakure is our future." The elder exclaimed.
All four of the Konoha ninja jumped up. That seemed so random and completely unrelated to any issues that Yordalar may have had. It also tied in a quite dirty fashion to the bloody and backstabbing history of the Bloody Mist. Then again, perhaps the Bloody Mist supporters would have been too nationalistic to extend their spies this far east for what amounted as a large settlement of great warriors and prosperous people?
Yordalar did not react nearly as violently to the idea as the man himself expected. Could they have been subtly prepared and guided this way throughout their recent past? Were they simply ripe for being taken now?
"We need to hit them now, Kirigakure must be behind it." Mana rose up. The eyes of the half-bald spy gazed at her and noticed the magician but he did not react with shock or even ire. Nor did the diplomat direct the attention of the Yordalarans toward the magician. He seemed almost amused to see her. Meiko pulled Mana down.
"No. This doesn't make any sense." Kiyomi grunted. "Kirigakure is too much of a stretch, they were far too calm to your appearance… They were waiting for you to attempt to expose them and fool yourself."
"The Yamanaka girl is right, do not let your personal feelings get in the way. Just because Kirigakure ninja hurt your father and killed your team leader it doesn't mean they are behind everything wrong with the world." Hanshin scolded Mana with quite vibrant pulses of mental scorn. "Now you've betrayed your position. Obviously, this joker will not be able to share his knowledge with his pals without unmasking himself but… This no longer will be an ambush."
As much as it hurt to admit it, Hanshin must have been right. Mana tipped the man shuffling cards into his sleeve that the magician was watching, making him shuffle cards more carefully from this point on.
"The Archipelago of the Water Country hosts many islands, many of them are uninhabited, some host people we might just want to live and work with. Some of them function as natural reserves. Getting to Archipelago will be a problem, it will require traversing throughout the entire continent and then sailing our entire settlement there but… If we can get along with Kirigakure, if we can share with them our military might, our prosperity and natural resources that we've carried with, our skills… They could use it, they won't deny our requests!" the man looked passionate in his suggestion if nothing else. The support behind Yordalarans was also surprisingly present as this candidate was perhaps the second most positively received out of the flock.
The only woman amongst the candidates took the center stage. She was short in stature but permitted to stand as equal because of the round, arcing well over her head braid. Due to the fact that a small child could have gone through the space between the braid and the woman's head, the hairdo seemed kind of eccentric Mana reminded herself she was quite a long way from home.
"Wake up, Yordalarans! We've only gotten this far because we've worked alongside other ninja villages, representatives of the Feudal Lords. Land of Fire, Konoha, Kusagakure and Amegakure have all done well by us, we'd be wise to keep working with them. Not under them, not issue commands at them but together. We have military might, that is true, but we won't scare any of these countries and ninja villages, only confuse them. The dream of our own island might be sweet but it is clouded by the certain torment of the journey there, let alone the voyage we'd have to undertake…"
The foreign diplomat gently stepped one foot up on the scene, looking at the candidate with a joyful glare. For a moment, the three kunoichi also looked at the event in confusion, this woman did not appear at all useful to foreign spies as a leader of the settlement. Why show her any significant attention?
"It's just like a woman to spend too much time telling everyone what other men did wrong rather than speak her own mind…" Hanshin's sharp remark shed some light on what exactly was happening. This was just a polite way of telling the lady that she's spoken enough and at this point was hogging time. Perhaps it served her right, given she spoke in a very calling-out and addressing tone, making sure every word resonated and was heard whereas her peers just bashed their bags of peas against the brick wall.
The final candidate stepped onto the stage. At this point, the Konoha ninja felt almost sure about the fact that this man must have been it – the one that the spies placed their bets behind. After all, if not this man, who else exactly? The quartet listened carefully, the words of this man may have explained who the spies are and what their allegiances were. Mana was so entranced, fearing that this man would say nothing of note that she missed a nasty gut feeling until it was already too late.
A polearm flew like an arrow, aimed right at the center of the candidate's chest. A strong yank of the man behind him – the half-bald foreigner hosting the election and seeing them through saved the candidate by allowing the spear to blitz past its target and crash through the roof of a faraway house. Despite the overwhelming force with which the spear was tossed, it went through the roof without sharing any of that crushing force with the house, resulting in a clean hole and continued flight past it. Without a doubt, this spear would've left a similar hole in the chest of its target as well.
"Assassins!" someone in the crowd yelled but the guilty assassin was not yanked and shoved into the forefront of the crowd and dealt with. Instead, the entire crowd erupted in a massive brawl. It was like every member of the mob simultaneously accused a random person of trying to kill the targeted candidate and then, without hesitation, just went all-in, fists swinging.
"Wow, these Yordalarans sure erupt into a fisting frenzy out of nowhere…" Meiko noted out loud as there was no longer any threat to alert anyone in the complete chaos.
"No… That man did something…" Kiyomi with a foggy tone. "Mana, did you sense something?"
"No, but… He was quite far away… If his jutsu was weak enough or has some sort of cloaking property… It is possible I could have missed it from here." The magician felt bad about not noticing exactly what the man did. It felt like chakra sensory granted her the responsibility to always use it efficiently.
"Damn… It was some sort of mind controlling jutsu. I can definitely tell…" Kiyomi growled, she looked proper pissed that these spies were threatening the integrity of her gimmick.