Mana tapped her sandal against the other one, just hard enough to hear a light rub but not enough to disturb the proceedings of the disciplinary hearing. A rugged man with a pale kimono, shoulders decorated with intricate and hefty pads spoke before the gathering of the four Regimental Commanders and the Supreme Leader herself.
Stein sat on his own chair with a stone face, his eyes just barely flared with spite when Mana walked into the room before the hearing started. The magician wasn't sure if she should have been proud of the importance that hating her had in Stein's life or if she should have rolled her eyes of how obsessed this group was with messing with her one way or another. She could have gone either way.
"Shinzo-san, what are your impressions of this young man?" one of the Regimental Commanders, a man in a clunky piece of the armor of a bloated body that could have fit a small group of people inside of it inquired with his voice passing through numerous obstacles in its path before wheezing out through one of the openings in the rubbery fabric covering the bulky pieces.
This entire affair hardly smelled of being an official tribunal session or something like what Mana had experience with since her own hearing back home. There were no introductions to the people involved and none of them gave any official testimony. Those of the important figures of the Allied Ninja just invited whoever they wanted out of the circle of invited individuals, asked the questions they had before letting them go.
Mana had hoped to see some of the tutors that she'd be working with, maybe getting to know them and their subjects better a little bit at the same time as she fulfilled her promise made to Sekita and Regimental Commander Harcel but this wasn't the case. She got to see some of the mentors she'd be looking up to in a few months' time for certain but just seeing them and hearing them speak of matters she was hardly familiar with was not the type of knowledge that Mana hoped to get out of this.
"I'm afraid I cannot say for certain. I do not know this young man," Shinzo stated with a stoic face of closed eyes and tightly pressed lips. The man's face beaconed traditionalist ways and bushido-type honor but his words appeared to cause confusion between the committee.
"What the fuck, dude? You're teaching the military course. Are you saying this guy hasn't shown up in a single one of your lectures?" the Supreme Leader growled as she removed her leathery hat and ran her white gloves through her hair before putting the hat back in place after the top of the woman's hair was ironed straight.
"That is not what I meant," Shinzo shook his head. "I meant that this young man has performed what I asked of him adequately, he did not excel nor did he drag behind the group, but beyond doing what is expected of him he did not open up at all. He does not speak, does not ask questions, or voice his thoughts."
"Is this because of some condition that the recruit suffers from?" another Regimental Commander, a woman of unimpressive size and build and facial scars ravaging her face and complementing her strict look wondered as he bent her head to the right ever so slightly, making her dark, short hair bend alongside it, just barely reaching her shoulders where a pair of scrolls hung awkwardly in the woman's seated position.
"I do not know. I respect a man's decision to stay silent. I do concur that the young man has the potential to make a decent Allied Ninja for he has never struggled with a task I put before him though he is no prodigy or talent we cannot afford to lose." Shinzo answered the question armoring himself up with patience. "It is up to you to decide if his breach of the rules is something you wish to send him back to Iwagakure for. As someone burdened by the knowledge of my subject, I can assure you that he would not thrive in the current situation of his home country. I simply do not think that the Kumogakure occupants would see much value in a voluntary mute unwilling to lick their boots and denounce his old allegiances."
"True, there is this matter to have in mind as well…" a woman of physical build mightier than most male tutors nodded in agreement. She was the fourth Regimental Commander, or so it seemed. She was clad in rings of belts over a simple leather top but her outfit made her more suited to work in warmer climates. "Then again, it is none of our business to correct this youth's life choices when he has no consideration over his own life himself."
"We should hear out the newbie. The bitch has had a few encounters with this asshole and his crew, maybe she can help us make a more informed decision. Or so Harcel said…" Supreme Leader turned to Mana making the magician's heart sink to her heels after being caught in the woman's gaze. She had no malevolence or spite in her eyes when she addressed Mana or spoke about her but the unorthodox manner of speaking of the Supreme Leader never failed to catch Mana unaware.
Shinzo stood up from the central chair and sat to the side, alongside the rest of the gathered tutors and recruits. With a very confused look on her face, second-guessing her every movement and step and wondering if coming here to testify was truly the right idea every step of the way, Mana settled in the chair that Shinzo had vacated.
"Mana-san is a kunoichi from Konohagakure of some renown, sadly, her infamy might have surpassed the reputation she built up during her career…" Regimental Commander Harcel pointed out to the rest of the committee. "Whether it was because of a connection with the group of troublemakers that Stein has associated himself with or sheer coincidence, she's shared more than a few experiences with that particular group, Stein included."
"Infamy? This is the young lady that left Guru Ayushi hospitalized, isn't it? I've heard that Konoha sent her to us. It only emphasizes that we need to work on our reputation amongst the villages, we're not some dumping ground for rejects, though that's hardly the topic to be discussed now…" the bulky woman spoke up with an authoritative and quite masculine tone. The tips of her lips tilted upward, revealing her to be a tad apologetic over her interruption.
"It's more than relevant, I'm afraid." Regimental Commander Harcel sighed. "If the villages weren't sending us those bad eggs they wished to get rid of, there wouldn't be a troublesome group like Stein and his pals amongst our midst."
"Madique was right. We can talk about telling the Kage to cut the shit with these recruits some other time. Now let's just hear it from the newbie about what she can tell us about the assemblage of shitstains…" Supreme Leader yawned and looked at Mana with a hopeful look as if she had not called her "a bitch" a few paces back. Playing along, Mana shrugged.
"One of Stein's friends, Shogito, is a fan of my career as a stage magician. He approached me immediately after I reached the headquarters. Through our association, I've come to share a few unpleasant encounters with the group. I've helped one of them, a girl named Sekita, with her bullying problem once though I quickly realized that I didn't want to associate with her or her group. I might not have made that clear abundantly enough since Stein and Sekita expected my backing in dealing with said bullies and when I didn't show, Stein tried to smash me with a boulder." Mana recounted her experienced with the group while trying to keep it brief.
Mana had expected Stein to pretty much start talking again out of the need to rip her head off and kick it through the window like a football but he didn't look at all hindered by the magician's recollections. In fact, at times, his face looked a tad somber as if he was regretting some of his actions and he had come to see them in a new light when someone new and unfamiliar was talking about how they perceived him and his actions.
"Wait, what? Are you telling us that this bastard tried pulling this shit again!?" the Supreme Leader tilted the beak of her hat, switching from cute and encouraging to outright livid. "You motherfucker!"
"If I might add, I believe that my encounter with Stein-san was purely out a passionate, on the spur of the moment decision. More so, he is not beyond listening to reason even when he's seeing red. A young lady from his group managed to talk him over with just a few remarks, in fact. I think that the group knows each other incredibly well and I don't think there's anything I can say that they can't elaborate on far better…" Mana turned for the location where the entire troupe save for Sekita had been seated.
"Are you this "young lady" from the group who talked this dumbass down when he tried to assault another recruit?" the Supreme Leader looked at the ash-haired goth woman with streaks of neon-blue hair. It seemed that if the young woman had been any more embarrassed, her blush of being addressed directly would have been transparent through the abundance of make-up she wore.
"Y-Yeah…" the goth woman nodded.
"Just because the Supreme Leader has a quirky way of expressing herself doesn't mean you're not in front of the sum of your superiors in this building," the giant collection of rubber and lead that was Regimental Commander Hallam remarked in observation.
"Yes, ma'am!" the young woman jumped up from a seated position to bow the upper half of her body while her lips trembled in waves as if she was getting queasy.
"Alright, let's have a crack at this, even though I think the answer's gonna be fucking obvious, what do you think we should do with your shithead friend?" the Supreme Leader crossed her arms. Mana simply couldn't get over how crude the woman's language was as compared to her completely harmless body language as there was not a hint of malice or spite coming from her eyes when glancing at the young man being disciplined here.
"Understand him and forgive him, ma-am!" the goth woman bowed a few more times to the point where it was becoming cartoonish. "The problem with Stein is that he's usually a cool a level-headed guy, it's just that he's hopelessly… With our friend Sekita… Well… You know… Like… Like…"
"Like in lo…" the Supreme Leader was about to ask for clarification when the goth woman clapped her hands with an unseen abundance of energy and bowed again, winking one eye in a request that the Supreme Leader didn't finish that sentence.
"I'd not say it out loud if I was you, ma'am! You see, because of that… Condition…" Stein's friend couldn't even mention it without clearing her throat beforehand, "He can't quite help himself when certain matters involve our friend Sekita. He's very protective of her and her interests, let's just leave it at that."
"This Sekita, she's the b…" the Supreme Leader spoke up again but Stein's gothic friend flipped out, leaning back in absolute terror of the havoc that was about to take place but the Regimental Commanders began coughing and clearing their throats to silence their mutual superior and muzzle her way of expressing herself out.
"Sekita is the young lady that got injured during the recent sparring match, is that correct?" Regimental Commander Madique spoke in Supreme Leader's face.
"Yeah. She's a nice young lady though she's more beautiful on the… Well… I guess she can be a piece of work on the inside too but it takes work to get to really know her. She can be such a softie, just this morning I read the Tale of Lillief to her in the infirmary and she sobbed like a big baby…" something about what the gothic friend of Sekita's and Stein's was saying didn't add up to Mana.
"This morning? You mean she's still supposed to be in the infirmary?" Mana asked her directly, sensing the general vibe of this hearing being more free-form than the Ninja Tribunal proceedings she knew.
"That's right, what's it to you?" the flamboyant young woman crossed her arms and gave Mana a squinted stare of distaste that almost sprayed off of her poking, ocean-blue tongue.
"I am a sensor and I cannot sense Sekita's chakra anywhere near the infirmary. In fact, she's currently outside the building in general," Mana pointed out.
Stein jumped to his feet, prompting a worried reaction from all the ninja present in the room as the ex-Iwagakure ninja was the one whom this hearing concerned the most. Though he seemed eager to just brush the formalities aside and run off to check up on Sekita.
"That shouldn't be," Regimental Commander Harcel shook his head sighing. "Though it's just like this troublesome group to run off infirmary like that. If the staff would accompany Mana-san in bringing Sekita back to her ward, that would be great. I suggest that this might be a suitable spot for a break in the session."
"Yeah, you folks chill the fuck out 'till the b…" the Supreme Leader was about to say something mean though something she didn't mean about the escaped patient before one of Shogito's group, the tall and broad-shouldered giant who was one of the few from the group who hadn't made himself known to Mana just yet and therefore avoided ticking her off up until now sneezed so loud it might have tilted the roof up a meter or two. "Fuck you…" the Supreme Leader nodded her head, as her unique way of blessing the sneezing recruit.
"It might be for the better if some of Sekita's friends come with…" Mana suggested, turning to the committee.
"Not Stein, we hope…?" Regimental Commander Madique raised an eyebrow.
"No, I believe that would be sabotaging to the task, the female friend…" Mana shook her head before realizing that she didn't know how to address the goth chick of the group.
"Ophite…" the gothic young woman crossed her arms and pouted her lips.
"Ophite should stay here too. She's got all the useful information about the concerned member and his relationship with Sekita and she's proven to be both respectful and eloquent enough to speak about it before the committee," Mana eliminated Ophite as well, turning for the broad-shouldered powerhouse with a square jaw and a shower of hair on his head.
The burly giant stood up and stretched his limbs and neck out, turning for the committee for permission but given how nobody voiced any doubts or outright denied him his leave, he followed the small group of tutors and Mana just in case they needed a familiar face to help Sekita return to her bed.
"What is recruit Sekita doing?" a man with thick furs and an ushanka guarding the top of his head where gray, greasy, and long hair ran down from turned to Mana. "She's a rather large young lady with the capacity for unmatched brutality, restrained only by her character."
"I'm not sure…" Mana shook her head while rushing down the stairs. "She isn't trying to escape nor is she targeting this hearing which is what I would have guessed her to try and do."
"That's ridiculous? Why would she attack the hearing?" the head-cook of the Allied Ninja headquarters, a thick of waist man of a bald head and a rich and braided beard expressed his low-pitched ridicule at the idea.
"The feelings that Stein has for Sekita, she very much shares. She was quite distraught when she found out about the hearing and, frankly, she's just miserable enough to try something this stupid…" Mana's voice trembled as she was beginning to lose her cool with this group. Even the square-jawed gent she asked to accompany her growled behind her, voicing his contempt with Mana talking bad about his friend.
"You're leading us to the chemical containers…" a thinly dressed woman with a stone headdress and exquisite bodypaint observed when the group left the headquarters building and began rushing toward a fenced-off area outside the building grounds and off higher on the coastline.
"The chemical containers? I've never been there, what is that area?" Mana glanced back at the tutor who shrugged her shoulders.
"It's where we store most supplies of venom used by the Allied Ninja during their missions. Large tubes of the more commonly known poisons as well as the limited supply of the most deluxe substances…" the woman replied.
"The Tale of Lillief…" Mana muttered under her own nose.
"You don't think!" a bare-chested mentor with side chops and long and wild brown hair gruffed out. It appeared that Mana wasn't the only one familiar with the particular story.
"She's gonna try committing suicide!" Mana grit her teeth, letting her muscles tense up as she dashed off at her full-speed toward the location, knowing that the rest of the staff and Sekita's friend from the crew would follow right after. "Sekita!" she yelled out immediately after stopping just in case the misguided giant had held the vat of venom over her head, willing to gulp it down by the tonnage.
Things were way worse – the giant laid sprawled out with her back pressing against an emptied vat thrice her size with purple juice soiling her lips and a bloated and heavy position that had her back bending the empty vat inward from the sheer collective weight of the envenomated young woman and the substance she chugged down together.
Just to mock the goddess of misfortune, Sekita let out a mean burp that came from deep down and flapped her lips while the soggy-fleshed giantess rose to her feet with a slow and imposing manner that kept all of the gathered staff on their back-foot.
"Mana… I'm gonna kill myself just like Lillief did, it's only fitting that I die of poisoning myself too. At least I can do that much right…" Sekita stumbled on her feet but Mana couldn't sense any reduction in her chakra. In fact, it didn't seem to be fading away and threatening immediate, painful death that should have followed such a gruesome abuse of getting the poisonous drink on.
Sekita's chakra was soaring through the roof instead! It was as if that very escalation of physical and spiritual might influenced the rising aggression that she was exhibiting toward the party stepping up to her with an attempt to save her life.