Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 90
"Touching Down"
[Convergence of Shadows: Conclusion]

At the moment, things are simple.

My job is to make multiple stops in order to gauge the pulse of the world before we move forward with our plans. First, I need to see what Itachi is doing. He was supposed to be in this general area because of the summit, and I suspect that he was one of the causes of that disturbance the samurai noted earlier. Next, I need to make contact with Anko. Wherever she might be, it's got to be boiling hot by now. I'll need to set things in motion to properly extract her, and maybe redirect her depending on what she knows.

I'm hoping to get a little lucky with something else, too. But that will be a sweet bonus and nothing more.

Stretching my sensing range outwards allows me to detect several things ahead. Samurai and travellers, some who are in what we call the freelance occupation. Beasts of the land and air, naturally. Nothing unusual for a while...until now. A flying creature moving in a pattern. Figure eight.

"Time to get a closer look."

I ascend towards the branches while pressing on. The snow is starting to fall a bit harder, which bodes very well for me with this outfit. My senpais must have seen the boon immediately, which is why I'm on this little mission. It will be very easy to hide myself in these lands. The noted bird comes into my sight, and it's as I hoped.

A crow.

I put a finger in between my lips and pitch a whistle while I go through the air. The crow swoops towards me and lands on my outstretched arm, then we fall towards the nearest branch and go to the ground again. I pet the crow gently while scanning it for anything of use. There's a simple band around its neck, and pinned beneath it is a small card with a plastic sleeve.

"Perfect." I take the card and reach into my pocket for some berries. "Very good work. Be safe."

The child flaps its wings after eating and takes off into the grey skies again. I look at the card and figure out the cipher on it, then read a few times to lock the information in.

"Coordinates are...type three."

I take out the map card from my pouch, activate it, and then set the tilt to neutral. Type three coordinates mean a turn of fifteen degrees counterclockwise, and then a rightward shift of ten degrees. Needs to be calculated from actual coordinates...and then consideration of my recent travel.

"Almost directly east. Maybe five minutes away..." I put away the cards and start to run to the listed position, activating my sensing along the way. It's definitely him, and he's alone. "Itachi. He seems okay...and somewhat exhausted, based on how his levels are. I guess he had a fight with someone, and I'll figure out who in a moment."

I make it there in four and a half minutes. No trace of anyone...just trees and thick roots emerging from the earth. I close my eyes and throw a senbon towards the tree on my left, then ready another one while waiting. After a few seconds, I throw the second senbon to have the first make a metallic sound that rings out through the area. The soft crunch of snow reaches my ears soon after.

"I see the quality of Leaf's ANBU hasn't diminished since my departure."

Itachi emerges from the faint darkness of the trees ahead, like the shadow he has resigned himself to becoming. His right arm is hidden within his favourite black cloak, and I can see the shallow wounds on his face.

"You're hurt," I say. "And yes, my senpais are quite clever. It's why I trust them so."

"As you should."

"Show me your arm, please."

He slowly does so, revealing that it has been crudely wrapped in bandage. Several layers, to make the binding stiff so that the arm doesn't move too much.

"Obito's use of explosives is impeccable, I must admit. He managed to catch me once before I shifted to my full output. That decision was ultimately what kept him at bay."

"Is there a place we can sit?" I ask.

"Follow me." We walk the way he came, and find ourselves up against a hill face with a narrow passage. "It's wide enough for us to squeeze through. I checked."

"Mm? So you memorized my three sizes, then. How lovely of you, aniki."

"I felt I would need to for purposes such as these," he says as we slide through the passage. It is indeed wide enough for me and the chest that I'm so proud of.

"That means you can buy me something comfortable for my birthday when it comes up. A black set with lace would be nice~."

"If it makes you happy, I will consider it."

"Hmhm, goodie."

"I take it from your good mood that things went well at the summit."

"Well enough. The old man really made something out of nothing, and we've bought ourselves some time before the other nations get too scared and want to crush us."

"A miracle, truly."

"Yes. Before that, we're going to warm up and I'll clean your wounds properly. Anko-nee will be upset if you succumb to infection before giving her those children she wanted."

"Something to be avoided, yes."

We make it out into a more open area, with a few fallen logs and space for a fire. I dig the pit and make the necessary vents so that the smoke isn't too visible, then light a good sized fire for us. Itachi takes off his cloak, and I make him take off his shirt to check for other injuries. The bandage comes off slowly, and reveals some nasty looking burns as said. Fortunately, I can treat this easily enough with my field kit. It contains Hina's miracle ointment, which will see generous use today.

"Fortune favours us, my love. You won't need any stitches from what I can see. A few days rest should do you well," I say to him.

"I will do my best to stay still for the next while."

"I suppose I can live with that. I'll tell you about the summit while I work...first, I'm going to go around with the disinfectant. Hold still."

He is silent, even through what must be an obnoxious stinging. I spray the disinfectant generously and start from the beginning of our meeting. The broad strokes along with details that I noticed, things he would surely be interested in. Every so often I pause to change positions for the smaller wounds, taking care of his face as well. Strips of bandage cut neatly to provide protection. Yuno says they've recently invented something of interest...they're calling it liquid bandage. It sounds miraculous, and like something I need to try for myself. The arm takes a little longer, and I go over it while continuing to recount recent events.

We finish with proper work done on his injuries. The burns hover between first and second degree in nature. Ointment applied, gauze, and comfortably wrapped bandage on top. Shinobi are built to survive things like this, but we also should not make ourselves suffer without reason.

"Open."

Itachi obeys and I put a small pill onto his tongue. He chases it with water from a bottle I provide. It will help with the pain and possible swelling.

"All done. Hold onto these," I say as I hand him a small pill bottle. "Once every eight hours or as needed. See a proper doctor as soon as you can, within the next three days at most. This should hold well until then and stave off infection." I give him a flat container next. "In case you can't stop, this is for another three or four applications."

"Thank you."

"Anything for my dear brother, hmhm~. So, what did you think of our meeting for the fate of the world?"

"It reminds me of how foolish I was."

"How so?" I ask.

"If Sarutobi could make something of this, with those who are the most powerful in the shinobi world...perhaps if I trusted him back then, we would be in a different place," he says solemnly. "I know that it was far from my fault alone, but I really am my father's son. Stubborn, and prideful in enough ways."

"I see. I suppose it makes sense that you were reminded of your past..."

"Yes. But as for my thoughts...he has done very well to give the world extra time to figure these things out. An alliance should hold, at least until we deal with Obito and the rest of Akatsuki. Also, to confirm your thoughts. He was the one that I clashed with earlier. Once he identified me and ensured that I was not a clone, he took quick action to try and eliminate me."

"I can only assume he wasn't a fan of your unscheduled exit some time ago."

"He voiced his opinions on the matter. Suffice it to say, he still considers it a great annoyance."

"Mm. It figures."

"He also voiced suspicions regarding Black Zetsu's disappearance, and had a White Zetsu summoned to his location. I made sure to dispatch him as soon as I could...he and his kind are susceptible to the usual array of shinobi arts, as I observed. The black half did not make an appearance, which likely explained Obito's aggressiveness and anger."

I nod. "That would do it, yes."

"In any case." He glances down at his bandaged arm before pulling on his shirt again. "Obito's esoteric abilities combined with his combat training from Madara Uchiha make him a difficult opponent. Not wanting to take any chances, I moved to use one of my more powerful abilities. Your detailed information on his abilities from your last encounter also helped greatly, Lili."

"They did? I'm thankful for that. Was there anything you picked up in this fight, or did things go by too quickly? Also, which ability did you use? Was it the Susano'o?"

"Yes, the same. Though there are two enhancements to my version that allowed me to force Obito to keep his distance. They are themselves arcane weapons that pierce the boundary between dimensions."

"Thrilling. Please tell me about them."

He nods and stands up. I feel his chakra shift before a yellow aura surrounds his body, promptly forming into a rib cage with two skeletal arms on the sides. In the right hand is a gourd, and in the left a small circular shield.

"The gourd houses the Sword of Totsuka. The shield is the Mirror of Yata."

I blink. "You're in possession of the Regalia?"

"You know about them. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Who was it that told you?"

"Ane-ue, by way of Baa-sama. The Regalia have been noted as nearly impossible to locate, and possessing them is another thing in itself. Owning and using them is on an entirely different level to all of that. Did you find them on your travels?"

"I did. As you might guess, the power and nature of these items makes it so that they are only usable with Susano'o active. Or perhaps a similar ability. At some point, I should make these items available to you, since I have a feeling that, if you haven't already developed it, you will come up with a way to handle these items at their full capacity."

I smile. "That's flattering to hear from you. Rest assured, I will be ready if anything should happen. But I'm sure it won't, of course."

"Of course. I did hope that Obito was less versed in the function of these tools, but it seems that the real Madara either heard of or encountered them long ago, and passed that knowledge onto Obito. He evaded my attacks and intended to have me waste as much of my chakra as possible. His ninjutsu was stifled by the Mirror, which contains all chakra natures and can transform its attributes to nullify incoming attacks."

"Can it do the same to personal techniques?"

"The Mirror is amusingly particular," he says as he has Susano'o disappear. I hear him let out a breath as he sits. "It can negate offensive arts, and any sorts of arts that mean to pass through it. Certain supplementary techniques, and those that target the self...those are not affected. It handles any and all physical weapons, including the Kusanagi Sword of legend. Those formed from chakra are negated. Taijutsu also is ineffective, theoretically speaking."

"Theoretically? Curious choice of words."

"It might be that the abilities of the Eighth Gate surpass the durability of the Mirror. Something like that isn't possible to test."

The Gate of Death, then...hm. Nobody on this planet would be able to withstand blows from Guy in that state. I've given thought in the past to learning how to properly use the Inner Gates, but that might be a project better suited for later in life. I don't have much of a use for that kind of fighting style, and the training required...too much at this point.

"But Obito wasn't affected by the Sword or Mirror while his ability was active. It's possibly because of the dimensional component, where his form still exists, albeit in a different way..."

"It seems the Regalia have their own strange limitations," I say.

"Indeed."

"So I take it you haven't located the last one?"

"The power of Susano'o allows the Uchiha to make their own imitations of the final symbol. It's a ranged attack, called Yasaka Magatama."

"Hm. Perhaps this was passed down from the time of the Sharingan's origins? Much like the other techniques and forms..."

"Perhaps so. Something to research in my spare time, when I have some to spare, of course. I'm sure Obito is aware of that technique as well, but I did not need to use it before he disappeared. I should answer the other part of your question. I made use of several types of attack while within Susano'o, and kept myself moving and alert throughout the battle so that Obito could not exploit too many weaknesses. I was able to confirm much of the information you gave me, and discovered something else. Kamui seems to have an upper limit for its activation time."

I raise a brow. "Oh?"

"I could not ascertain what that limit was, but it is my belief that he cannot remain intangible indefinitely. For a period of about two minutes, I launched consecutive attacks of all kinds at Obito. They varied in nature, consisting of delayed weapon attacks, clones, ranged ninjutsu, and finally melee attacks with Susano'o. It took a large amount of chakra on my part, but I managed. Though he was able to consistently and easily phase through my attacks, at a certain point he advanced so that he could bring an end to my barrage. On that basis, my belief is that he can sustain his intangibility for longer than that period, but not too much so. His ability is also reactive...and seemingly unconscious, a defensive ability as you once noted. He cannot use his migration ability while his intangibility is active, also as you noted recently."

"So he has a limit..." I twist a lock of hair around my finger. "What did you observe regarding his chakra levels at the time?"

Itachi thinks on that. "The Mangekyo Sharingan and its abilities cause eye strain and take up significant portions of chakra to use. However, with the addition of Hashirama's cells to his body, he should have nothing to worry about on that end. According to how the Sharingan functions, he should be able to use Kamui with impunity, as he already does to some degree. He did not seem exhausted or strained at all while attacking and using his techniques."

"Which means it's a hard limit imposed by the technique itself," I conclude. "He must have been wary of you figuring out the actual time limit, which is why he moved to cut you off before then. Combined with everything else, that's very valuable information."

Two of the Regalia are very powerful, indeed...but they have their limitations, and the enemies that they could target are always far away in some sense. And as good as Itachi is, he isn't invincible, nor does he have free and unlimited use of chakra. Susano'o is a taxing ability to activate and keep up during a fight, in addition to other techniques. There's also the other obvious problem...if this Pain character truly has possession of the Rinnegan, the Sage's eyes which created this shinobi world, they could have the ability to match or exceed arcane weapons such as the Sword and Mirror. This would be on top of decades of experience.

"..."

Even with these in hand, Itachi is also reluctant to press his advantages. He seems to have a great respect for the upper echelons of Akatsuki, even now outside of their ranks. Kai and Ishako aside, there are those such as Konan and Kisame, his old partner. Deidara also has his weaknesses, but was more than competent enough to knock Gaara unconscious in a field that gave him many advantages. It showed a precision that makes him more dangerous in my eyes, not less. If Itachi doesn't think he can run up and challenge the remaining members of Akatsuki as is, then I won't be the one to question his judgment.

This information helps me a lot. Obito has a great amount of stamina, which would make exhausting him close to impossible by normal means. But if he can only sustain his ability for a number of minutes at a time, independent of his energy levels...it means that, with some work, I can force him into a moment of vulnerability. Sage Mode can help on that end as well. Fatal and precise blows...it's too bad that Zero System isn't quite ready yet. He has too many known troublesome abilities, and perhaps unknown troublesome abilities as well. He was Madara Uchiha's apprentice, after all.

"I have confidence that you will be able to defeat him with your array of abilities," Itachi says. "Not just for personal reasons, but because of what you told me earlier. You managed to grab a few strands of his hair long ago, correct?"

"That is correct."

He nods. "Obito's use of Kamui can be either reflexive in response to attack conditions, or reactive with manual function. He prefers the latter because it allows him to control the timing of his attacks and counter attacks with greater precision. When Kamui activates reflexively to let an attack pass through, it means he has to reposition himself or figure out new openings before continuing with what he has planned."

"So the goal is to force him into a state where he's forced to have Kamui react to as many things as possible. Barring that, we can force him towards his technique limit, and then attack when that limit is reached, or he exposes himself in order to get ahead of that limit," I say. "I think I have it. And there's one last thing to worry about, besides that. Beneath his mask..."

"The left eye socket. Another doujutsu, most likely a Sharingan," Itachi finishes. "He wouldn't easily sacrifice his right eye because of the utility of Kamui..."

"...but the left could easily go. A small stock of Sharingan, collected from those fallen during the massacre. That would be enough. He could go beyond the limit with that power, Izanagi. And it would be enhanced by the Founder's cells. Hm."

"What are you thinking?"

"That Kakashi is probably the biggest key to all of this. I don't know how spiteful Obito will be once we meet. At that point, I might have wiped out so much of Akatsuki that he would feel suicidal. Who can say."

Itachi reaches over and rubs my head.

"It's enough, imouto. One cannot plan for every possibility under the sun. Trust in yourself, and in the family you've created with your own hands and unbending spirit."

I let out a breath and nod. "You're right. Thank you, aniki."

He smiles and nods back.

"Have you heard from Anko?" I ask.

"Not recently. Communications have been difficult since the start of the summit, as you know."

"Yes. I'm going to get a hold of her after we part ways. Can you continue looking after her?"

"Easily done. As you have noted in the past, someone at my side regularly would be a great benefit."

"Hm~. Seems you've grown fond of her, then."

"I have, yes. She is an accomplished and insightful woman. Gifted as well."

"And gluttonous."

"Some might say so."

"Mm."

"She mentioned that she was told by more than one person to observe better eating habits," he says. "I gave her some recommendations, and she took to them quickly."

"Tsunade will be happy to hear that. She was worried about potentially unwanted horizontal growth."

"I am glad I could improve the mood of one of the Three Shinobi, however indirectly."

"I'm going to ask something of you. Hopefully it's not too much of a hassle."

"I doubt it would be. What is it you need?"

"I want you to stay here with me a while, before I head off to the next part of my journey," I say. "I'm feeling needy at the moment. It's probably because of the kotatsu earlier."

"They had one where you were?" he asks.

"The samurai brought it to our cabin before we got back from the summit. I'll tell you about that and other things after I heat up these leftovers for us."

"Alright."

"Stay there and let me do the work for us. And I'll get us a blanket," I say as I get up. "I made sure to pick up one of the really nice ones for missions and have it stored away. Not particularly expensive, but hard to find these days."

I regale Itachi with the less important details of our recent adventure. We sit together and eat from paper bowls with our hands, a warm blanket on top of us as we sit in front of the fire. We have our tea as he tells me about his travels, and of course describes the types of women he comes across because he knows my tastes. My active imagination takes care of the rest as always.

With all of the satisfaction I feel in both mind and body, and the warmth of him next to me...it's all too easy to fall asleep.

"..."

He slipped out before the morning's light. I felt him leave my side, and then gently rub my head before heading off. It's just after dawn now, as I wake up again.

I'm reminded of my past, and dreams of what might have been. If Momma hadn't died...or even if my father had a change of heart, and repented of his past sins. Would I have a brother of my own? Another sister? A different family? Who exactly would I be? It's interesting to think about these things sometimes. Especially without the pain or anxiety of the past.

What matters is today, of course. I have a family that exists now. A brother who looks after me from the shadows...and if need be, would bring balance to the world in my absence. Would he stand in my way with the powers of the Regalia? Someone else would hope that he was on their side, but...if something else is in his heart, then...

"It's as he said. I shouldn't...worry too much about these things. I'll make myself sick." I yawn and shrug off the blanket, then shake it out and fold it before sealing it away. After doing my stretches, I clean up the campsite, check my equipment, and then get ready to move out again.

Anko hasn't been able to schedule her appointment with Midori for her seals yet. We had to dissuade her from installing them in...provocative locations, since she kept insisting. We finally agreed to a relatively reasonable position on her lower back. She's so weird. I love her very much, either way. Midori's seal covers her back and is only visible when she needs to exert herself, since it's constructed with chakra. It's a large, elaborate picture of a dragon, similar to what the yakuza have on their shoulders and backs. That's where she got the idea, she said. Luna's is on her upper back, not nearly as big but intricate in itself. The process was the same as with mine, but Luna didn't cry or flinch like I did. Part of it was because I was much younger, but she's also really tough in her own right.

The plan for this segment is to send off a message, and then wait in a designated spot for her to appear. In this case, I'll go with someone I know is quick and determined. I focus on the seal etched into my left arm, and my request is met with a cloud of pink smoke.

"Hi-hi~. Ready for my Princess~!"

Shoulder-length, visibly sparkling pink hair, fitted with two white ribbons on the sides. A small, wonderfully cute flat cap in white that never loses its place on her head. A large pink sweater with sleeves that are too big, but have holes so that she can hook her thumbs through the ends, something that I bought her years ago. It has a patchwork heart on the front, which she absolutely adores. White leggings go down into a pair of sneakers with wings on the sides of them. Most importantly, they light up when she walks. Midori personally worked on making them activate with stored chakra.

This is yet another member of my growing legion of little sisters. Momoko, or Momo for short. She's the serpent kingdom's best and most reliable messenger, and one of the reasons that Midori can have such effective diplomatic relations with so many of the animal realms. Momo used to live in a hovel while Manda ruled. Now free of that and with a new talent to make use of, she's much better off.

I smile and pat her head, making her hum happily. Her light pink eyes shine as she waits for my instruction.

"Satchel?" I ask.

"Here~," she replies with her song-like voice. She claps her hands and has her special golden satchel appear. After she opens it, I put the scroll inside. "All set!"

"Hurry to Anko-nee for me, please?"

"Yes~. Do you want me to wait for her again?"

"If you could, I would like that."

"Okay~. Anything for my Princess~."

"Good girl. Thank you so much for this, Momo. I'll have something tasty for you when you get back."

"Awesome~!" I pat her head again and she salutes before taking off. In the next moment, she's vanished into thin air. Usually Momo is busy with the throne's deliveries, sleeping, or listening to her favourite music. Midori has declared those times off limits to everyone including herself, unless there's an emergency.

"It should be about an hour, hopefully less. Please be okay, Anko-nee."

I focus on my seal and leave the snow of Iron Country behind, reappearing in an empty desert. The sun's warmth greets me, and I drink some of it in before heading to the lonely outpost nearby. I sit in the shade of the shack and wait.

Big sis~. Your message has been delivered~!

Only forty minutes. Impeccable as always. Excellent work, my love. I'll call you here in a moment, and you can have your promised reward.

Yay~!

As always, I aim to keep my promises. The heavy, chewy candy that she loves to snack on is in my pocket. A single bar, scored neatly in chunks so that one can fold over the packaging and savour the rest later. Momo pops into being in front of me, and I give her another head-pat before handing off her reward.

"Thank you, big sis~. I love you lots!"

"And I love you, darling."

She reaches into her satchel and retrieves two things. A scroll, with the expected trimmings. And a serpent child that I recognize. Blue in colour and the length of my arm, with white bands around his body at regular intervals.

"So she sent Mizu to me. That's a relieving sign," I say. Mizu travels along my arm and rests himself around my neck. I kiss him gently on the head as he comes around. "She'll be here in a few moments, then."

"Did you need anything else~?" Momo asks.

"Nothing for now, love. Thank you for all of your help, I greatly appreciate it."

"Anything for my Princess~! Be safe, okay? And take care of all your work so that we can hang out together soon~! I got new vinyls~."

"When this stressful business is over, we'll have ourselves lots of candy while listening to your favourites."

"Can't wait~!"

I pick her up and give her a kiss on each cheek. "Farewell for now."

"Bye-bye, Princess~! Bye-bye, Mizu~!"

Mizu flicks his tongue out at her and she smiles. Another salute, and then she takes off into the distance while barely disturbing the sand.

"We'll sit in the shade and cool off for now," I say to Mizu. "If it's too long a wait, we'll take a walk to waste some more time..."

An hour passes. I sit with my thoughts, going through a number of scenarios for the current situation. There's not much outside of that I can do. The world is still too unpredictable at this time. What I know for sure is...I need to go to the Hidden Rain soon. Something tells me that the key to everything is there.

A soft flicker against my cheek brings me back to the real world. Mizu has raised his head, and looks out into the distance.

"She's here."

I stand up and walk onto the sand again, looking out over the dunes. My sensing is unimpeded here, and I can sense that familiar signature with little effort. The sound of a motorbike engine in the distance, before it and its rider crests a distant dune. A small cloud of sand follows the bike as it comes closer to us at speed. It slows before coming to a stop near us.

Anko takes off her sunglasses, her hair back to its normal colour and put up into her favourite ponytail. I present Mizu to her, and she hugs him against her chest. By now, she's almost got the look of a proper office lady. A red blouse with an opening that is cut low for her admirers, and dark pants that flare out at the bottom.

"Thank you for your hard work. Rest up." She kisses him on the nose before he disappears in a cloud of smoke. Finally, she turns her attention to me.

"You're okay," I say.

"Yeah. I'm okay." She dismounts her bike and hugs me tightly. "Thank you."

"I'm the one that needs to say that. You were wonderful, Anko-nee. Welcome home," I say as I squeeze her back. We stand together for a few minutes, doing and saying nothing. Having her here, safe...means so much. Anything could have happened. Even if we are shinobi, I don't want to let go of these feelings. Whether it's that of worry, or relief.

"I started the relay to cut everything off. Momoko made really good time," she says as we separate.

"She always does. I was fortunate to get a hold of her."

"How'd you do that, anyways? She's almost always busy."

"Hm~. Just a perk of being Ane-ue's favourite, hmhm."

She shakes her head. "Figures. But I can't complain, can I? A good bit of those benefits come down to me, too."

"Indeed they do. After this, I want you to go back and rendezvous with Itachi. I'm intending to keep you out a bit longer, so as to keep Obito off your backs, and do some more investigating on our behalf. Itachi said he doesn't mind, so we just need your approval."

"That's a no-brainer. I'm ready to put in some more work for ya, Colonel." She stands at attention and salutes. "Mission acknowledged, ma'am."

"Appreciated, Captain. At ease."

"Ma'am." She relaxes and smiles. "I was hoping to get some more time with my hubby, anyways."

"It seems you've charmed him already."

"Heh. It's definitely the other way around. He's such a smooth talker, and patient, too! Oh, and he's been helping me with my diet and stuff. I blabbed about it the other day without thinking, you know? And he decided he would help out. It's sweet of him," she says. "And not having to do any more of that Sharingan conditioning stuff is really welcomed. Takes a toll on you..."

"I can see that." I touch her face gently, looking at the lines that have formed beneath her eyes. "Take some time to really rest before you move on, okay?"

"I'll do that, promise."

"Good. Now, the ripples have yet to reach the corners of the world, so I'll tell you about the summit. It went better than we could have hoped. Oyaji really knows how to work a room."

"Doesn't he? Way smarter than he lets on, hehe. By the way, I absolutely love the threads you have on. They're stylish!"

"Thank you. Hina and I went as a pair, and we did look stunning."

"Really..."

"I can tell you all about that and the other things we saw. Did you want to sit here, or in the shade over there?" I ask.

"Here is good. I wanna soak up some sun, anyways. Ooh, did you find a good spot in the Leaf yet?" We sit next to each other on the sand.

"I found my fourth one the other day. It's good for afternoon naps...near the northern edge of the village, within a good group of trees. There are a lot of flat rocks, and if you want you can snack on some berries."

"Wow. We need to go there soon, then!"

"I took Erika over the other day. She loves it."

It takes a while with our catching up on things over the past few months, but we eventually get to the Five Kage Summit and all the excitement contained within. Anko hangs on my every word, nodding along and processing all of the information I recite to her. Then, she helps me link the information that she's gathered to what I already know. Most of it is in the hands of Tamaki, Imari, and Hiruzen as tangible documents by now.

"So that woman was starting to sniff around you," I say.

She nods. "Yeah. I think she would have learned a few things if I stuck around any longer. She still might, if I wasn't as thorough about erasing my trail as I hoped. But the one time I did get to see Konan...well, there's a reason why Pain has her as his secretary, or angel as they call her. She's a machine."

"It's good that we made this move when we did, then. You and Itachi should be able to help each other out."

"There's one more thing. Depending on what it means to you...it might be really big."

"What is it?"

"Konan and the Akatsuki inner circle are pretty careful about keeping their movement concealed. I have no idea if Lord Jiraiya was successful in pinning any of them down, even those psycho siblings. With all that said, I found something very very interesting."

Anko gets up and dusts the sand off of her pants. She goes to one of the pouches on the side of her bike and searches through it, taking out what looks like a small black cylinder.

"Have a look at this. Every so often before the non-burnable trash got taken out, I'd pose as a member of maintenance and have some of our friends go through it along with me. The recyclables, of course. Can't go around getting too dirty, or it'd raise some red flags."

"Hmph." I take the cylinder from her as she leans over. "Speaking of flags, I'm sure you had more than a few colleagues at full mast while you were working."

"You don't know the half of it, sis. Not that I hated the attention any," she says with a smile. "It's so cute. They wag their tails and everything whenever you talk to them, and they're super eager to do things for you. My boss said productivity was up, and they couldn't understand why. I tell ya, a good pair of sweater puppies is like rocket fuel for wagies."

"Mm, and how did the women folk rate it?"

"Erm...I ended up attracting a different kind of predator, in that case," she says, blushing. "Mature women seem to know what they want and...go for it. I'll tell you more when you're older."

I pout. "I'm already older."

"Then when you're older older. Trust me. But going back to my earlier point...based on my projections on what you're projecting, you'll be queen of the earth in about three to five years, tops! Just keep eating your meat and veggies~."

"I always love a good compliment. Thank you, Anko-nee."

She winks. "Nothing to it. So. That in your hand looks to be part of a re-breather. Pretty common in the Hidden Rain, right?"

"Yes. Salamander Hanzo's territory, or at least that's what they still say." I turn the object in my hand a few times. "This is a cartridge for one such piece of equipment, built to deal with different situations at once. Underwater respiration, filtering smoke and poisons, so on and so forth."

"Some of the goons hanging around when Konan, or some other bank roller was around, were from the Hidden Rain. That thing in your hand came to me due to a bit of luck. Someone threw it out one night, mistaking it for regular recycling. So there was a fuss the next morning when a couple of the hired shinobi came around looking for it. Naturally, I kept my cool and they didn't suspect me of anything. I figure they might have scrubbed a bunch of identifying features as is, but I don't think they got everything."

"It seems like they didn't want anyone to know who exactly they were, village affiliation aside. Hm."

"My thought is...this cartridge is a special type, and could be traced back to a singular place in a certain territory. Normally, that wouldn't be much of anything. All shinobi gear comes from somewhere, right?" she says.

"Right. But some parts come from notably restricted territories," I continue.

"We find out where this was made, note the characteristics of the area it was manufactured..."

"...and we can identify the type of person using it. And more than likely..."

"The real location of the people doing the hiring," she finishes. "If this gives us a definitive link to the Hidden Rain, then...that's the place we need to turn everyone's eyes on as far as Akatsuki is concerned."

"That will do. I see what might be a serial number on here. If that doesn't work, material composition is easily figured out...premium product either takes advantage of sparse local resources, or does expensive imports under cover. Both are easily identified and traced, thanks to our merchant systems. You won't need this back, will you?"

"Nope. Go nuts."

"Thank you. This could be the opening that we've been waiting for...even if it isn't, I still have nothing but praise for your hard work, Anko-nee."

"I appreciate hearing that. I wish I could have done a bit more, but..."

"It's enough," I say, echoing Itachi's words. "You worked hard, and came back to me safely, like you promised. It's enough, so you don't need to worry about anything else. Just be sure to rest like I said."

"Got it. Whatever makes my little sis happy."

"Good. And you'll also want to be in good health to take care of your husband. He's very reckless, as you know."

"Yep." Anko sighs and lays back on the sand next to me. I put the cartridge into my pocket and follow her lead. "What'd he get into this time?"

"Fighting eccentric masked men in snowy forests. Fortunately, he had the Regalia with him, and escaped with merely mild exhaustion and a few burns on his arm. I treated them well enough for him to continue on his journey."

"Guess I'll look after that, then. But let's go back to what you said before...Regalia? What are those about?"

"Arcane weapons from a previous age that assume spiritual forms. The Sword of Totsuka is one of them."

"Oh! Orochimaru talked about that a long time ago. It's related to Kusanagi, right?" she asks.

"Indeed it is. Derived from it, but currently exists in an ethereal state. So it's currently bonded to the final Sharingan art, the Susano'o..."