Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 97
"Certiorari"
[Ultima Ratio: Opening]
The day begins with a good breakfast and review of our activities. We confirm everything, check our radios, and then finish our preparations before heading our separate ways for the next eight to ten hours.
Ino's body will be looked after by my clone. Her spirit is currently split between Hina and Erika for the purposes of advanced observation. In Hina's case, backing up her visual prowess with chakra sensing. In Erika's case, committing as many visual details as possible to memory and coordinating movement through the Hidden Rain. Hina will be again looking through the village with her Byakugan, but physically alone this time. Erika is going to check in on some resistance groups she discovered yesterday, and help them along from the shadows. My work will be long range monitoring in terms of chakra and radio chatter from selected targets within the village itself. I have a planned route along the edges of the lake, but right now I'm searching for something even more convenient.
"Konan is moving," Hina says through my earpiece. "Tracking her now."
"Confirming subject movement," Erika says. "Current area is clear. Permission to start guerrilla ops, ma'am?"
"Granted. Go kick up a few storms for us," I reply.
"Read and received. Commencing operations."
Some of those cells should be good for a distraction, and possibly gaining insight on the movements of Konan and Pain. As Erika moves, it seems to be local law enforcement and shinobi that are responding first. No sign of those big shots yet. It still has yet to rain.
"Hm. Spoke too soon."
I sniff at the air and recognize it coming. Clouds are starting to gather suddenly over the village, thick, dark, and heavy with moisture. Though...is this in response to the clashes, or something else entirely? Feels like the latter for some reason. Guess we'll find out.
"All hands, alert. I repeat, alert," Hina says suddenly. "This is an urgent situation."
"Please report, Hinata," I say.
"I have a confirmed visual of a senior Akatsuki member, Obito Uchiha. Repeat, Obito Uchiha is within the confines of the Hidden Rain. I am tracking his movements now and awaiting further instructions."
"Confirming the chakra signature of Obito Uchiha," Erika says. "Moving to shelter ahead of imminent rainfall and awaiting further instructions."
"I read both of you," I say. "Stand by."
"Standing by, ma'am."
"Standing by."
I reach the pier I was heading for earlier and pull the hood of my cloak over my head. There are a few vessels here, but the small barge is the most intriguing and useful to me. Looks like it's being used for dredging, which is another good hit. I find the accompanying boat's captain having a smoke and approach him.
"Room for a passenger?" I ask.
"On this thing, eh. Guessing you're one of those tourists from over yonder."
"Good guess. And a good guide should never go home with empty pockets."
I pass him a few bills, and he looks impressed before placing them inside his coat.
"The rest comes when you decide to dock again for a break. Won't matter when," I say. "I'm efficient with my time."
"Aye. Pushing off in an hour. We've got snacks, coffee, tea if you fancy. Working powder room to take care of business. You can almost eat off the floor most of the day."
"All I need. Thanks." Always good when you find someone who doesn't ask a lot, so that you don't have to say a lot. I walk off while contacting the others. In the distance, I can see the rain starting to fall over the village. "Situation report."
"All clear," Hina says. "Obito has made contact with Konan. They are currently moving in a western direction, towards Pain's Tower. Within the tower is one of the individuals from yesterday, currently alone. The largest chakra from yesterday is currently not present, or visible if it is."
"We are clear in this area as well," Erika says. "The resistance cells are moving ahead with their campaigns, no notable presences have arrived so far. I can confirm that individuals matching Obito and Konan's chakra signatures are on the move towards the tallest tower. Continuing monitoring."
"New orders. I have obtained access to a vessel that will be on the lake and will put me considerably closer to the village, allowing me to enhance my monitoring. Hinata, I suspect that these three are going to have a meeting. I want you to focus all of your efforts on reading their conversations. Find a secure location and remain there until Obito is confirmed to be out of the area. After that, you are to continue monitoring while moving at your own discretion."
"Understood, ma'am."
"Erika, I would like for you to cease any combat operations outside of emergencies. Create one Shadow Clone to continue area monitoring. Ino will rotate to the front of your original body, and she will commence observation of the meeting alongside you and Hinata. You should be able to pick up some extra contours between the two of you."
"Understood."
"You three have the best and most useful suite of abilities for this particular phase of the mission. I am putting my full trust in you to handle things on your own. Report in only if you have need of me, or find yourself in an urgent situation. We will discuss everything in more detail at the end of today's shift. I will be ensuring your safety as you operate and observing the local weather patterns. Commence routines, ladies. Out."
"This is Hinata, starting my routines. Out."
"This is Erika, starting routines. Ino is also ready and will be starting shortly. Out."
The most difficult part, especially for someone like me, is the waiting. It's not a lack of trust, far from it. Just this insistence that I should personally be doing more, as much as I possibly can. But part of leading, and growing as a person, is suppressing that instinct. They can do this, and I can wait for them. If anything goes wrong, we can figure it out and fix it together.
It's how we'll complete this mission. And later on, how we will change this world. Everyone's singular gifts, coming together as one.
I wouldn't eat off that bathroom floor like the captain said I could. But it really was clean in there.
The last four hours have been spent in relative luxury, while my teammates were staring across the water and dodging raindrops. I've been able to cleanly and clearly observe the rainfall while noting points of interest and chatting up the dredging crew. An even split between villagers and mainlanders, the former riding out by boat each morning to the pier. They gather up junk of all kinds, whether it's drifting on the surface or stuck at the lake's considerable depths. Material that can be sold off for a fair profit, or kept if it seems intriguing enough. Some fellows are handy with tools and wiring, and have revived some electronics for the ship's use. Except the coffee maker. That thing is indestructible and they pulled it out of the water intact, then got it working a half hour later. Midori was going on the other day about how things weren't made how they used to be made, so she'll find this amusing.
Over the village, I'm grasping the weather conditions. Clouds are made with the user's chakra to create rain. Water Release, which makes sense but isn't always the case with these things. The rain falls with the same chakra, which should mean that it is linked with the senses of the caster. It also means that anywhere the rain falls is covered, in theory. The rain becomes like regular water once it hits an object or person, and thus loses its tracking function. But all of that water is available in forms such as the lake I'm currently on top of, ready to be drawn up into the air and used again for another round of storms. From this...I understand the reason for such tight control and surveillance. Pain would know each of the people within the village, their travel, their tendencies, and their abilities. It would then make it trivial to detect someone or something that is not supposed to be there.
But there seems to be a limitation of some kind. And that must be where Konan comes in.
The rain falls, hits someone unfamiliar...and then Konan, or one of the various forces under her command, moves towards them. Konan's ability allows her to be essentially anywhere at any time, but the lead and response times don't make it seem like these things are pinpoint from the start. It would otherwise seem so without knowledge of this jutsu. It means that even if you get caught by the rain, if you can move fast enough and stay properly hidden, you can defeat this surveillance. But all of this is just what I can see in the moment.
It helps that the few paper constructs I can detect have been avoiding the rain themselves. As a native of the Hidden Rain, I would only assume that Konan knows how to operate efficiently in inclement weather. But I also figure being soaked doesn't enhance her combat effectiveness any, either. The real Konan is with Obito and today's Pain, indoors.
This is an extremely effective strategy. Nobody outside of the most tireless and tinfoil-accessorizing sensor types would even think to examine the rain for chakra before entering the village limits. Most infiltrators, whether inside or outside of the village core, would be detected immediately. Then the hunt would be on. Konan and her paper arts would be able to track them down before they realized they were a target. And then either she or Pain, perhaps both, would set themselves upon the intruder. Pain alone was somehow enough to take down the legendary, and legendarily paranoid Salamander Hanzo. A man that terrorized the five shinobi powers and bestowed prestige upon Mifune, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, just to name the most famous.
Hina is following the secretive meeting faithfully. Both Erikas along with Ino are keeping dry. And I am simply keeping watch.
"Reporting in," Hina says. "I have confirmed that Obito has left the area and has not returned. Konan and Pain seem to be preparing to part ways. Repositioning and continuing surveillance."
"This is Ino via Erika. Confirming that Obito has left and has yet to return. Going to hand things back back to her and continue sub-surveillance. No changes to current situation, we plan on heading to the village's lower levels to gather more intelligence."
"I read," I say to them. "Very good work. This was an unusual event due to Pain being inside of the village...pardon me. All of you, continue to keep an eye on both Pain and Konan. I suspect we are not entirely done with them yet. Hinata, is there anything immediate to this effect that you could pick up from the earlier gathering?"
"Yes, ma'am. They spoke of meeting in an outside location, but did not specify any sort of time or place even with their security measures in place. It seems to be a mystery for the remaining parties involved...you're correct, they seem to be adjusting their plans to head out now instead of later."
"That explains the rain. They were getting ready to leave, so Pain could continue his monitoring from afar. Follow their movement, but we will not pursue. I want this shift cut down to six hours for everyone. Ino, you and Erika need to start more fires quietly. Hinata, when you're finished I will need you to closely examine A22, G25, and E5 on the grid as outlined. Refer to our table and note any changes, no matter how minuscule."
"Ma'am," I hear in unison.
"Break for lunch once Pain and Konan exceed our tracking. Take an hour, rest your eyes and bodies a bit. I'll be with the crew here gathering more information. They're talkative, and they can't get enough of my impressive features. Everything's fine."
"Of course it would be. Have fun, boss," Ino says. "Ino and Erika, out."
"Remember to behave yourself, Colonel," Hina says. "At the least, try your best. Hinata, out."
"I read, ladies. Out."
I learn a bit more over lunch with the crew, and subsequent conversations during their work. The barge docks to do some unloading, and I bid everyone farewell after giving the captain his remaining payment. A slow walk back to base, and by then everyone is finishing their shift. Erika dispels her clone, and Hina makes her way across the water.
"Hey, girls."
Ino pokes her head through the opening of our home to greet us. She cancelled her technique about a half hour earlier. Erika said she had something to take care of, and I can sense her nearby.
"Some treats for a hard day of work. Obtained legally this time," she says while dropping in. "I imagine dinner will be in a while."
"Sure will be. Ooh, dibs on the chips. This flavour's one I had before," Ino says. "And some drinks, nice."
"I will have the biscuits here," Hina says. "Thank you kindly."
"Some sweets will do for me. I was nourished well enough during my tour," I say while grabbing them.
"Did you have those boys drooling over you?" Ino asks.
"Did I ever. Darling little puppies, as men always are. I didn't break their hearts too badly, of course. I can behave, see?"
"Small mercies," Hina mutters.
"Hush, now. Let's settle in and you three can drop that very spicy intel you gathered for me today. I wasn't doing much but chatting and watching the rain fall, which gave us some interesting insights on its own."
"I got copies of everything in my head, which I'll get written down after my hand-offs to the rest of you. Maybe Hina can go first?" Ino suggests.
Hina finishes chewing on a biscuit. "Easily done. Obito appeared in the western part of the village, without warning as usual. I first attempted to get a visual of his face, but was unsuccessful because of his mask. I can't determine if he is using a barrier technique of some kind, or the mask is simply constructed with a material that can block doujutsu of all kinds. I suspect that it is the latter if he is dealing with this Pain person. That aside, I was able to figure out what he might have been saying, based on the responses of his counterparts. The veil that we saw yesterday within the tallest tower was not present today."
"So you were able to get everything," Erika says.
"Yes. I have a physical transcription for you to read here. It was what came to me, so..."
"Don't you go apologizing for a proper reflex," Ino says. "You did exactly the right thing, hon. Doesn't matter if you have me around or not."
"Thank you. I always mean to trust my teammates, especially all of you. To continue, the meeting was short and...terse, if I had to say. Routine with them. Nothing much to say, and few details given on either side. They spoke briefly regarding the state of Akatsuki. Neither party was too worried about the current situation, and spoke about the possibility of paying the Leaf a visit. From what I could make out, their ambassadors are likely to be Kaitaikojo and Ishako. Pain confirmed that they were nearly at their soft target for funding, and could move ahead to their next phase soon, whatever that could be. Obito, from what I could tell, had an interest in having Pain and Konan increase security in and around the village at some point in the near future, being wary of Lili. Pain made mention of starting a campaign specifically to neutralize that particular threat, and Obito seemed to agree. Konan suggested gathering more intelligence before making a final decision. A lot of these conversations were slow to happen. As said, there was not much in the way of talking, much less conversation in general. Konan was asking many questions about the state of operations, their contractors, so on and so forth. I could tell that she was not very happy with the answers that she was getting, and after Obito left, she made that known to Pain."
"I think you have another insight for us," I say.
"Something deeper, yes. It came up directly after Obito disappeared. There was talk of preparation of 'the weapon', and before that there was mention of the tailed beasts by Obito that caused a change in Pain's demeanour. Konan is a very professional sort of woman, very cool and collected. She didn't give away anything in any direction during the meeting, or after it."
"A weapon?" Ino asks. "So they're stealing the tailed beasts for some kind of freaky jutsu, eh."
"Yes. And...I don't think those plans align with what Obito has in store."
"You think they're betraying Obito?"
"I don't believe there is any betrayal on their part, not with any sort of intention," Erika says. "Obito is Madara's apprentice, the one who is convincing Pain and Akatsuki to move. That there is a disconnect does not mean that their plans are incompatible. Only their final goals."
"Obito and Pain are working together," I say. "But Pain's final goal is not Obito's, and vice versa. Whatever Pain has in store for the tailed beasts is not likely to come to pass. I think that he and Konan are somewhat aware, but I also think that they don't know how much time they have on the clock. It must be a lot less than they realize."
"So they've got plans to pay Leaf a visit and something to do with a super weapon...but not following them makes sense," Ino concludes. "Given what we know now, we're locked in. It'll be even harder to come back another time, and we don't want this Pain guy or Konan the paper lady to go halfsies on a present for Old Man Hokage. Trying to figure out their next move isn't a priority."
"We know what we need to know, thanks to Hina's hard work. Erika can send a message off through our relay for Leaf, and they can prepare as best they can for an imminent invasion. Ino is entirely correct, the least we can do now is uncover the secret that this Pain is hiding, so that we can properly crush him. He is not the entirety of Akatsuki, but he is the de facto leader and its strongest entity. Crippling them is an opportunity we cannot pass up. On that note...what did we find in terms of targets?"
"I have five in mind for now," Erika says as she hands me a note. I look it over and nod.
"Do you have transport?"
"Already arranged. I await your word, ma'am."
"Allowance?"
"If you would, ma'am."
I take out a roll of bills and she nods.
"More than enough."
"Good. Tomorrow, we'll execute. It's interrogation day. We'll mine the capture targets for info, then dump or burn them as conditions allow. Different locations for each op, clear of here. We don't know what these ones might do...if they're smart, they'll be ready to go out fighting. If not..." I shrug. "It's work. Can't treat it any more or less than that," I say. "Any concerns regarding this phase?"
"No, ma'am," they say in unison.
"Alright." Erika hands me the transcript, and I take the time to look at a few more details. The physical description of Pain...hm. Something about it. Orange...and red. The boys that Tsunade and I talked about a long time ago. Konan, and the group leader with orange hair. So the red-head probably did pass on, like she said. "Hina, did you notice anything about them while observing the meeting? Physically, I mean."
"Obito had his strange components, Konan seemed normal enough, ability to change into paper aside. Pain, or at least this Pain, matched enough of the description given to us. His eyes are a...sort of pale purple, I would describe it as, with concentric rings going outward from the small dot in the centre. Orange hair, quite spiky. I immediately was reminded of Naruto, in an uncanny way. Almost like...an echo."
"Like something resonating through time itself," I say.
"Yes. Just like that."
"It makes sense, considering some of what I know..."
"And the strangest thing. Piercings, all over the body. Six small ones along each ear, with one long piece going through the inside part of each ear itself. Three going through the upper nose. Two spikes beneath the upper lip. And countless small rods beneath the cloak itself. There was also a purple ring on the right thumb with the marking for zero, complete with red nail polish."
"Hey, you have to show out as the boss, right?" Ino quips. "That's more piercings than I think most people would load up on...through the nose, seriously? Maybe that's why he calls himself Pain, because you gotta enjoy it a lot to go that far."
"Here is where it gets even more curious. The piercings...they are made of the same material as the veil that was blocking our sight yesterday," Hina says.
"Pain...pierced himself with the blocking material. But what for, exactly?" I ask. "It's not helping him avoid detection, it's not cloaking him...as much as I would be happy to leave it at extreme masochism, there has to be more. Feels like it's right in front of us."
"We have only just received this information and started to disseminate it," Erika says. "I believe that absorbing more observations, along with a wash and meal, will give us the boost we need to complete our analysis. This is if Colonel Kobayashi agrees, of course."
"Hard to disagree with that logic," I say. "We'll finish snacking and go over our notes, do some exchanges, and then clean up before dinner. We have plenty of time and space to get this right, and I appreciate being reminded of that fact."
Hina, Erika, and I go over our notes and recollections separately. Ino listens to the radio for a bit, checking in with her more entertaining police pairings and providing some commentary for our amusement. We head out as a group afterwards, and keep watch while washing in one of the semi-distant rivers scoped out earlier. Dinner time arrives before we know it. Today's dining experience is spiced meatloaf and mashed potatoes. A side of apple pie is packed in. Again, above expectations for portable military meals. Good omen.
Ino has us sit in a circle together after dessert, and she passes off the memories that she gathered during the day with both Hina and Erika. Everyone is now filled in, and has the opportunity to put some of these puzzle pieces together for themselves.
"Same order as before, loves. You get your rest, and I'll meet you again with breakfast ready."
"Got it. Night, Lili."
"Good night, Lili."
"Have a good rest, Colonel. I will wake you at the promised hour."
"Thank you. Good night, everyone."
I end up making a clone during my watch, so that I can put my full focus on the information I received earlier.
We have more details on the village, new routes, hiding places, points of interest. Some faces to keep track of. The meeting with Pain, Konan, and Obito...filtering those sensations from Ino and Hina through my own, so that I can try to figure out something that might not have been obvious to them before. But it feels like...this is all there is. The tower height, the changing chakra signature of the other person who wasn't there, the many piercings...everything. Trying to put it all together.
The Nagato that was mentioned before. Same as in Hina's notes...he's the one with the orange hair. The group leader. That means the one with red hair has surely passed on by now. Pale skin and a hardened sort of personality. That is all likely from the many years they've spent fighting and struggling. It wouldn't be a surprise. Konan calls him by name when they've ensured privacy. She worries about his health and the distance. Does his constitution prevent repeated long journeys? Still not out of the ordinary for powerful shinobi. According to the Byakugan and Ino's sensing, this Nagato seems fine enough. Having so many piercings, all made of chakra blocking material truly is strange, though.
"..."
This is irritating. I know that I'm missing something, but I can't figure out what it could possibly be.
I sigh and dispel my clone, then go back to keeping watch. No sense in making myself upset so early in the morning. We just need to gather more pieces to this puzzle.
We head out after breakfast. Rain continues to fall over the village.
Erika and I make two clones each. Our real selves will head into the village. Hina will be observing. Ino is going to be escorted from point to in a boat, procured for a small fee and on the brink of collapse. We won't need it for long. One of my clones to guard her, the other infiltrating with me. Erika and her two copies will be heading in as well.
Five targets, all expendable.
This is my first time here in person, but I've been here a few dozen times already in the memories of my comrades. Straight to the marked locations, no stops. Through the tunnels and beneath crossings to dodge the falling rain. Plastic, cardboard, metal. Anything that keeps the moisture away from our flesh will do. Cloaks are probably not thick enough to stop the sensing and it's not smart to risk it. Konan, or maybe just part of her, is in the village while Pain is away.
My target is traversing a middle layer, on his way to get coffee as part of his routine. Chuunin, about mid twenties. I pull him into a nearby alley and bind him with a few of my friends. One has a paralyzing venom which takes immediate effect, meaning he won't be able to alert anyone else.
"Second target secured. Heading towards lower docks," I say.
"Got it, boss. Heading to point B now," Ino replies through my earpiece. "All green."
I rush back the way I came, heading towards the docks on the lower level and the meeting point. Ino and my clone come into view just as I arrive. I hop onto the boat and it creaks loudly as we sail off.
"How the hell was anyone still using this thing?" she asks.
"Sometimes it's do or die in these parts. This? It's doing," my clone says.
"You know what? Fair enough. Okay, buddy here is frozen stiff...going in for a bit."
"Need me to follow?" I ask.
"Nope, all good. Just gimme a jolt if a trap goes off, somehow. Rika has a good nose for these things. But you knew that already, of course."
"Of course. Be safe, either way."
"Always. Okay, starting dive."
"Standing by."
Ino puts her hand to the shinobi's head and closes her eyes. I can feel her chakra moving as she rifles through his mind, gathering information over the course of a few minutes. The other day, Inoichi was talking up how much she had improved over the past few years, and from what I've seen, he wasn't exaggerating one bit. He was excited at the prospect of her surpassing him in the near future. Maybe that day is closer than any of us thought.
"Dive complete."
"Ready." I place my left hand around the subject's neck. "Sorry. Time to go."
A snake emerges from my sleeve and bites into his flesh. That poison should shut him down in a few minutes, and he'll be dead by the time he's dumped off. The most humane way we could go about it, because cruelty for the sake of it is far beneath us. Even drowning is too much, I think. Ino heals up the punctures quickly and confirms he's on his way out.
"Couple of places close by you can sink him while dodging the rain," I say to my clone. "Sign off once you're done, we'll be okay."
"Copy that. Until we meet again." My clone hoists the body over her shoulder and takes off back towards the village.
"Attention. Fourth target secured. Heading for rendezvous point at lower docks," Erika's voice calls out. This is one of the clones she sent.
"We read," Ino says. "Heading to rendezvous point D. Second target has been downloaded and neutralized. Disposal in progress."
"Copy. Three minutes to arrival."
So it goes. Ino scans each target in turn as they arrive, and I poison them so that their deaths are quiet and peaceful. The last one goes down with the boat, as Erika widens an earlier leak and sends it down a quiet waterway to disappear.
"How are we doing, Hina?" I ask as we take shelter beneath a bridge.
"Konan has been patrolling at a normal pace, ma'am. It doesn't seem that she has been alerted to any of today's activities."
"Better than we thought. We can have a bit of chaos for tomorrow, that might very well be passed off as work by what remains of Hanzo's faction."
"Also...something I wanted to bring up, ma'am. You mentioned yesterday to go over every detail, and so I was thinking while on duty...this could be nothing, but during my observations yesterday, Pain seemed just a little too...steady."
"You mean more than just having ice in his veins from leading a group of S-Class criminals," Ino says.
"A little more than that, yes. When I observed Konan, I noticed that she would have small, notable flares of emotion that were suppressed immediately. I would dare to say that her poise is nearly as good as Erika's."
"From what I have been shown, I cannot disagree," Erika says.
"Hina...you're saying that this Pain doesn't even have those," I conclude.
"The way his chakra flows, his movements, his expressions...there is barely a wave or waver in any of the things he does. It feels like he's playing a role, but...at the same time, being truly authentic. Perhaps that doesn't quite make sense."
"Like a projection, maybe?"
"Yes, that sounds closer to it. I think that sounds much better as an explanation. Someone or something projected onto another person. Carrying on in someone else's stead."
"Maybe this Nagato person is trying to honour the memory of his fallen comrade. As if it's something that keeps him going...could be. There's a lot we could possibly speculate on," I say. "More questions...then again, we've ruled out genjutsu already. If it's something esoteric and beyond us, nothing has really been lost in terms of time and resources. The end goal would be the same as ever. But I'm very certain that someone with the Rinnegan wouldn't fall to genjutsu, or any sort of Sharingan bullying so easily."
"The eye of myth and legend, that of this shinobi world's creator. Confirmed to be real, and within reach," Erika says. "Whatever powers it holds, we must tread lightly until the final hour."
"Yeah. Say that twice," Ino replies.
"I will procure us a fresh meal. We will need our energy to pick apart this bounty of information that Ino has gathered for us."
"Don't skimp on the candy, babe. I can risk getting a little thick around the middle for the extra juice that I'll need today."
"Read and received. Any other requests?"
"Do they have any fortified milk available?" Hina asks.
"They do indeed. I will pick up a few bottles for our resident enthusiasts." She nods before heading off.
Ino and I exchange nods afterwards. "Hina, head back to base. Keep an eye on Konan while you do."
"Understood, ma'am."
"The sheriff has yet to return to his post," I say to Ino as we leave. "Either the meeting was serious, or seriously far away. We can worry about it later...let's keep dry."
"You got it, boss lady. Lead on."
"You're thinking something."
I look up from my dinner at Hina. Erika and Ino give me their attention in turn.
"I'm thinking a lot of things. Trying to come to a decision."
"Are we ready to move in, then?" Ino asks.
"The opposite, actually." I nod and break my rice up with my chopsticks. "Yes, that will do. We're taking the day tomorrow. Washing, maintenance, resting. No work. We can keep an eye on the village throughout the day, but no operations. The next working day will be Saturday. I can have Anko pick up our reports once we've finished scribing them, and we'll have Erika do one of her lively jaunts through the village. Radio monitoring, area scans, so on and so forth. All the preparations we will need for Sunday."
"The last day. That is when we will strike," Erika says.
"Yes, indeed. So until then...keep yourselves in good health, and stay ready. We will have plenty of time to do whatever it is we need to do. No need to rush or compromise anything."
"Leave it to us, Lili. We'll be the best set of backup dancers you could ask for," Ino says. "And there's nothing bitter about it. You're our superstar."
Hina and Erika nod in agreement. I really couldn't ask for better support, could I.
One way or another, this is coming to an end. In just a few days...I'll be face to face with the Rinnegan itself.
And I'll find a way to walk back to these girls, victorious.