Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 93
"Steps"
About two weeks have passed since my meeting with Ishako in River Country. The killings in the region increased briefly before cutting out altogether. Kai and Ishako are on the move again, north from all evidence gathered. What they're planning, we don't know. It doesn't matter as long as they're away from the tailed beasts. Akatsuki's activity in Fire Country is nearly non-existent. Just a few stubborn pockets, usually containing honest and upstanding members of the business community. They're taken care of once we get the chance to pay them friendly visits.
The agreement made at the Summit is holding. We have our Inter-Village Akatsuki Task Force active and working, with information gathered from all five major countries and many of the minor ones. Sightings, anonymous reports, observations by patrols, and so on. Now that Akatsuki is explicitly illegal, their influence has been greatly curbed. Shinobi all over the continent now enjoy increased work, and recruiting is up all over. Not a problem for us, even if our rivals are starting to thrive as a result.
Obito...isn't moving about too much, it seems. Losing Zetsu must have crippled him somewhat, but there's no hitting and running, no taunting...not much of him at all. Swiping at Itachi once doesn't count for much. Is he waiting for something? Are his plans truly shattered? I refuse to believe it, especially with the personnel he has remaining and the tailed beasts presumably in his possession. There's something going on. If anything, this mission will expose a lot happening with Akatsuki and its leadership.
Today we're up to our usual rich girl shenanigans, which serves as perfect cover for a secretive operation into the heart of enemy territory. Our core four, who will be on the mission itself, are seated in our own private room at a particularly fancy establishment. Ino recommended it, and the head chef is well acquainted with Choza. She works part time at a butcher shop that the Akimichi frequent as well. The steak we had earlier was absolutely to die for. There are few things that I love more than good food, and the people of this village certainly know how to deliver.
As for the mission, we each have decided on and defined our roles.
Ino will be handling communications. This will be paired with her sensing ability to give us a good read on the area and time to react to whatever might come our way. She will also serve as our backup observer.
Hina will be in charge of observation, which will involve looking over the area from a safe distance. Her Byakugan have the greatest range in her clan that we know of, and she has pinpoint accuracy with them. She can see signs clearly, read lips, and pick out disturbances. Not to mention she can control what portion of an area she's able to look at. Our most important pair of eyes.
Erika will be my second in command, and the one in charge of infiltration. With her skill, she should be able to get enough of a pulse on the village before backing out, including areas that are fit to sabotage if we need to run away. Her array of abilities makes her perfect to do what allegedly so many others have failed to, and an operating base nearby will help her do it flawlessly.
And finally, I'll be the reason she can leave so easily. Because as team leader, I will be the one to locate and identify the one in charge of the village, who is likely to be this Pain character. Risking an accusation or two of arrogance, I would be the only one able to survive an encounter with whoever it might be, whether it was this Pain, the paper woman Konan, Kai and Ishako, or Obito in the guise of Madara. In an enemy village, I don't have to hold anything back...and I have a few very destructive tricks up my sleeve if it comes to a fight.
With all that said, I won't be alone. Hina will be watching over me, Erika will be at a reasonable distance to respond, and with Hina's help, Ino can accurately provide a distraction or help with rescue if it so happens that I need it. I am more than willing to risk my life, as shinobi do, but I also don't need to advance recklessly and without a plan. That, and these girls wouldn't allow it. With this set up, I keep them and everyone else happy, and myself safe as possible. It's a fair enough compromise for these times.
We've finished our appetizers and main course, and are currently enjoying a light dessert along with tea. The girls have gone through my notes and are very impressed by them, not having much to add or change after discussion. I asked Ino and Erika to gather additional data for our approach a week earlier, and the information has come back in time for today's meeting.
"We had a few people go out and observe weather patterns over the village, to help us confirm patterns we were noticing," Ino says. She hands a few sheets to us from her folder. "From the few observations of the interior that we have, the village is built with many types of rain and water gathering apparatus, and there are likely a lot of reservoirs as a result. It rains a lot in the village and the surrounding area, especially relative to other locations."
"However," I say.
"However. Over the hidden village itself, there are interesting patterns that we have been able to observe. We gathered all of the information we could from the reports of the few ambassadors that went in, and observers on the outside, going back to when we suspect the civil war began. Those records are still accessible. We also went back to some reports from the days of the Second Great War, as many as were still intact today. These took the form of archived letters, mission and battle reports, and similar things. Fortunately, we do a pretty good job around here archiving stuff. What we found was nothing unusual, until around the point where we started hearing a lot less out of the Hidden Rain on account of their internal affairs and the like. It's there in chart form for you, because I'm awesome like that."
"Nothing we could deny," I say while looking at the charts. The pattern here on the first one is interesting...rain on Sundays consistently for a number of years. More than consistently, actually...scheduled. Rain all day. And then the other days stop and start, but there seems to be something to that as well. Another chart shows what was going on in the surrounding region, and it doesn't match at all.
"The rain within the village and its limits is being controlled manually," Hina concludes. "It has to be a jutsu of some kind."
"I think so, too," Ino says. "And it lends more credence to Lili's theory that whoever is in there has access to the Rinnegan, or some other crazy power that would flatten most shinobi. When Hanzo was definitively in charge according to our intel, none of those patterns were there."
"The moisture itself could be chakra based as well," I say. "But we're not going to run through the streets right away, so we'll have time to confirm it. Whatever the case, we're dealing with someone crafty. Rain isn't the most pleasant to fight in, and gives an advantage to those with the water element in hand. It's practically a playground for those who are well equipped."
"Perhaps this artificially induced rain is a detection system of some kind," Erika says. "Extended contact type sensing, in the same way that Gaara might use his sand."
"Mm, that's a good point. I think it might line up with the days...Sundays. Outside of the village. No, if it's a means of control...inside. The leader is inside of the village every Sunday. So it likely rains every time that they're at home."
"Or it could be the opposite."
"Hm. Go on, love."
"That Konan woman. If she has paper constructs inside of the village, to move freely and observe...it might be her, along with other elite shinobi, that take on threats while the leader is away. Do you recall telling me about their communications strategy?"
"Ah, right. The lantern jutsu...they can easily communicate from afar."
"Yes. That said...it is speculation, the same as your point made. It normally would make more sense to have the jutsu operational while you are in the village to respond, so that one could respond to the threats as quickly as possible and conserve chakra."
"But the opposite would fit the profile of someone so arrogant as to call themselves Pain," Hina says. "To have it rain on certain days when they are not present, so as to demonstrate their power over the village. I suppose this means we'll be confronting this person on a Sunday?"
Ino nods. "Mm-hm. Couldn't have it any other way."
"Then you'll hear no objections from me."
"Awesome. There's also a pretty big lake that the village itself sits on top of," Ino continues. "Most, possibly all of the buildings in the village are made of concrete or steel. Lots of heavy industry, so the water might not be of the greatest quality in some places. But it's a really built up place with tons of nooks and hideaways, large pipes and tunnels, stuff like that. I wouldn't bet too much on being able to completely evade Akatsuki on their turf, but there are probably a lot of ways to get around the village if you keep your eyes open. We know that the population trends much younger due to all of the fighting that's taken place in the region, but we don't have much of a sense of their straits. Most people seem well off according to reports, but that could easily be a really good front. Nobody from the village has given anything away with regards to the civil war, which is pretty suspect on its own. Whole place is a dead zone for intel."
"At least some of that will be cleared up with a simple run through the village," Erika says.
"You're sounding a little too casual for me, babe."
"Do I have much to worry about with you watching over me?"
Ino shrugs. "Eh. Not too much, but it always pays to be cautious, especially in these times. Get what I mean?"
"I do understand."
"But hey, I'm not gonna scold you too much for that confidence of yours. Like you said, I'll be around, and then you've got the scariest pair of shinobi sisters in the world to extract vengeance from anyone who harms a gorgeous hair on your head. We're totally fine."
"On that note," I say, "I'll ask again if there are any objections to my going in alone."
"We had quite a few, but you addressed them all brilliantly," Hina says. "I don't think it would do us much good to re-litigate that particular argument."
"That, and if this Pain person or whoever it is can wrangle tailed beasts...I think you're really the only one with the juice to go after them, seeing as you socked one in the face already," Ino says. "If anything, you have us as backup for whatever needs to happen."
"And we know that you will call for us if you are in trouble," Erika says. "As you so eloquently put it once, confidence need not lead to hubris."
Ino flips through the book. "Um, where'd you list the alternates again?"
"Should be page three," I say.
"Yeah, got it. Alright...not much left to say or worry about. We debated everything we needed to, and have all the information we need in these handy books. Oh, Daddy said he's getting me one of those personal computers, and it has a bunch of cool programs to help make work less of a snore."
"Ooh. When is it coming in?" I ask.
"Next week! I've already been training on one, so I can jump in feet first to all the cool programs. Rika knows a bunch, too. So we're gonna have a few nights in with junk food, and figure out how to get the word processor buttery smooth like Tamaki does."
"She is very efficient when it comes to these things," Erika says. "And her lessons are quite effective."
"I need to get one of those things for my place when it's done," I say. "They're terribly useful for things like these."
"Were you planning on making these digital?" Ino asks me.
"I was, but I probably won't have the time to before we head off. I have a whole lot of loose ends to tie up, because of what might happen at the end of the mission. Plans are still fluid. I'm looking at a month out from now at most...but we do need to move before things get too far out of hand. Once this task begins, it will change the trajectory of this world forever."
"There is a lot of weight attached to this," Hina says. "And we can't tell too many people as is."
"The other major powers will be primed for a large scale event, as per our plan," Erika says. "Other than that, we cannot do anything that draws too much attention to our arrival. Our departure is another matter entirely. This is a turning point for all of us. For the history of this shinobi world."
"While we're gone, we need to have our elements working as quickly as possible to confirm who is lurking within the shadows," I say. "So Edelweiss will be moving. We can coordinate in the coming weeks to ensure that they sweep any areas we consider within the village."
I always worry a bit about leaving, but this...seems more significant than the other times. Whether something goes wrong, or something goes terribly right.
And then, if the Rinnegan is truly there...
"..."
What would I do then? What would be the right thing to do, with that sort of power?
What happens...when I win?
These are the things I start to contemplate after we finish our meeting and part ways. Erika is busy with our underworld projects, and both Hina and Ino have business with their clans to take care of. Fio is out with her team on a mission.
In that case, this is a good time to take care of a few things. I head over to the central hospital and search for a certain person.
"Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Lilith." Sakura turns and holds the clipboard to her chest. She has her hair tied back into a large and round bun today, a few loose locks resting on her shoulders. Her usual red jacket has been replaced by the white ones used by medics.
"I wanted to take care of the usual thing now. I have something to take care of in a few weeks, so I don't want to cut it too close when it comes to recovery. Every drop counts."
"Understood. I can have us set up in a few minutes...please, follow me." She leads me over to one of the hospital stations, where she then communicates her orders and messages for Tsunade. We then go a short distance to what is a suitable room, one with a soft recliner modified to have solid arm rests. Sakura moves around the room, gathering all of the equipment she needs and staging it piece by piece. She inspects every item, ensuring cleanliness with touches of a gloved hand and the shine of a bright light.
After that, she reaches into the small refrigerator and takes out a bottle of water, along with a small bag of peanuts. I snack on those while she double and triple checks her equipment.
"What will we be doing for today's donation?" she asks.
"Whole blood as usual. You all can do the boring work of separating the important parts...I won't be running around too much in the coming days, either. Take a half step this time, for everyone's sake."
"Alright." Sakura writes on her clipboard from earlier. "Seven and ten, whole. Starting routines. Temperature."
She takes a thermometer out of a glass tube and puts it in my mouth.
"Pulse and pressure."
"I'll get the sweater out of your way, then. Easier since it's just us girls." I take it off and we're just left with the mesh half-shirt I usually wear. As always, she stifles a sigh while looking at my chest. The cuff goes around my right arm and is inflated. Then the stethoscope none too gently plunges my bosom into the ides of winter.
"You didn't stick that thing in the freezer earlier, did you?" I say around the thermometer.
"That's more Lady Tsunade's speed. But you knew that already," she quips. "Pulse...fifty five. Temperature...thirty six six. Pressure...one twenty one over eighty one. All green." Sakura takes away the thermometer, putting it into a bucket to be sterilized later. Then the pressure cuff comes off. She prepares my right arm by cleaning it with an anti-bacterial solution, changes her gloves, and then finds my vein in one go as she always does. She wheels the hanging blood bag and instrument table over, then does her final checks before finally unsealing the needle.
"It's shocking, honestly."
"What is?" I ask. She finds the vein from memory and inserts the needle. Blood starts to flow up the tube and towards the bag hanging above our heads.
"That you haven't sent a bunch of people over here with those things you swing around."
"Oh, that. Well, as you can see plainly, I have much expertise in some sealing arts of my own."
She snorts before giggling a bit. "Alright, I have to admit that one was good. Maybe I can use it on Lady Tsunade when she's down."
"By all means. Glad I could brighten up your day."
She nods and writes a few more things on that clipboard of hers. "Should be done in a reasonable time. Six or seven minutes."
"Are you busy with anything else?" I ask.
"Not right now. My focus is on tending to you."
I nod. "Good. Then you can update me on your boys."
"Sasuke has been fine," she says as she sits on the wooden chair next to me. She diligently keeps an eye on the blood flowing through its tube, and the rise and fall of my chest. "Just a bit restless recently. We've been talking over some travel plans."
"You mean with the revelations regarding Itachi."
"Yes. If he goes, it will be without me. I think he's just worried about Itachi and wants to look after him, even if it's not something necessary. But he's been gentle about it. Naruto is Naruto, for the better. He's become obsessed with new wind type jutsu, using them to launch clones...and using them to launch himself. Lady Tsunade wants to study his skull at some point because of how he never gets a concussion, somehow."
"Mm. That's how it is with him."
"Their synergy is growing, too. They can read each other so easily..."
"And you, I bet. Like an open book."
She sighs, blushing lightly. "They don't...need to know that. But it's a good feeling. Like we're finally the team we were meant to be. Maybe the family we were meant to be. And we were so close to losing all of that, once upon a time. But they're all fine. Kakashi-sensei, too. He's gained an extra stop on his road of life."
"It's well deserved."
"Yes. Especially after putting up with all of us."
"And yourself?"
"I've been getting lost myself...looking into civilian medicine certifications. I thought it would be more dry, for some reason. But it's been fascinating. When I have time to myself, I go into those books and tests...try a few things here and there. I think I might do a tour, when things settle down. Go out into the world and serve those under served villages and towns and the like...but I've been going on, I apologize."
"Nothing wrong with that," I say. "It sounds like you have ambitions of your own, which is good to learn. Of course, we'll want to build infrastructure so that the people you bring to good health stay that way for as long as possible."
"That's true. Lady Tsunade hinted at that once..."
"Fortunately for everyone, I have a solution or two to that end. Things like that will take time to bring to life, though...so it's in your best interests to continue sharpening your skills until that day."
She nods. "I see. I will keep that in mind."
"But you're doing well otherwise?"
"Yes. Shizune and I make sure to split our workloads evenly, and get the proper amounts of rest. Lady Tsunade counts on us for a lot of things." She pauses to check the bag before sitting down again. "It's pretty remarkable that I ended up here. I'm thankful for it...the chance to do good for as long as I can, and for as many people as I can. It's my ideal place, and I always did admire Lady Tsunade. Even during those early days."
"You're on your way, Sakura. As I've said a few times before, all you need to do is keep at it," I say.
"Yes. I'll remember that, Lilith. I think we should be done." She takes the needle from my arm, and makes sure all of the blood is drained from the tube before sealing the bag. "The snack basket should be at the station we passed earlier. That's all for today, and as always, your donations are appreciated."
"You're very welcome." Sakura hands me my sweater, and I shrug it on before zipping it up. "I might see you in a month or two, perhaps not. Take care until then."
"I will. Thank you for your visit. We greatly appreciate it."
I nod to acknowledge her, then go on my way.
"I appreciate your work as well, Sakura. Do your best."
"Yes, ma'am."
The basket with treats is waiting for me, as promised. All kinds of sweet drinks, biscuits and candy, fresh fruit and so on. I thank the nurses for their help and service, then sit on one of the many benches on the hospital grounds and start eating. A good reward for a good deed.
As I look out at the many people walking to and fro, and reflect on my blood giving with Sakura...things start to come together in my head. What will be done when I emerge victorious? Always start with the simple things. Bring the sick to good health. Make sure the food they eat is suitable for both man and beast. Shelter, and then homes if conditions permit for all. Changing the world step by step.
I know what to do with that power. I know what I want to do with it. And what I don't want to do with it.
"If I can see further than the old man, like he says...it makes sense, that sort of decision. I'll see if I change my mind in a few weeks. But I doubt it. I think this world's path...is set at the conclusion of that fight."
Not as much to worry about as I first thought. Just have to keep reviewing what we know, so that we're ready when the time comes.
Whether the world is ready for us...well, that's far less important.