Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 85
"Rising"
[Convergence of Shadows: Opening]

Five days to go before the summit. The Leaf has been holding its breath nervously for the past week, and now...it finally gets to exhale. A cool winter wind and a dusting of snow sweeps over the village, giving us a dazzling sight on the eve of the Hokage's departure. Tomorrow at dawn we'll gather at the majestic front gates of the village, in sight of soldiers and officers alike as we prepare to leave for the most important gathering in a very long time. One that might determine this world's future.

Hina and I have spoken over the phone every evening, including this one. We've arranged for something dazzling ourselves, to show solidarity with our leader and the village itself. I've just picked up my items from the tailor's, in fact.

"Should be good~."

"Not gonna stay up too late working, eh." Fio is already in her pyjamas, rubbing a towel over her head after leaving the shower.

I zip up one of the side pockets on my pack. "Definitely not tonight. I want to look smashing tomorrow in front of the crowd that will be gathering."

"Good. You're all packed and set? Nothing I need to run out and get for you?" she asks.

"Nothing, love. Thank you, you've been as wonderful as ever this week."

"Light work for me, you know. Gotta stay on the ball."

"I'm quite appreciative. Everything's done, and there is such a thing as preparing too much. I have my clothing ready, and equipment, so...yes, I'll be all set. A little bit of tea and some reading before we go to sleep."

"Cool. I'll probably be spacing out and stuff in bed, so slip in when you're ready."

I make myself a hot cup of tea and get into the recliner, pulling my feet up while reading one of the novels that Ino lent me the other day. It's one of those dramatic little books with a muscular male warrior of some kind on the cover. They grow wings and fly off the shelves, and I can see why. This one does have some good bits about historic events on top of the usual bodice tearing and the like, so I've been entertained well enough.

After a few chapters, I finish my tea and bookmark my stopping point. I turn out the lights and slip beneath the covers next to Fio, who snuggles into my side and takes my hand in hers. We're quiet for a while, and I feel myself drifting off before a soft squeeze on my hand clears my head.

"Lili?"

"Yes, love."

"I hope I didn't wake you..."

"I was on my way out, but don't worry about it. What is it, my love? I'm right here for you."

"It's kind of silly, maybe. I just...wanted to know how you were feeling about this whole trip. If you're really okay with everything. Or if you have any doubts and stuff."

"I see. That's all fine to answer...or at least try to, I suppose. There are a lot of complicated feelings, but they're...not hindering, is the best way to put it. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think I get it."

"Good. I have a lot to think about, and all of my attempts to manage it have been going well. A little bit of stress is good to have, since it means that I'm active and taking this seriously. I have no idea how things will end, which gives me some uneasy feelings. But the possibilities are exciting."

Fio yawns. "What do you mean by exciting?"

"Well. As much as we think about disaster, it could be the opposite," I start. "Talking about the world's issues and the present conflicts we have could lead to a new idea, or many of them. We could end up settling disputes from long ago. We could establish new paradigms and the like. When we had the meeting with the Tsuchikage, many good agreements came up. Using those again would be a smart thing to do, and certainly possible with the leaders of the hidden villages present. As much power as the daimyo have, the affairs of the villages are largely left to the Kage who lead them. They won't be stopped from making decisions in their own interests..."

I go on for a few minutes with my thoughts, detailing what I would like to do and how I would like to do it. It makes me feel a lot less tense.

"What do you think? Fio?"

I look over to see that she's fast asleep. I see...she was worrying about me in her own way, as always. Entirely too clever sometimes.

"Thank you, darling. I'll see you in the morning." I give her a quick kiss before closing my eyes.

I open my eyes and look to the clock next to me. Half past four. Good. The usual routines come next, and Fio is still sleeping. I get out of bed and to my stretching, taking time with my back and legs especially. I brush my teeth while waiting for the shower to get hot, then hop in and start washing. The smell of breakfast reaches my nose as I step out, dry off, and look after my hair.

"Food's here," Fio calls from the other room.

"Be there in a minute," I call back. After hair comes a light bit of makeup and some more fussing in the mirror. Once that's done with, I blow myself a kiss and put on a robe before joining Fio for breakfast. She starts her eating as soon as I sit down.

I don't want to eat too much today, since we'll be moving about for a while. Light snacking in between meals will do me well until we get to the Iron, where we will be treated well enough as the guests of honour. I drink a bit of tea to settle myself, then rest.

"Everything okay?" Fio asks.

"Just fine, love. Trying not to rush anything today. Alright, I'll be getting dressed. I want you to be the first to see this little surprise."

"Can't wait!"

I get up, go into the closet for the sealed garment bag, and then take it into the bathroom with me. Unzipping the front and doing a visual inspection shows that the contents are as perfect as I wished for.

"Very nice. This should turn heads...and of course, the practicality can't be beat, hmhm."

I take my clothing out of the bag and start to put it on. It's from the same shop that made the combination I love so much now, so they had the original design and materials on hand already. Virtually the same, but with a big difference. That is to say, every part of the outfit is pure white in colour. The zipper, sleeves, cuffs, all of the trimmings besides. All of the other accessories are in white as well, packed at the bottom, and I fish everything out after making sure that the main parts fit, which they do perfectly.

Visually striking in the day, and stealthy in a land of snow and ice. A perfect combination of form and function, I think. I do a few turns in the mirror after pulling on my socks. Hm. Next time, I should commission something in the same colour but with a few red highlights. That looks like it would be fun. But what we have now is ideal for making a statement at the upcoming summit.

"Here we are. How do I look?" I ask Fio as I walk back into the room. I flip my hair backwards and pose for her smartly.

"Man. Knocked it out of the park, as always." She whistles and nods from her seat. "The all white look is tricky to pull off, but it's you we're talking about. Never in doubt."

"Thank you."

"Really does make you look like an angel. That's what you were going for, yeah?"

"Yes. Someone descended from the clouds themselves, to guide and protect our precious leader as he ventures out into the world."

"I like it."

"Now that my outfit is Fio approved, it's time to get going. Are you coming now, or will you join us in a bit?"

"In a bit, if that's okay."

"Perfectly fine." I find the white variants of my footwear that I picked up the other day and put those on, then make sure my gloves are properly secured. Everything should be set...extra items, tools, spare kits...good. I shrug on my backpack and shake it a bit to make sure everything is settled and in place. "See you in a bit, love. Oh, come a moment. You'll get to send me off with the others, but we won't have another opportunity to be close..."

"Yeah, I almost forgot." She smiles and runs to me. "Be safe, then. I love you, Lili."

"And I love you more, Fio. Thank you for everything you do."

"Anything for my Lili."

We give each other a long, sweet kiss that I don't want to end. Unfortunately, we have important things to do. The warmth of her cheeks against my fingers, as I stare into her eyes...what a wonderful feeling. Who wouldn't want to come back home to this?

"I miss you already," she says.

"I miss you, too. I'll do my best to hurry back."

"Yeah. I know you will." She grins. "You should head out before we get silly ideas."

"Right." I settle for kissing her on the nose before we separate. "Until the next, my love."

"Till next time, hon."

I finally head out, and into the hotel lobby. The first rays of light come through the glass of the front entrance. Time for the sun to rise over our village. As planned, someone is already waiting for me with their own pack on.

I dip my head and curtsy for her. "Good morning, Lady Hyuuga."

She dips her head in turn and copies my motion. "Good morning, Lady Kobayashi. Are we well today?"

"Very much so. And yourself?"

"Very well, yes. It's time to take on the day."

The best of the Hyuuga's cloth and labour went into making Hina a dazzling variation of her own outfit, pure white from head to toe in the same way that that mine is. Her dark hair looks even more beautiful contrasted against everything. Beyond gorgeous.

"We've done well for ourselves with this choice of colour," she says. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, love. I would be remiss to not comment on how marvellous you look today. Very stunning."

"Thank you very much," she says with a bright smile. "Shall we make our way towards the village gates?"

"We shall. Are there any errands we need to run on the way?"

"Nothing that I have in mind."

"The same goes for me. Let's away, then."

We head out of the hotel together, and into the streets of the Hidden Leaf as dawn starts to wash over it. It's a busier time than normal, an unusual day for most as activity has increased for this special event. People take notice of us and give us waves, sometimes verbal encouragement as well. There's already a notable crowd at the village's most prominent entrance by now, with a few ANBU standing in a group by themselves. They're going to escort us to the Iron Country border, where there will be lodgings set up for their stay. I imagine it will be the same for the other villages once they arrive. The summit parties will then travel into the country themselves, in order to meet with samurai escorts outside of the venue. Mifune is determined to avoid as much trouble as possible, it seems.

There are some familiar faces, or masks rather, in the escort group. One with purple hair stands out immediately to me, as she always does.

"I see we're in the best hands today," I say as I approach. Yugao turns to face me in her cat mask and nods politely.

"Thank you kindly. It's good to see you this morning, Miss Genius. And you have Lady Hyuuga with you. We'll be doing everything in our power to keep you safe and untouched until we reach Iron Country."

"I could never doubt it. We won't leave you to fend for yourselves, either."

"Understood."

"And it's been a while since we've been able to talk, senpai."

"I'm surprised you remembered me after so long," Zo says. If it weren't my familiarity with his chakra, I couldn't forget the cat mask he favours with the two red stripes on each side.

"Hush, now. It was your expertise that helped us defend the village and protect Lord Hokage all that time ago."

"I think that might be a little much. You were the one who faced Orochimaru head on, and saved Lord Hokage from the worst fate."

"Hm. I suppose I can forgive your stubbornness this time. I hope you aren't being too humble in other matters."

"She does carry on at times," Hina says to him. "The best thing to do is accept her praise of you, since she always means well, nettlesome as she can be."

He chuckles lightly at that. "I can see that. You'll be glad to know that I've been doing my best recently, and vow to continue on that track for this mission. Tsuki and I will do our best to look after you until you reach the border."

"That's correct," Yugao says, responding to her code name. "As many layers of protection as we can spare...the world may very well depend on it."

"I would be correct to guess that you have your own set of eyes on the village while we're all gone," Zo says to me.

"Yes, that is very much the case."

"That's good. We need a bit more than to go on faith, especially when things in the world are so chaotic. It might lead to some bad decision making."

I give him a knowing nod. Seems like everyone's on the ball regarding Danzo Shimura. Good...it means we should get there and back to take on those important matters inside of the village, before they become too big to handle properly.

"Looks like we're ready to start the ceremonies. Here they come," Yugao says. We turn our attention to the entourage coming down the main road, led by Hiruzen himself. He wears the familiar uniform that he is seen in daily around the village, the red robes tied with a white sash around his waist, and the white jacket over top.

"Good morning, children." All of us present as the escort group bow respectfully towards him.

"Good morning, Lord Hokage," Hina and I say in unison.

"Madam Hyuuga, and Madam Kobayashi. You both have chosen a dazzling look for this adventure of ours. I very much approve."

"Thank you, sir," I say to him. "We discussed the idea over several days, and thought it best from both a practical and symbolic perspective."

"Yes," Hina follows. "Far from drawing attention away from you, we wanted most to enhance your presence and display solidarity with you as our esteemed leader and guardian. And to show the world at least two of this world's angels that you have raised with your own hand."

"I see, I see. Brilliant. Hopefully the other villages will be as appreciative of this display as I am. If not, then I suppose it will be their loss in the end," he says with a smile. "The effort that went into your preparations will not go unnoticed."

"It's all we could ask for, Lord Hokage. Thank you for your praise," I say.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Hina says.

"Of course. We will be leaving in a moment or two...our members of the Leaf Council should be along by now."

Another group of people approaches behind the two elderly councillors, Homura and Koharu. In the latter's hands is the familiar four pointed hat that belongs to the Hokage. In times past, according to tradition that the five greater villages seem to follow, the Kage are given their crowns just before leaving by their most trusted elders and advisors. This comes with wishes and prayers for good fortune, and a safe return. To that end, I note a face that I had only previously seen in readings, but has been mentioned many a time by Asuma himself.

A bald man in the attire of the shinobi monks, robes of white and dark grey. Around his waist and peeking out at one corner is the same symbol that Asuma also wears proudly, that of the now disbanded Twelve Guardian Shinobi. The head monk of the Fire Temple, Chiriku. I suppose they've pulled out all of the stops this time, which is fair enough considering the stakes.

The councillors reach us and bow respectfully to the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, we wish you well on your journey to the Iron Country and the Five Kage Summit. We hope that your wisdom in this hour will help to bring order to these savage lands, and true peace in our time," Koharu says.

"The Hidden Leaf has remained strong and prosperous under your hand. Our hope is that your insight will reach the minds of those who are our enemies and rivals, in order to quell the chaos that currently consumes the world," Homura says.

Koharu bows her head and presents the hat to Hiruzen. He nods and takes it before setting it on his head.

"Your faith in me will not be wasted, this I promise on my soul. I am guided by the Will of Fire and the hearts of those Hokage of the past. And I am protected by the finest soldiers of this village, who I have raised with the same burning spirit. The road will be long, but we will see light illuminate this dark world in time," Hiruzen says. "Thank you for your trust, old friends."

They nod and bow before stepping back. Chiriku steps forward and bows his head briefly.

"Lord Hokage, as always it is a pleasure to stand before you."

"An honour, in my case. The Fire Temple's head monk, and an elite chosen by the daimyo of times past," he replies. "Thank you for attending this small event in person, it is greatly appreciated."

"The very least I could do, Lord Hokage."

"Be sure to catch up with Asuma afterwards, won't you?"

Chiriku chuckles a bit at that. "Surely. I've been planning to hear his boasting about his new life for an age now, and this would be the perfect time. Thank you, sir. Now, I would be honoured if you allowed me to pray for you and your two bodyguards before your journey."

"Of course, of course. Ladies, if you would come to my side."

"Yes, sir," Hina and I say together. We reach the old man's side and fold our hands in front of ourselves, looking downwards. Chiriku then says a prayer for the three of us. Once he finishes, he steps away again for Koharu.

"Please return to us safely, Hiruzen. We all still have need of you, and will for a time yet."

"It might be arrogant of me to say, but...I will express my feelings this once to you all. As I am now, it is impossible for me to die. I will return to you whole, and in good spirits."

"I see." She looks to me next. "I trust you will have no issues performing your function, Scarlet Viper."

"None at all, ma'am."

She nods. "Good. And you, Lady Hyuuga?"

"These eyes are such that even the smallest grain of dirt will be spotted before it can even reach Lord Hokage."

"Hm." She nods again, satisfied. "Good. Farewell to the three of you, then."

She and Homura bow before heading back into the crowd.

"I can see what Sarutobi was going on about in his letters," Chiriku says to me. "The one who boldly approaches the great wheel, then."

"It only makes sense that you of the iron soul would discern my shape beyond the physical," I reply. "Do you see my disposition as reckless, sir?"

"Hmph. I might be a little envious of such strength," he says with a small smile. "Especially with the ones you have at your side to anchor you," he says as he looks to Hina. She catches the meaning and plays with some of her hair bashfully.

"I see. As an agent of the heavenly plane, I do try to use this power responsibly...but no promises will be made at this time regarding future endeavours. There is always much to learn, however."

He nods knowingly. "The Fire Temple's doors are ever open to those who seek wisdom and knowledge. As the temple head, it will be a rare occasion to visit and not find me present."

"Understood. I will commit it to memory, dear sir."

He nods and bows before leaving.

"Are we ready, Lord Hokage?" Zo asks as he and the other ANBU surround us.

"We are all ready, Zo. You may start your routines."

"Understood. All right, let's get moving. We'll settle into formation once we reach Alpha Point as discussed."

The crowd starts cheering as we get ready to leave, and we can hear their well wishes for a while after we clear the gates. At Alpha Point, we settle into our proper formation: the old man in the middle, me in front of him, and Hina behind. Zo is at the top of the scattered cloud of ANBU that surround us as we move. A simple, effective formation where everyone has a specific role. We don't expect much danger, but leaving nothing up to chance is an ironclad rule in this shinobi world.

"Keep an even pace," Zo says from ahead of us. "We'll make the date in plenty of time."

Four days of travel are projected. Hopefully things are well when we get to our destination.

Due west.

Our path as usual has been scouted to the best of the ability of our shinobi. That ability, as always, is far from lacking. The journey has been smooth, and we've been able to avoid conflict during our travels. Cutting across Wind Country was done with ease, and part of that is due to the arrangements made for summits such as these.

I learned about it from the old man and Tamaki, who were deep into the relevant talks for weeks. There are a great number of temporary treaties, agreements, and laws put into place whenever a Kage summit is called by any country, to a much greater degree than what was set up by the Leaf and Rock for our little meeting a while ago. It ensures that no hidden village or their subsidiaries can launch attacks on each other while their Kage, and presumably several of their most powerful agents, are out of the village. It's many things at once. Mission restrictions all the way down to banning the most basic back and forth travel if there's even a remote chance of causing an issue. Certain types of trade are delayed or redirected, diplomatic visits are halted but long range communications increase greatly, with the aviary's flying children experiencing their busiest and most stressful periods of work.

These restrictions started in full a day ago. They will continue through the meeting until it ends, and then for a few days afterwards until everyone reaches their homes safely. Or at least, we can hope. But this is very much a world on pause, waiting for the outcome of this meeting...if only because it has no real choice in the matter.

The outside air continues to have a positive effect on the old man, allowing him to turn back the hands of time according to our resident ANBU medic. I was shocked they had a full timer around in that capacity, but Tsunade's influence seems to be greater than I realized. She has been looking after his health carefully and noted how spry he was, allowing Zo to set a continuous pace that allowed us to cover a lot more ground than anticipated. It means that we should be third to the checkpoint, fourth at worst. Mist will be last because of the ground and water they have to cover as a starter.

"It seems we're the second group here. That should be Lord Kazekage and his entourage present in their lodgings," Hina says. We're entering our final approach, through the trees and increasingly cold air as we get closer to the Iron Country border. The samurai guard are more than visible from distance, and we drop down to stop in front of them and the large wooden wall constructed on the border. Snow is falling lightly from the grey skies.

"Delegation from Hidden Leaf," Zo says as he steps in front of the group. Yugao stands next to him as he takes a scroll out from one of his sleeves.

One of the samurai steps forward to take the scroll from him, nodding. There are about six or seven that I can see, in their white armour with helmets on. Ready for anything, just about. The swords stashed on their waists would seem a bit short to the uninitiated, but their shape transformation skills are hard to match for most shinobi, and come ready to wreak havoc if need be. But today, the lot of them are relaxed.

"Glad you all made it safely. Sorry for the trouble, sir."

"Not a problem at all," Zo says. "We've all got jobs to do...I know how it is sometimes."

"Appreciate it. Welcome to the Summit Checkpoint. We've marked your lodgings appropriately and should have enough room for all of you with space left over. If it's not the case, we'll fix that as quickly as possible. Instructions are the same as relayed to you before your departure from your village, no changes of note. The General is currently at the venue, making final preparations."

"Understood," Zo says. "We'll be making our own final preparations from here, before sending our representatives off in the morning."

"Not a problem," the samurai says. "We'll make sure to prepare some warm food for you all once you're settled in."

"Much appreciated. Take care, sir."

Zo and the samurai shake hands, and the samurai does the same for Yugao. All of the samurai present bow towards the Hokage respectfully, and he acknowledges them before we move on. A sizable area has been cleared out, with a few blocky buildings that are puffing out smoke on my left, and five large wooden houses on my right, spaced evenly from each other. Each has a circular crest with the character for each participating country on top of the roof, and the symbol for their corresponding hidden village carved into the entirety of the front door.

"Looks nice," Yugao says. "Guess they went all out this time, eh."

"Hm. This seems about standard for these fellows. They love their hospitality, you know," I say to her.

"You've been around before?"

"It was a few years ago, with my teammates on a diplomatic mission. I got to meet with the samurai general himself."

"Eh...seriously? If you wanted to make me jealous, it worked."

"Heh. I think I can mention that one of our radiant members of ANBU is a big fan of his. He's very interested in encouraging the youth, you know."

"It sounds like you're teasing me."

"Would I ever do something like that to you?"

"The answer is obvious," Hina says as she walks by.

"You're an awful bitch sometimes, you know that."

"Learned from the best," she says with a wave over her shoulder.

"You two really are sisters," Yugao says.

"For better and worse it seems. Perhaps I am a bad influence...hm. Oh well. But I meant what I said, and he'll probably want to see us all off before we leave."

"I might let you get away with whatever you want for five minutes next to the actual Mifune. Seriously."

"An offer too tempting to pass up~. I'll work on it for you. An autograph at the very least."

"You are the best, Lili. Thank you."

"Tsuki. Still busy?" Zo asks.

"Nope, finished fangirling over here. Orders, sir?"

"Nothing much aside from getting your stuff unpacked. Been a long trip, and a good wash and rest will help us stay at peak performance."

"Yes, sir. On it."

"Probably thinking you might hail the Kazekage and his group?" Zo asks me as Yugao leaves with the other ANBU.

"Maybe. The core group is who I expected..." That man is not here, which means that he's with Aiko looking after the Sand. Sensible enough. Though it's possible Gaara had an inkling that it would set me off somewhat, or Aiko mentioned it to him at some point. Who can say. It's good for everyone, at least.

"I'd advise against it, only because their entourage might cause more trouble than we need right now."

"That's fair. I suppose we'll leave greetings for when we reach the venue."

"Yeah. For the best." He pats my shoulder and starts inside. "Make your way inside, and get unpacked and warmed up. You've got more work ahead of you than most of us tomorrow."

"You're right, senpai. Let's head in."

The long trip here was just the opening. It's as he said...the real work is coming up next. Time to get ready.