A Long Awaited Summons

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu was conflicted.

On one hand, the past fifteen months or so had been agonizing. The constant shake-ups in leadership since Hayata Shin's death meant that the original mission he had tasked her with was stuck in limbo, and her along with it. First Shin, then Haruka, then Saito, one authority after another had reviewed the mission, reaffirmed it, then promptly forgot about it during the next crisis. As a result, until some degree of stability had been attained Shashu was stuck doing busy-work and twiddling her thumbs. Her mission could technically be ordered to commence at any time after all.

However, on the other she was becoming accustomed to the ease of life afforded by her current stand-by status. Though she was unable to do any real missions to stretch her limbs and make good use of her abilities, the boring busy-work assigned her by the village left her ample time and opportunity to experience village life in a way she had been unable to since her academy days. She could laze about, reading in clock towers and snacking on meatbuns and takoyaki to her heart's content. More importantly, she had nearly unlimited opportunity to pursue her two true obsessions in life. Kogami Ayumu and Shinrya Kahako, her first and second loves respectively. Though neither knew of, much less returned, her affections. Likewise, neither truly understood exactly how much Shashu involved herself in their lives. All the free time afforded her recently had allowed her to glut herself on them like never before, and she was loathe to give that up.

She sighed and dug her fingers into her hair before incinerating yesterday's note as she had the others. Finally hauling herself out of bed, two pairs of hands set about dressing herself while a third began the arduous task of untangling her hair. If this summons was the real deal and the Raikage was finally ready to send her out she wouldn't have a real choice in the matter. That was part of being ANBU, part of what she signed up for. In exchange for a role worthy of her talents she had to obey orders without question. Those were the rules.

Well, I haven't exactly been the poster child for that one. Then again...aside from the one time with Shin it's never really come up has it?

Blinking slowly, she came to the conclusion that no, actually, it had not. For the most part either her interests had aligned with her orders or she had simply not cared one way or the other. Going by the incident with Shin though, she was oh for one in the 'obey without question' department when it came to something she actually had a problem with.

Somehow...that is a bit worrying. Feels almost like foreshadowing, or deja vu or something. Spirit whispers maybe?

She scratched her head again, then shook it and decided to put it out of mind. There were more pressing concerns than dead people trying to make her feel uneasy about the future. Like finding out if she would be sitting on her thumbs or not for another year. Once she was fully kitted out and her hair wouldn't strangle stray children she slipped out of the apartment and took the long sneaky way to the Torre. The Kage's secretary showed her in to Saito's office, and as soon as she left Shashu removed her mask.

"Tsuirakuya Shashu, reporting as requested. Long time no see, Saito-sama."

Perhaps it was petty, but the sight of Saito in this particular office put her far more at ease than anything he could have done deliberately. At their prior meeting he had occupied the seat of the ANBU Sennin, and though she tried to ignore it the sight of anybody sitting there besides Ayumu filled her with a deep sense of wrongness. In her mind, that seat would always belong to her Shukun, regardless of who the Kage saw fit to place there. Before she had greeted Saito with wariness and formality. This time she was much more her normal relaxed self despite nothing having actually changed between them. Shashu briefly wondered if the big man would even notice, then mentally chided herself. Of course he would. One didn't become Kage by ingoring such things.

[OOC: WC-711]​

 

[Junan]

She entered the room and Akira nodded respectfully to her as she introduced herself and then took him slightly off guard with a comment which sounded almost as though there was a level of familiarity between them.

Still, he ignored it, he didn't know why the change, there were so many variables in place which could cause it that unless he specifically asked he'd never know anyway, so there was nothing to concern himself over. Instead he would let himself relax a little, if only a little.

Yes indeed Shashu. I am so terribly sorry for the delay with this mission. And he was... so much had occurred and then the mission had been put to the back of his mind with so many other things taking priority. By now the corpse would be merely bones, and that would be if they could even be found. Relying on very old information and hoping that someone still existed who knew anything.

Time will have only made this mission more difficult, we both know this, and this issue has been caused by me for the most part. For this I apologise. He had taken ownership over the mission after Shin's murder, but then while trying to organise a proper party to send on it he had ended up finding more information than perhaps he had expected in a very short time. Haruka left as he made his move against her and the Council, and took the Raikage chair for himself. Unfortunately that had then led to a bunch of other work which had built up, and yet more when he opened the gates again.

That it had taken this long since Shin's death to finally get back to this point... it was embarrassing for the village.

Because of the time involved I think it'll be best to send only a couple of shinobi to Stone. Initially due to the potentially hostile nature of the mission I had thought about sending a full squad as well as a backup ANBU guard in case. However it has been a long time since the death of our shinobi in Stone, and by all accords they have gone through many changes themselves. So instead let us do this in the way which will make it work best.

I will place you in charge of the mission. Take with you at least one other Cloud shinobi rated at an A-Rank or higher skill level, two if you want to be on the safe side, and fulfil the mission with those numbers. If you reach Stone and get an uneasy feeling as though there might be hostilities, perhaps combat, attempt to disengage and stay safe and send me a message. If that is the scenario I will come personally and bring a group of shinobi with me to deal with the situation.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but if Stone were going to act up against Cloud shinobi he wanted them to learn the price that would be paid for doing so. He would need to teach them a lesson that they would remember.

Does this meet your approval?

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

After listening to what Saito had to say, Shashu nodded her assent. Her thoughts on the matter were much the same as the Raikage's, namely that her mission would be a whole hell of a lot harder with almost a year and a half's time since Ayumi's spirit left her body. The trail would have long since went cold, and what little clues might have been left behind had almost certainly vanished by now. Their only hope in recovering the body lied with those who had handled it, and if she was forced to deal directly with those involved in the Cloud shinobi's death things were likely to go south very quickly.

On the other hand, the long wait had given her something else she had originally wanted: a much smaller team. The initial plan had been to send a whole squad along with a group of students in order to grant them some field experience. The students would have been sent back before arriving in Earth Country of course, but nonetheless it was still far too large of a group for Shashu's liking.

But with two, three people tops, this is much better. Then again...who would I take? She scratched her head in thought, trying to conjure up a list of who might be suitable to take with her, but to no avail. Gaahhh....to think this is where it bites me. I really should socialize more.

"Saito-sama, I hate to ask, but...I must confess that I'm mostly a solo-operator to begin with, I barely pay attention to the Main field operatives, and all this time stuck doing busy-work hasn't done me any favors in keeping up to date with the other ANBU either. Do you have any anybody in mind to take with me? I've put a bit of thought into it, and I've been taking some basic medical courses on the side so I can somewhat pass as a medic going to Iwa to study chakra healing. That should put me close to somebody who would have handled the body, or barring that at least their medical records. It's a solid place to start."

She started to scratch her head again, then stopped herself. That was starting to become a habit. "With that in mind, I think it might be best if whoever else is coming with me covers the political bits while I try to find the body, but whether or not they go incognito or not is up for grabs." She smacked a fist into one of her palms as an idea struck. "Ah, that's right! Did you ever get an official response back from whoever it was Shin was communicating with? That could help decide things."

[OOC: WC-453]​

 

[Junan]

She took her time to think about it, he wasn't sure which part she might be having trouble with but it was soon made apparent with her question. It seemed that she didn't know who to take with her, it seemed she had begun taking medical lessons like he had begun doing himself, which would give her a bit of a cover if she desired.

In his mind it came down to how she was wanting to go about the mission. The way she was talking about it, it sounded like she was going to attempt it in stealth. Which was fair enough, it was probably how she approached everything, and the mission was hers to decide on how to go about things as she wished. If this was what she wanted to do then what she would need would be one of two options. Either someone who could hold their own in a fight should one go down, or someone who was similar to herself and focused on remaining in stealth and thus reduce the chance of combat as much as possible.

The issue in many ways with how she was going to approach this was that should she be found out they might question why an ANBU would be skulking about performing this task, and question why Kumogakure didn't simply come forward and ask about it and deal with the issue in the open. However the issue with simply coming out and asking about it was held with the answer to her question.

I received no reply. He didn't say more, both would be aware of the potential negative connotations this could bring.

For example if this was because of underlying dislike of the topic entirely, a deliberate decision to try and guise that the incident ever happened in the first place, then stealth was the safest option.

In the end, they were shinobi, stealth was always the safest option. It would allow her to decide on how she wanted to approach the situation as she went, rather than showing all her cards at once, potentially ending the mission before it began in earnest.

Of course for Akira the blunt method had worked and been used more often than not. But then again he was a fighter, a shinobi whose entire training had been in the art of killing anyone who dared to stand before him.

There are some who I would suggest to help you, but with the mission and the means you're wanting to take I cannot be sure that they would be the right fit.

A genin who might be of use could be Shita Rirakkusu? He's at an age and skill level where he should undergo some kind of testing to become a Chuunin. He's strong enough for the mission if you were to encounter trouble, his combat ability is far more that of a Chuunin, while he would follow orders as per his Genin training. It would be a good experience for him, and I think that due to his rank it would make it easier on you giving him instructions.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu sighed at Saito's answer to her question. It was what she expected of course; if Iwa had actually sent word welcoming their envoys there is no way the mission would have been put on hold this long, as that would have been somewhat disrespectful. Likewise if they had received a negative response she would likely have received word that there was to be a change of plans. Still, it was disappointing. Co-operation from Iwa would have made this smooth sailing and would have likely removed most, if not all, of the risk.

As for her personnel problem Saito seemed ready to offer some solutions. That he would suggest a Genin right off the bat was a bit worrying, but he went on to explain that Rirakkusu was strong enough to rate at least Chuunin level.

It's iffy...but if he knows the kid well enough to recommend him off the top of his head he probably has a personal idea of his abilities. Even so I don't really feel comfortable sending him on his lonesome. He's probably still Genin from a lack of field experience, and this is sensitive stuff. Hrmm.

She considered for a moment, then spoke up again. "Capable or not I don't really feel comfortable with a Genin doing anything solo on something this important, but I'm also not comfortable with the idea of baby-sitting him constantly. I can't follow through on my end if I have to keep checking on him..." She rested her hands on her hips and drummed her fingers on the mask hanging there.

Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a third along with? That would give Genin-boy some support which would free me up, and as long as it's just two things shouldn't get bogged down too much. It'd need to be somebody with at least some field experience though, or someone who can handle a bit of diplomacy. Or both.

"Ok, thinking aloud here. The best way I see to handle this is like I said: two prongs, one going in officially to cover the political stuff and to try to find out what they can that route while the other goes in incognito and tries to dig up what they can from records and/or people who might have handled the body. It would be for the best if the official group can resolve things peacefully, but in the likely case that Iwa stonewalls them the second can bail them out and continue from their end."

Shashu paused to giggle at 'stonewall' before continuing. "If there's one good thing about all this waiting and them not responding, it's that they certainly won't be expecting us to show up. It's not likely that there will be a trap set, and they're also not likely to have someone ready to feed the front team an 'official' line of crap. That said, suddenly showing up with just one Genin is just asking for a repeat incident. I'd prefer to send someone else along with Shita-san: someone with field or diplomatic experience, preferably both. That way if something comes up while they're doing the Iwa song and dance they can watch each other's backs while I figure out a way to extract them. Sound good?"

 

[Junan]

It was a fair call if she was planning on ditching Rirakkusu and going out on her own. His call had been made based on them working directly together, someone she could order around without the chance of them questioning her actions and simply doing the job right. But if her plan was for the other to act as a diversion then yes, there needed to be someone more senior there. This might prove more tricky.

Perhaps Tama?

He wasn't 100% sure on her capabilities in combat, but he did get the impression that she would perform the role of diplomat fairly well. He would need to look into that option more carefully though as it would require a far more particular skill set than the previous addition to the team.

I have someone who might be able to perform the role, but I would need to check. This role would be more specialist than the previous role I thought we had been thinking of, but until I can be sure I wont set anything in concrete.

He thought for a moment.

I will reach out to the person I'm thinking of for the role and see what they think and whether they consider their skills up to the task. If it seems they are then I will let you know. Otherwise keep your ear out for any options and let me know if you think of anything. It would be better to get the mission underway as soon as possible.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu nodded again, though it was more of an acknowledgement of what he said than an agreement to do anything. The entire reason she had brought up the subject in the first place was that she couldn't feasibly think of anybody who might be a good fit, or any realistic situation where she might find a likely candidate in the short time before the mission was underway.

"I'll bear that in mind Saito-sama, but like I said, I've got little to no connection with the rest of my branch, or any branch for that matter. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but that's another main reason I was, and still am, somewhat reluctant to be promoted to Captain. I'm just not that great with people. It's like you said before: this is as much a test of my abilities in a group as it is an official mission."

She ruffled her hair and shrugged. "Well, no point going on about that now I suppose. Things will go as they will. I'll let dispatch know I'm actively earmarked for an urgent mission so they don't assign me anything while you're looking into our third member. In the meantime I'll see about getting our supplies around. Last I checked all the non-edible supplies I set aside last time were still there and in working order, so that shouldn't be an issue."

"Like you said, sooner is better. As soon as I check on the supplies I'll be ready to go at any time, so don't worry about that. No-one to say goodbye to and all that. If there's nothing else at the moment, I'll get right to it."

With that Shashu reached for her mask and headed for the door, a little surprised at the sudden burst of loneliness she felt at her own words.

No one to say goodbye to huh? She was pensive for a moment as she considered that.

Maybe I should pay them a visit before I leave. A real visit, that is.

[TLUS]
[MFT: WC-337]​

 

[Junan]

There was a part of him which felt for her.

Her record told one tale, something which someone who had never met her would assume, the assumption that he had made before meeting her for the first time. That tale was of an accomplished shinobi, one who was equal with any in the village at striking from the shadows. He had assumed that this came from an ANBU who was confident in their abilities, one who could have the potential to guide the next generation in the arts she had mastered. An art which seemed to be less and less practiced by shinobi, in part due to the influence shinobi like he, Akira, had.

Instead she was someone who doubted herself, questioned her own abilities, and despite being a powerful shinobi, thought of herself as lesser. She was right, she wasn't the shinobi Akira had thought she was. She lacked people skills, didn't have the connections a shinobi of her experience should have. But whose fault was that?

Was it his for not acting on it earlier? Was it Ayumu's for not doing something about it when he'd been Sennin?

But what could be done about it.

He nodded his fairwell as she left. Kushin entering.

Get me Mochizuki Tama of the Main Branch.

The other tilted his head, a silent question.

Our other Jounin are on missions, she is the only one that I can think of who could perform the part of a diplomat that's in the village at the moment.

Fine~ Kushin said turning and heading off.

Akira shook his head and turned towards the window, looking out at the village.

They were busy now, missions coming in a plenty, for this he couldn't help but be thankful. He hoped that perhaps this mission would show him a way to unlock the hidden potential of another Cloud shinobi. For now however he'd wait for Tama to arrive, and see if this was even going to be possible.