Hoshikata the Liar [Private]

[Kogami Ayumu]

The trip to the Torre Celsete was not terribly long, except that they would stop along the way for Hoshikata to purchase something to eat as he had mentioned wanting at the front gate, if he wanted. They had been walking along when the poor man's stomach had growled loudly enough to shake the village. He would likely be able to manage eating as he walked, fortunately, so the trip would not be much delayed regardless. Upon reaching the tower, Ayumu led Hoshikata to the elevator, the pair for the most part going unnoticed by the attendants save for the receptionist of the Torre Celeste as they walked through the lobby. The trip was mostly silent, unless Hoshikata fancied himself some small talk which he would have to initiate. Once they reached the elevator which would lead them to the conference room where they were to meet Shin, Ayumu would step inside and hold the button to keep the door open until Hoshikata had entered. What followed was undoubtedly an awkward ride up as godawful elevator music served as a theme music. The conference rooms were a ways up, so it wasn't a short ride either. Ayumu kept his gaze straight ahead at the elevator door, as if willing it to open faster. It only got worse as Hoshikata let rip a fart on the fifth floor. It was silent, but they both knew who dealt it.

As the elevator stopped on the correct floor Ayumu stepped off and led Hoshikata to the very same room that they had used the last time he had visited the tower. The room was empty for now, only Ayumu and Hoshikata present. The Raikage would have been informed of their arrival and would arrive momentarily. The other two Sennin would also have been informed, though their attendance was up to their discretion. As Hoshikata had come alone, Ayumu guessed he probably had no ill intentions during this visit. They would be on guard all the same, but the Sennin probably only needed to attend if they wished to be present, not for the sake of guarding. As Do Natsu was most familiar with Hoshikata, Ayumu guessed he would likely be in attendance. His predecessor Masao would no doubt have come, so if the new Sennin were anything like his mentor, he would join them. Whether Kushin would come or not was questionable but Ayumu thought that he might show up as well, just in case. For the moment, it was still just the two of them. Ayumu feared that at any moment the predator Hoshikata would begin making his advances.

Edit: Some strikethroughs just seemed unnecessary after all!

 

[Kairyuu]

Stop for food indeed, for Hoshikata would take a brief pause to get a piece of bread with honeyed butter on it. The Seer wasn't hungry so much as willing to inconvenience the escort for simple spite. As the sweet bread vanishes into his mouth, he would take in the city around him, so unlike his home and yet so beautiful in its own way. Mist was a place of little true land, with those islands that existed cramped and densely populated by people and buildings built high and strong. Glass tunnels vanished beneath the still waters of the crater lake and connected all of those islands together in a vast maze under the surface. Here there was no scarcity of land, so the buildings were not so tall as those of home, the roads wide enough to travel without touching another person.

The climate was the most noticeable thing, however. Mist, before the freeze, was warm and humid with plenty of cool breezes coming in over the rim of the crater and brushing the city with a breath of freshness. This place was cold, in comparison, and nowhere near as humid. The simple matter was, if not for his unique gifts, he would be rather uncomfortable at the moment with this land. As it was, he was merely disinterested. The food vanished quickly enough, and soon the Torre Celeste rose above them, and silently did they enter.

The ride up was likely awkward for Ayumu, though for Hoshikata it was just another case of the hired help doing their job in making sure he got where he needed to. A horrid stench permeated the air at about the fifth floor, forcing him to raise his head and simply glare at the other. Oh my me....what the hell did HE eat before grabbing me and bringing me here? Still, as the smell dissipated he would go back to ignoring the other one, thinking instead of the meeting to come. As they entered a familiar conference room, he walks to a table and sets his staff by the window, letting it stand straight as he leans against the wall and waits.

 

[Sato Daigo]

The game was on. The cursed man whose name spurred across the village over the past few days Shin was gone had finally arrived into the village. Shin was called from his office to remind him of Hoshikata impromptu arrival.

"Hayata-sama, I did what you asked and the man did not come with his previous party." Hitomi's voice echoed form his ear and bounced in the closed corridor. Shin's light gray getas clicked against the solid wooden floor as he traveled through the corridor. "I see and no information about the whereabouts of Ishikawa Zaku?" Shin responded as he turned toward the right.

"No, sir." She replied.

"I see.." Shin said again his voice drifting away as he escaped in his thoughts. "I will let you know if there anything new comes up." She said waking up her leader's notorious mental trance. "Thank you, Hitomi." Shin said as he finally reached the door with two men sitting waiting for him.

"Hoshikata. We meet again. You are very bold to returning especially with what you are accused of. It may be presumptions of me but if you want me to consider what you are about to say I need to know the whereabouts of Ishikawa Zaku."

 

[Junan]

Things had for the most part calmed down for Kushin over the past few days. His temper had dropped almost back to its standard level and he spent most of his time in the hospital working when he wasn't at home with his family.

When news came that Hoshikata was back in the village he stopped what he was doing immediately. He'd just been to the gates not so long ago to request for a message to be delivered. Sure, Kushin hadn't delivered said message, but Kushin wasn't the one it'd been left with.

Standing he made his way to the tower slowly. Not exactly sure what he should say or do, or if he should be there at all. But with the recent loss of Masao he felt the need to step in in some way.

Masao had asked Kushin to promise him something. Kushin didn't make promises often and when he did he kept those promises.

Arriving at the conference room, the door opened and Kushin stepped in. He nodded to Shin and Ayumu, the last time either had seen him was when he'd left the last conference room in a very bad state of mind. They would likely both note his quiet and perhaps tentativeness. Something Kushin didn't often display, if at all. But he was still unsure on what actions he should take.

For now he would remain further back and listen.

 

[Kairyuu]

Ayumu was not very conversant during the wait, and so Hoshikata would return that small favor by himself remaining silent as they sat in the quiet room waiting on the man who believed himself to be in charge. Hood up and face down, only a glimmer of those golden eyes would prove that there was anything in the shadows of those black robes. He took no seat, making no pretense this time of trusting them in the least, for indeed he had no trust in them at all. To make his claim true required only their belief in it, and their belief would be easy enough to attain so long as that one distrusting fool did not show up during this meeting. As Shin enters, Hoshikata lifts his head and steps away from the wall, his face a blank slate as he listens to the other speak.

”Of what am I accused, exactly?” His words were as cold as his homeland had become, the chill wind of a distilled rage. His parents had raised him well indeed, to put whatever tone he intended into his speech. As he spoke, another would enter the room, someone at once familiar and foreign to him. He considered himself an excellent judge of people at the glance, for indeed he had correctly guessed Ayumu, Natsu, Shin and the other Sennin who he met during his previous visit here in only a few words. This one's soul was clear to his mystical eyes, just as theirs were, and he got the impression of a powder keg. Those golden eyes dismiss him just as quickly as he entered, moving back to Shin.

”If we're to have an audience I'll just bypass the questions entirely. The man you seek is no more. He and another approached me and my group as we were reuniting with my brother, and told us we had to go. I simply assumed that you dismissed my offer to help at the time, and so, with this man who had the authority to let me in, I likewise assumed I was being dismissed by someone of authority.” His words remain cool, but those eyes smolder with a buried rage, and his staff would begin to vibrate where it lay on the table. He was, in truth, working himself into a true anger now. It was not hard for a true actor of the world of politics and intrigue, and indeed came easily to him with only a few memories.

”Once we were clear of the village, they attacked us. I escaped, as did my brother and best friend.....my betrothed and her twin were not so lucky. So do not for one moment think that I am happy to hear I have been accused of something considering what I lost to their treachery. Had I thought you anything to do with it, even your allies being here would not stop me from attacking you.” At those words, the vibrations of his weapon would cease, but his hands would tighten into fists. ”I answered you, now answer me that I might now who I must kill.”

“Who or what is Titan and why would they wish me and mine dead?"

 

[Junan]

Liar. Kushin said. The word was simple, didn't take much to say and the reply didn't require much thought.

He looked at each of the others and then back to Hoshikata. He didn't know how the man would react to the accusation and didn't care. Certainly he'd picked Kushin with a single glance, but Kushin would have no issue calling a liar a liar whem he saw one.

That was all he said or did though in that moment. Allowing Shin to decide for himself, but Shin was far too believing. He needed someone to voice their doubt so that he could take that into account before his own reply.

People probably thought that this would have thrown a match onto the powder keg... but it certainly hadn't.


[sorry, posting out of order because Kushin was interrupting, and wouldn't make sense if it was after Shin had replied]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu made note of the fact that Hoshikata did not sit this time. Perhaps he realized that feigning cooperation was not going to get him anywhere. Regardless, it only served to put Ayumu on higher alert. The man standing only meant less time to react if he tried anything. For the most part, they stood in silence until the Raikage arrived. He was quick to get down to business, immediately asking Hoshikata the whereabouts of Ishikawa Zaku, the Cloud shinobi who had been seen leaving the village with Hoshikata's party alongside another lesser-known Cloud shinobi. Ayumu had received account of this the night it had occurred and Zaku had been named a Missing-nin because of it. Soon, Kushin had entered the room and taken a place near the back of the room. Ayumu returned the nod of acknowledgement as it was given. The last time he had seen Kushin was when he had stormed out of this same room, spitting fire when Ayumu tried to get him to stop. Ayumu had held grudges before, but mostly because the man crippled his father and put a friend in a coma. This was not something he had any desire to hold as a grudge if Kushin had moved past it himself, which his calm demeanor suggested he might have.

Hoshikata delayed no further in giving his own representation of what had happened on the night in question. He accused Zaku of escorting him out of the village under the guise that he had been instructed to do so by higher authority. He suggested that he had been found by Zaku and led out. Ayumu found that claim to be odd. He went on to say that Zaku had attacked him with the other man outside the village where Zaku lost his life and Hoshikata lost his fiancee and her brother. He conjured up anger at that, claiming that the Sennin would not be able to stop him from attacking the Raikage if he thought Shin was responsible. Ayumu decided to simply ignore the empty threat, and instead focused on the name Hoshikata brought up. 'Titan...' Ayumu thought, the name ringing familiar. Ironically, the last time he had heard of it was on the night in question. Many relevant things had happened that night that the other two Cloud leaders might not have been aware of. Regardless, Kushin was quick to mistrust and made sure they were all aware.

"The last time I saw you was that night there was a woman running around in the village dropping grenades. Several people showed up to intervene including myself. That also included you and Ishikawa. When she disappeared momentarily, you were quick to suggest the group split up and insisted that you join Ishikawa. Not the other way around," Ayumu recounted, recalling that he had found something very odd about that. "In fact, nobody else actually split off at all, just the two of you. If he wanted to drive you out, or kill you, or whatever, why not do it then? He had the opportunity. I was certainly preoccupied," Ayumu said, crossing his arms as he felt far from convinced of the story that had been told. It didn't make sense to him. "And if he was escorting you out, why would he take you up the side of the gate? You couldn't have thought that was normal," he went on, finding further reasons to doubt the story. He wasn't fully convinced that Hoshikata was lying, but he was also far from convinced of the man's story so far.

 

[Sato Daigo]

The story was rather fantastic. There were no previous evidence to possible lead anyone to believe that Zaku would pursue Hoshikata. In fact, the only people who knew Hoshikata was Do Natsu and Haruka. Isaki Kushin was only related through his wife who was excommunicated. Currently, the medical sennin decried every word Hoshikata said.

The only thing that kept Shin from denouncing his story was his reference to Titan. Ayumu and Kushin may not know the organization very well but Shin knew the group relatively well. Shin did not know much about them besides through associations, but ever since Zaku was captured by the IBT, which has yet to be proven, Shin has been weary of any medical or military public corporation in lightning country. Ayumu made some statements that possibly could verify what Hoshikata was saying. Shin remembered the report, fortunately the damage was not substantial and there has not been any serious property damage. The suspect was still at large and the ANBU corp was still addressing the issue.

All in all, Shin was not completely convinced with the man's alibi. There was not enough information to draw any real conclusion.

"If you were clearly skilled enough to kill a trained shinobi you are capable of subduing him, especially for a renown kage. Also, without a body to biopsy you make it difficult to believe any word you say. I do not take lightly those who kill Kumo shinobi without due cause. If you are innocent you have nothing to worry about."

"Ayumu, please continue your investigation on the previous matter and see if there is any connection between it and Hoshikata and/or Zaku. I will speak with the Ishikawa clan if there is any connection between the clan and Titan. This is a serious matter if an extremist society is tainting the minds of our shinobi." Shin said as he turned toward Ayumu.

"Hoshikata, you are free to roam the village given the appropriate ANBU guard, but I insist that you stay until this investigation is over. If you escape I will use force to bring you back." Shin continued.

"Hoshikata, I know you have been adamant about organizing a kage summit. The summit is still an importance to me so I will be continuing this offering through Kumogakure by sending shinobi of to other nations. I will consider you suggestion to host the event in moon country, but not until I speak with the government officials in moon county. You are more than welcome to aid us once you are clear. I apologize if I may appear aggressive I just need to sure of what exactly is going on. After you have answered Ayumu's questions, this meeting is adjourned. Unless you have any further questions."
[Leaving thread after everyone else]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

It seemed that Shin was also wary of Hoshikata's words and not quick to believe them. He has reasons of his own, though they were different in ways than Ayumu's. He wondered why a former Mizukage was unable to subdue rather than kill Zaku. 'Well, If someone came after me with the intent to kill me, I doubt I would be thinking "How can I avoid killing this guy?",' Ayumu thought, crediting Hoshikata's story if only slightly. Still, Hayata Shin did have a point. 'Why would there be no body? What point would there be in disposing of it? If, at the time, he thought that Zaku was aligned with Kumogakure, there really would have been no use in hiding the body. Kumogakure would have known when Zaku didn't return or make contact that he was dead,' Ayumu continued in thought, trying to determine what was logical or illogical about the story. Regardless, Shin had apparently come to a decision about what he wanted to do for now.

It was his instruction that he wanted Hoshikata to remain within the village under guard of ANBU while the group attempted to see if there was any connection between Zaku and the group known as Titan. This would be done in order to attempt to verify the truth of Hoshikata's story. This somewhat required the cooperation of Hoshikata, as if he chose to ignore or defy the request, it was apparent that Shin was open to the use of force. A shinobi battle was often chaotic and just as Hoshikata would no doubt argue about his battle with Zaku, it was much easier to kill rather than subdue. If conflict were to occur in this very spot, Kushin would likely spare little effort to avoid lethal actions himself, which was smart. In a fight of life and death, holding back was inviting death.

"If your story is true, I don't see why you would have any reason to deny this request. It would behoove us to prove you right, considering the work you've done towards organizing the summit. The Kazekage-steward would have to be revisited and convinced if we tried to proceed without you. So if there is truth to what you say, we'll find out," Ayumu said, hoping to give Hoshikata reason to cooperate. Of course, if he was outright lying, what evidence would they find of Zaku's connection to Titan? If he was lying, would he not most likely refuse to stay? It would be interesting to see what he intended to do. For now, Ayumu was still doubting and hadn't been given concrete reason to do otherwise. "How did you find out about Zaku's supposed connection to Titan?" Ayumu asked, wondering if Hoshikata could provide them with some reason to believe. Things would be much easier if he was not deceiving. In truth, Ayumu believed the fault in Zaku leaving the village fell to Zaku regardless. He could not pass blame off on Hoshikata. But if Hoshikata did invite him along, how could they call him an ally?

 

[Kairyuu]

He looks to the quiet one for a moment, his eyes seeing past the man, through him. Hoshikata considered telling him to keep his opinion for a time when people cared for it, but decided the man wasn't even worth that much breath. Instead he looks instead to Ayumu and Shin as they each speak, questions and orders passed around like the Seer was something under their control. They seemed to not understand that he was not bound by their rules, their decrees. For a moment he thought of simply walking right through the wall and leaving this accursed village behind. He thought of going to that certain building and talking to a certain leader, taking over a certain group and laying waste to the government of this entire nation. He thought of ice, a blue crystal against pale skin, and those other thoughts dimmed. Hid golden eyes harden as he looks to Shin, no warmth coming from the normally genial man, but also no rage. Instead, calmness, tranquility. A placid lake over a whirlpool, perhaps, an anomaly that could not exist yet did.

”I have ample reason to deny the request, one of which he just gave. Unlike your leader, I have put work into making this summit a reality, and he would shackle me here like some animal to his whim and stop that work.” He looks to Ayumu alone, not quite dismissing Shin so much as considering him of minor importance for the moment. ”We hunted for the woman. We did not find her. I can't help if the rest of you ignored the good advice I gave, but when searching for one person in a village, it makes more sense to spread a wide net instead of simply concentrating everyone in one group they can bypass. As for why he didn't attack me, I have no idea. We looked, he was quiet for the most part. Finally we gave up and he left me at the hotel I was staying in. Going up the side of the gate was me, not him. I can be rather petty, and I was in a bad mood considering I thought my appeal to your leader had been rejected. So I simply kept walking like he told me to.”

Now he looks to Shin, lifting a hand to point at the man. ”Have you ever lost a loved one? To the deceit of another? You seem to mistake power for strength. I just watched the woman I was to marry get crushed by a coffin of sand, I saw her die right before my eyes. Mercy was not on my mind right then. I hope that, should you one day face a similar situation, you understand then why I did not simply subdue him. I must ask how long you think I'm going to be complacent to sit here though. There is no body, so what evidence, exactly, are you looking for? It's been months since the fight occurred, the other man is missing. All you have to work with is my word, and the fact that I fled with him in the dead of the night.”

”I have a better idea for how I intend to spend my time, anyways. Threaten me with force if you like, but know that each threat wears my patience thinner and thinner.” A hand dips into his robes, bringing forth a sheet of paper that he tosses onto the desk before him. As it flips over, seemingly with no motivation from anything except his will, it would reveal a familiar image to those present besides him. A man with whom three of the occupants would likely feel a mix of emotions, ranging from rage to fear. He looks down at the wanted poster, then back up at those before him with a smirk on his face.

”You seem to have a problem on your hands. I like to solve problems, when I can. Let us see here. High treason, assassination of a Raikage,” with those words he looks, meaningfully, at Shin for a brief pause, ”murder charges, robbery, stealing carriages, owning books you don't like...and the one that simply cannot be tolerated.... seduction. We can't have that now can we?” The Seer rises to his full height, not an intimidating height by any means, but symbolic nonetheless. ”I'm not going to sit here in a hole in the ground while you look for evidence that doesn't exist. I'm going to find this man, and I'm going to beat the hell from him.”

"You are a danger to all of that. If somehow I could have you and Kumogakure, I would." The memory of those words went through his mind as he looked at the three before him, waiting for a response. Perhaps, in this manner, he could give her both things she desired.

 

[Sato Daigo]

Clarity? No that was not the word to describe what Shin was observing, but it was clear that the man was acerbic toward Shin believing the raikage to be a slave master ready to bind and snare any man who came in his way. Shin could feel the cold gold eyes peer through Shin's tinted glasses as he responded to Ayumu's inquiry and completely ignoring the presence of Hayata Shin. Hoshikata revealed that the attack on Kumogakure soil became his onus as he attempted to capture the accused woman, whether or not he really did so this was to be determined. He was not able to speak as to why Zaku did not received the opportunity to assault him. Afterwards, nothing really besides their prompt departure away from the village.

"We gave up?" Shin thought to himself. "What exactly does he mean?"

Now he looks to Shin, lifting a hand to point at the man. ”Have you ever lost a loved one? To the deceit of another? You seem to mistake power for strength. I just watched the woman I was to marry get crushed by a coffin of sand, I saw her die right before my eyes. Mercy was not on my mind right then. I hope that, should you one day face a similar situation, you understand then why I did not simply subdue him. I must ask how long you think I'm going to be complacent to sit here though. There is no body, so what evidence, exactly, are you looking for? It's been months since the fight occurred, the other man is missing. All you have to work with is my word, and the fact that I fled with him in the dead of the night.”

”I have a better idea for how I intend to spend my time, anyways. Threaten me with force if you like, but know that each threat wears my patience thinner and thinner.” He began to reach for his heavy dark robes as if grabbing empty space. Shin was not sure what he was about to but interrupted his motion by replying to his remark.

"I can admit that we are both men who are quick to judge but you are erroneous to believe that I don't understand what you are dealing with. Have I lost a loved one? Indeed I have when you took Zaku's life away or any one from this village but that isn't what you are asking. What you are really asking is if I sympathize or condone with what you did? I understand but I have learned over the years that I do not agree. Retribution must always be tied with restoration. You must be willing to forgive your enemy if you expect anything to change. The decision becomes easier when you begin to let go of yourself as you should being a shinobi." Shin said as he came to an end of his monologue. "..but I digress."

Shin's eyes glared toward the torn parchment with the picture humble portrait of Enishi. It reminded of the days when he was not consumed by his madness. Those pleasant memories brought a somber mood as he looked back at Hoshikata.

"Very well, if you can end the man's life honorably then so be it. I still wish it did not come to this but this is the only way to release him from his ever consuming darkness for the sake of the state and this village. You will paid as noted. After said all of this, I still will continuing this investigation for the sake of Zaku's clan. I would appreciate it if you would reconcile with them but I can not say how they would take it. I am sure they will react the same way you had when your beloved died in front of you. Death seems to always follow us. If you do not have anything more to say than you are free to go."

 

[Junan]

Kushin hadn't taken part in the events described so didn't care about them. He couldn't pass comment on something he knew nothing about, nor lay judgement. It seemed as though the man was keen on simply ignoring him though. His eyes passed between looking at Shin and Ayumu. Perhaps he felt they were the ones he needed to cater to. If that was the case then perhaps he wasn't as clever as he thought he was. This wasn't Mist, this wasn't some place where you could simply ignore a member of the leadership and have whatever you propose go through because the ones you target are the 'important' ones. This was Kumogakure... and he was the leader of the Medical Branch.

A half-threat exited the mans mouth, not to wear his patience thin. Kushin couldn't give a damn about his patience. The scroll flipped over, face up the face of Enishi and his wanted poster. Kushin barely passed a sneer. The man was dead. It was that simple in his mind. The sneer on the mans face met the blank expression of Kushin, this didn't even trouble him. But it wasn't his place to say what he wanted to, after all he didn't even know what the villages official standing was on that topic, he had his opinion, and his branch was obeying that opinion.

The man thought he could take out Enishi when the man was alive. That idea was hilarious. He had no idea what he would have been up against. If Enishi was alive he would have encouraged it. It would have taken care of one of their issues. Then they would have had to deal with Enishi afterwards.

Standing Kushin looked to Shin for his reaction. Depending on the words spoken from that man depended on Kushin's own response.

Shin's response ticked off a humor button in Kushin's head. Shin was so quick to accept the idea that Zaku was dead, but had been so quick to refute Enishi's. What was the difference? Then he allowed Hoshikata go out to end Enishi's life. Kushin looked to the floor, his shoulders rising and falling as he silently laughed.

This was pathetic, and yet hilarious.

And yet... Kushin didn't want to allow it.

On the one hand it could be a wild goose chase. It should be impossible to find the man if Cloud's ANBU couldn't find him.
On the other hand if Enishi lived then Masao's standing was in doubt, in addition to that standing was if Hoshikata actually then found and killed Enishi by himself. What then? A massive quantity of Cloud shinobi attempt it and fail, while one man succeeds?

It would make them a joke.

Kushin regathered himself as he considered the different possibilities.

Looking to Ayumu he wondered what that mans reaction would be should Kushin just attack this man. He doubted his every word, there was no reason to believe any of it. No evidence of anything was there, not even of his apparent families death. He'd arrived in Kumogakure with a large group of shinobi, enough to set off an alarm and have Kumogakure meet them in force at the gates. And yet they were to believe that a single pathetic shinobi managed to do all of this and force a situation.

How do we know you didn't just kill them yourself? He asked. There was nothing to say that even if Hoshikata had lost his supposed fiance that it was Zaku's fault. There was no reason why it couldn't have been Hoshikata himself.

This is how your logic works. He said looking at Hoshikata, letting him know who he was talking about before then turning to Shin.

Shin. This man has killed Zaku and his own loved ones. I witnessed this myself. Zaku did his best to save their lives but all was for naught. It was a clear lie, though told with conviction as though it were the truth. No facts had been given, but to doubt the words would be to doubt Kushin. Had he not made it clear that he was lying with the comment he'd made before hand.

He then looked back at Hoshikata, and with the same expression he'd had the first time he'd said this he repeated himself.

Liar.

 

[Kairyuu]

He said nothing for a moment while Shin took in his words, his face impassive even as the other agreed to his plan. He would not be ending anything honorably. If he found this man, he would do just as he stated and kill him, any way he could. If he could sneak up behind him with a dagger in the back, so be it. Hoshikata left the parchment on the table as he turns to go, then stopped short as the silent one began to shake with laughter. Golden eyes would turn to fall on the red haired mednin as the man began to speak once more. It was a simple question, one which caused the knuckles of Hoshikata's hand to turn white from his grip on the staff.

Akane ran ahead of the group, heading to Mist, most likely. Their last moment together he remembered still, standing in that hotel room, holding her in his arms as his lips met her own, a brief respite from the chaos of life to the chaos of romance. Tatsuya's interruption didn't even ruin that memory, nothing would ever take away from him the one chance someone had accepted him for who he was. Akane ran ahead with Akihiko, right into the blizzard that claimed the lives of millions and left the entirety of Water Country a barren tundra with no life in it. A blizzard the Seer believed caused by his own rage. That question brought to light the one thing he refused to think about, that he could possibly be the direct cause of the loss of his fiancee.

A pen would rise off the table a few inches, papers soon joining it as the man spoke even more, pinning the death quite firmly on Hoshikata with a lie before calling him a liar as well. The chairs would begin to move, spreading away from the man holding the staff. The crystal atop that staff, normally clear with flowing colors inside of it, was a hurricane of those colors and growing brighter by the breath.

"You have always been one to take risks, despite being cautioned against it." He frowned. "I still believe this is too much of one. You're going to inevitably bring them down on our heads. If not immediately, then certainly when they have had time to nurse their grudges so they outweigh sense, or when they think they are prepared."

The words of Tatsuya come back to him, words he should have heeded to avoid this situation, to avoid the loss of his betrothed, his brother, his best friend. He was the sole cause of the losses he'd experienced in his life, his father dead at his own hand for his hubris in deciding to take on a god. His mother sacrificed by him to power the spirit of Youko to overpower the god as well. Hoshikata almost lost his very soul in that battle as Youko tried to take over his body, only able to survive due to the mass will of the ancients of his class. Akane was lost due to his uncontrolled rage. Tatsuya due to his desire to stir the pot.

She takes his hand, grasping it with both of hers and smiles down at him beatifically. “I appreciate it, Hoshikata-kun. And know that I do not shun you because of your way of thinking,” she whispered, lifting his hand and laying it where her heart would be. “I hope you will allow me to be by your side through all this. I wish to see where it will all go and wish for your success.”

She could not join in his quest. She was dead, by his will, even in ignorance it remained his will. A love that never happened, because he refused to stray from his path. And now he was attempting to do so, to mend fences, right wrongs, and this bastard was throwing it all back in his face. He should just destroy this fool, here and now. The tables would begin to vibrate as his anger rose, his golden eyes focusing on Kushin. Remove him from this world....

”I gave my word. An oath to serve Kumogakure and protect it from all who threaten it and Lightning country. What kind of person would I be if I turned my back on them? This is the path I want."

With a snap, the table just before him would split in two, each half flying to a wall as he released the kinetic energy he'd been pulling to him. His eyes hardened as he took in the man before him. He would not kill him. He would not harm this village any more. He looks to Shin, then takes a breath before immersing himself fully into the ethereal realm, stepping backwards, through the wall itself, and out of the room. He would not cause a fight here. He would find that man in the picture instead and cause one. He would show her that he was not a threat to all she loved. That he could protect as well as destroy.

(Topic left – Using Harry Houdini card.)

 

[Sato Daigo]

Kushin remained dogmatic providing assertions to suggest that Hoshikata was lying. Shin glanced at Kushin curious as to why the sennin had decided to make such claims. Hoshikata did not receive the words too well as his rage began to develop within the room. The large table began to rumble and deform like heated metal, then finally snapped in half. A surge of green energy twinkled in the air.

Before Shin could make any word, the man's eyes harden before immersing himself into the ethereal realm and moving toward the walls as his body sipped into it. "Ghostwalker..." Shin thought to himself. "This might be difficult."

"Kushin, I would like for you to make a chakra analysis in the database that could help us examine Hoshikata's abilities. We need to know as much as we can." Shin said as he turned toward Kushin.

"We will continue the investigation without Hoshikata's participation. If we can not find a body we can at least find out more about Titan. As far as he is concern we have dropped this. I do not believe Hoshikata will be leaving the village any soon, in the event that he does the gates will be monitor." Shin continued as he faced both Kushin and Ayumu. "Any questions?"

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu listened as Hoshikata gave his reason for not wishing to remain in the village, claiming that his time would be better spent continuing to bring the Kage Summit together. Ayumu couldn't honestly blame him for not wanting to stick around. It was clear from his reception here that he was not really welcome after what it was suspected he had done. The investigation didn't seem very likely to garner any proof for or against the man's story. Truthfully, all they had to go on was his word, which really didn't mean much. As Hoshikata continued with his explanation of what had happened on the night of the blue-haired terrorist's attacks, it was still only his word that they had to go on. He had good reason to split up, it made sense and Ayumu would have commanded the same if they hadn't immediately found the woman right after Hoshikata and Zaku had left. He could offer no reason as to why Zaku wouldn't have taken the opportunity provided in the time they were alone together. At least he was upfront that the idea of walking up the gate was his idea, something Ayumu had no reason to doubt.

He went on to address Shin's question of why he could not subdue rather than kill Zaku. If these words were truthful, Ayumu wouldn't have been able to fault Hoshikata with killing Zaku. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that was most obvious. There was no evidence to confirm or deny his stories and the time during which they could have investigated them if they knew about them had long since passed. Ayumu sighed quietly, trying to figure out some way that this could be worked out. It really depended on one's stance on the "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" philosophy. Ayumu had his own opinion on the matter which he would share when he could speak privately with the two Kumo leaders without Hoshikata around. Ayumu has to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Shin's response to Hoshikata. The compare losing a shinobi that willfully abandoned the village to that of losing a faincee was ridiculous in Ayumu's eyes. Once Zaku had left he had become a liability, not something to mourn the loss of.

Then, completely out of left field, Hoshikata pulled out a wanted poster of Enishi and placed it on the table for all of them to see. He proposed that instead of bothering to wait around for the investigation to not prove anything, he would go out and search for the man. Of course, he wouldn't know that Enishi was already believed to most likely be dead. He read the wanted poster, listing off the charges against Enishi. 'Who wrote this thing?' Ayumu wondered as the charge of "seduction" was read. Regardless, it was Hoshikata's intention to search for him. Ayumu looked to Shin for his response to this odd suggestion. He thought for sure that Shin would protest to killing Enishi, if he were to be found alive, but Shin threw him for a loop. With little hesitation, he granted Hoshikata permission to kill Enishi if he managed to find him. He still intended to attempt the investigation of Zaku's supposed death, but he was apparently willing to have Hoshikata take on the contract for Enishi's life.

As things seemed to be settled for the moment, a slightly disturbed sounding laugh came from the Medical Sennin whom had been silent much like Ayumu for a while now. He asked a simple question which mostly just expressed that he still completely doubted the validity of everything Hoshikata said. He went on to explain why he couldn't accept what Hoshikata had to say. It was true, and what Ayumu had been thinking all along. He was asking the group of shinobi to accept what he said simply because there was no evidence against it. There were some people that Ayumu could accept words from, without the need for proof, on blind faith. Hoshikata was not one of them, and in fact he felt more distrustful of him than a random stranger off the street. The question for Ayumu was, did it matter? His train of thought was interrupted as pens and papers began to rise off of the table and the chairs began to slide away from Hoshikata who was gripping his staff with rage. Ayumu caught a chair that was sliding in his direction and held it firmly in place. 'Really? Are you going to make us kill you right here and now?' he thought, glaring at Hoshikata. A moment later, the table snapped in half and the halves were thrown across the room. Ayumu had drawn his sword, but Hoshikata simply looked at Shin and then phased through the wall behind himself. Ayumu sheathed his sword and shook his head.

"How melodramatic..." he sighed as he crossed his arms and Shin began to speak to Kushin. He began speaking as to what they should do next concerning the investigation, suggesting that Hoshikata would probably not leave the village. "Considering you just gave him permission to hunt Enishi, I think it's pretty likely he will leave the village. Was that not your intention?" he responded, somewhat surprised that Shin thought the man would stay put. He might stick around for a while, but Ayumu figured it was only a matter of time before he would go begin his hunt. "But regarding that, I have something to say that I want you two to consider. You might not like it, though," he said, prepared now to state his opinion on the matter that he preferred to keep until they were alone. This was a long shot that either would agree with him on the matter, but he would say his piece none the less.

"Zaku was seen leaving with Hoshikata... that is what we do know. He wasn't bound or tied up, he was walking right along behind the man's group. It was his decision to leave and he didn't need anybody to do so. He was the Deathwatch Captain... few would question him walking outside the gates. It was only a matter of time. Him leaving is his own responsibility... why are we casting the blame off of him and onto anybody else? We can blame Hoshikata for corrupting him, but there's really no benefit to us doing so," he began, looking between Shin and Kushin to try to gauge their responses. "His own actions made him a rogue shinobi, a traitor... if Hoshikata did kill him, it saved us the time of needing to hunt him down ourselves. Now he wants to hunt down Enishi. We believe the man is likely dead, but you yourself wanted to be sure... and Kushin, you didn't want to waste excessive resources on the search, nor did I. This is another pesky problem we can let him take care for us, if we want to. For some reason, he seems to want to gain our approval by carrying out our dirty work for us be it with the Kage summit or Enishi. Why not allow it? I'm not saying by any measure that we should trust him, and I fully intend to carry on with the investigation of Titan, but he can be useful to us if we let him," Ayumu said, suggesting what was probably not going to be a popular idea. It was probably a bit in the gray area as far as morality was concerned. Kushin wouldn't care about that in particular, but he would probably just prefer to kill the man and be done with it. He was just putting it out there.

 

[Junan]

Kinetic Ninjutsu.

That was all that Kushin thought of when Hoshikata reacted the way he did. Yes Kushin could have countered it absolutely with either his own Kinetic Ninjutsu or with a combination of elements most suited to destroying it. Unfortunately as his mind went through the list he realized that would be Vapor, an element he was yet to inject resources and time into learning. No matter. Water would have done just as well, which means Blood would have worked. Fire based elements were particularly weak to them.

He phased out afterwards which betrayed to Kushin his ability. Like Shin he recognized the abilities of a Ghost Walker. An interesting ability, something which he hadn't anticipated, and not something Masa had informed him of.

Ayumu spoke his mind, which was something Kushin could agree with.

I can agree to letting him hunt down Enishi. It could be impossible or he could find it. Either way it doesn't concern us. What I am more interested in is what happens when he arrives back claiming he's killed Enishi with no head to prove it? Do we continue to just bumble around with discussion of 'we can't prove you're lying' or do we simply decide that in the end the man is untrustworthy, likely hasn't done anything he has claimed, and be rid of him for the good of Kumogakure.

He has done nothing to aid us and we're not even trying to look at this from different perspectives.

Hoshikata is telling us that Zaku threatened him, that Zaku killed his fiance and acted in the way he did. What if in actuality it was Hoshikata who threatened Zaku? You say that it was clear that Zaku left on his own accord based on the evidence, but based on that same evidence Hoshikata left on his own accord as well.

Just because someone chooses to speak out first does not mean that their words are the most truthful, and if he has killed Zaku then the opposing voice has been silenced.

Hoshikata has done nothing to prove his innocence. Even should he find Enishi he'd have done nothing but prove that he's willing to do what he feels needs to be done to get his own way. I say we let him clean up our mess for us, and then set his spirit free as our thank you.

 

[Sato Daigo]

"How melodramatic..." he sighed as he crossed his arms and Shin began to speak to Kushin. He began speaking as to what they should do next concerning the investigation, suggesting that Hoshikata would probably not leave the village. "Considering you just gave him permission to hunt Enishi, I think it's pretty likely he will leave the village. Was that not your intention?"

"Indeed." Shin said as he eyes glanced back at Ayumu and returning his gaze back at the broken table. "However, I do not expect him to leave anytime soon. I want to ensure that we know where he is and when he leaves.

Ayumu continued to make his assertion on the situation with Kushin concur on most of his statements. Neither of them believed there was enough evidence to accuse Hoshikata of anything but it would not be enough to satisfy the Ishikata clan. Shin could still remember listening to the frustration and anger in Kioku's voice trying to piece together everything about Zaku's disappearance. Even if Shin were to deliver Hoshikata to the clan there would be more problems for the village. There was no need to instigate more conflict.

"I can not disagree with that logic. We can not prove his innocence nor can we accuse him of anything. The only thing we can do for the time being is observe his behavior." Shin said as he hands quickly shifted into different seals before the broken began to shake and reconstitute itself. "Now I need to reconstruct this table if you have nothing to say you are free to go."


[Apologies for the late response]
[[Leaving Topic after Kushin and Ayumu]]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[Topic Inactivity-Left seeing as Shin left and Kushin went inactive.]