The Slow Return of Blue[Private]

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii loved her country, truly she did. But when the first of the many mountains on the World's Spine loomed into sight above the small coastal city of Yasei, a lance of melancholy had filled her heart. It would be days yet to the foot of the many mountains which guarded Kumogakure, and another to climb the rocky parapets to her home village. Days until she had to face the many responsibilities of her rank and role while the road called her name. And yet, it might as well have been a minute from the deck of the Dancing Storm to her office by her feeling of dread. She wasn't ready for her journey to be over. The brief trip into Fire country, then their voyage at sea, stoked the fire of adventure in Yuii she had not been aware was dying.

The dark hole of misery continued to gnaw at her stomach as she waited, perched with her toddler daughter Umeko in her arms on a pair of barrels away from the busy ship-hands, to dock. It continued as she spoke their final goodbyes and paid the young ship's captain for her passage and took her first steps back in her homeland. It only worsened as she found her legs wobbled and her head swayed after weeks at sea. The new weight at her pelvis had already ruined her balance.

Strapped firmly to her mother's back, Umeko gave squeals of delight as her mother warily picked her way across the docks in uneven steps. She broke into full laughter when Yuii nearly toppled off the concrete walkway to the beach. A little chakra kept them from both eating sand.

"Having fun back there, 'Meko?" Yuii called back with a hint of mirth begrudgingly drawn out by her daughter's laughter, "Should I dance for you too?" Another excited giggle was her answer, along with excited kicks to her sides as she continued forward down to the main throughway.

Always built for trade, Yasei city had been built in nearly five hundred years before as a landing point for eastern trade from the south. It's three wagons wide, Grid-like streets had been placed with their main roads leading to the docks to allow for easy navigation. With the addition of railways, city planners had made sure to connect the new station with that same large road for ease of navigation as the bulk of goods travelling east and north arrived here. But, built just, south of the heartlands, Yasei had little else going for it though, and so the city was mostly a den of shops, restaurants and inns to cater to the many travellers that passed it by. Like Yuii.

Cake, she decided, would be the best medicine both the gloomy cloud and her shaking steps, Yuii decided as they passed the first restaurants with their doors flung open wide. She could smell baked goods on the air, somewhere. She would have to find them.

"What do you say we get our tickets and have lunch, Ume?", she wondered aloud, pausing to read the menu of a small tea shop which, disappointingly, had nothing close to cake. Umeko squirmed but said nothing, leaving her to wonder how anyone could stomach a cup of tea without sweets and move on to the next shop, then the next. The fourth one, however, looked promising.

"Boom!!" Umeko chirped, throwing her hands over her ears.

BOOM.

A sudden explosion made the street shake as the second-floor of tea house they had passed only a minute before, burst into flame and rained ash out onto the street. Screams followed, then chaos as patreons fled the building and others ran to help them or find cover. And through it all was one piercing scream from the second-floor balcony belching flame.

"Help me."

[Country Entered]
[Topic Entered]
[RP reserved for Hideyoshi]

 

[Akechi]

The wandering dawn turned into ominous dusk. Days transformed into night within the blink of an eye, with Hideyoshi being none the wiser as his body moved seemingly unconsciously while his mind flowed through time. His body continued to record the sensations that he had felt, storing them as some sort of memory bank of synapses for his mind to reconcile later, while his conscious mind found itself sealed off from reality. The raven cladded woman had her way with him, he could tell that much. However, nothing else was known to him. Hideyoshi had traveled north from the trade epicenter in the Tea Country, to a place that he rarely frequented – only passing through as he sailed off for a mission or something of the same nature. “What the hell happened to me?” Yoshi said to himself, seemingly washing ashore the coastal city with his black shirt in tatters, drenched with a mixture of blood, salt and water. Though it was clear that he had made it out of his ordeal, relatively unscathed and without major injury, his body suddenly relapsed into cold shivers and uncontrollable coughing. The records of his synapses were flushed through his nervous system, causing him to feel as if he were doused in acid and drowned in the water that he had just escaped from. Yoshi struggled to crawl ashore as the painful sensations crippled his movement, forcing him to struggle forward on level land with sand beneath his feet.

“Focus. Focus!” Hideyoshi yelled at himself, closing his eyes and focusing his mind on moving instead of the pain that he felt. Slowly and carefully, the man rose from the sand and stumbled to his feet. Clenching his fists in a bout of mental fortitude, he resolved himself to move forward. After all, the Reckless shinobi believed that moving forward was the only way that he could figure out what happened to him. Eventually, he found himself on the outskirts of the coastal city. “I probably should ditch the shirt. I don’t want to raise suspicion… especially considering that I have no idea what happened,” the brown skinned man thought to himself, casually throwing away the bloodied shirt in one of the wired trash bins in the area. A real criminal would’ve covered his tracks, but Hideyoshi had a feeling that no one within Yasei would be looking for him. After all, it seemed like whatever happened occurred somewhere far away…

Maybe…

“Can’t draw too much attention to myself.” His investigation would probably begin somewhere in the surrounding area, but he was already beginning to get a few looks as he walked down the street shirtless. The scars on his body was probably a dead giveaway for a shinobi, and the indigenous people of Yasei tended to frown upon such people. Perhaps it was envy or maybe it was fear, but whatever the case may have been, Yoshi needed to blend in… now, more than ever. Eventually, he found himself in a small, outside shopping mall with a couple of clothing stores, tea shops and pastry shops.

“This will do,” he announced, grabbing a normal black V-neck t-shirt, sliding the outdoor vendor a couple yen before slipping the shirt on and making sure it fit. Casually walking over to the shop’s mirror, he caught a glance of what seemed to be a bright blue-haired mother and daughter exploring the area. “Well aren’t they cute?” Yoshi said to himself, glancing toward them as they crossed paths with him, his eyes shifting back toward the mirror as they passed the tea shop only a couple of steps away. “What th--. When did that get there?!” Hide questioned, catching a glimpse of what seemed to be a spherical tattoo, along the base of his shoulder blade, of a serpent eating its own tail.

However, before he could inspect the tattoo any further, a loud explosion sent everyone around him into a frenzy. “Not again,” Hide gasped, thrusting into action the same way he had done under similar circumstances within the Tea Country. Weaving a couple of handseals together, he then smashed his hands on the ground, creating a giant wall of Earth, arched in a way that would shield the individuals on the sidewalk from the falling debris.

“HELP ME!”

The faint sound of someone screaming for help alerted Hideyoshi toward the second floor of the tea shop. The first thing he thought of was the blue haired mother and her daughter. What if they were trapped? Luckily, Hideyoshi was on the scene…

Leaping onto the balcony, Hideyoshi shielded the person from harm, even allowing the flames to singe his back, burning the shirt he had just purchased in the process. “I got you,” he spoke, leaping back off of the balcony with this person in tow. Touching the ground and moving safely behind the wall he had built, he only had one question to ask…

“Are you ok?” he would ask with a smile, a simple reassurance that everything would be alright.

[WC: 823 / MFT!]
[Country (and topic) Entered w/ a bang!]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

A normal human would have fled from the flames belching freely from the timber and stone structure that seemed to burn with such ferocity it might as well have been built from matches. Shinobi were amongst the rare exception. Warriors who through years of training and confidence instilled by their ability to manipulate the world faced the worst dangers imaginable to man without thought. Hesitation could mean a mark lost, a protection mission failed or their own, expensive life terminated, after all.

Yuii hesitated.

She took a two breath length pause to weigh the danger and produce the seals that would shield not herself, but her daughter from the explosive inferno before her. And in that moment lost, another hero rose to the opportunity. A flash of dark skin and black hair darted towards the building before she could finish her defensive actions. For one moment, her heart lodged in her throat as wishful thinking took hold. Her husband was meant to be thousands of miles away engaged in obligatory social activities as one of the contestants in the Tea tournament. The appearance of a wall of stone, however, laid rest what her logical mind had always known. Her Earth Country born husband could not manipulate his countries element.

With a guilt laced sense of relief she followed the unknown Shinobi who, after shielding the crowd now rushed to save the owner of the plea for help. In a single leap, Yuii scaled the wall of stone called by her fellow shinobi A blast of scorching heat met her at the top, whipping her blue locks from her stinging face. She paused again, this time to survey the flames and wait for saviour and saved to abandon the death trap balcony safely to make her move

Once they were clear, Yuii formed a trio of hand seals in quick succession then slammed her palms together, weaving her chakra together into the Rain Dance jutsu. At her bidding, the sparse coastal clouds were forced together into a mass of swirling moisture which was unleashed in a single downpour. The fire seemed to fight her, twisting angrily with an angry hiss that grew as her fire won. Smoke and now steam poured from the building, and so she began a second jutsu, manipulating the air into a swirling whirlwind until the worst of it was dispersed harmlessly above the city.

Umeko cackled childishly in her ear the entire time.

Back on the ground, those who had not fled, and those who had been readying to stop the fire mulled in uneasy silence. As Yuii turned, they seemed to take a collective step back and had equally created a wide circle around the unknown hero. The dark haired girl that the other shinobi had saved, thin, lanky, no older than ten with dark, dilated eyes looked ready to faint. She was clearly in shock, and though Yuii could not see from so far away, bruised and battered beneath the dark soot coating her. None of the townsfolk moved to help her either, though she clearly needed medical attention.

”Hey, don’t all thank us at once. That was a freebie you know!” Yuii called out, her blue eyebrows creasing forward as they instead flocked ever further away when she hopped back to solid ground. She was used to the common folk of Lightning being uncomfortable with shinobi, it was hard for them to understand the feats they saw produced by other human beings. The knowledge that that power could be bought and commanded by any the Shogun allowed made it no better. But never had Yuii felt such a level of silent hostility.

With one eye for the strange vibe, she switched attention to the shaking girl and hero she was koala'd to.

"She looks like she’s going into shock, Mr Daredevil” Yuii observed aloud while digging a blanket from her shoulder bag, “Don’t suppose you’re any good at healing?”

 

[Akechi]

“So much for keeping a low profile,” Hideyoshi giggled as he floated down from the balcony, smiling as if there wasn’t burning building around him. “Maybe these people will take a look at my smile and stop gawking at me like some sort of freak.” It was a weird sentiment and thought to inwardly express at a time like this, but this was something of a routine for him. People generally never got to know or understand the people behind the mask of “hero,” but if they did, then they would be able to see that they were just people trying to help whenever they could – however they could. Yoshi’s body was built for this. He had recklessly charged into danger, destroying his body in the process, to fulfill some type of purpose for the majority of his life. The only difference is that now, he did so out of kindness to help those that needed his help… whether they wanted his help or not.

Gently landing behind the safety of the wall, Hideyoshi finally got a chance to take a breather and gauge the situation he had rushed into. “The explosion had to have come from the lower level. Otherwise, this little lady wouldn’t have made it,” he surmised, glancing at the child that he cradled in his arms. “The second floor held together for far too long for a professional hit. They missed the vital parts of the building, leading me to believe that this was some novice’s doing… or an accident.”

The world around him continued to descend into chaos and despair as people frantically scrambled to survive the blast, the falling debris and the smoke that continued to fill the air. Valiant as his attempt to save the girl may have been, she was still in grave danger as her body violently struggled to extract oxygen from the smog that her entered lungs. “Dammit all to hell! I can’t move her from here, but I need to put out that fire!” Hideyoshi screamed in frustration, hoping someone would hear his plea and choose one or the other.

Dramatic irony filled the sky in the form of storm clouds, lighting the path forward through dark clouds and a gentle shower that soothed the flames of the explosion. Glancing upward, he witnessed a woman with a child strapped to her back, weaving through handseals summoning a calm whirlwind to guide the smoke away from the injured. “Blue,” he whispered, glancing back down at the fidgeting girl as she began to succumb to the smog filling her lungs.

"She looks like she’s going into shock, Mr Daredevil.”

“It must be the smoke. Quick! Toss me that blanket,” he replied, using his free hand to catch the blanket as she threw it to him, gently laying the small girl on the blanket.

Don’t suppose you’re any good at healing?”

“Let’s hope so…” The man quipped, gently wrapping the girl in the blanket. Placing a hand on her back, he formed a single handseal with his off hand as he whispered the name of the jutsu. “System Restoration.” The hand on the girl’s back began to glow in a bright green hue as Hideyoshi’s chakra forced the girl’s body to begin repairing itself.

“She’s beginning to stabilize. This jutsu should accelerate the healing within her body. Any chance you can use that wind jutsu you used earlier to guide oxygen toward our young friend. The more oxygen her body has at its disposal, the quicker she’ll heal,” Yoshi requested, before glancing over at the blue-haired kunoichi that helped save the girl.

“Did you catch what happened?”

[OOC: Not my best but I wanted to make sure we kept everything moving.]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii relinquished the blanket in hand with a quick toss and settled back on her heels to watch the other, as her mind was coming to call him, toil at healing the waif. Umeko joined her mother's watch, peering over her shoulder through her black locks with open curiosity. Neither made a sound, simply waiting for what any normal person would call a miracle.

As if they had a will of their own, The blue Kunoichi's hands dug into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a brightly wrapped candy. With some fiddling, she unwrapped and popped it into her mouth. There was no offer to share; it wasn't the time or place.

He would be justified thinking she was rude for standing around eating candy, Yuii mused while clicking the hard peppermint against the inside of her teeth, she would think the same. Truth was, she could not have helped if she wanted. Healing for the ghost walker woman was as alien as having a chat with the dead was to a regular person and even her field medicine made most mednin pale. In fact, Yuii was so divorced from even basic medicine that she was even terrible at being a comforting presence. 'There, there, at least you didn't burn to death,' and a hearty pat on the back wasn't going to help a child in shock. She knew better.

So it was with mild surprise that she found herself agreeing when he asked for extra air for the girl.

"Sure, if it will help," she chimed enthusiastically, bending to one knee in front of the wheezing girl, who had adopted the far-off stare of a human in post-trauma. Her breathing was laboured like she was choking on her own lungs and skin pale as she struggled to get enough oxygen, she noted, all signs that her lungs weren’t getting the air her body demanded. The bruising on her arms, neck and even chest stood out with her grey palor and didn’t look like anything that a firey explosion should cause.

Yuii’s close presence also seemed to be agitating her. She even recoiled her bruised hand back when she tried to give it a soothing squeeze. With a pang, Yuii wished for Kaji. He would have found something heroic and reassuring to say.

The cyclonic wind Yuii had called earlier was too strong she decided, and so with a single hand seal and a deep breath of her own, she sent a gentle gale of wind. It took effect within seconds, sending the child into a painful, hacking cough.

“Didn’t see much of anything useful,” she answered over the coughing “Top floor exploded, glass went everywhere, people were screaming and running.” she recounted, straining her memory the find anything of use. “You were there first, did anything stand out?. It’s a little strange if you ask me, though, it was like a small bomb went off. I don’t know what would be in a tea house to cause that.” Her eyes flicked to the remaining two dozen townsfolk who still lingered. “Also, these folk. ”

Around them, not much was actually happening. Of the roughly five dozen people who milled around in a half circle around the stone wall like frightened barn animals, half looked to like travellers. They looked like lost souls, desperately searching for some authority to reassure and direct them after such a tragic end to lunch. The rest looked like locals, either the shop’s workers who had fled to fire or neighbours who had come to help or gawk. They were doing a lot more of the former though now that the fire was taken care of.

The odd part was no one looked interested in engaging them. Not a thank-you, offer to help with the adolescent girl hacking up bits of ash or even a glance that didn’t feel hostile.

“I don’t like it,”Yuii muttered, “Once someone shows up for the girl I’m heading for one of the safehouses. Kumo will have left a briefing if something happened to cause the populace to be so off. Are you on a mission or something, Mister Hero?”

[Sorry, been a bit sick.]

 

[Akechi]

Hideyoshi filled the palms of his hands with healing chakra and pressed them firmly near the base of the young girl’s back. The initial sensation of the chakra being forced into her system caused her frail body to jolt forward – as if it were attempting to slide away from the glowing hands — before slowly returning back to her original position as her body adapted to the warmth of Hide’s Medical Ninjutsu. Though he likened himself to some type of hero, this was the first time that he had ever applied this type of Ninjutsu to a child that barely clung to life. He was a student of the mind, body and spirit, but the practical application of mere ideas tended to be a bit more complex in real life. There were seemingly limitless variables to consider, each with their own complications and outcomes, and one wrong decision could result in the death of your patient. It was why people trained their entire lives to become doctors, and why shinobi created the Med-nin Branch in their respective villages. After all, supernatural titans that waged war with magic tricks and strength that rivaled the gods of the universe, needed doctors cut from the same cloth of equal expertise.

Yoshi was neither, so this was rather difficult for him… more difficult than he let on anyways. “Easy now.” He painstakingly shifted the weight of his hands into different spots along the girl’s back, taking special precaution not to exceed the limits of the young girl’s body. After all, overloading the young girl’s healing systems could have catastrophic effects in the long term – and possibly even in the short term. The amateur doctor focused so intently on his patient that the world around him seemed to fade out of existence, muffled sounds carried away by invisible winds. Even amongst all of the chaos in the area, it was silent to Hideyoshi because the girl’s life demanded it. Well… that was until…

“Eas— Hey! I’m working over here!” Hideyoshi quipped, glancing over at his blue-haired “nurse” as she loudly chomped on perhaps the hardest candy in all of Kumogakure. His hands slipped a bit but not enough to cause any harm to the girl. Definitely a close call, but blue’s rudeness caused him to notice something peculiar as he repositioned his hands. “Hey blue, look at this,” he chimed as “blue” walked over for a closer look. “Look at her arms and her neck. Flames don’t cause this type of bruising,” Yoshi continued, his eyes brief glancing up at his rather crass assistant as she guided a diminutive gale of wind into their patient’s orifices.


After a slight delay, the girl’s shaking had ceased, replaced by a short, nasty cough. “Whoa! Wayyyy too much. What are you trying to do? Cause the girl’s lungs to explode,” Yoshi giggled, citing no real danger as the girl began to stabilize. Not that it mattered to blue, anyways. She just continued to talk right over the poor girl as if she didn’t hear their patient coughing herself to death. “Well, anyways, she’s stable now. Good job.”

Wrapping the resting girl in the blanket, Hideyoshi picked her up and cradled her in his arms, resembling the moments after carrying her from the building. There were a hand full of people that were still in the area, and Hideyoshi would walk a bit closer to them to see if someone would claim the little girl. After all, someone had to answer for these bruises… or at least provide a bit of insight.

“A novice did this or someone that wanted to make this look like an accident, ” Hideyoshi surmised, glancing over toward his new friend blue. “This girl wouldn’t have survived otherwise. The blast radius of the bomb wasn’t large enough to destroy the building and this girl managed to survive without even being hit. If she had been hit by the blast, then her physical injuries would be more severe and debris from the building would be present in some of her wounds. However, she survived… thanks to us.”

“Mister Hero,” she called him. Honestly, no other nickname could make him prouder as he resisted the temptation to prop up his chest and raise his fist in victory. In case you were wondering, it was definitely something he would do. “Well… I wasn’t on a mission,” Hideyoshi commented as his face grew more serious, tilting his head over toward blue and her daughter.

“But I am now.”

[No worries! I've been busy as heck! I'll be back to normal activity (for me anyways) for the next couple of weeks though!]
[WC: 748]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii threw him a sour, unamused smirk, and clamped down on her candy hard enough in shattered under her teeth. All she was doing was chewing, but there was a wave of hostility that came from the action that could make a person wonder if she would rather be sinking her teeth into them instead. And not in a good way.

She turned her head and eyed the crowd through her lashes as he hypothesised over the origin of the explosion. A trio of men dressed in thick clothing known to protect from fire were eyeing the stone wall and whisper arguing over what to do about it now. A group of tourists had banded together to fuss over a well-dressed elder woman with light burns. A pair of shop owners were wringing their hands nervously, keeping an eye on the smoke overhead and craning to see if there were flames spreading to the neighbouring roofs. The rest were still watching, waiting. No one stood out to her, neither getting too upset or gleeful at the situation, but it was still early.

Umeko coughed and pressed her cheek against Yuii's shoulder, jarring her away from watching. She shouldn't have inhaled any of the smoke, Yuii's barrier was seeing to that, but it couldn't catch everything. There was far too much ash in the air for Yuii's liking.

"I agree with you," she sighed, rubbing the back of her daughter's head, "I just don't see the point of it, but I agree." She glanced at the girl, who despite her healing had lapsed into staring blankly. He'd healed her body, but whatever had happened to her was keeping her mind far away. A common affliction in trauma victims, children specifically. It would have been so easy if she would just come to and give more clues about their situation. Yuii could take it from her mind if it were important, but there was something morally terrible about using genjutsu on a little girl.

His declaration made her sigh. That wasn't exactly something a shinobi should be declaring to their Sennin, but Yuii was starting to think Hideyoshi had no idea who she was. The right action would have been to contact Kumogakure though, or sought out law enforcement and officials to create a contract. Vigilanteism could get him into a lot of trouble, Kumogakure in a lot of trouble and well, probably her too if Kogami found out she'd let him.

"Spoken like a true hero," she laughed, "I'll make you a deal. Solving a mystery is a fun past time, but getting PAID is even better." with a snap of her fingers, a pre-written piece of paper appeared in Yuii's hands, immediately recognizable as the prefabricated contracts used in uncomplicated missions or those given out by the village. From her bag, she dug a rubber stamp set with and a pen that hummed lightly. The contract stayed rigid like glass in her hands, making it simple for her to sit in the ground, prop it on her knee and start scribbling in information. "Name, rank, and passport if you please. Once this is legal, we can start demanding some answers. Otherwise, you really don't have the authority on a... travel visa?" Yuii herself could do as she pleased, one of the small perks of being in leadership. She made these kinds of calls on a daily basis anyways. At least, normally, when she wasn't galavanting across the countryside.

 

[Akechi]

“What happened to you?” It was a question that echoed throughout his mind as he held his – now stable – patient in his hands, his eyes shifting between the crowd and the dull stare of the girl’s gaze. It seemed that she was conscious enough to open her eyes, but the rest of her body hadn’t been restored to its normal functionality yet. The human body had a way of protecting itself while it healed and sometimes that meant completely disabling itself so that the human mind doesn’t force the body into an action that would stress itself while it healed. However, the human body’s defense mechanisms pretty much guaranteed that Hideyoshi wouldn’t be receiving any worthwhile information from the girl… not until her body had finished recuperating to a point where it felt comfortable enough to release the restraints that bound it in inactivity.

And so, his eyes scanned the scene of the “crime,” looking for someone or something that stood out of place. In his experience, professionals tended to hover around their prey until they could confirm their kill. After all, a hired gun couldn’t return to his proprietor empty-handed, and the swift intervention of two shinobi more than likely subverted his attempt at fulfilling his contract. In other words, there was still a chance to find the culprit or culprits behind this seemingly perfect scheme. “Senseless violence is just the world we live in,” Hide sighed, glancing over at blue and her motherly affection for the girl she had strapped to her back. “Almost makes me wonder if we’re brave for daring to raise children in this world, or just cruel for subjecting them to…” Pausing for a second, his eyes narrowed in on blue’s child as she coughed, inaudibly sighing as he furrowed his brows in concern. “All this.” He didn’t mean it as a critique of Yuii’s desire to bear children or even to question her parenting. These were just the musings of a man jaded from years of experience and forced to witness horrors that he wished another child wouldn’t have to go through…

Though he knew the truth and what reality demanded…

His mind wandered in self-pity for a couple of moments before the girl snapped her fingers and summoned a piece of paper that resembled some form of official document. "Name, rank, and passport if you please. Once this is legal, we can start demanding some answers. Otherwise, you really don't have the authority on a... travel visa?" Blue had made a request of him… an official one at that. Unexpected and unnecessary, in Hideyoshi’s opinion. After all, operating in an officially capacity always seemed to carry the long line of red tape along with it. It was the type of thing that Hideyoshi had avoided for quite some time.

“Wait… just who are you?” Hideyoshi asked while signing the contract as if it were more than a nuisance than anything. “I didn’t take you for the “official” type.”

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii's pen flowed across the paper at an incredible rate, scribbling in details of the strange explosion and an explanation of the investigation they were about to undertake. An explosion, mystery girl and odd crowd- all worthy of Kumogakure's attention especially the last. A note for the other's quick reflexes and a promise of payment for services already rendered was added at the end. It all took less than half a minute to complete, ending with her pen hovering over the field left for operative's names. No passport had been delivered.

Owlishly she blinked up at the other as she processed his answer and curious lack of compliance. For the first time, she stopped and really looked at him. The new shirt but tattered pants. His curious lack of gear. His face, ambiguously matured enough to place him past his mid-twenties. It felt impossible that they had never once met. That a shinobi capable of the speed and ability she had since witnessed had never once darkened her office door. And yet, here they were, against all odds.

But how didn't he know who she was?

Yuii was the Sennin of the Main Branch, the Raikage's second in command and unless Ayumu had the good sense to name a successor, the assumed next Raikage. It was almost impossible he had never seen her face. Had he never read a newspaper? Listened to the radio? She was regularly featured alongside the Raikage in headlines and propaganda, alike. Every mistake she made had once been broadcasted out to the village by the will of the rival clans to undermine her position. And even if he avoided the media entirely, there was word of mouth. Her damnably iconic pair of blue hair and eyes had gotten her a slew of nicknames that no one dared to deliver to her face. Her elopement with Okada Kaji, one of Cloud's world tournament contestants and an ex-lead/stone shinobi, had been a hot topic still when she had left for the Country of Tea. She had disobeyed her prominent clan outright and challenged their marriage traditions. Even their child, the very toddler riding on her back, was a well-known entity.

"You're joking right?" Yuii breathed out, uncertain as to what to do with that information, "I...well" She scratched her chin and grimaced at the paper on her knee, then at the agitated crowd. She had two choices, announce her rank and endure the whatever awkward new energy that brought to the mystery investigation or...

"If you don't know, I'm not telling you Mr. Pro bono Paladin" she sang out mirthfully, scribbling one last note to the paper but left the signature spaces empty for the time being. It hadn't escaped her attention that he'd failed to pull out a passport. The could be dealt with later too.

With a grunt, Yuii rolled to her feet. She fumbled her pen back into her bag, then brushed the invisible dust from her hands- leaving the thick coat of ash on her backside untouched.

"Right! I better ask the questions! You seem to have the charisma of a tenderloin," she announced, turning towards the crowd, "Once we offload the girl we can check for clues!"

As she turned, a pair of grim-faced men in grey police uniforms pushed their way through the crowd, brandishing a pistol each pointed in their direction. On their heels followed a blond, bronzed woman a full head taller even than her hero friend dressed in light armour and armed with a spear and revolvers on her person and a black-haired, dark-skinned man dressed in the black garments of a priest. The police, if hostile, had been expected but the other two were an unexpected turn, Yuii 's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she vaguely recognized the sun star-shaped pins on their chests.

"The hell are Tenouzan doing here?" she asked, eyeing her shinobi comrade as she raised her hands, "You caught up with the priesthood, Hero? Holy shit, you're in all sorts of trouble if you are." Nervously she chewed her lip and shifted until Umeko was well protected by her own body. Guns weren't a real danger to Yuii, but one stray bullet and a lot of bad luck could see Umeko. She needed not worry though, as their full ire, and all weapons, were turned on Hideyoshi.

"Witches of the Dragon mountain, by the will of Saint Moto Isamu and the eight-pointed star, release that girl immediately! She is a ward of the state of Tenouza!" the priest demanded.

 

[Akechi]

“Am I supposed to know who you are?” Hideyoshi questioned inaudibly, his eyes meeting the inquisitive glance of his blue-haired companion’s with a slightly more curious glance. She had the look of a woman that he had seen before, but only in passing, which was strange for a person of her unusual characteristics. Her unique blue hair was something out of a fairy tale and he was certain that he would have remembered a woman with such an unusual “glow” about her. However, he just couldn’t put his finger on where he had seen her before. There was something strange about the way she spoke – with an air of authority as if she were demanding his respect – and the official documents that she carried with her that led Hideyoshi to deduce that she believed herself to be someone of great importance. A sharper glance at the woman and her daughter brought with it a clearer picture of this woman’s background. The clothes that they wore were form-fitting and crafted with high-quality materials. She didn’t seem to be wearing much makeup, but her smooth and unblemished skin seemed to allude to a stylistic choice instead of a lack of options. The handseals that she weaved were quick and efficient, her movements were concise and purposeful, and she didn’t seem to lose a step with the small child strapped to her back. In other words, she was clearly well trained, bossy and relatively wealthy – all signs of a high-ranking member of the Kumogakurian elite. “Some type of plutocrat from Kumogakure,” her surmised, as she impishly avoided his question with a smirk and some playful jabs at his charisma.

“WHAT?!” Hideyoshi shouted in surprise with a look of disbelief, poking out his chest and propping up his shoulders in an exaggeratedly “heroic” stance. “You try being charismatic with a dying girl in your arms. It’s more difficult than it looks… nerve-wracking really.” Honestly, this was the first time someone had ever accused him of having a “lack of charisma.” If anything, he was normally draped in charisma, keeping a smile as he marched into danger to act as the hero he claimed to be. In either case, he simply nodded at Yuii as if he would let her take the lead from now on…

Which is why the next set of events surprised him quite a bit…

Almost as quickly his new “friend” blue announced that they would start the search for clues, new players had entered the game with equipped with weapons and armor that differed greatly from the arms of the “Magicians” Hidden in the Clouds. The cavalry of policemen was flanked by an enormous woman decked out in armor armed with a spear, and a dark-skinned priest armed with demands and a bunch of nonsense about some “saint” that he represented. Just more politics to fly over Hideyoshi’s head.

“The Ten-who?” Hideyoshi whispered, acknowledging the fact that he had no idea who or what he was actually dealing with. After all, that was the life of a vigilante. Who you were was irrelevant, but one’s actions toward the weak told him everything that he needed to know about a person. However, judging from Yuii’s reaction, this Tenouzan organization wasn’t to be trifled with. Though she claimed the desire to take charge, Yuii seemed to sit this one out as the Tenouzan Priest made his demands. It was a bit surprising to see her so serious, but perhaps these people truly were dangerous… which means that the child strapped to her back was as well.

And soooo… the hero began to act.

“YOU ARE WELCOME!” Hideyoshi barked aggressively, slightly turning his head toward the dried, ashen foundations of a building ravaged by flame. “I SAID. YOU ARE WELCOME!” Hideyoshi echoed, turning his head back toward the policeman and the tall woman that served as their vanguard.

“If it wasn’t for these two witches then your “ward” would be dead along with countless others. A little bit of appreciation and a reward is customary in these situations, correct?” Hideyoshi chimed, slowly digging his heel into the ground in preparation for the inevitable fallout. “But this witch won’t ask for that. Instead, before I hand back your ward, I want you to answer a question for me.”

No turning back now…

“How did this girl, under the protection of the state of Tenouza, get these bruises all over her body?”

[WC: 736]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

What he wanted was an apology, what he got was a stand-off.

“What a meathead,” Yuii muttered under her breath as the other’s voice carried up over the crowd, booming his discontent. Yelling at the nervous, gun-toting officers and shaming the crowd for their poor etiquette wasn’t going to win him the hearts of the people. They looked equal parts ready to shoot them and shit their pants. By the scowl on the big woman’s face and the anger in the priest’s eyes that battle had been long since lost.

No surprise there, Yuii though as she plucked a candy from her sweater sleeve, fumbled it open and popped the sweet in her mouth. The church had a lukewarm relationship with Kumogakure in the best of times. And these two were on a short fuse, eying them both like wild beasts, and ready to pounce.. As confirmed as the blond knight thrust her spear forward and shouted in return.

“SILENCE! How dare you make such heinous implications, chakra witch!” She spat the final words as if even speaking them left a foul taste, "You will release her into our care immediately or I will be forced t-”the threat was cut short, however, as the priest signalled her to stop. Yuii thought she heard the blond’s teeth click.

“That’s enough, Sarimi,” the priest demanded, calmer than he had been on arrival. “You have allowed your anger to guide you from Isamu’s light. You will pray, as I shall for raising my voice once this matter is settled.” The Knight grimaced and turned a shade of pink, either in shame or anger, but lowered her weapon and stepped back at the command. To Yuii’s surprise, she bent to one knee, lowered her chin and began a whispered chant right there in the street. Nothing of what she was saying was audible, but there was a pattern and familiarity that Yuii could not place.

Satisfied, the priest turned his attention back to Hideyoshi and Yuii. His dark, penetrating gaze first picked over man and frightened adolescent. She stiffened- her first real sign of life since being healed, and hid her face against Hideyoshi’s (probably stolen) shirt. Even with her head turned, somehow she knew and relaxed again when he turned to stare at Yuii.

Umeko squirmed against Yuii’s shoulder as her mother met the man's unnerving stare. Her blue eyes furrowed, something about him bothered her, but it was hard to pinpoint what. It was like he was lacking something important, something that made him human, like those blank-faced porcelain dolls. A slow grin stretched across his face and she shuddered.

”It is a waste of time to speak to the horse when the cart driver is right here, wouldn’t you agree? You are rather conspicuous, lady. I would have your subordinate release my charge.” Hideyoshi might not have known her face, but this man did.

“Yes, I suppose I am,” she retorted, while jutting her chin towards the two police still diligently pointing their weapons, “Listen, we’re not looking for a fight. He’s just concerned, looking out for the kid and has no idea what's going on. Lets not turn happenstance into an incident. Call them off and show me proof of guardianship so we will be on our way. Tenouzan business is Tenouzan business. Kumogakure business is Kumogakure business. Just like always.”

Their eyes met again, and Yuii felt her arms prickle with goosebumps and she forced herself to not recoil. Umeko whimpered again.The priest signalled for the two officers to lower their guns.

“Of course. We wouldn’t wish to be accused of kidnapping.” from his pocket he produced a small black scroll tied with grey twine. He tossed it to her, as if he knew of his own effect. He waited patiently as Yuii picked the binding away and read over the contents of what was an elaborately written contract surrendering their rescue to the church ‘for eternity’. A flawless, unquestionably legal document.

”The girl.” he demanded, “or should out bishop hear of Kumogakure’s unwillingness to follow the laws of the land. I cannot promise that word would not reach the shogun himself. They do so love a cup of tea.”

Yuii’s frown deepened.

“A moment. I need to verify these with my comrade,” she claimed back, moving to show Hideyoshi, or more importantly, break the bad news. She shoved the papers under his nose, though she didn’t expect might insight into the contents. Her name was Mihara Kadiri.

“Listen, because I can tell you’re not going to like this, but you need to trust me and that I know what I’m talking about right now, “ she began in a fast, harsh whisper, “These documents are real. This situation is shit, and I bet you have more questions than answers, but she is legally in their care. We’re going to have to give her back. And before you argue with me; even if we had undeniable proof they caused her injuries, the most those officers would do is ship all three back home to face their own justice system, and I can’t promise you they’d even do that. The bloody Tenouzans are respected around here and these sheep are going to eat up their explanations like sweet oats over anything we say.”

Kadiri sniffled once, made a quiet, whimper like noise.

“And if we fight them here, or run off with the girl, or cause any more of a scene,” Yuii continued, ”that priest is going to run home and kick up a frenzy of chakra hating religious nuts like that she hulk over there. There are thousands of them, Mr Hero, more than Kumogakure could hope to handle, and they’ve been looking for an excuse to start a fight for a decade. A lot of our people would end up dead. And those people watching us right now? They’re terrified of us. To them, we’re a couple of superhuman monsters who they’ve grown up hearing horror stories about. That we’re irrational, bloodthirsty killers who could snap and slaughter a village at any moment. That we steal children to make them like us. If we screw up right now, we could kick off a very ugly scene.”

Kadiri whimpered again, or maybe it was Umeko. Both seemed unhappy.

"Well?" called out the priest.

 

[Akechi]

Hideyoshi was truly lucky. He always seemed to find himself right in the middle of these shitty situations. There was always some diplomat that sought to lord their illusionary power over him, either under the terms of preventing diplomatic tragedy or as infantile braggadocio. Yuii – and Hideyoshi never got a name from Ms. Blue – seemed to be the former while the overzealous priest seemed to be the latter. The result brought Hide at odds with all sides. Ending this minor skirmish the peaceful way meant turning the girl over to the people that seemed to be abusing her without any assurances of her safety. The second option was to “be the hero,” and risk some type of diplomatic incident. At least that was what Hideyoshi would come to understand as the “cart driver” rendered her orders later on in the conversation. It was an impossible choice for Hide. How does a hero put his own country at risk over a schoolyard brawl? Then again, how does a man call himself a hero if he can’t even save an innocent little girl?

The choice was impossible.

“Stop calling me a witch, Hulk-woman!” Hideyoshi retorted, in response to the woman’s jab about him being a “chakra witch.” Honestly, he probably shouldn’t have been trading elementary jabs with hostilities steadily rising but he couldn’t help himself. Stepping to him the way she did was like some type of primal challenge, one that he just couldn’t ignore. It got his blood boiling, his testosterone flowing, and his chakra at the brink of combustion. Though he tried his best to hide it, Hideyoshi was really sucker for a good battle and this seemed like a pretty good opportunity to get a workout in. Some would say that his personification as a hero was just a façade – a façade to place him closer to the action... an adrenaline junkie or maybe a person that simply marched to his death. Honestly, Hideyoshi never gave it too much thought but a trip to a psychologist in Kumogakure may provide a little bit of insight.

“Sarimi, huh?” Hideyoshi spoke with a whisper, his lingering gaze settling upon the woman that had challenged him as she suddenly dropped to her knees and began praying. “That giant of a woman, brought down to her knees by mere words. What is wrong with these people? They are damn near fanatical,” Hideyoshi muttered under his breath, glancing down at the girl in his arms before refocusing his attention on the priest, right on time to hear him liken Hide to a horse.

“Subordinate?” Hide said to himself, glancing over at the Blue as she diplomatically explained the away the situation. She spoke as If this was all some form of “happenstance.” Honestly, Hideyoshi didn’t buy it. There was no way that these people showed up out of the blue, just because they saw fire. No, people like these were fanatics. They didn’t give a damn about saving anyone. If they showed up then they were involved…

And that means that the little girl was involved…

“Kadiri…” Hideyoshi said softly, doting over the little girl’s slight twitch and barely audible whimpers, which added another layer of complexity to the situation they were in. Much of what Blue said in these moments was like another language to him. He simply couldn’t see a situation where this girl wouldn’t find her body battered and her mind crippled like Sarimi’s was. The trembles that he felt as the girl recoiled into his arms while Blue read the document told him everything he needed to know. The abuse came from these fanatics. These irrational, bloodthirsty killers that all of the civilians feared seemed to be miscast… the Tenouzans were the real threat here.

Irony, in its finest. These civilians, through their fear of villainous shinobi, had allowed themselves to be indoctrinated by fanatical villains with primordial weaponry. He understood it, but it shook him in a way to see it play out like this.

“Then we have no choice,” Hideyoshi spoke, lowering the girl the ground as he turned his back toward the priest and his “army.” “But you do, Kadiri-chan.” A clever, mischievous smirk formed across the dark skinned man’s face as he placed the young girl in front of him, making sure to wait until she had found her footing before continuing on. “You can do nothing and go with these twerps… or…” Hideyoshi slipped his hand into his front pocket, a small bag with a blueish hue visible to Kadiri and Yuii as the hand returned from his pocket. Hideyoshi wasn’t much for plans and visibility was still an issue, but at least the girl could “aid in her own escape” so to speak. If optics were the issue, then the “damsel in distress angle” could switch the narrative... or something like that. “We can play a game, Kadiri-chan.” Lullaby Powder. Enough of it to put down at least half of these Tenouzan goons, unless they were trained to resist this sort of thing. According to Blue’s claims, the Tenouzan were supposed to be pretty tough but Hide could tell which ones were resolute in their devotion and which ones would flake out. Their eyes told the true story. The situation was very real, but their numbers were a bluff. At least, that was what Hideyoshi was banking on. “All you have to do is get as close as you can to the priest and throw this in the air as high as you can. After that, just cover your nose, like this, and I’ll come save you.” The dark skinned man mimicked clamping his nose with his middle and ring finger as he muttered “like this” to the girl. Though spoken quietly, one could tell just how resolute he had become. A subtle wink and thumbs up followed his instruction and glanced over at Yuii’s probably annoyed face.

After that, he just let her go…

Hideyoshi turned toward the fanatical group with a devilish smile on his face. He was ready to play hero and even if the girl decided to go without following through on her part of his plan, Hide had decided that he would follow them and figure out what was going on anyways.

However, if the girl did throw the bag of Lullaby Powder in the air, Hide would swiftly throw kunai at the bottom of the bag to slice it open to disperse the powder over the crowd of fanatics. “Show time,” he’d blurt out, using a technique called Shadow Dance to appear at Kadiri’s back, swooping her up into his arms as he forced chakra into his lower extremities in an Anabolic Frenzy and jumped as high as he could in the air.

If all went to plan, then he’d continue jumping rooftop to rooftop on his way out the city. After placing Kadiri in a safe, undetermined, place he’d wait for his eventual pursuers and get to the bottom of this “mission” without the innocent spectators.

If it didn’t go as he assumed, then…

Well… let’s say that’s when the fun begins.

[MFT! 1185 WC!]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

“You’re a madman” Yuii hissed, watching, hovering anxiously without the commanding presence she had been drawing on only seconds before. Her brows furrowed as Hideyoshi pressed the lullaby powder into young Kadiri’s hands and the girl had clutched it reflexively to her chest like a lifeline. The blue lady wasn’t so sure about his plan, but to her, the little rescue continued to fail at responding or reacting to anything not cued from her. She was not holding her to know, as Hideyoshi would, that Kadiri’s breathing had quickened as he explained ‘the game’. That she was tense and primed, ready to be set back on her feet.

“This is a huge risk to take. You can’t just expect a kid to fight back against her abusers because some hero guy told her to. If they’re hurting her, she's going to be way too scared to use that. I shouldn’t even let you give her that, ” Yuii she nagged uselessly as Hideyoshi let the barely responsive girl find her feet, and turned her on the path towards priest and knight. She didn’t take it, of course, She wanted to believe in the child’s inner strength, in justice, and that saving the child was the right thing to do. Her inner mother didn’t want to take the risk of even letting such a lost little girl get near the Tenouzans and their flock, and a decade earlier she would have been scheming right along with Hideyoshi, but the potential consequences of their actions were all too real to the Sennin. And nothing in the child’s sad face gave her confidence that this would work.

"My clan has a few of those types that train and fight with dogs.” She lowered her voice and hovered at Hideyoshi’s side as they both watched Kadiri take her first two dozen wobbling steps forwards, "When I was a kid, one of my older cousins got caught beating his puppy. It was a runt, he thought that made him weak, and the guy isn’t exactly a nice person anyway.”

Kadiri glanced back at them, her dark eyes large and full of fear. She looked like a fawn caught between wolves, though, uncertain which would eat her first. It was unreasonable to expect her to see them as a source of comfort regardless of the fact that they(more so Hideyoshi) had saved her. They were making her choose her own path, after all, not whisking her off to safety. Yet. Yuii ushered for her to continue going forward and kept her face passively disinterested as if letting her go was the plan. It should have been.

"Anyways, they caned him until he was raw, and screaming, and promised to never do it again- the usual. Then they gave the puppy back, I don’t know why. The innocent creature ran straight for its master, tail tucked between his legs like it had been the one at fault. Subservient and terrified but so full of...adoration?" The yet unnamed priest raised his hand beckoningly towards the youth, a smile that made Yuii want to punch him curling upwards on his face. At the first sign of acceptance and warmth, Kadiri sped forward faster and faster until she ran right into his waiting arms, lullaby powder still pressed between her hands, unused. In the moment of distraction, a small, ethereal formed in Yuii’s hand, and she gave it a passive flick and muttered under her breath. Nothing special seemed to happen.

“Her face as you let her go reminded me of that puppy, Mr Hero. Poor kid.” Yuii dug a mask out of her bag and in a fluid, practised motion pulled Umeko and her harness from her back in order to tie it around her face one-handed. The toddler who had fallen asleep some time since the rescue, and only stirred a little. “But I’ve decided I really want to scratch that smug look off that bastards face. Letting him win would send a bad message, so if she won’t create a distraction, I will,” she said as he tied the final knot, pulled a canvas cover over her daughters head, then returned her to her back. No one from the crowd noticed anything.“Closest safehouse is six blocks east, the tailors. Tell them you want a spring Yukata you can fight in and that Yuii sent you. I’ll catch up.”

Kadiri began to babble what sounded like an apology, though it was hard to discern her words because of the distance. She fell to her knees and bowed until her nose must have been touching the Tenouzan’s boot. To the trained eye, she was not just showing complete servitude but curled to protect her organs and so tense she was shaking. The bag was still held tightly in her hands curled in prayer.

“Only saint Isamu may pass judgement upon you, child. I am but his servant.” The priest reassured, his eyes gleaming. He bent and let his hand rest on her head and though Kadiri flinched when his hand first touched her, she leaned into the affection. At his prompt, she raised her head but remained on her knees. “Allow his holy light to cleanse you of their foul taint. ”he reached inside his robe and pulled out a medallion dangling from around his neck. It looked much the same as the star pins that he and the knight both wore, but in a dull grey metal that seemed to absorb the sun. He removed it, and ceremoniously placed to around her Kadiri’s neck. Nothing happened.

Yuii flicked her fan and muttered again, but nothing seemed to happen

The priest's voice lowered, becoming inaudible as he grabbed Kadiri’s elbow and guided her to standing. It seemed he had only been trying to be heard for the sake of the crowd. Their conversation of harsh whispers began to heat up and Sarimi dove upwards, breaking her prayers, to snatch the lullaby powder from Kadiri’s hands. The child screamed a single “no!” in warning but it was too late as the contents were torn open in the tussle and dropped on the knight’s face. She was asleep in an instant.

But none but the priest and the shocked adolescent noticed or cared because at that moment the burned teahouse gave out a loud, bellowing groan and gunshot loud cracking echoed from inside. Ash began to rain down from the shuttering structure, creating a cloud that turned the air grey. The crowd shouted warnings to one another, the police yelled for everyone to get back, people turned to flee, a woman screamed. Then in one, final bang, the whole building came down, spilling out onto the street.

That was the signal for the hero to save the day. He would have no trouble scooping Kadiri from her feet and bursting away to the rooftops.

As the dust settled, only the priest remained standing, his face filled with rage, a four-clawed scratch across his chin. Yuii too was gone.

>>>>

Kadiri clutched hold of her dark-haired hero’s neck, her dark golden eyes wild with fear as they soared. She dared to raise her head enough to peek backwards at the smoke-streaked sky and mushroom of ash that marked what had been the teahouse. Further off she could see raised sails or ships sitting in the harbour and the ocean horizon. She felt like a bird. Like she was flying. But people weren’t supposed to fly. Only demons could fly.

For Hideyoshi, the normally simple task of transporting one adolescent six blocks was becoming more difficult by the second. The energy was quickly draining out of him, eaten by an unseen force. There was no apparent attacker, however, just Kadiri, the rooftops stretching out in a highway of freedom and the blowing wind. *Despite that, he would make it to the street Yuii had directed him to, dismount the rooftops however he saw fit, and be able to find the only tailor’s shop in sight without much effort. Kadiri would follow as directed as she no longer paralysed with fear as she had been, but she wasn’t talking much either and would flinch any time he moved too quickly. It would feel like he had been training for hours.

The shop itself was a plain little building with a single sign, “The Golden Loom” out front. The inside was packed with hundreds of fabrics ranging from silk to rough cotton all neatly displayed for browsing. An old man sat at the counter near the back, diligently cutting fabrics, while a slightly younger woman operated a pedal-powered sewing machine.

When given the word, they would bustle him into a windowless room beneath their shop the size of a large office, filled with a pair of couches, a light, a radio broadcaster, and a fridge filled non-perishable food and water. Kadiri would need to be directed to sit or she would stand near the door and either way, watch him anxiously.

(*Unless Hideyoshi decides he's not going there, in which case, through the whole thing out! New plan! Do what you want!)

 

[Akechi]

“Someone is feeling honest,” Hideyoshi giggled, sheepishly glancing up at Yuii before re-focusing on the girl and their secret mission. Soon, the little girl would be pushed off toward her “wards” with the bag of lullaby powder and the power to choose her own destiny. As Kadiri inched toward one of the most significant choices in her young life, Yuii’s nagging evolved into a story about puppies from her clan. The delightful story served as an allegory of young Kadiri’s past and the choice that she would inevitably make out of fear and confusion. He silently watched her as Yuii continued the story, each step Kadiri took seemed more unsure than the last with Yuii’s voice serving as narration to the parable that played itself out in real time. The puppy, Kadiri in this case, inched forward toward the priest and his vanguard, only glancing back once as she pressed forward. The darkness, the pain and the uncertainty in her eyes shook the self-proclaimed “hero” to his core while Yuii continued on with her story. As Blue mentioned the canning of the puppy in the story, Hideyoshi’s eyes swelled as he struggled to maintain his composure while filling in the context of Kadiri’s wounds with prose from Blue’s story. Right on cue, Kadiri rushed into the arms of the waiting Priest as Yuii reached the climax of her story…

The choice that the puppy made… the choice that Kadiri made…

They both would remorsefully choose the architect of their abuse and beg forgiveness as if they had done to deserve such treatment. What other choice did they have? Their minds had been fractured and their spirits had been broken. This was the only life that they had known and comprehension of anything else was lost to them. They were ill-equipped to make such a decision and even though it pained him to admit it, Yuii’s story accurately depicted the young girl’s plight and the context surrounding her decision. Ideals such as optimism and hope were trounced in the wake of tradition, power, and order. As the girl clung on to the waist of the priest and begged for penance, the blood of the dark-skinned man began to boil as a sickening smile formed across the face of the fanatical priest. “That puppy and Kadiri-chan was faced with an impossible choice,” Hideyoshi commented, quietly resolving himself to move forward with his plan, regardless of Kadiri’s choice. Rising from kneeling position, Hide shifted the majority of his weight below the waist, pumping chakra into the muscle fibers that controlled explosive acceleration. “Where you saw that puppy from the look in her eyes, I saw the quiet resolve to survive by any means. Kadiri-chan and that puppy chose to survive… the only way they knew how,” he commented, the concerned look from before slowly transforming into the resolute smile of a wild hero, ready to spring into action no matter the cost.

However, before he could throw caution to the wind, Yuii had managed to introduce herself and surprise the vigilante in the same breath. “Now I recognize you, Yuii-sama,” he giggled, flashing her a thumbs up as she finally decided that the priest’s smirk was one that deserved to be wiped from his face. “It’s up to us to show Kadiri-chan the way forward!” The man exclaimed as Yuii’s hand twirled, Sarimi dove upwards and the young child shouted in caution.

“Time to GO!” Hideyoshi yelled, the unbridled energy that he had forced into his lower extremities suddenly propelling him forward at a speed that only the trained eye could even pray to keep up with. Not even this man’s esteemed Saint Isamu would stop Hideyoshi as he suddenly appeared in front of the priest with a smirk, whisking the girl away from the peril of her choosing in one fluid motion… And just like that, the “witches” from the mountains had vanished under the cover of panicked screams and the veil of smoke created from the building as it finally collapsed.

The brazen hero galloped across the rooftops, each step more difficult than the next as chakra was sapped from his body by some unknown source. “Looks like I lost them. Damn… so this must be,” he said to himself, glancing down at the girl as she clung to him like a scared puppy suffering from PTSD. “Can’t think about it right now. Must keep going.” Running six blocks generally wasn’t an issue for him but suddenly he found himself being dragged down by an immense pressure. It was unfamiliar territory for the veteran shinobi and surely solving this new mystery may just break the entire case wide open…

At least that was what he thought.

Not long after their dramatic escape, Hide and his passenger found themselves in front of a small, indiscriminate tailor shop. “The Golden Loom. This is the place that Yuii sent us. We’ll be safe here, Kadiri-chan,” the man said softly, playfully winking at the girl as a forced smile held strong across his face while his chakra continued to wane. Walking through the front door, he was greeted by an old man and a younger woman that both eerily stared at the man as he briskly entered the shop. “Looks like they are trying to figure out whether to attack or not. Judging from their reaction, they must know that I’m a shinobi or something close to it. To them, I’m either an ally or trouble. I wonder if this the reach of Yuii and her clan… or Kumogakure itself.”



”I’m sorry but we only do business by referral,” the old man said politely, casually walking from the counter in the back toward his new “customers.” As the elderly man inched closer to the duo, Hide could see the woman near the sewing machine quietly preparing some type of woman from behind the counter.

“She’s ready to attack if I don’t leave or answer. Shit, what was it about a kimono or a…” He said to himself, slowly kneeling to the ground to allow his passenger to “disembark” from his carrier service and onto her own two feet. Preparation was the key to survival, and while he trusted Yuii, caution was a necessity when dealing with strangers. It seemed that the keepers of this safehouse tended to business the same way. “Ah yes! A Yukata she said!” Hide exclaimed, placing one finger in the air as if it were some sort of “eureka” moment. “Yuii-sama sends her regards. She sent me here to get a spring Yukata that I can fight in.”

”Ah! Any friend of Lady Yuii is a friend of ours, indeed. Rei, take them to the safe room while I prep things up here,” He responded, clapping his hands together before closing the door behind the duo and beginning to close the shop. The younger woman rose from her seat, retracting the hidden blades underneath her Yukata as she quietly beckoned Hide and his new “ward” to follow her to the secret room. Shuffling them into a small room, the woman motioned toward the counter and the fridge. ”Snacks. Water,” she said sharply, moving toward the far side of the room and flopping down on the couch in dramatic fashion. Slovenly, she let out a deep sigh as her hand slipped to and from her pocket to reveal a small kiseru-like smoking pipe. A snap of her finger lit the pipe as she inhaled deeply and blew it toward the ceiling before unfurling her lips into a mischievous smirk. ”You don’t mind, do you?” She asked flippantly, almost as if she asked out of feigned formality rather than her guests’ preference.

“You already started…” he said to himself, leaving the small girl at the door while he retrieved his favorite snack from the countertop. “Sure, help yourself.” Clearly, hospitality and common courtesy were foreign concepts to the woman. He could tell from that look in her eyes that she was like a rabid dog, a cold-blooded assassin that felt more comfortable in a struggle between life and death than the warm confines of a safe house. Landing this gig must’ve meant that she erred somewhere in her last one and that this was her punishment. However, her story was the farthest thing from Hide’s mind as he walked over toward the larger couch and motioned for Kadiri to come sit near him. “Hey Kadiri-chan, they have pocky! Want some?” The man commented jubilantly, attempting to lift the girl’s spirits through man’s greatest creation… pocky. It was a cheap trick but it normally worked to break the ice… on kids anyway.

If Kadiri followed her dark-skinned “savior” toward the couch, Rei’s empty gaze would follow the girl as she walked over toward Hide. ”So what’s her story?“ Hide would keep his eyes on Kadiri as he spoke, using the pocky to divert her attention from the older woman’s off-putting gaze. “Saved her from a burning building and a group of fanatics.”

”Oh?“ Quizzically, she glared at Hideyoshi as if her grunt served as a fully-fledged question.

“Yeah… believe it or not, I think she’s one of us.”

Hopefully, Yuii would arrive soon because there was plenty to discuss…

And investigate…

This story had just begun!

[WC: 1544 / Sorry for the wait! I'll be returning to normal activity now!!!!]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

The trip through the sky was terrifying, the landing rocky, and if quick move through the streets dizzying for Kadiri. She wobbled and stumbled like a newborn calf trying to take its first steps. It was easy to forget that the young girl had no notion of where they were going or any experience with shinobi. What was normal to Hideyoshi brought flinches, gasps and wild-eyed looks of terror. She even avoided the eyes of average travellers who seemed to ignore them despite her odd behaviour. She needed a nudge to enter the tailors, an outwardly normal establishment, and tried to make herself small as Hideyoshi interacted with the strange duo running it.

Nothing they were saying to one another made sense to her, Kadiri thought as she counted the cracks in the floor, but she knew for certain they didn’t need a Yukata for whoever Yuii was. How bold was this man that he was running errands right after what had just happened? They needed to keep running away before the father found them in such a silly place. Before Lady Sarimi regained her senses and began the hunt. At least they should hide.

But like Hideyoshi had spoken a magic spell, the whole energy of the shop changed. It started with a change in purple woman’s voice that caught Kadiri’s attention enough to glance up through her hair. The nicely dressed seamstress was gone and replaced with a woman who exuded confidence and danger like a caged panther. Even her clothes looked nicer, flowing, more revealing than any needleworker could afford. Scary

The bent old man she had taken for eighty was suddenly spry and energetic as he bustled past them to close up shop behind them. She swore his face had been drooping when they arrived, but no such affliction was on his face and it was now warm but business-like. But frightening too, like a bear eating grass in the meadow. Scary.

And then they followed the tall, geisha-like woman to a small dressing room. Kadiri could only gawk as a seamlessly hidden door was produced from behind a large mirror. There were no hinges, no key, the lady didn’t even touch anything; it was just there. A black maw to the unknown, until a simple light clicked on, then it was a pair of the most frightful stairs to ever exist, which squeaked horribly and forced her between the two adults as they made their descent. The woman smelled too strongly of perfume. Scary.

The room wasn’t what she expected, but she has never known their destination to begin with. Ordinary, windowless, and filled with things that any multi-income family in Lightning Country could afford, like the fridge, and a few oddities of technology. It felt surreal as she was invited to sit on the surprisingly comfortable sofa and be offered Pocky like they hadn’t just flown like they hadn’t defied the church or like she hadn’t just nearly burned in a fire. The sweet was tempting, but her stomach felt twisted and sick, so she shook her head at Hideyoshi and tried to disappear into the corner of the sofa because the smoking woman was looking at her. Scary!

Kadiri stared back at the languishing woman through her dark hair, her brown eyes round with terror. She tucked her knees under her chin, she was warmer that way, and stalwartly resisted the urge to cry. At least they weren’t expecting her to say anything. As adults tended to do, they were discussing her like she wasn’t there. Except nothing about what the hero man said was quite right, and the last of it was just wrong. She was Kadiri, not a monster.

“No!” she snapped, regretting saying the word before it had cleared her lips. As if she expected to be smacked for speaking, she flinched, though her arms over her head and buried her face in her lap.

A warm, electric energy surrounded her, that was hair-raisingly familiar to the shinobi as the warning before a large amount of chakra was released. Except they were no release, only a buzz in the air as if something had filled it and simultaneously been removed in the same second. Kadiri seemed unaware of it as she began to rock and repeat a quiet mantra of “I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not….”

No Yuii to be found yet.

 

[Akechi]

”Oh? One of us…“ The woman would reply, accompanied by an ominous hum devoid of tune or rhythm as her eyes shifted between the young girl and her “savior.” Hideyoshi couldn’t tell exactly what this woman was thinking but he could see just how curious she was. He could practically hear the gears shifting around in her head as the wheels of thought began to rotate into another line of questioning that would satisfy this curiosity. With a flick of the dimly lit kiseru, she curled her lips into an almost sinister smirk as her eyes rested upon Hideyoshi. ”She doesn’t seem to think so. All of that power and they’ve trained her to fear it… to hate it,“ the woman would speak, casually pointing at the girl that had recoiled into a ball of self-doubt and conflicting emotion. ”I wonder if she even believes you when you claim to have saved her… or did you do that for yourself?“ Casually, she toyed with the very thought of “saving” someone and what that truly meant— to the “hero” and to the person being “saved.”

Hideyoshi contemplated her words in silence, allowing the bitter aftertaste of some hard truths – at least from her perspective – grow stale under the dimly lit room. The question – “had he done the right thing?” – lingered in his mind as he glanced over at the young girl that nervously snapped into a frenzied chant about not being like her “saviors.” He knew that she was conditioned to feel that way, but that didn’t take away from the sting of such a realization that Hide’s actions may not have been the “right” after all. Almost instinctually, the goateed man slowly reached toward the girl with his hand out as if to pat her on the head like “everything would be ok…”

But suddenly he stopped.

A small drop of nervous sweat formed near the edge of his brow and crept toward his goatee as he jerked his hand back toward his body in a very uncharacteristic fashion for someone like Hideyoshi. It wasn’t fear that made him uneasy… not his own anyways. He feared that the young girl had come to fear him after he shuttled her to safety.

His calm façade showed its first cracks with an anxious smirk, fiddling with the candy wrapper to avoid the awkward silence that would surely fill the room after Rei’s poignant sentiments. “I didn’t mean it that way,” Hideyoshi commented, removing the pocky from its resting place, and sheepishly taking a bite of the candy. ”Oh?“ The woman would say as her eyes settled upon him and watched him behind a devilish smirk. Hideyoshi would shake his head, taking another bite of the chocolate, the image of the young girl’s sudden “outburst” of elemental chakra still present in his mind. He had done this. Instead of “saving” the girl, he had made her cry and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.

Then again… what was the alternative? Allowing her to become like the brutish fanatic from earlier. It just didn’t sit right with him…

Finishing the last piece of pocky, he glanced over at the girl with a serious look on his face. It wasn’t one of anger but concern as he watched her. “I didn’t mean it like that, Kadiri-chan,” he would start, displaying his awkwardness and unfamiliarity with this type of conversation by scratching the back of his head. “I just meant that… well…” Well, how do you you tell a young girl that she’s the very thing that she had been taught to fear? “Everyone in this world has been blessed by chakra. It’s the source of life… for me, for you and even your friend, Sarimi.” Hideyoshi’s words grew more resolute as he spoke. The message that he hoped to convey to the girl growing clearer, at least to him, as he spoke his peace. “Some of us are just blessed with an abundance of that energy and we’ve figured out a way to refine it and shape it the way we’d like,” Hideyoshi would speak, standing from the couch and moving a couple of inches toward the girl. “But that isn’t what determines what you are. That isn’t what makes us monsters or anything else, really.”

Unless stopped by Kadiri, Hideyoshi would inch closer to the girl, eventually crouching down about an arm’s length away from her. “We determine who or what we are, and who we’d like to become. I just want to give you the chance to do that… either on your own or with me,” the man would smile as he finished, a friendly wink would meet the girl’s gaze if she looked in his direction.

”Well said, Mr. Hero,“ Rei would comment, glancing over at the duo as she awaited Kadiri’s response to the man’s soliloquy.

”Old man Shu is taking awhile… I guess he’s waiting on your friend to show.“

Where was Yuii?

[WC: 828/ MFT!]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Golden brown eyes haunted with fear appeared over the horizon of her legs and peered through the fringe of her hair between Hideyoshi and the strange woman who was looking at her like an interesting insect. Kadiri was able to look at Hideyoshi, even seemed comforted by his kind words but when she and the lady caught eyes, she reflexively hid her face again. "S-saint Isamu s-says that the use of ch-chakra is s-sinful." Kadiri parroted out the simple teachings that The Father and Sarimi had repeated dozens of times while continuing her rhythmic rocking, "Th-that by s-shaping it and using it for y-yourself, you are ch-challenging the Lord. T-they will smite y-you and deny you an afterlife." Her arm's tightened around her knees as if she wished she could shrink herself and disappear into the sofa. "S-sister Sarimi s-said that ch-children who have it that aren't blessed by a priest of Tenouza will be possessed by demons an-an-and s-stolen by w-witches. I-I don't want to be punished for eternity! I want to go home!"

A quiet thud on the floor between their seats signified Yuii's arrival as she appeared mid-drop from through the ceiling above."Sure! Right after the madness up there calms down!" she chimed in, as if nothing about what she had done was strange.

Kadiri screamed.

And screamed again. With the second wail, frightened child dove for the best hiding place within reach, which her scattered brain decided was between Hideyoshi and the seat of the couch. There was a bit of chaos as she tried to squeeze into place. Yuii's daughter screeched back, awoken it seemed, by the sudden loud noises. The woman content to lounge with them and judge was suddenly on her feet and glaring at Hideyoshi.

"You didn't tell me it was actually her!" The woman huffed accusingly at Hideyoshi as if he had broken some unspoken rule to warn another fellow employee of the impending and unexpected visit of their boss.

"I'm not paying you to sit around, 'Hana', you should be upstairs maintaining your cover. Old Hiro has the shop open." Yuii snapped authoritatively with extra emphasis on the woman's unsuitably cute name as she unclipped and swung sobbing, a hiccuping toddler from her back. "Also toss something down for Cinderella and her 'Hero' to wear! We're below a tailor shop and no one thought to get some fresh clothes! With our luck, they'll just follow the smell of smoke straight here!" Then like a switch was flipped, her whole aura turned unexpectedly warm and soft. The blue haired mother sank into the now empty couch opposite and cuddled Umeko close.

"Yes, ma'am" she gave one last at Kadiri, who by then would be using Hideyoshi as a body shield if allowed, then at the Sennin comforting her irate toddler before storming up the stairs and into to shop beyond.

"Ex-diplomat. They're a spoiled bunch but she's a clan brat so extra entitled." The Sennin chimed in a sing-song voice, probably for Ume's benefit but even Kadiri relaxed slightly at the change of tone, "Thinks being a tailor's wife in Midorikawa is beneath her. Maybe she should have thought about that before sleeping with a Lord's married son and losing two hundred contracts while we smoothed over relations. She's lucky I didn't ask the spymaster to make her a pig farmer."

A flurry of clothing whipped down the stairs and landed with a snap, gaining a startled squeak from Kadiri but none of the drama of before. A nice pair of men's slacks and a slate coloured button-down shirt, a sundress and sweater in navy and green respectively sat in a heap, waiting for them. Yuii didn't move.

"I hung back and crowd blended while they organize," she explained, making the complicated act of changing her face, appearance and mannerisms in the seconds Hideyoshi had used for escape sound simple, "A bunch of them are clearing the building rubble and are convinced we were all crushed to death. Of course, they're showing much more concern for your little rescue than us. I swear, the common folk spend so much energy telling stories about our horrific powers but somehow think a bit of fallen building could kill us? I'm almost insulted." She pulled a face, "The rest are being rallied together by the frightful father and his giantess knight. When I left them they were organizing a couple search parties. Mostly the police are backing them They won't find us here though. I was planning to rest here before the train arrived. Getting on it will be a small problem but we'll manage. By we, I mean Umecchan and I. You're going to have to finish what you started here, Mr Hero, and it'd help to have you vanish awhile while we handle the backlash of kidnapping a kid."

"They're going to find us." Kadiri whimpered, the first words she had managed since Yuii's return. Yuii shook her head.

"Do you want us to be found?" Yuii asked, tilting her head curiously, as the same scenerio- that they had ACTUALLY kidnapped her flitted through her mind. The dark haired girl's enthusiastic head shakes were reassuring.

"Good, then we won't. Besides. You have Mr tall, dark, and uncharismatic here to protect you."

 

[Akechi]

Kadiri exhibited all of the signs of Battered Child Syndrome. The repeated shakes, the stuttered and slurred parroting of the words preached by the abuser, the lack of self-worth and self-confidence, and the inability to rely on one’s self. Hideyoshi hid his concern for the girl’s wellbeing behind a mask of “kindness,” calmly forcing himself into a weak smile as the girl continued to echo the sentiments of the fanatical organization that beat her into the broken child that she was now. It was important that he listened to her more than he preached to her because preaching was what her abuser did. However, the man needed to find a way to convey his thoughts to her in a less intrusive way. She needed to understand that she had done nothing wrong, and that she and Sarimi were victims. Judging from her fragile state of mind, that would prove to be exceptionally difficult – even impossible at this time.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you back to the place that you call home, if –
” The man was about to offer his young friend a compromise when the “Woman of the Hour” popped in, scaring Kadiri half to death and barking out orders to the woman who had been revealed as “Hana.” False identities, fake storefronts, and a bunch of smoke and mirrors – just what was Yuii up to. The man hadn’t considered that Yuii may not have had the best intentions until he figured out who she truly was. “Blue” seemed to be a careful, dutiful shinobi with a “heart of gold,” but “Yuii” was something different. There was something off about the way she outed her “employee’s” identity, reprimanded her in front of an audience, and then sent her off in a rather cavalier display of the “power” she held over Hana. It felt ominous to Hideyoshi, and he resigned himself to being careful around her – so much that he gently moved Kadiri a bit closer to him as she cowered behind him.

“Sorry Hana…” Hideyoshi whispered sheepishly, an awkward expression pasted across his face as he scratched his head. He appreciated “Hana’s” company, so he didn’t mind having her around, but it wasn’t his intention to get her scolded by Yuii. Then again, no one expected Yuii to crash through the ceiling and start barking out orders. “Expecting the unexpected” was beginning to seem like the best way to approach any type of interaction with Yuii. “Hey, you scared Kadiri, you know?!” The man softly explained, his voice low but noticeably aggravated as if he were trying to argue amongst a sleeping child.

Turning toward his young friend, he reached out and grabbed the sundress and sweater that was dropped for the girl to wear, presenting them to her as he spoke. “You know, I think you were blessed with these gifts for a reason.” The man would reach his hand out to the girl, gently brushing her hair back if she felt comfortable enough, or simply giving her space if she recoiled from him. After all, he wanted her to feel comfortable but not pressured. “I think it’s important that you know that you have the ability to choose how you use your gift. When I learned about mine, I decided that I would use mine to help people. You should have the opportunity to do the same…” Hideyoshi would comment before walking over to a small, closet-sized room behind the kitchen. “You can change in here so no one can see you. I’ll be right outside, if you need me.”

Hideyoshi would wait for Kadiri to enter the room and begin changing her clothes before walking back over toward Yuii and her child. Quietly, he listened to Yuii as she explained her absence and the enemy’s movement she had observed while they attempted to regroup. As she mentioned the clearing of rubble, Hideyoshi shamelessly dropped his pants right in front of her, switching them out with the slacks that they had given him. She continued to mention Sarimi and the priest as Hideyoshi ripped off the tattered shirt and slipped into the slate shirt. He began buttoning the shirt around the same time Kadiri and Yuii shared a little exchange about the search, and Kadiri’s conflicting musings and reactions. Now fully dressed, he glared at Yuii before folding his arms. “Sounds like you are coercing me into a job. Same as ‘Hana,’ I presume. Is this what you Sennin normally do?” The man with the superiorly groomed facial hair asked, stroking the hair on his chin as he skeptically glared at Yuii.

“So what do you have in mind, Yuii-sama?”

[WC: 776 / MFT!]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii grinned to herself as she watched him through her lashes as he retrieved the clothing and presented them to the little rescue. Amidst encouraging words, Hideyoshi reached to touch the teen, and Yuii found herself an anxious audience her reaction. Kadiri didn't recoil, but there was a definite flinch then look of confusion as he touched her hair and a question in her dark eyes. To Yuii, it felt like hope though. She was still willing to trust just one shinobi like she was with Hideyoshi, and with care, he could root out whatever damage had been done by the church and destroy it.

Unabashed by Hideyoshi's state of undress, she watched him as she spoke with the same calculating expression one might have when assessing the state of a weapon. The body held a map of one's experiences, after all, and wasn't something to get flustered over. Hopefully, his ego could take the disgusted sigh she made. It wasn't over his body, he was every bit toned perfection that was expected of an adult shinobi, but at herself. Cruelly, he had just enough of her husbands qualities to give Yuii a pang of homesickness for Kaji's arms, just as Hideyoshi's appearance after the explosion had made her hope for Kaji's return. How dare he.

"Not the same as Hana." the Sennin snapped back, puffing out her cheeks with frustration and meeting his glare. "Hana was an idiot, and so was I today. I gave you permission to act against a Class-3 threat that the handbook specifically advises against antagonizing. Doesn't matter that you would have saved her anyway, or that you were too dense to work out who I was sooner; all the fallout of today is on my shoulders now. I have the happy duty to mitigate disaster and, if I fail, receive whatever punishment Kogami-sama deems necessary to placate the Tenouzans. Our Raikage is a kind man, but if people die for this Hana's relocation will look like a damned vacation. But whatever I endure will be a helluva lot better than what you would have dealt with. So, you're welcome. Maybe stop glaring at me like I'm suddenly sprouting horns and spitting acid?" She shifted and pressed her cheek into Umeko's black hair while muttering unintelligibly under her breath. Travelling had given Yuii the welcome experience of being treated like a normal human again and she hadn't been ready to go back to being 'boss'. So it had been a relief that Hideyoshi spoke to her as a colleague and person when they first met, though it now made his shift in personality sting. Sure she was being bossy, but she had been that way from the start.

Raising her voice had scared Kadiri again. She had sidestepped behind Hideyoshi again and was peering out between his arm and side. Now dressed properly except for her shoes, which showed some sign of wear from the fire but would hold up, for now. The dark haired girl could have passed for any other early teenage girl her age if not for her over large, fearful eyes. Yuii made brief eye contact with the girl, who squeaked and pressed her face to Hideyoshi's shoulder.

"The point." she spoke, regathering her thoughts and ignoring her feelings on being feared and distrusted, "We can't bring her to Kumogakure without risking war but I won't allow for her to be given back." Yuii glanced to Umeko, sprawled on her mother's chest, who had returned to sleep. Difficult to tell if the disapproving voice of her husband or the new, motherly instinct Umeko had installed had been the reason she was going to such lengths for Kadiri. The idea of her Ume being in the same danger as the little matchstick girl, impossible as it was, moved her. "So, you could call what I need you to do an order but orders are official and there won't be anything on paper about today that I won't personally hand to the Raikage. I need you and the girl to vanish. No child, no proof of wrongdoing on our part. As of this moment, You and Kadiri died in a pile of rubble, impossible to recover whole. Your handlers and everyone associated with you, Ao-kun, will be told you are dead. I already have a team on removing 'your bodies', and investigating that fire."

Yuii hadn't been far behind them, but it had been enough time to bark a series of orders through her headset and get results. It had taken her personal secretary only seconds to cross check over the short list of shinobi outside of Kumogakure not currently on a mission and pick Hideyoshi from the pile based on his description. More surprising than dropping pants.

"And dead people make excellent agents, so while you make yourselves scarce you're also going to help me make sense of what we're dealing with. You need to pick new names, choose a relationship and decide your reason for travel before you leave the safe house. Central has already arranged with KSIS travelling agent to have you added their trade ship tonight. You'll travel with them to Midorikawa City. From there you will go to the Lightning National Bank and empty the contents of security box 712 which will give you enough money to find a way west to the Tenebrous coast where Cinderella is from. More importantly, there will be a list of contacts with code words attached to each one that you must use along with a word of your own. Also a set of instructions. Memorize everything and destroy them before you leave the building. From that moment on you're going to vanish and only report verbally and in person to one of the persons on that list who know their code word and yours. They will be able to cypher your findings to be sent to the Spy Master and me as well as relay any new missions I have for you." It was easy to see that Yuii was excited to lay out her plan for them. This was one of the rare moments she was able to dictate the particulars of a mission like this, and working with the well-oiled machine that was KSIS' spy network was always entertaining. Like having an excited child explain their new favourite game, except this one, could mean life or death.

Kadiri didn't seem to think it was very funny. She looked pale and overwhelmed as she struggled to understand what Yuii was saying. She kept looking to Hideyoshi for his reactions, then mimicking, then growing confused once again in a cycle. She gave his new shirt a timid tug as Yuii stopped to breath and

Umeko was fast asleep now. Slowly Yuii peeled the slumbering toddler away placed her on the seat beside her. Free to move, Yuii pulled out the same slip of paper that the priest has presented as proof of guardianship over Kadiri. It had been crumpled in her pocket, and Yuii took a moment to smooth it before continuing. It not only outlined who was in charge of her but also why. In Kumogakure it was possible for a person, or their legal guardian, to sell themselves under specific criteria. There had to be an end date no longer than ten years, people could not be ordered or coerced into sale, terms had to be outlined, and the people they served had to treat them humanely. For many it could mean pushing their child or themselves into better work, for others, it was to stave off starvation but it was also an extremely abusable system that saw little policing. "I need to know why an indentured a girl was legally sold twice, first by her parents and then by a noble to the Tenouzan church in an area." She pressed a finger to the bottom half of the paper where names, signatures and prices had been applied. There were a lot of zeros attached to the second payment. "I need to know why the church would pay such a staggering fee for her and would be willing to fight to keep her." She set the paper down and paper of the same weight and size from the air and them side by side. As she continued speaking, she also began making what was a very close copy of the original paperwork without the notes of sale and for now no names.

"I also want to know how far and how prolifically the Tenouzan religion has spread from the south-east. I want to know more about the Father and Sarimi and I need you to coax every detail her story out and I think you would be much gentler about it than I would. Unless you have a problem with all of that? You are the one that decided she needed to be saved. It only seems fair that you take care of her until everything dies down. I can always just relocate her up somewhere in the north. Otherwise, choose a name. You're too close in age to pretend to be parent and child. Uncle maybe? or siblings? At least you look kind of alike."

 

[Akechi]

“Interesting,” Hideyoshi said to himself, glancing over at his blue-haired “friend” as he finished switching his threads for more refined garbs. The woman stared at him as he undressed and continued her glare as he put on the clothes that she had indirectly provided for him. “She’s looking at me, but not out of lust or attraction,” the man would continue, peaking over his shoulder to see if his young protégé had appeared from her “dressing room.” The silence in the room made for an unsettling mixture of tension and foreboding. It wasn’t that he was unfamiliar with the attention. The man was used to being looked over because of his short stature, only to be gawked at when his impressive physique was revealed to the spectator. The masses of this world were lascivious and shallow to the core, but Yuii’s gaze picked a different sort of objectification. “She’s assessing me. Sizing me up. She’s looking at me like one of her weapons, trying to figure out the best way to utilize her new toy.” Unsettling, but it wasn’t out of the ordinary. People like Yuii tended to treat people as mere objects for them to use and it didn’t seem like Yuii would be any different in that regard.

Yuii’s bossiness was met with an aloof stare, making his distaste for her comments evident as she explained how the disaster was “mitigated.” “Why is it that people like her always want to make it seem like they are doing you a solid right before they fuck you?” Hide would say to himself, glancing over his shoulder while Kadiri gingerly stepped back into the room dressed in her new clothes. Silently, Hideyoshi gave her a thumbs up before turning his attention back toward his new “handler” and the child strapped to her back. “The point,” Yuii emphasized, sent a small jolt of unnerved synapses through the small girl’s body as she clung to the eponymous “Mr. Hero.” While the girl’s large, fearful eyes peered at Yuii from behind Hideyoshi, the dark-haired man maintained a calm and collected disposition – even as Yuii toyed with his future in front of him.

The burden of mixed emotions in the room landed squarely on his shoulders as Yuii explained her plan. He felt obligated to remain optimistic and mildly cheerful as the blue-haired aristocrat tossed their names into the flames of rebirth and entered their new personas into a game of shadows and mirrors. While Hideyoshi sought to save the girl, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had just forced her from one bad situation to another. The man’s formed a wide, cheap grin as his body stiffened, staring at an empty space on the wall behind Yuii as he came to the realization that he had just traded in his freedom for the girl.

Years of “flying under the radar,” free from the manipulation of self-indulgent aristocrats that sought to use shinobi as tools, suddenly vanished as “blue” continued to wave papers in his face. He was fucked, and he knew it. The key was making sure that Kadiri couldn’t tell, and the mask he wore would feign ignorance of the regret crept into his subconscious. Still maintaining his false smile, Hide would turn toward his new “relative” and kneel next to her so that they were eye level. “I’m going to take you someplace where we can be safe from all this. But in order to do that, we have to play a game,” the man explained. “Roleplay!” He did his best to sound mildly excited about the “game” but he wasn’t sure if Kadiri would buy into it or not. “Basically, we have to come up with a story. A good one! And then act like the people we create.” Probably sounds familiar, right?

“I got an idea. It’ll be fun. I’ll come up with half of the story so you can see how it works and then you finish our story,” Hide giggled, waving his hands through the air as if he were casting a jutsu – Story no Jutsu. “We are a brother and sister from… Yasei. We’re moving away from the city because we’re looking to stay someplace quiet and by the water. Your name will be… Saki and my name will be…” Hide would finish, stretching out a hand in her direction and motioning for the small girl to finish the story.