Event Truth Seekers Of The Past (Mini-event part 2)

[Toraono Michino]

The preacher was droning on. It was the fifth funeral service that day, and Rei was already tired of hearing the “peaceful otherside.” Her recovery had been far faster than anyone else’s that needed medical service; practically overnight. She was still listed in the hospital and reported back to her room by the end of the day for an evaluation and monitoring, but as far as her physical health went, she was absolutely cleared. The reason the medical team kept her under as a patient was due to her body, once again, changing forms.
She was, again, returned to a smaller size, at least as far as her muscles went. Still a little over six-feet in height, the woman had once again thinned out and looked like she had as a cyborg; the image she had been before the “Awakening”, as it was called in her clan. It worked as a boon, though, as she no longer stood out in crowds anymore as a gigantic, large breasted amazonian of a woman. Rei quickly returned to the shadows after the overnight transformation, relishing in the fact that her old wardrobe fit her once more and no one recognized the Sennin.

Now she stood in the funeral crowd for the fifth time as a preacher of Raiden gave the rights to one of many recovered bodies from the Rebellion. The first funeral, for the shinobi Ziren, had been the hardest emotionally on her. That ninja, was a legend in their own rights and died far too soon. However, the death of such a highly ranking member of their army, followed by the countless deaths and missing shinobi that had been turned to monsters revealed holes in their intelligence systems. One the first things she did that morning before the funeral was pay a visit to the Raikage to tell her that she was going to be restructuring the Main Branch. It would be her first major act as a Sennin, but there was some fat that needed to be cut out of her part of the military. The part that worked into diplomacy were being transformed into a new kind of shinobi that would work with the new laws they had set up across the land to help police their own. All throughout the afternoon between the services, she had members of her branch coming to ask her details on what she wanted. Five new courts to spread across the land and act as miniature hubs for Kumogakure and powerful shinobi to lead them in order to keep a closer eye on their country. The spy branch had all but been burned to the ground and restructured with Rei as the only leader, as she could no longer trust anyone within the military until her hand-picked operatives were up to speed; well, almost no one. The Raikage was just as furious as to how far the little rebellion had gotten and was more than happy to push forward the MB Sennin’s ideas. Finally, but not at all last, she had made contact with a certain guild to help train their shinobi to locate, hunt, and kill the remaining soldiers who had been turned. The skills the Guild offered were more than just simple Lycan hunting, and the Medical Branch had even promised to eventually create a cure…but Rei wasn’t waiting. The creatures no doubt had the potential to spread whatever horrible thing transformed them in the first place; a fire that needed to be put out before it burned their house down.

The funeral ended, and Rei once again drew her trench coat tight before walking out of the makeshift temple to Raiden. The real one was up way too far in the mountains, and with the amount of services they still had to hold there was no way they could use the original temple. So, they turned out an old building, had it quickly fixed up for the massive funerals, and began to churn out the mourning. Except, now as the sun set on the first day of funerals, Rei was sick and tired of hearing the honeyed lies of religion and was ready to help the grieving settle their score with the person behind all of this. Throughout the day, she got some reports from her new operatives that quickly picked up on lines that had been “missed” by the previous spies. The corruption or lack of caring had burrowed its way deep when she found the culprit might be a doctor working within the hospital itself. Not long after she began to calmly walk towards the hospital did her ear piece buzz to life. With a word she was patched through to a device in the room with the Tenouzan, a flower vase with a little device hidden in a false layer. She listened intently as the sound of one of Miro’s operatives spoke up. Rei swore gently before picking up her pace. She hadn’t planned on ANBU being in the room. If the man spoke that his allies were spread all the way into Miro’s branch, there was no telling what that psycho would do. Rei needed these people alive to interrogate and punish properly; Miro was likely to just torture and execute them.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Kazeno gave an apologetic half hearted smile, as if he wasn't emotionally prepared for this, but he spoke nonetheless. "In the past week, both Cloud ninja and revolutionists have suffered heavy losses. Tonight will be an end to it, depending on your answers." He paused, before saying, My name is Kazeno. Nara Kazeno." He let the name sink in, if the Anbu had any sense of mind, he would know that Nara's are infamous for their high intellect both on the battlefield and off. "Two choices, two outcomes." He cleared his throat before speaking once more, "But before I tell you the choices, let's go over the facts. Both of what you know, and what I know. Fact one. A lot of people have died on both sides. A heavy loss for you ninja as you have not only lost an appreciable amount of good souls, but you had also lost a brilliant and strong mind, Chigokai Ziren. Fact two. What you had all faced off was the strongest of the revolution, a faction of sorts. That faction believed the most of the whole fighting fire with fire, doing the same heinous acts that the Cloud Ninja have done to either them or those they loved, only to keep the innocent civilians out of the conflict between the two sides. Fact number three. I gave the idea, to expose Cloud for its misuse of power to grab whoever they deem fit for having chakra affinities. My idea was to make Cloud responsible for its own dark past."

He looked out the window as more people had visited the graves of their loved ones. "It wasn't my idea, however to use another enemy that I saw was a pain for the common folk, the Tenouzans. I never would have thought that the draconian faction would go that far. It made me sick to my stomach. So... here's the two decisions. If you want to seek retribution in blood, then we can do this somewhere away from a public place like this, to keep the civilians safe from harm. If I die, though, my death will act as a martyr, the rest of the factions who are on the fence about fighting the ninja will then choose. Before this meeting, I had told what other factions are left to stand down and hope for peace. My death will surely cause them to strike. The second choice... You arrest me, put me on a fair trial, I will even take responsibility of the draconian faction and order all other factions to stand down. However, I will only do so if the dark past of Kumogakure is made public and a promise that it will never happen again. And all other revolutionists will be pardoned unless if they continue hostilities, which I doubt will happen if you choose to arrest me and agree to my terms."

It may seem that he has Cloud wrapped around his fingers, but he was putting his own life on the line to ensure that the killing stops. He knows the pain and sorrow from the people in the revolution, and how they have all that pent up anger they have for Cloud. He didn't want anyone else to die for their own ideals and their anger towards Cloud, but it would ultimately fall on the ANBU's and possibly the Sennin that is making her way over to the hospital room shoulder's now.

(Hon and Rei. You both are given a choice. The final one that will determine the end of the event. Kill Nara Kazeno and risk further hostilities with whatever is left of the revolutionists, or agree to his terms and he will let himself be arrested and keep what's left of the revolutionists to stand down.)

 

[Honnou]

...

This was too much. This Nara, this Kazeno guy, was the leading figure behind the revolutionaries? Here, as a working doctor within the Aesculapium? “…” Despite the shame of being so blind to it all… Hon kept quiet. As long as Yuri’s life wasn’t in danger, things were under control… or at least, that was his deepest hope.

The man spoke of the situation before them as well as the possible roads to the future, all depending on the shinobi’s actions right here and now. It sounded as if Kazeno was remorseful for the inclusion of the Tenouzans, but at the same time, he sounded exhausted of the entire revolution… but what he desired was for the end goal of all those warfares – the exposure of Cloud’s past that Hon had gotten to know about back at the train. Its past sins, so to speak… for that, the man was willing to give himself in to their trials and imprisonment, and he would let the rest of the remaining factions stand down.

With his imprisonment and fair trial, the revolution would surely end. If he was true to his word, then it felt like the most optimal outcome – but how… how was he able to guarantee that his fellow revolutionists would listen to him if he still ended in their hands? Perhaps he had something up his sleeve… a way to still keep the revolution going, even from within jail walls. Then trials and all would be for naught.

This was the time when Hon had to follow the command of his superior… the ANBU Sennin. Knowing her, she clearly wanted this man’s head on her desk tonight, so a direct assault felt like the way to go… but…

The Main Branch Sennin… where was she? In a situation like this, had Hon even the right authority to make a choice? Hon wanted to imprison him, deal with him fairly and then go from there… but the ANBU wanted to kill him here and now. And yet, the Byakko… wanted to wait for Rei to show up.

“… That choice… is not mine to make,” Hon replied at last, after a solid silent moment of thinking, “I’m not just a shinobi… I draw blood left and right, accumulate all the karma I can get, solely to protect my own people. That’s my duty, and that’s all I’m supposed to do. That’s how I support my village…”

Despite only recently turning 18, his life had gotten to such a point where its entire purpose was made clear to him. “Even if I lose another eye… or my right arm… or both my legs… even if the Cloud’s past is shoved right up to my face… even if her sins are unsalvageable… the Cloud that we’re in here and now is still my precious home. For her sake… I might as well damn myself."

The will of the Hidden Cloud… if there was such a thing, then Hon would be a great symbol of it. A walking Raiden on earth, perhaps. A figure of legend, myth, praise and prayers. If it was up to him, then Hon hoped to reach whatever level of power such a man could've had to be revered so much. To become another Raiden… silly, right?

There was no hostility from the ANBU as of now. It was almost as if he just gave up. “Her past… was before my time. That’s why I can’t choose.” Yeah, Hon was still relatively young compared to the other shinobi around, especially when looking at his rank of Captain. The ANBU Sennin would likely scoff at his hesitation to kill the man, but… he had to wait for Rei to show up.

 

[Toraono Michino]

…and show up, Rei did.

Through the window the doctor had been looking through a dark figure exploded in from, glass flying and impaling itself into the shut door across. She landed in a crouched position, her back facing the man who just revealed himself and turned towards Hon. The Sennin had wholly expected to have to fight the ANBU Captain. The old ways of Kumogakure, ways that were only considered such by about three years, were still reflexive for most. Those “ways” said this man not only had to die, he needed to be publicly executed with no room for mercy. There would have been no trial by combat, no violent end on his terms; the man would have simply been murdered right here by a group of no less than five to six shinobi. The absolute murder would have been covered and told in half truths to bolster the strength of Kumogakure, and he would have easily been a martyr then as he would now…difference being back then, there wasn’t near as many chakra users. Times had changed. Yet in seeing that Hon didn’t show even the slightest hint of violence quickly cued Rei into the situation. She had listened to the entire conversation in her mad dash over and knew what the stakes were.

As much as she hated it, the Nara had the right of it. Killing him would only bring on further misery, more propaganda against them, and eventually another fully blown civil war. With the Tenzoan War still fresh in her memory, the Shogan War that was just barely stopped before it really started, and the Revolution that followed…Kumogakure wouldn’t be able to weather another massive scale combat. They were short on people in the first war, and the casualties of that still echoed hard in the empty halls of the new offices for Main Branch; let alone how bad they had been hit from the rebels. The only option Rei saw of getting the entire village out of an even stickier situation was to simply go along with this man’s suggestions; but she wasn’t going to go easy on him.
“Nara Kazeno, you are under arrest for treason, murder, and general crimes against humanity by affiliation,” Rei said as she loosened her stance and turned to touch the doctor’s chest with a small ball of chakra in the tip of her finger. Swiping it down it would force the man’s arms to lock behind him, painfully, and make his entire body appear numb. It was still a jutsu she was working on, so the arm twisting would probably be a lot more painful than needed, but she didn’t care. Waves upon waves of funerals and seeing the death mask of all of those soldiers she had sent to their deaths was more than enough excuse to crush the Nara like a can of beer in her hands…but she cared more about the duty to her country than the personal feelings that swelled once the doctor was in a prone position. Leaning in, Rei reached up and tilted Kazeno’s head up so that their eyes locked,

“Never forget who’s people you threw to the meat grinder, never forget the lives you sacrificed for an ideal that would have been better handled in the courts; because I will not. We will admit to our wrongs. We will repair the trust between our village and this country, but you? You will never be heard of again. I’ll make sure of it.”

It would have to do. She wanted to destroy this man until he was little more than gore and blood. Instead a kangaroo court and his prison cell buried deep, deep beneath the ANBU headquarters would have to do. She reached to grab the doctor and hoist him over her shoulder with surprising ease before nodding to the Byakko. If there was one person in ANBU she now trusted, it would be him; and him alone.
“As you were, soldier,” she said to Hon before leaving with Kazeno.

[Topic Left Unless Stopped]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Kazeno let out a sigh at the ANBU's answer, but otherwise he waited for the anticipated Main Branch Sennin to show up. And show up she did, crashing through a window making him flinch at the sudden hostile intent, but calmed down once the Sennin began to talk. Once she was done talking, he turned his attention to the Tenouzan. "I've had word from my people. Ones that have been keeping a real close eye on the Tenouzans. They think you're a traitor. You won't have anything to go back to if you are let go." And with that, he had stopped talking. He didn't resist when she bound him and told him what's going to happen. Afterwards, he would feel himself being picked up effortlessly and out the room.

Somewhere up in the mountains... 2 weeks later​

Snow had covered the mountains, and undoubtedly the Village hidden in the Clouds. Even now, there was the slight fall of snow. on one particular mountain was a small cabin, footsteps could be heard as someone in boots was walking until the door had opened and then they walked out on to the porch to sit down. Next to them was a radio. An old wrinkled right hand reached out to tune in and listen to the latest news.

A woman's voice piped up on the radio as she went over things that are vastly changing throughout Lightning Country, "This is Akiko here with your morning Cloud News. It's barely been two weeks after the revolution against Cloud's own ninjas has ended. There, in fact, was a reason as to why these extremists have struck out at the ninja as a week earlier it was announced that our very own Cloud Village had a dark past. One that involved asking, buying, or even kidnapping people who show chakra potential from their homes. It was for, back then to ensure that Cloud had a fighting force, but there were consequences for those actions. Because of this newfound information brought to the public, it seems that the everyday citizen is more likely to steer clear of cloud ninja or outright insult them. But even when the crimes of the rebels were brought to light as well, it seems that the citizens of Cloud are indifferent to them, neither backing them up nor throwing them to the wolves. The rebels themselves have been keeping to themselves in unknown remote areas, only coming out to help citizens living outside of Cloud with problems of their own. As for their leader, one known as Nara Kazeno has been put to trial last week and given all that has happened, he will spend the rest of his life in jail. However, there is one rebel that had made his mark. One that has taken it upon himself to right the wrongs of the rebels. Every now and then there were reports of monsters wearing ninja clothes, something that the rebels had made to show the ninja what they saw when their people went missing. These things are considered highly dangerous and hunt in packs. However, there has been reports of a single Uchiha fighting them off. Every time that ninja were to get on to the scene, they would find the monsters either crushed or burned to a crisp.

But here comes the real question, how will Cloud heal from this?"

The hand reached out once more to turn off the radio. The man, the Uchiha that was talked about on the radio, stood up, let out a sigh, and walked out.

Back in the village
​

The new lawyer ninja had just got done speaking with Hana and Moji. The wife and son of the late Chigokai Ziren. There was a cassette tape recorder that they held on to in case he had died. They had heard what was on it, something for Yuna to hear. But... they couldn't bear to hear his voice again and think it best to have a lawyer ninja give it to Yuna.

As the lawyer sat down in his office, curiosity got the best of him and he played the tape. A simple click and the whirring sound of the cassette came to life. "Hello. Yuna. If you are hearing this, then it means that I am dead." The lawyer felt his skin crawl as he had heard those words. The voice belonged to a man, not some petite female kitsune he had known of, though he was aware of the talks of Ziren's freak change, so he surmised that this tape took place before the change. "I am sorry that I can't heed your warnings of sticking close to family and not do dangerous missions. But I do it to make sure everyone I love is safe. Look, I know that my death might just bring out the worst in you, but you do need to know. Keep a steady head on your shoulders. If you think of getting revenge for my death then you will be on a dark path indeed. Just... only do what is necessary. Speaking of which... There is one person that would need to know about my death. She is the only person in Leaf that I trust and is my sister, your aunt. Nasaki Soku. But I implore you. I haven't said much about Leaf, and it is best to not affiliate yourself with me if you do go. One other thing. There is a map. In my room rolled up. If I am dead before the disappearance of that map that means I have failed a friend and am asking you to help me in my stead."

The tape ended and the lawyer sat back in his chair. All he could think of was how heavy a one-sided conversation from that tape was.

(this marks the end of the event!)
(Thank you both for participating in it!)
(Edits made in bold and italics)
(Don't mind the last part, that is more personal for Yuna, more character development for her)