STEP 2.4
"I don't know Mizuki, are you sure that this will work? Everyone seems pretty… intense after that interrogation…"
"It'll be alright Tsubaki, it only has to fool them for a moment. How much chakra were you able to infuse into it?"
"I've been steadily pouring in a bit of my chakra since this morning. It's… pretty tiring, but it beats dumping everything into it at once. I should be almost back to my normal reserves after I've had a good night's rest."
"Good to know, but I wouldn't count on getting any. Not tonight at least." I answer grimly, taking a glass gourd from Tsubaki, filled with chakra-infused water, to the point I that when I took it into my hands, I could feel the mystical energy straight through the container.
'It's oddly warm…'
Taking out one of the many sealing scrolls we had stolen from Hiruko's palace, I seal the glass gourd inside and tuck the scroll away inside my vest. Tsubaki and I share a nod and then I'm out through a window and hopping over tiled rooftops in a shadowy blur, my movements masked by the dead of night.
Well, 4:33 AM to be more precise. Planning a heist or escape right at midnight might sound cool in the movies, but a surprisingly large number of people are still awake or barely asleep at that point, especially in a shinobi world. Four in the morning however is just before the early birds start rising and towards the end of the night shift, meaning that those few people who are awake are dead tired.
As is the case with the large Akimichi ANBU standing guard outside Suien's cell inside Taki's prison. As with most prisons, getting in is significantly easier than getting out, especially after Elder Senji's ordered most Taki nin to vacate the building to prevent any trigger-happy shinobi from avenging their beloved leader, which left the prison practically empty. Since we Konoha nin were a neutral party, and thus one of the few entrusted with keeping Suien alive until it was his time to die, the remaining guards outside the largely abandoned prison pretty much waved me through without much issue. As expected however, the lone ANBU guard was not so lax.
Yes it was getting towards the end of his night shift and yes he was tired, but he was still one of Konoha's elite soldiers. If needed, ANBU would operate for days at a time without rest if it meant completing the mission. Not that this was exactly healthy, but then again the same could be said for pretty much 90% of their job description.
"Good evening ANBU-san! Or good morning, depending on how you look at it, I suppose. Were you made aware of the new orders from Tiger?" I ask in my best innocent sounding voice as I approach the towering shinobi in front of the thick cell door.
Even with mine and Mizuki's acting skills combined, it's not enough to fool the large Akimichi and despite the non-descript mask, I can tell he's narrowing his eyes at me.
"Standing orders are to guard Suien's cell until he is retrieved by either Great Elder Senji, Village Leader Shibuki, or Captain Tiger. Anyone else is to be turned away. Violently if deemed necessary." The ANBU rumbles in a deep voice, before leaning slightly towards me as I come to a halt in front of him, voice lowering even further.
"You are none of the aforementioned people."
"How can you tell? I could be under a Henge?" I shoot back with a small smile, trying to defuse the rising tension.
"Mizuki…" the Akimichi simply rumbles in response and I raise my hands in surrender.
'Sheesh, I'm even telling the truth! … technically, at least.'
"Alright, alright. No, I'm not secretly Captain Tiger under a Henge. However, I am here on his orders." I explain and the Akimichi straightens to his full height as he shoots me a considering glance.
"… what new orders?" he finally bites.
"Tiger wants one final interrogation done before Taki takes Suien away to lop his head off. The information inside said head could be beneficial to Konoha's interests, especially if we plan on expanding our current operations on Mount Shumisen. Suien was there for as long as I was after all, and Tiger doesn't want to throw it all away just to calm Shibuki's tempter."
"Why you? Why now?" the ANBU demands as he crosses his arms in front of a chest broader than most doors.
"Well, considering our glaring lack of a Yamanaka at the moment, who else but me? Given my past with Suien and our trip to Hiruko's labs, I know what questions to ask and what buttons to press, meaning I'll get more out of him than you would."
"He hates you." He refutes but I just shrug, unbothered.
"Just means that he'll be more emotional and emotional people make mistakes."
The very fact I haven't already been bodily thrown out of the prison shows that the ANBU isn't at least dismissing me outright, doubt creeping into his stance, but even so he's still not entirely convinced.
"The captain can handle the interrogation as well as you can. Better, even." He points out and I nod, conceding the point.
"True, but he's got eyes on him that make a late night, last-minute interrogation session a bit more complicated. There's a reason why I'm coming to you at this ungodly hour after all." I grouse, my voice sleepy and annoyed.
I throw in a yawn I don't even really need to fake for good measure (4 AM really is disgustingly early after all, no matter if you planned for it) and by the tensing of his broad shoulders, I can tell the ANBU is trying to suppress his own in response.
Contagious reflexes are a hell of a thing.
"Captain Tiger wants this done subtly, on the downlow. Since we're the one that captured him and turned him over to Taki, naturally we should get first dibs on any intel Suien has, but after the attempted interrogation yesterday… yeesh. Better we don't upset Taki further by openly rooting around in the brain of one of their most valued jōnin, disgraced or not. You've seen firsthand how tightly they clutch to their secrets, even when it comes to their allies." I finish with a helpless shrug and the Akimichi drums a thick finger against his forearm.
"Make it fast." He finally relents as he turns around and finishes a set of keys from his pocket.
Due to his large size, he has to lean down a bit to get the key (comically tiny in his meaty fists) into the key hole and his voice gains a warning tone as he addresses me as I move up behind him, waiting for the tell-tale 'click' of the heavy locking mechanism.
"And Mizuki, if you dare-"
I'm not sure what he's trying to warn me about (it probably involves bodily harm of some kind, ANBU are predictable like that), because at that exact moment, I explode in a burst of movement. A hand, larger and tipped with claws underneath the Henge, engulfs the back of the Akimichi's head and slams it forward, straight into the thick steel of the cell door.
The blow is hard enough it shatters his mask and embeds his skull a few inches into the dented steel, but even blindsided like this, the large shinobi is still ANBU. Even taken off-guard and unbalanced, he doesn't go down immediately and instead tries to rise to his full height, already half-turning as a large hand goes for the weapon pouch at his hip without a moment's hesitation, while the other whips around like falling tree-trunk, aiming to take my head straight off my shoulders.
Not that I let him. I'm already moving as the large shinobi is unsteadily whirling around, ducking underneath the meaty arm and feeling the displaced air ruffle my silver locks, getting inside his guard in the blink of an eye. Mid-turn, the Akimichi eats a brutal kick straight to his now unmasked face, the few added inches from my transformation making sure I'm just high enough to hit the stumbling giant right in the bridge of his nose. The blow is strong enough it carries the hefty ANBU straight off his feet, sending him crashing into the wall.
Even with a small waterfall of blood pouring down his face and his eyes already swelling shut, his head probably ringing as if it were a gong during prayer time, the Akimichi proves why he was handpicked by Tiger himself as he falls to his knees, breaths labored as he tries to stay upright, still not knocked out.
'Damn, Akimichi really are built different.'
He even manages to get one foot underneath him, arms spread wide as if preparing a sumo charge, voice coming out in a pained, dangerous growl.
"Mizuki…!"
Despite his injuries, he still throws himself in a tackle, which I answer by grasping the edge of the heavy cell door and throwing the thick slab of hardened steel open wide with all of my considerable strength. The impact further deepens the previous dent to the point I can almost make out the Akimichi's face through the other side and after a tense few seconds I cautiously peek around the edge of the door.
Finally the large ANBU is knocked out flat on the floor and I kneel beside him, heaving with some effort to roll him on his side so he doesn't choke in his own blood or something. Patting the Akimichi on his head (which now more resembles several pounds of raw ground beef) I let out a relieved breath.
"I do not envy you the headache you will have when you wake. But for now, rest well and dream of large women."
With that I rise up, pick up his key ring and hurriedly slip inside the now opened cell. Yes, the prison was hardly staffed and those few who were unlucky enough to have been assigned the night shift were about as inattentive right now as they were likely to get, but still. This brief scuffle hadn't been exactly quiet and I'd rather be gone before someone comes looking into all that racket at this time of day.
Suien's still where we left him since yesterday, the deep bags underneath his eyes showing that his constrained position meant he likely hadn't been allowed to fall asleep, but the gleam in his eye shows that he's alert nonetheless.
"Mizuki?" he says, surprised and distrustful.
"Questions can wait, our window is brief. We need to move and we need to move now." I say as I approach him, flipping through keys as I test them on his manacles.
It takes a couple of tries before I get to the correct ones and during all that time I can feel Suien's stare bore into my skull, though the traitorous ninja doesn't say a word. It's only when I help him remove the heavy wooden board from around his neck that he springs into a blur of movement. He tears the key ring from my hand and in that same movement, fast enough I can't even see how he did it, he has the longest one extended like a thick needle, pressing it into the soft flesh underneath my jaw, right over the carotid artery.
Even though it's just a blunt key, I can feel the pressure of the length of steel against the hammering of my pulse and I freeze completely, eyes wide as I lock gazes with the equally motionless Suien.
I try to speak, but need to swallow first, the key moving uncomfortably harsh against my throat at the motion.
"Is this how you usually reward people saving you from the gallows?"
Suien's eyes narrow at my lighthearted question and the pressure from the key increases further.
"No. I usually reserve this for people who betray me to the gallows instead." He growls and I try to shrug without jamming the key further into my throat.
"Then it's a good thing that was never my intent."
"It sure seemed like that when you knocked me unconscious in front of a full ANBU squad."
"To save your life."
Suien actually lets out a bark of laughter at that, voice cold and eyes manic.
"Giving me a concussion, handing me over to those Leaf dogs, was all for my own benefit was it?"
"You're alive right now, aren't you?" I shoot back immediately, my voice firmer as I meet his wild gaze.
"Only because Senji wishes to see me lose my head tomorrow, rather than today." Suien refutes.
"And if I hadn't acted fast, you would've already lost your head a week ago!" I implore, even forcing the jōnin back a step as I move forwards, trying my best to ignore the slim length of steel digging into the soft flesh of my throat.
"Who do you think it was that convinced an entire ANBU squad to keep you alive as their prisoner, instead of executing you on the spot? Who kept telling them you were worth more alive than dead, when really, they wouldn't have given two shits either way? Who went even beyond that, used their newly given trust, to convince them to go as far as to take you with us and return you to your home village, rather than throw you into the same Konoha jail cell I escaped from? It was me who secretly arranged your transport to your home village, Suien, me who delivered you right to the heart of your ambition!" I hiss and Suien's takes another half-step back, doubt creeping into his wide eyes.
"You need to see the bigger picture here Suien, or all my bullshitting for this past week will have been for nothing, and we'll both lose our heads. You always wanted to return to Takigakure and conquer it, didn't you? Now's your chance!" I press on and finally Suien relents, taking the key off my throat.
For a moment we just stare at each other, Suien clearly weighing his options before he sets his jaw and shoots me a warning look.
"I'll be keeping my eye on you." He threatens, but I just shrug.
"Good, you watch my back and I'll watch yours. Now, can we finally get a move on or are we just gonna stand around here threatening each other until all they need to do is throw that door shut again?"
Suien grunts in acknowledgement and as we quickly move out of his cell, the jōnin's eyes widen as he spots the downed Akimichi. It probably goes a long way to dispel any further doubts about my 'true' allegiance and I can feel how the jōnin relaxes slightly.
"A moment." He commands and I can't help but bounce on the balls of my feet as he quickly pats down the ANBU's vest, pilfering the unconscious shinobi's weaponry.
"Hurry it up, before-!"
"Halt!"
"… before that happens." I finish with a sigh, spotting a familiar face at the end of the short hallway.
Saburo is standing there in a ready combat stance, short sword already unsheathed, murder in his eyes as he looks from me to Suien who is still bent over the prone form of the Akimichi ANBU. His expression darkens even further when he sees the unmoving Konoha ninja and I raise my hands in a placating gesture.
'Damn, I got lazy. I thought he had mostly backed off when Fū took over his guide duties. Guess he really took Senji's orders to heart; he probably never took his eyes off me.' I think, annoyed with myself.
"Alright, I know this looks bad, but he's not dead-!"
"No, but you soon shall be." Saburo hisses, before shooting forwards in a Body Flicker.
Body Flickers aren't usually used in combat (unless you had fancy hax-powered eyeballs like a certain Uchiha) given the lack of control during the high speed movement, but in a narrow corridor like this, that's not much of a factor. Thankfully, it also makes the linear movement predictable, so the moment Saburo even began to lean forwards, I already threw myself to the side.
"Shit!"
Not that it saved me completely, a white-hot pain suddenly lancing out across my bicep, Saburo's sword having tagged me as he flashed past me. Still, the Taki nin pays the price for his reckless movement as the Body Flicker carries him too far and his sword embeds itself deeply into the wall behind me. Saburo is experienced enough though to not even attempt to wrench it loose after a quick tug doesn't dislodge it. Instead, he lets go of it and immediately goes for his equipment pouch as he turns towards me, but he's halted in his tracks as he gets a good look at me, eyes wide.
It takes a trickle of blood running down my arm to realize that the Henge has failed.
"What-?"
That's as far as he gets as I feel movement behind me. More than that, however, I feel intent and my heart feels like it just got encased in a block of ice.
"Suien, don't-!" I try to warn but by then it's already too late.
The traitorous jōnin moves from behind me like a shadow, circling around Saburo and me in a blur of movement, suddenly standing shoulder to shoulder with his fellow Taki nin. Suien delivers a brutal low kick, stomping down on the hollow of Saburo's knee, making the older shinobi's legs collapse underneath him. The dirty kick is immediately followed by a scything roundhouse as Suien whirls around on his other heel, whipping his leg around and hitting Saburo in the chest.
It's a strong blow against an already destabilized opponent and it sends Saburo flying back… neck first in the still embedded blade of his sword. His eyes widen and his mouth opens in a silent scream, his body jerking uncontrollably. Suien slowly stalks around his downed opponent with a dangerous gleam in his eyes as Saburo looks up in desperation, fear and anger.
"S-Suien… y-you…-"
"What an ironic reversal of fortune, wouldn't you agree, my 'executioner'?" Suien mocks, before delivering a brutal backhand.
The blow is strong enough it pushes Saburo's head further back into his own blade and with a disgusting wet tearing sound, he is decapitated, body and head toppling to the floor.
"What the hell did you do?!" I can't help but explode, cold sweat drenching my back and I realize that, despite the fights I've been in, the death I've seen up to this point and even the death I've caused, this is the first time I've seen an innocent person die.
Saburo wasn't my enemy, he wasn't a villain. Just a ninja doing his job who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Suien's cold voice drags my horrified look from the beheaded corpse to the tall jōnin as he looks at me with a vindictive smirk.
"What have I done? I've tied my fate to yours. Taki will want blood for blood. Now you're an accomplice not just to a prison break, but to murder. No way to weasel your way out of that one. The only way you can prevent Taki from sending out hunter nin and bounty hunters after your head for the rest of your natural life, is to ensure that it is I who leads Takigakure. Make me Village Leader and I will let you leave this place in peace. Fail and… well, just get used to sleeping with one eye open." Suien explains with a cold smile.
My mouth opens and closes a few times, yet no sound escapes me as I look at the ruthless jōnin across from me.
"Now then, I assume you have a plan that sees me assume control of this pitiful backwater? Merely running away won't cut it, not after Saburo's… untimely end."
"… the Hero Water. I have an idea where it is and how to get it. You get your hands on that, defeat Shibuki, Senji and the other elders and assume control."
"I'm not even sure at this point whether or not I should be surprised that you managed to uncover my village's most closely guarded secret. However, even the Hero Water pales in comparison to the might of the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and she will not take kindly to me killing her treasured Shibuki." Suien points out.
"So don't kill him. Defeat him in battle, take control of the village and then use that position to keep him hostage. The Jinchūriki won't dare attack you if Shibuki's life is at stake."
"That would mean obtaining the Hero Water and defeating the Village Leader and those Elders loyal to him before the beast can interfere."
"That's where I come in."
Suien's smile widens further and he motions towards the other end of the hallway.
"Lead the way then."
//
My flight from the prison to Shibuki's mansion was harried, but thankfully brief due to Taki's small size. Besides, it wasn't as if the large building overlooking the smaller hamlets below from the top of its hill was difficult to spot, even in the dark.
I had followed on the heels of Suien as he barreled past the guards stationed at the prison's entrance, only now slowly being roused from all the commotion of their missing nin's breakout. To my hidden relief, their slow response likely saved their life as they failed to jump into the fleeing Suien's path.
They're still scrambling for their weapons when I burst out the large gate as well, hand clutching my injured arm, incorporating the wound in my reapplied Henge, shouting back at them over my shoulder as I moved towards Shibuki's mansion.
"Suien escaped! Raise the alarm, now! Saburo is dead!"
The guards, who had jumped at my call and were already beginning to move, froze when I revealed the fate of their comrade, but I was already gone, a blur in the darkness.
I arrived at Shibuki's mansion not long after in a cloud of dust, making sure to look half out of breath and bleeding enough to make the guards take me seriously, barking at them to raise the alarm before they could start asking stupid questions.
"Suien escaped," I snapped, voice carrying across the courtyard. "Sound the fucking alarm. Now!"
That at least got their attention.
The gate guards stiffened immediately, hands drifting toward weapons, though hesitation still lingered in the way only bureaucratic security could manage. They looked less like shinobi and more like men trying to decide whether they were allowed to panic without permission from someone higher up the ladder.
"I need to speak to Shibuki," I continued, clutching my arm tightly enough to keep fresh blood from dripping onto the stone. "Right now. I know where Suien is headed, but we don't have time to waste."
They exchanged looks.
One of them opened his mouth to object when another figure came sprinting up the path behind me, one of the prison guards, sweating and pale, having followed in my tracks.
"He's telling the truth," the man gasped with hurried breaths. "Prison breach. Suien escaped. I saw him leave."
That finally broke the paralysis, the guards moving with uncertain urgency.
One peeled off toward the inner compound while another gestured sharply for me to follow, suspicion still written all over his face, though it did little to mask his mounting panic, something echoed by the other guards and servants as we moved deeper through the palace.
Soft lanternlight reflected across polished wooden floors as I was hurried deeper inside, past servants flattening themselves against the walls and armed retainers beginning to mobilize. Even through the growing tension, the place still carried that same suffocating refinement from dinner earlier and I found myself breathing a bit harder, trying to prepare myself for the sheer amount of bullshitting I was about to do.
'At least it adds to my harried look, so hey, small blessings I guess.' I thought wryly to myself.
I was lead to a large room, different from the dinner hall the night before, though spacious enough to comfortably house the collection of hurriedly roused Elders, one deadly silent ANBU captain and one nervous wreck of a village leader already waiting for me. Shibuki sat near the centre of the assembled group, posture rigid but eyes tired in a way that made him look younger than he probably wanted to appear. Despite the ungodly hour, most of the Elders looked surprisingly put together, with only a few bravely trying to suppress yawns and blinking the sleep from their eyes. Elder Senji stood tall and rigid however, crisply clad in the robes of his station and gaze fully alert and narrowed in suspicion, as if he had come from the feast straight here without even so much as looking at his bed.
Tiger of course looked the same as always, completely unreadable to the outside world save for the tension in his arms as he folded them over his chest and the way his mask snapped towards me the moment I stepped into the room.
The tension in the room shifted the moment they saw the blood.
I didn't wait for permission.
"Prison's compromised. Suien escaped. Thought you ought to know." I said immediately.
Immediately the Elders erupt in a jumbled mass of rising panic and half-formed accusations, threats and suggestions, though both Senji and Tiger's gazes remain locked on me. Shibuki's eyes widen, but before he can stammer out a question, I decided to drop the bomb.
Hesitating visibly, I hang my head.
"Saburo… Saburo, he tried to stop Suien… he-"
"Spit it out man!" Senji finally calls out, but I can tell he already knows the rest.
"… Saburo's dead. Suien decapitated him with his own sword."
The room falls completely silent, none of the Elders daring so much as speak as Shibuki slowly sinks to his knees. Senji merely closes his eyes- in grief, head slightly bowed, but despite the shocking revelation, I can feel Tiger's stare still boring a hole in the side of my head.
Surprisingly, it's not him or Elder Senji who asks the question that's on everyone's mind, but Shibuki, the young man collapsed, sitting in a disheveled heap in the middle of his advisors, but with hollow eyes fixed on the polished floorboards.
"How… h-how did it happen?"
"Indeed. How could Suien escape? His restraints held fast, the suppression seals were drawn correctly. I checked them myself. He was to remain under constant guard." Tiger follows up, and there's something in his tone, a hidden promise of violence, that's enough to keep the Elders from jumping in as well.
He's still standing at the other side of the grand reception hall, arms still folded over his chest, and yet it's as if I can feel his breath on my neck and this time I don't have to act as I gulp, looking from the village leader to the silent ANBU captain.
"I… uhh, I sort of… attacked the guard?"
Before Shibuki's eyes can widen, before the Elders can erupt in outrage, before I can say anything else, Tiger is just… there. Right there in front of me, close enough I can see the smooth glossy texture of his porcelain mask, kunai held dead still at my throat. I thought I had gotten faster, thought I had gotten the measure of jōnin like Suien and the ANBU. I had gone toe to toe with them after all.
But it's only the fact that I know with absolute, wiki-backed knowledge that Tiger doesn't possess a Space-Time ninjutsu that keeps me from thinking the man just… straight up teleported across the room.
'I didn't even see him move!'
It was frustrating, but sadly not entirely unexpected. Yes, the Naruto world roughly categorized shinobi in either genin, chūnin or jōnin, but that didn't mean there weren't differences between ninja of the same rank that eclipsed the differences in categories entirely.
There were jōnin, and then there were jōnin and as far as Tiger stood above the rest of his squad, to me it only highlighted how much further the true monsters of this world stood. In the grand scheme of things, Tiger was barely more than the original Mizuki had been: filler fodder.
The whole situation, in combination with the stress from Suien's escape, makes me feel oddly… detached from it all. To the surprise of everyone in the room, including myself, I just let out a bitter laugh, opening a small cut on my throat as my skin presses against the razor tip of Tiger's kunai.
"Something amusing, Mizuki?" the ANBU captain asks, his voice cold enough it probably qualifies as an Ice jutsu.
"Just… if I had a ryo for each time someone tried to shiv me through the throat tonight, I'd have two ryo. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."'
I can feel Tiger blink in surprise and taking a chance I turn my head towards him, showing him the other side of my throat and the massive purple bruise that's blooming there.
"Courtesy of Suien himself." I explain dryly and there's a second that seems to last a full minute as Tiger remains motionless.
When he speaks, he doesn't move away, doesn't even lift the steel from my throat, but the pressure (both from his chakra and the kunai) are lifted, if only slightly.
"Elaborate."
I take care not to nod, mindful of the kunai still placed against my skin, looking past Tiger to the expectant Elders.
"Before I begin, let me first state I still don't have the full picture myself. Most of tonight is a haze. I remember leaving the party, going to the guest house and then… a sort of dreamlike state. I remember… being frantic? Impressions that I only later realized were from combat. I only woke up when I felt a sharp pain in my arm."
I lifted the wounded limb for emphasis.
"It was only then that I even realized I was in the prison, in front of Suien's opened cell door in fact. The ANBU guard was lying nearby, unconscious. I… I must've attacked him, though I don't remember why or even how. All I know that Saburo was shaking my shoulders, sword embedded in the wall behind him. I was still out of it though, a fog over my mind and a sluggishness in my chakra network, so I didn't even notice when Suien came up behind Saburo and attacked him."
I fall silent, my gaze settling on the despondent looking Shibuki.
"Suien attacked him from behind, and used Saburo's own sword against him. He beheaded him."
The Elders gasp and murmur in shock, but Tiger's gaze is unwavering.
"What is your role in all this? Why did you attack the ANBU guard, why was Saburo there, why did Suien merely threaten you?"
"My best guess is that I was under a sleeper agent type of genjutsu. It may not even have been planted there by Suien himself, it's something that Orochimaru likely engineered. Which would mean Hiruko would probably have known as well, and he might have told Suien, who used it as… insurance against me. It would seem I never truly managed to deceive him into trusting me, not fully. The conditions for the genjutsu likely only triggered tonight, which caused me to attack the ANBU. It was probably only due to my subconscious Will of Fire that I didn't kill him outright." I try and Tiger doesn't scoff, not quite, but it's a close thing.
"Saburo snapped me out of the genjutsu by landing a hit on my arm. He was simply doing his duty as a shinobi of Takigakure, since he had been assigned as my guide and shadow. He likely realized at some point that my behavior had changed from his earlier observations, maybe he thought he had a better chance at stopping Suien if we teamed up. Sadly, Suien took advantage of his brief distraction…" I finish and the morose tone in my voice isn't faked.
I truly hadn't meant for Saburo to die and even know I was struggling with guilt trying to well up inside me. I pushed it down however: giving in to emotion at this point would only make me falter, right when I needed all my wits about me, or everything would've been for naught. I'd reflect on my role in Saburo's death later, when I didn't have ANBU captains and Taki Elders breathing down my neck.
Speaking of said neck, Tiger inclines his head towards the aggressively purple bruise that covered a good part of it, courtesy of Suien's key-turned-impromptu-shiv.
"If you broke out of the 'sleeper agent' genjutsu, why did Suien not simply take your life as well?"
"I wondered the same thing, even managed to ask him once he was more interested in boasting rather than jamming a piece of metal in my throat. Told me that, even though it fitted his plans perfectly, I still betrayed him and handed his ass over to you. For that, I'm to be 'rewarded' with a much more drawn-out death, one slow enough he didn't chance it while still inside the prison." I say with a grimace, my tone flat.
Finally, finally Tiger sheathes his kunai and moves away from me, turning towards the Elders instead.
"I must check on my comrade. Once he's been transported to your medical facilities, I'll try and signal my forces outside the waterfall, hopefully we can establish a perimeter before Suien slips away." He says, not even pretending to defer to the still-kneeling Shibuki.
Elder Senji merely nods, face hard.
"Go, make your preparations, Konoha-nin. We'll rouse our forces and scour every inch sheltered by the branches of our great tree."
Tiger gives a sharp salute and is about to disappear in a Body Flicker, but my voice halts him in his tracks.
"Wait, what about me?!"
"What about you?" Tiger's voice whips out, sharp and cold enough I take a step back.
"Well, Suien was one of Taki's strongest shinobi. Even if they have the number advantage, the amount of damage he could do is immense. I can aid in the search-"
"No. At this point, your connection to Suien is still suspect. Considering your reputation, I won't have you run off into the night in the middle of all this chaos."
"Alright, but they'll need all the help they can get in facing someone of Suien's caliber. If you don't want me out there, then you should be. Leave the Akimichi guard to me, I'll get him-"
"You're not getting anywhere near Chōbei!" Tiger shouts, actually shouts out loud and the sheer emotion the normally stoic captain shows is enough to completely halt the entire chamber in its tracks.
My back is ramrod straight as Tiger whirls around to face me, the heat in his gaze unmistakable, though part of that is aimed at himself for his slip up.
"This concerns the health of one of my comrades. As such, I shall handle it personally. You will remain here. That is an order, Oniyuri Mizuki. Stay. Put."
Not even waiting for my response, Tiger Body Flickers out of the room and Elder Senji starts directing the other Elders and guardsmen, shouting out formation and patrol routes. Slowly, with a feverish urgency, the room begins to empty as people run to their tasks. Eventually, its only me and Shibuki left, the both of still rooted to the spot.
'Perfect'
Shibuki's vacant eyes blink and refocus as my shadow falls over him, my face set in an understanding smile.
"Let's hope that Suien is caught quickly, before he can do too much damage." I say idly, the young village leader's eyes widening.
"D-damage?"
"Well, missing nin, freshly escaped from prison, having just decapitated a beloved shinobi of his home village? Suien's gonna go on the warpath, not caring who or what gets caught in the crossfire." I say with a shrug and a sigh as I drop down next to him.
"N-no… no, Elder Senji is strong. He knows the village well, he'll find Suien and stop him. He has the strength of the village behind him."
I wiggle my hand in a so-so gesture.
"Not denying that Senji will put up a hell of a fight, but Suien will turn that number advantage into a liability real fast. Senji is strong sure, but what about the others? How many of them are on Saburo's level? How many fall short? Suien managed to decapitate Saburo with his own sword while fresh out of his bonds, you think most of your villagers will fare any better? Senji is forced to move around in a search pattern, coordinating his forces, both going on the offensive while maintaining a defensive screen around the villagers. Suien has nothing holding him back, nothing to lose, no line he'll not cross. He'll use any terror tactic, hostages, setting fires, murdering villagers just to spread Senji's attention and forces, the works and Senji knows it."
Shibuki's eyes keep widening, hands clutching at his nightgown until the knuckles turn white.
"Captain Tiger-"
"Is stronger than even Elder Senji, surely stronger than Suien, yes. But, also at the moment preoccupied with caring for his comatose comrade. Not to mention that his priority afterwards will be to contact our forces outside Who knows when he'll be able to join the search?" I shoot down idly, lifting my hands in a 'what can you do?' gesture.
Shibuki remains silent for longer this time, eyes no longer empty, but instead drawn inwards.
"There is… another-" he begins hesitantly, more to himself than to me, but I interrupt nonetheless.
"If you're talking about Fū, forget it." I say dismissively, and Shibuki shows some life for the first time as he whips around to face me.
"You know?!"
"I suspected. Now, thanks to your reaction, I do indeed know." I say with a slightly smug smile, though it becomes somewhat wry as I rub at the back of my head.
"Though to be fair, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Sadly, I recognized all the hallmarks of an ostracized youth immediately. I thought one, you know? Back in Konoha, I mean." I continue, my voice softer this time and Shibuki studies me for a long moment before the tension seems to drain out of him.
"If you know, then you must realize that Suien doesn't stand a chance against her." He says, more confident now, but my response is immediate.
"Against her fully unleashed power? Yeah, no shit. Nobody stands a chance against that. However…" I trail off as I lean in closer, Shibuki stilling as I pin him with a heavy gaze.
"… against Fū? The little, enthusiastic, socially-awkward girl with no real combat experience, let alone in combating terror acts against her home? Suien will run circles around her, isolate her, distract her and then move in for the kill before the first chakra trail starts bubbling out her back. As I said, I've taught one of their kind before. Your kindness commends you, Shibuki, but even you have fallen into the old trap, failing to separate the Beast from its container. What Fū has sealed inside her is unstoppable, but despite her own strength, she's still an inexperienced little girl. The only way she can drive Suien into a corner is by unleashing the Beast right here in Takigakure itself and if you give that order, your whole village will condemn you for setting such a terror loose in their midst. No, Shibuki, Fū cannot help us here."
Shibuki's eyes are filled with helpless desperation and I once again lean back on my palms, looking up at the dark panelled ceiling, letting out a deep, despondent sigh that sounds too loud in the empty chamber.
"If only you guys had some kind of force multiplier. Get more of your people on Suien's level, turn them into a barrier instead of a liability. If a bunch of you got stronger, or if just one of you got a lot stronger, we'd be able to press in on Suien from multiple sides, push him out of the village and keep the people safe…" I trail off, my voice wistful, before shaking my head.
"Bah, useless speculation. Such steep power increases always demand a cost. Besides, even if we accepted the risk, I know of no technique that would give someone enough strength all of a sudden to bridge the gap to Suien's level." I say, disgruntled, but from the corner of my eye, I can practically see the lightbulb switch on above Shibuki's head.
"Perhaps… but I do…" the young leader whispers softly under his breath and I raise my eyebrows as I glance towards him.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"Oh! Oh, uhh, nothing. I mean… I must… go and lead the people. Talk to Elder Senji about… stuff…" the young man blabbers as he almost jumps to his feet, practically vibrating in place as he looks down at me.
In a surprising moment of sincerity, he gives me a bow, far deeper than needed considering I'm squatting in his palace, a determined set to his jaw that would probably shock his people if they saw it.
"Thank you, Mizuki-san, for this talk. I wish you and your comrades the very best. But I'm afraid I must go: my people need me."
And with that, he turns on his heel and legs it out off the massive room, his lithe form disappearing down one of the connecting hallways fast enough he almost bowls over a servant carrying a basket of fresh linen.
As the completely baffled girl slowly begins picking up the sheets from the floor with a stunned expression on her face, I leisurely rise to my feet, moving towards that same hallway, unable to keep a grin from spreading on my face.
'Hook. Line. Sinker. I can see why Naruto is such a fan of the Talking no Jutsu, if it's this easy every time!'
Time to betray Suien, the ANBU and Takigakure… and be hailed as a hero by all for doing it.
Except for Suien of course. Can't praise me if I rip your head off your shoulders after all.
With a flash I'm gone, disappearing in the shadows cast by the vast tree of Taki rising in the night sky.
//
AN: So, weird coincidence, but in this chapter Mizuki mentions 4:30 as an ideal time for break-ins, which I got from data that I found online. As I wrote this chapter however, the car of my parents was broken into (the thief stole the side mirrors, of all things…). My parents have a camera system, so they were able to watch the robber arrive… at 5:03 in the morning. So… write what you know, I guess?