Seina explained to them in great detail what had happened during her mission—at least the interesting part involving Ne. She described how she arrived at the abandoned camp, followed the overly obvious tracks on the ground, realized a ninja team was present, and deduced they weren't working for the bandits but had unknown plans of their own. She told them how she spied on them and identified them as members of Ne, discovered their plans to capture her, apprehended Fu Yamanaka, dealt with the other two unknowns, and pursued Torune Aburame.
She took out the scarecrow she had confiscated and handed the stolen goods to an assistant Shizune had called to return them to the merchant. Inoichi examined the scarecrow with a furious expression, realizing it could indeed function as Seina had surmised. Everyone else leaned in to observe it with curiosity and interest.
"Are you saying Fu's body currently doesn't have his mind?"
"That's right. He's essentially a vegetable."
"Bring out the bodies," said Tsunade-sama.
Since the heavy, enchanted curtains were drawn over the windows, Seina knew no one could see what they were doing. She brought out the bodies of the four ninjas. They removed the masks of the deceased, revealing that they were much younger than Fu and Torune—likely less experienced recruits.
"Perhaps they were just support for Fu and Torune," Shikaku mused aloud. "They don't appear to belong to any clans."
"This one was a medic," Tsunade-sama pointed at the ninja who had taken his own life. "He carried more supplies than the others. He must have figured out what was going to happen and chose this fate over the alternative."
"A wise decision."
"Return Fu Yamanaka's mind to his body."
Seina captured Fu's mind and returned it to his body, lifting an eyelid to observe his eye. It was easier with direct eye contact. Fortunately, the stunning spells would remain effective for a couple of hours, so the body stayed motionless.
"What will we do with them?" asked Inoichi. "We can't interrogate them."
"Yes, we can. With Seina's help," Shikaku interjected.
"And where will we keep them? We can't put them in the department's cells. They'll escape or end up dead within a day, considering who they are."
"We can keep them there."
"Let me guess—'with Seina's help'?" Inoichi sighed before turning to look at her. "Could you create some kind of barrier or something similar for their cells?"
"I could do something even better," she grinned. "I could make an entire floor disappear."
Inoichi blinked, processing her words. A few calculating glances were exchanged, followed by nods of agreement.
"Actually, that's an excellent idea," Commander Ryu encouraged. "If the lowest underground floor of the cells disappeared, no one could access it since they'd have no idea it exists. It could be dedicated to high-risk prisoners."
"Do as she says, Inoichi," the Hokage ordered. "In the meantime, we'll examine the corpses and secure Fu and Torune to prevent any attempts at suicide. Once they're clean, we'll transfer them to the new secret floor of your department."
"What about Danzo?" Shizune asked.
"Nothing for now. Seina, avoid mentioning anything about Ne in your report."
She nodded. So, they didn't want Danzo to receive any information about her actions? Interesting. That likely meant they suspected who the mole was or where they worked. Clearly, they'd been investigating unofficially since she'd provided them with the map of Danzo's base. Still, she refrained from asking questions. She already had enough problems with what she knew.
"We'll transfer the few prisoners from the lowest floor this evening," Inoichi assured the Hokage. Then he turned to her. "Can you come to the department at midnight?"
"Of course."
"Perfect. One less thing to worry about. Shizune, Ryu, take Fu and Torune to the private cells at my house. Examine them thoroughly and remove anything they might use to end their lives."
"What do we do with the corpses, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.
"They're not our priority right now. I'll store them secretly for a couple of days while we set everything up," the Hokage frowned thoughtfully. "We'll deal with the dead later."
Seina left shortly after that, as there was nothing more to discuss or do. Watching the sun set, she headed straight home. Smiling, she realized Naruto and Sasuke weren't there—likely off on their first B-rank mission! She picked up a couple of notes left on the table and read them. As she suspected, everyone was on a mission.
She went to take a bath, scrubbing herself thoroughly despite having cleaned up with a spell earlier. What a day... She spent some time meditating, analysing the day's memories to archive them within her mental barriers. It was something she had to do often to keep them as strong as possible. Any untreated trauma could shatter them unexpectedly. She felt Kurama licking his claws, as if he had been the one to kill those men, clearly satisfied with the day's hunt.
Additionally, she examined the copied memories from Fu. She hadn't mentioned this at the meeting, just in case, but now she had a complete replica of Fu's memories. Closing her eyes in the bathtub, she watched his life unfold like a movie.
Fu had been selected at a very young age by Danzo himself due to his potential in the academy. He was only 16 now and had spent nearly eight years under Danzo's control. She was surprised to learn that Fu had chosen to work for Ne voluntarily, which explained why Inoichi couldn't stop him from joining Danzo. He had been personally trained by the leader. He met Torune a year after joining Ne, at the age of 8. In fact, Fu was the one who guided Torune when he entered the ANBU. They coordinated so well that they were trained as a duo under Danzo. They always went on missions together, often accompanied by a couple of others to complete the squad.
Danzo's rigorous training had stripped Fu of the cheerful personality he had displayed as a child. He was, quite literally, a puppet of Danzo, to whom he pledged absolute loyalty. If Danzo had told him to cut off an arm, Fu would have done it without hesitation. His brainwashing was that thorough. Even so… Fu considered Torune his best friend. That meant not all hope was lost.
She discovered, as she processed the memories of the attack, that Fu didn't know why Danzo wanted her to be targeted. His only order was to capture her alive and bring her to Ne's headquarters in Konoha while making it appear as though she had died during the mission. Seina was offended. Did they seriously believe a few low-level bandits could kill her? What kind of jonin did Danzo think she was? Did he assume she had only risen through the ranks because of her medical skills and the Hokage's help as her mentor? What an idiot.
She finished analysing Fu's memories. She noted how skilled he was as a sensor ninja, which was why he detected her using the genjutsu—an invention by Kakashi—before inevitably falling victim to it. He excelled in taijutsu and kenjutsu, not to mention his use of his dojutsu to trap the minds of his victims in inanimate objects. Seina had to admit Fu Yamanaka was highly intelligent. What a pity he was Danzo's pawn.
"It seems they noticed some of their comrades disappearing and assumed them dead," Seina thought to Kurama. "This can only be the Hokage's doing."
"Sounds like it… Maybe Danzo tried to kidnap you to figure it out. Everyone knows you've had numerous meetings with the old woman. Disappearing during a solo mission was probably his best opportunity," Kurama replied, clearly referring to Danzo. "He'd uncover what the Hokage is planning and have you as a weapon. A double win."
"Maybe… I wonder what will happen now when he realizes not only did they fail to capture me, but the entire team has vanished. I imagine that's why she didn't want me to put it in my report. This way, it leaves the possibility that they were attacked by someone else before encountering me."
"Danzo doesn't have evidence, but he'll surely suspect you killed them."
"That's probably why he hasn't called in Shibi Aburame, Torune's clan leader. He likely has someone spying on them."
"Without a doubt. You'll need to be careful within the village from now on."
Seina nodded inwardly. Kurama was right. She needed to inform her team about everything that had happened. If Danzo tried it once, he might try again, even within the village, if he grew desperate. She wasn't worried about herself, but Naruto and Sasuke were another matter.
"Maybe you should reach out to them and warn them."
"They're on a mission, but I think you're right… He might try targeting them outside the village too."
When she realized it was a real possibility, Seina began to worry. Not only was Sasuke in danger because of Orochimaru, but now Naruto was also at risk because of Danzo. What if Ne's ANBU had been sent after each of them? She stepped out of the bath, dressed in a fresh uniform, and tossed her used clothes into the magical washer. It was programmed to clean with water and soap and then dry the items. There was something comforting about washing clothes the traditional way. It even had a softener option with different scents for home wear. What could she say? She enjoyed the little luxuries she could afford.
She sat on the sofa and closed her eyes, opening the link she usually kept closed during missions to avoid distractions—or accidents. She brushed the minds of her brothers, feeling their surprise as they sensed her presence. After all, they never used the connection during missions unless it was something important.
"Seina-nee?"
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, cutting straight to the point. He knew she would only contact them for a serious reason.
"I just wanted to warn you that today some Ne ninjas tried to kidnap me during a mission outside the village," she said. "They planned to take me to their headquarters and fake my death. I don't know why. Naruto, you might be in danger."
"..."
"Are you okay?" Sasuke finally asked.
"Yes. They didn't hurt me. I captured them and managed to read one of their minds, but he didn't know anything specific—just Danzo's orders. Be careful. If you encounter a Ne team, let me know through our link and use the emergency portkeys if necessary."
"Got it."
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen," her twin finally reassured her.
They cut the connection. They couldn't fool her, though. They were both worried and angry. Still, knowing she had defeated her attackers eased their minds somewhat. She also felt more at peace after checking in with them and warning them of the danger.
She had dinner alone while reading the first Icha Icha book, bought initially as a joke but long forgotten. As expected, the plot was pathetic. It was evident Jiraiya had a preference for women with exaggerated proportions, like Tsunade. Many of his descriptions didn't reflect real women. The erotic parts, however, were better written. His experience showed, though she couldn't help but laugh at certain passages.
For starters, it was impossible to forget that the perverted Jiraiya had written these books. Secondly, much of it made no sense. Fights to the death transitioned to passionate gazes, then to a torn shirt exposing a breast (a woman with a 115D cup supposedly not wearing a bra with that figure!), and suddenly, they were having sex. Was this what Kakashi read? How could he read it without bursting into laughter? This belonged in the comedy section, not erotica.
"Cheap smut," Kurama chuckled. "No wonder he reads this trash if this is all the porn available. You should write him a book for his birthday."
"Holy shit! You're right!" she exclaimed, realizing it was the perfect gift for Kakashi.
Even better, an outlandish, mischievous idea came to her. Why not write a book that could magically let Kakashi experience whatever the character felt? She'd have to write it from a male perspective, but she could do it. Oh, she was a genius!
"Hey! It was my idea!"
"Okay, fine, our idea," she conceded, ignoring Kurama's childish grumbles.
Later, after finishing the book, she left home and headed to the Interrogation and Torture Department. When she arrived, the guards let her pass unnoticed. Inoichi, Ibiki, and Anko were waiting for her.
"Punctual as always," Inoichi said with a smile. "Come on in. We've already moved the prisoners from the lowest level. Ibiki and Anko are here purely out of curiosity, if you don't mind?"
"I don't."
"Perfect."
They descended in silence to the deepest underground floor. The labyrinthine hallways were designed to disorient intruders or potential escapees. When they reached the access door, Seina asked them to step out.
"I need everyone out first."
"And now what?"
She raised a hand to touch the door and closed her eyes, mentally chanting the Fidelius charm. She didn't hear any exclamations of surprise, as she sometimes did, but she felt the attention of the ninjas on her. Their bodies shifted almost imperceptibly as the door vanished. The inspiration for the secret came from staring at the door. She leaned into Inoichi's ear, casting a spell to ensure no one overheard them, even though she'd confirmed they were alone.
"The fourth underground floor is located in the deepest level of the Interrogation and Torture Department of Konoha," she whispered.
Inoichi blinked as the door reappeared. He entered, observing the confused expressions of Anko and Ibiki, who had seen him vanish into the wall, and then returned.
"Can't you see anything?"
"Just the wall."
"Incredible," Inoichi said with a grin.
"Try telling them the secret."
"Alright. The f-f-f—" Inoichi stuttered. As soon as the charm detected he was trying to share the secret, it stopped him. His face flushed from the effort, but he couldn't speak. "I can't. Only you can reveal the secret?"
"Or I can write it on a piece of paper and give it to you. That paper would allow you to share the secret."
"Too risky," Ibiki interjected. "It's better if only a few trusted people have access."
"Ibiki's right. All this effort would be pointless if anyone could get hold of the paper. For now, I only want access for Ibiki and Anko. Can you tell them the secret?"
"Fine."
She whispered the secret to them, noting their awed reactions—more visible in Anko than Ibiki. Ibiki gave her a firm nod, as though she'd done him a great favour.
"Can we transfer the prisoners inside without revealing the location?"
"You could, but they'd remain permanently disoriented. Still, even if they know the location, they can't tell anyone."
"And we don't plan to let them leave… Then we'll need that paper for when you're not here."
Seina stayed about half an hour longer as they brought in several high-profile prisoners, shackled and hooded. She revealed the secret to all of them, disguising her voice to remain anonymous, and then left. When she got home, she was surprised to find Kakashi eating dinner alone.
"I thought you were still on a mission."
"Nah, it ended quickly. Where are you coming from?" he asked, intrigued by her uniform.
"Interrogation department," she shrugged. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, interested. "I'm too tired to repeat everything that happened today again. Want me to show you?"
"Sure."
He set his bowl down, giving her his full attention. Seina met his gaze and began showing him what she had experienced the day before. It took a few minutes. She watched his poker face as he realized Konoha's own ninjas had tried to kidnap her. If not for being in his mind, she wouldn't have known how furious he was. Kakashi's killing intent brushed against her but didn't harm her. She exited his mind after showing him how she'd placed the Fidelius on the interrogation department.
He stretched out an arm, grabbing her hand, and pulled her closer. Seina let him hug her, ensuring she was all right.
"I would've been agonizing for days about whether or not you were alive if we hadn't defeated them," he hissed. "We should kill them."
"It doesn't seem like the right moment yet."
"When will it be, Seina? I understand being cautious, but Tsunade-sama has plenty of evidence against Danzo. She should act before something terrible happens," he said, holding her face and examining her features.
Seina could only sigh in response.
"Clearly, there's more going on. What? I have no idea."
"Neither do I, but I'm going to find out sooner or later," he swore.
He leaned toward her, lowering his mask, and kissed her softly on the lips. Seina closed her eyes in pleasure. How was it possible that a simple, innocent kiss from Kakashi could fill her like nothing else? He kissed her cheeks, her chin, her closed eyelids… They stayed forehead-to-forehead for a while. She relaxed, and he found comfort in her presence.
The next day was a quiet one. She trained with Kakashi for a couple of hours in the morning, took a quick shower, and then locked herself in her study while Kakashi went off to the village, doing who-knew-what.
Despite the conflicts and potential problems in Konoha, she had plenty to do unrelated to Danzo, Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and other criminals. First on the list: Christmas and birthday gifts. She usually gave ordinary gifts for birthdays and something more thoughtful for Christmas, mainly because she had more time to plan. The problem now was that she didn't have much time to do everything she wanted.
Naturally, she started with Kakashi's gift. His birthday was on September 15, so if she wanted to make him a high-quality erotic book that was also magical, she had to hurry.
"Let's see… I need a storyline. I could use a story from my old world and turn it into an erotic tale. That would be kind of cheating, but given the time I have…" she thought to herself.
"How about that story of the soldier who returns home on leave and falls in love with his friend's sister? I'm sure Kakashi would enjoy the irony, and it could be an erotic story without being as ridiculous as those Icha Icha novels."
"That could work. In fact, if I rewrite it properly, I can turn it into a love story full of drama and erotica adapted to this world. I know!"
An idea hit her instantly as she thought about the ninja nations. She could write a story about ninjas from allied but different countries who fall in love and start a relationship, only for the alliance to tragically break down, forcing them to be apart and fight each other for their nations. The climax of the story would come when they realize they can't stop loving each other despite everything, and they continue their relationship in secret. Then, she becomes pregnant and can't leave her village. After revealing the truth to their respective families, the families start working to repair the alliance so they can be together and raise the clan heir in Konoha, finally succeeding about two years later.
"Interesting story. A bit dramatic, but much better than the other idea. The man could be from Konoha, and the woman from Uzushiogakure."
"Perfect! That would 'explain' why the two villages are allies! Well thought out, Kurama."
She spent the entire afternoon sketching ideas in her infinite-paged journal. That was the most important step. Writing and assembling the book was the easy part, considering how many books she had read in her previous life for inspiration. Thankfully, she had her clones to help her. She headed to the village to buy high-quality paper for the novel. She also picked up black leather and materials for the cover.
"How do you plan to make it magical?"
"So Kakashi can feel it as he reads? That's relatively easy with runes. I just need to link the phrases to the runes so that a specific emotion activates when he reads a word. I'll have to read the entire book and add the emotions paragraph by paragraph."
"…You call that easy? Are you sure you'll finish in time for his birthday, midget?"
"Not if you keep talking, dumbass."
She summoned a few clones to brainstorm. It was like debating with herself, but verbalizing ideas was just what she needed. She began writing the story in her journal, rough drafts with constant revisions as she thought of better phrases. Luckily, she enchanted her quill to avoid straining her hand. A knock on the door hours later startled her.
"Seina? It's time to eat."
Thankfully, no one could hear what was happening inside as long as the door was closed. She left the room, slightly surprised, leaving her clones to work on the book. If what they wrote turned out to be rubbish, she'd just have to do it herself. Still, she would give them a chance.
"What are you up to?"
"Gifts. I've had a lot of ideas, Kakashi," she said, her expression somewhat manic.
"Uh-huh… Shall we eat?"
"Yes, yes. I'll get back to it afterward."
"What ideas have you come up with?" he asked curiously.
She noticed he had already cooked and set the table. Aw. She sat across from him, pouring water into her glass and then filling his.
"For Hinata and Neji, I was thinking of a barrier to protect them from the byakugan. It must be stressful living with so many spying eyes in their own home."
"Not bad, but they might question why they can't see anything happening in Neji's or Hinata's room."
"That's why I thought of a bubble-shaped barrier, about two or three meters in size, that could be easily activated and deactivated. Imagine a stone in Neji's pocket, for example."
"That's more feasible."
They discussed the gifts she planned to make for her friends—useful but small things like the barrier stone. She didn't mention the Pensieve she planned for Christmas or the book she had already started writing, now 30 pages in. She was so inspired she just wanted to leave the table and keep writing.
"I'm going to read for a while. I can see you're eager to continue your schemes."
He kissed her cheek and settled into the hammock in the backyard. Seina returned to her study, seeing the three clones still talking to the enchanted quill and debating edits. She read what they had written—another 10 pages—and realized it could work. It was as if she had written it herself! Though, of course, they were her.
She counted the days until Kakashi's birthday—about 45—and realized she'd need to write 10 to 20 pages a day to make the novel polished.
She didn't want to create a 200-page book that read like a summary of a deeper story filled with romance, drama, erotica, and conflict. If she wanted to do it justice, it had to be much longer to include everything she envisioned. Inspired, she spent the entire afternoon in her study, writing. Occasionally, she reread sections she didn't quite like, crossed them out, rewrote them, noticed repetitions, and adjusted earlier segments.
She wondered how Jiraiya managed to write so many books so quickly. Did he sacrifice quality for quantity? Did he do it on purpose, or was he just a mediocre novelist? Who knew.