Date: April 11th, 13 years following the Kyuubi's attack
Time: 8:30 AM
'Ahh! The start of another beautiful morning in the Land of Fire,' Teuchi Ichiraku thought to himself, taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, as he turned on the boilers for his ramen stocks. He glanced at his watch - it was 8:30 AM and customers typically would begin to show up around 10; more than enough time for the broths to hit optimum temperature. Ichiraku was a simple and sensible man, but his store and his daughter were his entire life, so he took great pride in both.
"Excuse me..." A voice came from the dining area behind him.
Teuchi blinked in surprise, wondering if maybe his watch had stopped without him realizing it. He turned around to see two men dressed in extremely elegant travelling clothes; far better than were typically seen in that part of the village.
"Welcome to Ichiraku's: home of the best..." The old cook's voice trailed off as he looked at the men's' faces. Teuchi had an excellent memory for faces - a must when you were running a small operation in a large city like Konoha - but astonishing events, like receiving a tip made of solid gold worth roughly 25 times what the meal itself cost, made it far easier. "Ah, I believe you were here two weeks ago weren't you? I probably gave you that spiel that time, so I won't bore you gentlemen with it again. We've only just opened, so if you're looking to get some ramen, I'm afraid it will be at least an hour."
The younger of the two men - who looked to be the same age as Ayame - nodded. "That is correct; we were here previously, good sir, but your excellent ramen is not what has brought us here today. Actually, we're looking to see if we could ask you and your daughter for a favor for which you'd both be well compensated. EXTREMELY well compensated."
The old ramen cook gave them a solid look; neither seemed to be the usual mindless fluff that Ayame-chan attracted and had to be beaten off with a stick. Their demeanor also suggested that they were here for matters other than those of the heart. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least listen, though we make no promises until we hear things out, of course."
"A wise policy." The older of the two agreed.
"Ayame-chan, could you come out here for a minute? The dishes can wait a few minutes." Ichiraku called to the back room.
"Coming, Father." Ayame's honey-silk voice sang back as she entered the service area. The younger of the two men gasped in surprised disbelief. She blinked in surprise to see customers here so early in the morning. "Welcome to our humble shop," She said with a slight bow, "How may we be of assistance today?"
The older man shook his head after nudging his companion back into his impassive composure. "Forgive my comrade's rudeness, but I'm afraid I must have been unclear... I believe we're looking for your other daughter."
"Ayame is my only child." Teuchi responded with a proud smile. "Could you have mistaken the restaurant you were at?"
The younger man pulled a photograph out of his cloak/robe and handed it to his superior. The new spokesman showed it to Teuchi and Ayame, "So this young woman isn't your daughter then? She was working here during our previous visit and we were told that only your daughter helped you run the store. Maybe we jumped to the wrong conclusion..."
Ayame Ichiraku looked closely at the picture. After a few seconds' inspection, her eyes lit in a spark of recognition. "Oh, they mean Kimiko Itou, Father!" Now the older man blinked in surprise when the kunoichi's name was spoken, but neither of the Ichirakus noticed it. She smiled as she looked at the young woman dressed in her spare apron and hair scarf. "In that outfit she DOES look like she could be my sister, doesn't she?"
Teuchi slapped his forehead. "Oh, of course! Forgive me; old age must finally be starting to get to me... That was the day I had hired a ninja team to help me run the shop while my daughter was injured! Hokage-sama sent Miho-chan's team to assist me." He looked at the two men from the River Country, "You'll have to forgive me, gentlemen, I should have remembered that. That young woman is one of the Village's kunoichis; one of several orphaned children that the Lord Hokage acts as legal guardian for. If you speak with him, I'm sure he can arrange for the favor you were wanting."
The younger man grimaced slightly at the news as the spokesman handed the photo back to him before pulling a pair of the gold plates out of his own robe, which he set on the counter. "It wasn't what we were hoping to hear, but we are grateful for your assistance. I would ask only that you keep our visit to yourselves - the matter is extremely sensitive." The Ichirakus bowed in silent agreement as the two men left the store.
"What will we do, Shao-sama?" The younger man asked his superior in the coded language of the Land of Rivers diplomatic corps as they walked along the mostly-empty streets of Konoha. "She's the closest match that we've found in the past month and a half, but if she's a ward of the Hokage, we'll have to explain the situation to them."
The older man smiled slightly. "She's also a NINJA, Hoshi-san, and THAT works to our advantage." The young man gave him a confused look. "We were going to need extra manpower for the upcoming Convocation anyways; manpower we were going to have to hire from one of the Hidden Villages..." His voice trailed off to let his apprentice make the final intuitive leap that he had made.
The young man blinked at the epiphany and a smile crossed his face. "Hire a ninja as a stand-in... It's ingenious, Shao-sama! Especially if, as we suspect, her disappearance was not of her own volition; the perpetrators may accidentally tip their hand and a ninja is trained to notice slips like that."
"We're going to hire more than a stand-in, Hoshi. How much money do we have on hand?"
The younger man frowned in contemplation. "Less what you just gave for information, about fifty thousand Ryou."
Shao, the majordomo of the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, reached into his cloak and pulled out his official seal from a hidden inner pocket of his vest. He then pulled out a pre-written letter and quickly filled in some missing pieces of information and then placed his stamp on it, giving the flimsy piece of parchment an authority that could only be superseded by the River Goddess herself.
He handed the letter to Hoshi. "Run to the treasurer's office at our embassy in this Village; we'll need access to the amount written here. I want to make sure that the treasurer gets the ball rolling to bring in enough by the time it's needed."
The younger man's eyes widened when he saw the amount and he looked at Shao as if he'd lost his mind.
The majordomo gave his apprentice a wily smile. "We're not just going to hire Konoha to give us manpower and a suitable stand-in, Hoshi-kun. We're going to hire them to find the original and buy their secrecy at the same time. Four birds with a single rice ball."
The younger man's eyes gleamed in admiration at the simple elegance of the solution. He bowed. "I will meet you at the Hokage's manor in thirty minutes, Shao-sama!" He then turned and dashed off at a dignified run.
"An Itou…" Shao said to himself with a rueful shake of his head. His apprentice wouldn't have recognized the significance of that name, but the majordomo certainly did. "How fitting…"
* * *
In the pseudo-wilderness that was the area that made up the 20th Training Zone, Nakahito Haruno looked down from his perch in the tree, looking for their target. He could see Kimi-chan standing behind another tree, but Sho was nowhere to be seen - not really surprising considering since that Hide-in-Plain-Sight Jutsu was like a personal cloak of invisibility. Haruno knew his teammate well enough to know that he'd never be able to find him without resorting to using his Dragon's Eye technique... Sho wasn't the kind to make the mistake that his sister Karin had that had allowed 'Hito to find her during the mission to help with Stealth Training at the Academy the week before.
There was a glint of tawny brown fur dashing madly between the bushes on the forest floor. Nakahito touched the transmitter on his microphone. "Red Dragon to Purple Dragon. I've spotted the target at 10 o'clock low about 30 meters west-northwest from my current position."
The team – at Sho Inugami's suggestion – had decided that when using wireless communications they wouldn't use real names to prevent anyone who cracked their encrypted frequency from knowing the true identity of the ninja lurking about. After some debate, the team had adopted Nakahito's suggestion of Dragons and Kimiko's recommendation for their preferred colors.
Miho Hyuuga, who was several meters behind her Genin and using her Byakugan to provide overwatch, nodded. "Copy that, Red Dragon; I see and confirm the target. Blue Dragon, I want you to head west and try to herd it back this way."
Kimiko Itou touched her own microphone as she responded to Miho-sensei's order. "Affirmative, Purple Dragon. Blue Dragon is moving."
"White Dragon, I want you to start coming back south. Cast a wide net to leave your scent on everything you can; I don't want him going any further north."
"Agreed, Purple Dragon." Inugami agreed through the earpiece. "Two hours of chasing this damn thing is more than long enough. I'm going to Flicker speed now; ETA to position, 5 minutes."
Miho Hyuuga, Purple Dragon, nodded. "Team 13, countdown is from five. Red Dragon, continue with aerial observation, but be prepared to keep it from doubling back to the east again."
"On the move, Purple Dragon." Nakahito said as he began to follow Kimiko from up in the trees. He was just barely able to keep the target in sight - it was a smart little pain in the ass; that was for certain.
It seemed like forever before Sho's voice came over the airwaves again. "Scent layering is complete. White Dragon is now in position and target is not aware of my presence."
'Finally!' Haruno thought to himself. "Red Dragon is ready to pounce." He announced.
"Blue Dragon is also ready to go." Kimiko's voice announced. The ball of fur paused and there was a glint of red as it sniffed the air. "We need to go - the target is getting suspicious."
"Dragons," Miho said after a few seconds, "NOW!"
Kimiko Itou immediately Body Flickered in towards the target. She had only been able to start getting the technique to work the right way in the last few days, so she was barely able to keep up with Nakahito; to say nothing of Sho or Miho-sensei. She dove at the target - a cat belonging to the wife of a Daimyo of the Land of Fire - but the feline pet jumped out of the way at the last second; too late for Itou to correct for in mid-air.
Kimiko attempted a recovery roll as Nakahito dropped down from his tree, directly in the path of the fleeing cat. The cat screeched in fury, reversing course and leaping into the air. It landed on the diving kunoichi's back and bounded off. Its momentary perch on Itou caused her recovery roll to fail and she landed face first in a muddy puddle that bathed her in thick, sticky mud from the crown of her head to her waist. Kimiko's hands floundered for a perch to allow her to get back up, but found nothing but slick mud.
The cat tried running north, but Sho Inugami suddenly appeared in its path and hurled a vial of something in the target's face even as he tried to grab it. The vial's contents made successful contact, but the medic's hands did not; the cat's paws struck his face and rebounded into a small tree limb as it ran to the south.
The medic-nin whistled, clearly impressed, as he dabbed at the bloody scratches left when the cat's claws dug into his skin. The wounds had already healed thanks to the body regeneration technique he'd learned from 'Aniki' Kabuto. "That thing is pretty good for a supposedly mindless animal." He muttered admiringly before running over to join Nakahito in his efforts to free Kimiko from her muddy prison.
After a few seconds, they managed to free her by having Sho pull at her shoulders while Nakahito created a small flame to cook the water out of the mud. The effort covered them in mud, but not nearly as badly as it had the kunoichi.
Kimiko took a gasping breath as she coughed up muddy water. "God I hate that cat..." She croaked as she scraped the impromptu mud bath off her face. She made an attempt to clear the mud caked her clothing, but quickly stopped when Nakahito spun around to look the other way. Itou blushed slightly as she suffered another bout of self-consciousness. "What I would give to be able to use my Water Bomb to knock it senseless."
"Easy there, tigress…" Sho said, offering her a wet handkerchief to let her clean off her face. "We need it alive, which just got easier."
"What did you throw at it, anyway, Sho?" Nakahito asked without looking over his shoulder.
Sho grinned as he helped Kimiko to her feet. "A little trick I learned during cross-discipline training from the Veterinary-nins. It's a little concoction of herbs that basically neutralizes its sense of smell for a few hours. It's normally a dry powder, but I tweaked the recipe with a bit of catnip to hamper its thought processes and a liquid contact sedative to give me a bit more control over its application. The cat eventually will try licking itself clean and the mixture will knock it out almost instantly if ingested. The stuff will knock it out anyways as the sedative is absorbed through its pores, but that process will take a bit more time."
Kimiko grinned at the medic-nin. "So THAT'S what you were off doing while the rest of us were trying to find it in the first place. Nice work, Sho-kun."
Inugami shrugged in his matter-of-fact manner that irritated Haruno under usual circumstances. "What's the point of being a ninja with a pharmacologist's license if you don't use drugs every once and a while?" Inugami asked with a straight face. "It's sense of smell is gone for the moment, which will disorient it. In about 3 minutes the catnip will kick in and it's connection to reality will become strained. Maybe another 7 for the sedative to reach maximum absorption and it's off to la-la land." Inugami looked pleased with himself. "The cat is caught… It just doesn't know it yet."
Haruno's eyes lit up with thoughts of revenge as he turned around. "Hey... Since it's not going to be thinking clearly, why don't we give back a little bit of what it gave us while we catch the thing?" His two teammates smiled as they moved closer to hear Nakahito's idea.
* * *
Miho Hyuuga, resting in the crotch of a grounded tree that had been split by lightning, frowned to herself as she looked at the pad of paper in front of her. She had relaxed her Byakugan while her team worked to figure out their next plan. The pad was blank as her mind kept flashing back to her own youth when she had been assigned this same mission with Iruka.
The Daimyo's wife was an overprotected woman because of her social importance and, as such, she spoiled her cats with attention in an effort to feel some connection with another creature. The cats, however, were less than appreciative and had a tendency to run off on her whenever they could; typically while she was in Konoha when her security was less strict than at the palace. The cats ran as if chased by the devil himself as soon as they found their opening to escape.
"I always feel sorry for them..." Miho said to herself as she contemplated the piece of blank paper. "The cats Iruka and I always chased were always so scared of being caught. And my kids are even more determined than we were back then; after all, we'd barely survived the Kyuubi's assault, so we were trying to enjoy our childhood as much as possible. This current crop of Genin hasn't experienced that kind of grief, so they're more excited to do the jobs than we were..."
The Jonin's silver-white eyes, the trademark of a Hyuuga clan member, suddenly widened as a sudden inspiration struck her. "OH!" A pencil appeared in her hands as if by magic as she remembered another mission from her youth, one of the last ones before she'd been accepted into the ANBU special forces. She'd been a newly minted Chuunin - as had Iruka - and they'd been assigned to help with an Academy activity; the very mission that had made Umino decide that the Academy is where he wanted to be.
During that mission, which had involved helping the newest enrollees get situated, she'd met 3 children: two boys and a girl. One boy had been slightly older than all the other children and had mostly white hair and total ocular heterochromia: differently colored eyes - one forest green, the other steel gray. The other boy and the girl both had had brown hair. Miho had known the girl rather well, since she was one of Hinata-chan's only playmates. The three of them seemed to have hit it off well rather early and had been playing separately from the other kids, requiring her to run after them to round them up.
"Oh wow… I should have realized that sooner…" Miho said with a smile as she began sketching the image of the three children from memory. "It was the first time Team 13 was together; although we didn't know it at the time..." She'd never actually seen them again until that day just under three months ago when she'd been assigned as their Jonin.
The boar incident had clearly driven a wedge between Sho and the other two, to the point that it was clear Nakahito and Kimiko had forgotten they'd once been friends, but it was evident that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't when the time to put them into teams had arrived.
"There he is!" A woman's voice yelled. "Don't let him get away this time, boys!"
A hound like bark responded, sounding oddly like someone saying, "I'm on it!"
There was a shrill feline hiss of fear and rage in the trees to Hyuuga's right. She glanced up in the tree to see the target of their chase facing the forest away from her. The cat was on a low branch about two meters over her head and its fur was bristling in fear at what it saw. The kunoichi, her curiosity aroused, leaned forwards to glance under the branch.
Her pencil and drawing pad fell to the ground in astonishment.
The wife of the Daimyo was standing on a branch, ten meters over the forest floor, her steely gaze glinting daggers at her wayward cat. In two other trees flanking the Daimyo's wife were two massive dog demons - creatures with the massive heads of slavering hounds on bulky human bodies. The dogs were growling intimidatingly at the cat, which was both outraged and terrified at the same time.
'This doesn't make any sense...' Miho's confused mind tried to puzzle out. 'She's an aristocrat and she's never set foot in the wilderness. And those creatures... What are...' She blinked at the thought as she began to let chakra flow into her eyes. Her Byakugan flared to life, peeling away at the visual layers of reality. Sure enough; the dog demons and the woman were her Genin using the Henge no Jutsu, the art of Transformation. To the Byakugan, the false layers were no more than a shroud of blue chakra swirling around the now familiar lines of her Genins' chakra networks.
The Henge no Jutsu had its limits: it could not grant a person any ability that they did not naturally possess - like sprout wings to allow a person to fly - and it couldn't disguise a person's scent, so it was great for disguise when trying to blend into a crowd, but little else.
'Although it does seem to do a pretty decent job when trying to intimidate a creature that isn't intelligent enough to be affected by Genjutsu.' Hyuuga-sensei thought to herself as Sho and 'Hito put on an impressive show of massively lolling tongues and drooling in expectation of 'consuming' their prey.
The Hound Haruno growled, his voice deepened by the transformation to the point it was barely intelligible. "No mercy! He nearly drowned Kimi-chan and drew first blood. This is war!"
Miho giggled softly. 'I know just how they feel... We've been at this for three hours already - one to find him and two to try and corner him. Iruka and I got antsy when it took us more than one.'
The frantic cat spun at the sound of her barely audible giggle. Its eyes were wide with panic - and probably something more from the way the synapses in its brain were firing erratically – which Hyuuga could see thanks to her Byakugan – as it suddenly realized that it was trapped. The cat glanced over its shoulder as if weighing its' options: get caught by the woman in purple, go back to 'mommy'; a fate marginally worse than death, or be devoured by the dogs.
The cat leapt down and at her, eyes blazing with insanity. Miho Hyuuga let off a distinctly un-ninja, womanly shriek of surprised panic as the furry bundle's momentum hit her chest, knocking her backwards onto the forest floor.
In the trees, her surprised Genin looked at each other as their disguises vanished in puffs of smoke. "That was Miho-sensei's voice!" Nakahito said as they dropped to the ground, looking around. "I didn't realize she was around here; I thought she was further back."
Sho's sharp eyes spotted Miho's shapely legs, clad in her distinctive tight-fitting black pants with a stripe of purple running down the pant leg, draped over a split tree. "Over there. I guess we've covered quite a bit of distance trying to catch this thing."
Hyuuga's legs began to thrash wildly as her cries of panic changed subtly into ones of outrage. "She's in trouble!" Kimiko shouted, even as the three of them began to run over. "We've got to..." While they weren't using Body Flicker, it didn't take them long to reach the broken tree.
"Oh... My... GOD!" She gasped as her hands clapped over her mouth at the sight on the other side. Nakahito's face turned a flame red as an awkward grin sprung onto it before he spun away. Sho Inugami, always the picture of the man above it all - unaffected by what happened in the world around him - simply raised an eyebrow.
The Jonin's face was nearly as red as Nakahito's as her normally placid eyes were wild with embarrassment. Their target's squirming body was pinned between their teacher's ample breasts - an incident made possible because she'd unzipped her jacket while relaxing on the fallen tree. The Jonin wore a tightly-woven mesh shirt - a piece of clothing favored by many kunoichis thanks to its ability to cover their chests modestly, but still allow air to pass through freely - under her purple and white jacket.
As Sho looked on the scene analytically, he quickly noticed that the panicked cat's claws had gotten tangled up in the fabric of Miho-sensei's shirt, leaving it unable to free itself and the kunoichi was too overwhelmed by the abrupt situation to rip the cat free.
Nakahito's head half turned and he opened his mouth. One of Kimiko's hands shot out to cover his mouth. "Don't say it... Don't even think it, 'Hito!"
Haruno's spoke, his voice muffled but audible. "Would you stop assuming the worst about me in situations like this? I was going to ask if Miho-sensei's all right!"
Sho stepped over the tree, his hand glowing a faint green as he reached down to grab the offending kitty by the scruff of its neck. The feline's wild efforts to escape abruptly ceased as Sho used his Mystical Palm technique to knock it out - that or the contact sedative finally kicked in; Kimiko couldn't tell which because she was feeling so mortified for Miho-sensei.
As soon as the cat lost consciousness, it was an easy operation to pry him free from Miho-sensei's well-endowed bosom by using his chakra scalpels to cut the cat's nails without touching the Jonin directly.
Nakahito reached into his tool pouch and unrolled a scroll on the ground that had a single large glyph on it. Haruno touched the magical symbol as he ran a chakra current through his fingers to activate the storage scroll, causing a cat-sized steel pet carrier to appear atop the now blank scroll.
It took the medic all of five seconds to stuff the kitty into the cage and lock it so the feline couldn't escape.
"Mission Accomplished." Sho muttered.
Kimiko threw him a scathing look. "Damn it, Sho, would showing a bit of compassion once and a while kill you?"
Inugami looked at her blandly. "Compassion can't undo what happened and no words or actions from another can end the aguish within. You have to laugh or cry or SOMETHING to keep it from breaking you."
His words would normally have set Itou off on an angry tirade about his being insensitive, but two things stopped her: first, she recalled their conversation during their mission the previous week and, second, Miho-sensei was still weeping inconsolably.
'He's talking from personal experience.' Kimiko realized. 'He's saying that unless you suffer a similar indignity, you can't grasp the full depths of what the victim is enduring... They need to pull themselves through it.' Kimiko Itou stepped over the tree, kneeling by Miho Hyuuga, placing a comforting hand on the Jonin's shoulder and helping her to sit up. 'It loses a lot in the translation, but I think I'm actually starting to understand him.'
"Are you okay, Miho-sensei?" She asked, hugging her closely.
"I-I think so..." The older kunoichi sniffed as she pulled herself together. "I'm so embarrassed... I know it didn't mean anything but..."
"I think I understand, Miho-sensei." Kimiko said as Nakahito stepped over the tree to hand her a cup that had been filled with water from his canteen. Kimiko nodded and handed it to their instructor. "Here... Drink this slowly; it will help you calm your nerves." Miho took a tenuous sip and it was clear that Kimiko's efforts were starting to work. "Maybe when you get back to the village, you should take an hour to talk with one of the Therapist-nin."
"Actually," Sho said with a stonily impassive face, "I'm pretty sure the medical insurance the village gives us has a clause excluding treatment for trauma caused by the drug-induced, random acts of a pussycat..." Kimiko and Nakahito's looks were frosty and incendiary, respectively - this wasn't the time for jokes!
Miho Hyuuga, however, snorted and broke into bemused laughter, surprising the other two Genin; her spirits lifting despite herself.
Inugami gave his teammates a lopsided grin and a wink as he slipped the cat carrier onto his back.
* * *
It took them another hour to make their way back to the Hokage's manor while Kimiko helped Miho-sensei walk with slowing returning confidence. As they stood in line waiting to enter the 'command center,' as Nakahito called it, Kimiko pulled a blue notebook from her equipment pouch and opened it to the bookmark about a quarter of the way in.
"So is that it?" Haruno asked Kimiko, leaning over in friendly curiosity. "The book that Tenten and Lee's teacher gave you about the Ocean Fist style?"
Kimiko nods with a sigh. "Yeah… But it's kind of hard to follow because Gai-sensei keeps going off on tangents about the importance of the 'Springtime of Life' and his 'My Rules' philosophy; neither of which have anything to do with the Itou clan combat style." She says, scratching out an entire page of text with a pencil.
She paused. "On the other hand, his comprehension of the human body is incredible, so when he's actually describing the positions, he also describes how the body moves and what it should feel like if I'm doing it right. It won't be as good as having someone watching over me directly, but it will do the trick. I'm highlighting the important parts so I can rewrite them in a new book for when I'm ready to actually start practicing."
"Just be careful, Kimiko," Sho said as he pushed the cage with Tora the cat closer to the door - they were now at the front of the line. "There are a few differences between men's and women's bodies."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Itou said irritable archness, still mad at him for being so smug while she'd been helping Miho-sensei, causing 'Hito to give her a curious look that she ignored. "What would I do without you around?"
Sho rolled his eyes, clearly not taking it personally. "I'm not talking about the obvious differences, Itou; I'm talking about the fundamental differences in musculature and physiology. Muscles in guys are made of larger fibers and their durability is augmented by hormones that we have in higher concentrations than you do. Between that and the differences you'll have in your center of gravity, his descriptions could cause you to injure yourself. Have a man and a woman attempt to perform an identical routine without account for these minor allowances - and I admit they're minor - and the results are likely to be different..."
Kimiko gave him an "Oh" look and opened her mouth to apologize for her terse comment when…
"Team 13?" The Chuunin at the door said before Kimiko could speak. "Lord Hokage and the patron are ready for you now."
Miho Hyuuga nodded. She looked at the medic-nin. "Wake it up." Then she glanced at the other two Genin as Inugami complied with her order. "Let's finish this... All of our nerves have been frayed a bit by this mission, mine especially, so let's try and maintain the appropriate demeanor while we're in the presence of the Daimyo's wife. Understood?" Nakahito and Kimiko both nodded in agreement.
In his cage, Tora woke drowsily as Sho carried him into the mission office. "There's mama's precious!" Madam Shijimi cried excitedly, causing every member of Team 13 to wince in agony at her shrill voice. Shijimi, the Daimyo's wife, was a heavyset woman with red lipstick and earrings and her jet black hair styled up in a bulbous geisha-style bun with four decorative sticks holding the complex style in place.
The box began to yowl and screech in rage as the cat realized it had been caught. At the sight of his owner, the cat screeched in protest as she opened the cage and pulled him out, hugging him in a death grip that any of the Genin, with all their martial arts training, would have been hard pressed to escape.
Tora the cat struggled wildly in a desperate effort to escape. Nakahito leaned over to Kimiko. "Man... I'm actually starting to feel sorry for that stupid fur ball..." He whispered, soft enough that only she could hear.
Kimiko's eye twitched slightly. "Same here… But only a by a little bit."
"Hee-hee-hee!" Miho Hyuuga chuckled vindictively under her breath. "Doesn't feel so good when it happens to you, does it, you furry little menace?" Her words caused all three Genin - even the normally cold-borderline-cruel Sho Inugami - to cast wide-eyed stares at their teacher.
Madam Shijimi - who'd been so happy to get Tora back that she had completely ignored the conversation between the members of the four member ninja team - walked over to the part of the table where the fees were collected for a successfully completed mission and then quickly departed with her caterwauling feline.
Hokage Sarutobi puffed at his pipe for a few moments. "Well done as always, Team 13." He exhaled a sizable cloud of smoke. The members of Team 13 looked expectantly at being released to their individual pursuits following the emotionally harrowing mission. "But I'm afraid something urgent has developed that requires you to be immediately redeployed."
A groan escaped the mouths of all four ninja, but did not bring the usual light-hearted smile to the Hokage's face. He looked at the other ninja that normally assisted him in mission assignments. "Clear the room and send in Team 11." The men nodded as they rose and exited through the side door.
A wary look appeared on Miho Hyuuga's face; emptying the command center was typically only done when there were sensitive matters to be discussed. The kind of sensitive matters that were supposed to be beyond a mere pair of Genin teams…
A few moments later, Okito Tanaka, Takahashi and the Hata twins entered the antechamber. Out of the corner of her eye, Kimiko could see Nakahito using hand signs to try and warn the other Jonin, but he wasn't paying any attention to the red clad Genin.
Tanaka grinned at his old friend. "Hey, there, kitten... How about spending some of your nine lives with me?" He asked in his obligatory pick up line with a wink.
There was a resounding SMACK as all three Genin of Team 13 slapped their faces. Of ALL the lines for him to pick, he had to use one that made reference to cats...
Miho's normally fair features took on a distinctly dark cast as the blood rushed to her face, tears began to flow and her mouth caved as if she'd swallowed her teeth. The Hyuuga Jonin's hand lashed out across Tanaka's face, leaving a red palm print on his cheek. The kunoichi then spun around and stormed to the opposite corner of the room to stare out a window without saying a word. The fact that her lithe muscles were tensing and relaxing as she tried to control her ire prevented any of the others from going near her.
Okito-sensei blinked in confusion as his hand rose to try and soothe the burning of his stung cheek as Takahashi, Raiden Hata and Kyouran made sounds of confused astonishment as Motoko Hata ran up to the Jonin. "Are you okay, Tanaka-sensei?" She asked worriedly.
The Diamond Turtle of Konoha nodded. "I'm fine, Motoko-chan, she wasn't using Jyuuken, just sheer force, so it looks worse than it is." He looked at the Genin of Team 13. "What's wrong with Bya-chan? She's never hit me before - at least not unless we were sparring."
Kimiko stepped over to the tall Jonin, making a come here gesture to get him to come down to her level so she could whisper in his ear. As she did so, Okito's eyes widened to the point they were close to popping out of his skull. "OH... Damn..." He grimaced.
Sho and Nakahito nodded in silent agreement.
Tanaka nodded and walked over to Miho Hyuuga. As he walked, a suit of samurai-style armor, crafted entirely of diamond thanks to his Kekkei Genkai, covered his body. He knew Miho Hyuuga's storm signs better than anyone and it wouldn't hurt to be cautious at this point... As he reached her, he laid a hand, protected by a diamond glove, on her shoulder. "I'm SO sorry about that, Miho. I didn't know, but feel free to vent your frustration on me; my armor should be able to handle it."
Hurricane Miho made no noise, like the calm before a horrific storm. She took a deep breath and the rage dissipated. She turned back to look at him, the kind glint returning to her silver white eyes. A smile cracked her face and she brushed imaginary dust from the shoulders of his armor. "Ever the gallant knight, Yaiba... But my skills matured greatly under Kakashi-senpai and I doubt you could handle the combined might of his Chidori and my Jyuuken." Tanaka's eyes widened in surprise and she winked at him. "Thanks for the offer anyways."
"I trust the personnel issues have been resolved?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked kindly after the two Jonin returned to their teams. Miho and Okito nodded bashfully. "Very well. As I said, a situation that I have suspected for some time has been confirmed and requires action on our part. The situation requires skills that five of you are UNIQUELY qualified to handle and requires all of you working together for it to be successful. The matter carries an extreme level of sensitivity and has international diplomacy issues as well... So much so that the mission I'm about to assign you has been given an A-Ranking."
Gasps of surprise, awe, dismay and excitement escaped the eight gathered ninja. "An A-Rank?!" Miho protested. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but there's no WAY two teams of months old Genin are ready for such a dangerous mission!"
"I fully agree, Sarutobi-sensei." Okito chimed in. "Yes, our teams are skilled, but an A-rank assignment..?"
The Sandaime nodded raising his hand to calm them. "Normally, I would agree with you both, Hyuuga-chan and Tanaka-kun, but this is not the typical A-rank assignment… In most situations, it would only be a C rank, but because of the sensitivity of the matter, the client has asked to be charged for the higher difficulty to take advantage of the additional layers of security that come with it. That is the sole reason that I have chosen to accept this mission." His answer mollified the two Jonin to the point they simply looked bemused rather than frustrated.
Raiden Hata broke in irreverently. "How will this affect us for the Chuunin Exams?" He demanded. "We need eight D-rank missions to qualify and we barely have enough time to get enough in as it is!" The other members of Team 11 sighed in embarrassment at Raiden's single-minded obsession with the Exams.
The Hokage chuckled in amusement. "You needn't worry, Raiden. Higher difficult missions count more towards that particular requirement. Because this is an unusually challenging situation, this mission will count as the equivalent of 15 D-rank missions for qualifying for the exams. If you are successful AND return in time for enrollment, you'll be allowed to participate if Tanaka-sensei decides that you're ready for it."
"Sweet." The male Hata said with a grin.
The other members of both teams, however, had picked up on the Hokage's use of the word 'return.'
"Ano..?" Motoko Hata began, feeling confident enough in herself to talk directly to the oldest man in the room. "Where are we going, Hokage-sama?
"I'll get to that in just a moment, Motoko-chan…" Sarutobi continued, returning his focus to the group as a whole. "Because secrecy is the key word to this mission, there will be no unencoded documentation of this mission, save for a notation that a private client has made a down payment to the village in the amount of one million ryou for services to be rendered, with an additional amount to cover all applicable costs to be paid upon its successful completion."
The word "one million" caused the two teams' Genin to whisper amongst themselves in surprise; even the normally unflappable Inugami. The average fee for a D-rank mission was only five thousand Ryou. They were getting a mission that someone was paying for the service equivalent of 200 D-rank missions.
Not to mention the fact that a million Ryou was the absolute maximum that the village charged for services below that of the extremely rare S-rank mission.
"Therefore, the clients themselves will now brief you on the mission." He turned to the door leading to the client waiting area. "You may enter."
The door slid open as the two men that had visited Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku several hours earlier entered the room. They wore expensive finery on par with the travelling clothes that Madam Shijimi had been wearing. The younger man gasped as he looked at Kimiko Itou, who was still covered in half dried mud; although she had managed to break off the worst of it during the trip back to the village.
Kimiko Itou blinked in surprised recognition. "AAAAHHH!" She shouted, pointing at them. "You two weirdoes; the ones that kept staring at me while I was working at Ichiraku's!"
Sho Inugami also recognized one of the two men – specifically the older one. He turned to Miho-sensei, who nodded in silent agreement; it was indeed the man Sho had seen using a ninjutsu technique to hide himself on the street so he could take pictures of Itou without being noticed. The one the medic had been on the verge of attacking the man when Miho had stopped him.
The older man - a fellow in his mid-forties - gave a slight bow. "I beg your apology for our earlier rudeness, Kimiko Itou-san. My name is Shao Fukamichu, majordomo to the court of the Lord Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, and this is my assistant, Hoshi Fugato. It was just so shocking to find someone - in a ramen bar of all places - that so closely resembled the missing daughter of my master."
Nakahito Haruno's jaw went slack and Sho Inugami's eyebrow arched in interest.
Miho Hyuuga gasped in surprise. She'd been to River Country several times for both business and pleasure and had been a guest at the royal palace on at least three occasions, which is why she'd recognized Fukamichu at Ichiraku's, but this was so very unexpected. "Princess Reiyuriko is missing?!"
The majordomo nodded. "Since the latter half of February, yes, Hyuuga-san."
The white eyed kunoichi looked at Kimiko's profile, blinking in surprise. "Oh, my, yes... Itou-chan does bear a resemblance to her royal highness, doesn't she? I'm surprised I didn't make that connection weeks ago." She continued to consider the Genin. "Admittedly, Kimiko lacks the polish of Reiyuriko-hime; that must be why I didn't make the connection to your reaction to her."
Kimiko looked from the two men to her teacher and back. "Are you sure you're talking about me?"
Shao nodded holding up a pair of photos. "One of these is of Reiyuriko-sama, the other is of you. Judge for yourself..." He said, handing them to her.
One of the pictures was of her standing outside Ichiraku's Ramen shop, dressed in Ayame Ichiraku's spare uniform. The other looked like her, wearing an elegant silk kimono in shades of pink and purple, standing on a white stone pathway by a crystal blue stream with massive flowers - likely artificial - floating in it.
If not for the fact that Kimiko knew she'd never worn something that beautiful before, she would be hard-pressed to believe that both young women were NOT her in two radically different outfits.
Sho Inugami whistled in surprise. Kimiko blinked - he and Nakahito had moved closer to look over her left shoulder and she hadn't even sensed them do so. 'Hito nodded. "No kidding, Sho." Haruno looked at her, "She could easily be your twin sister, Kimi-chan."
"Et tu, you two?" Kimiko demanded in an effort to refute what her own eyes had told her. "I'll prove it." She glanced at the photo and made the seals for the Henge no Jutsu, using it to only change her outfit. She tried to screw up the design, but even as she saw the looks of her teammates and the reflection of herself off Sho's green glasses, she knew that she'd only just proven the opinion held by the patrons and the Hokage.
"As I was saying, Princess Reiyuriko disappeared from the River Country Palace approximately two months ago." Shao continued. "The princess is nearing her eighteenth birthday and she developed a bit of a willful streak in the past six months, to the point that she became extremely adept at ducking palace security for several hours at a time. The Guards were extremely worried the first thirty times or so, but they realized that she would inevitably surface, so their worry dimmed some. Then," He snapped his fingers, "She vanished as if she'd never been in the Palace. Uncertain as to what happened to her, the Daimyo ordered a full lockdown of the royal city; allowing people in, but only allowing them out after a full search of the person and their belongings had been conducted."
"You're assuming she's been kidnapped and that they may be trying to get her out of the city." Okito Tanaka said. The measures described were extreme, but they were certain to be effective in an effort to prevent such an event.
Fukamichu nodded. "That is our fear, yes - that someone learned of the Hime's tendency to slip out of the palace and ambushed her when she was in the city; likely for ransom or some other political ploy. Reiyuriko is an important symbol of hope for the people of the Land of Rivers, especially after her mother, Queen Mizuho, died without leaving us a male heir to the Daimyo's throne approximately five years ago.
"By long-standing law and tradition, only a man is allowed to assume the title of the River Lord, so whichever man the Princess consents to marry will become the heir apparent to the throne. As you can imagine, this opportunity only happens once in a dynasty and so a number of the regional Daimyo have been contending with each other to see whose son will win our beloved princess's heart and ascend to the Aquamarine Throne."
"Her heart..?" Motoko Hata asked, interested enough to break her silence.
"Yes." The majordomo agreed. "This is not the first time in history this situation has happened. It is an equally long-standing rule that while the Daimyo's word is absolute in the Land of Rivers, even he is not allowed to decide the princess's husband when such a situation occurs; mainly as a precaution against a..." He paused, looking for an appropriate word. "A figurehead leader from being tricked into a less than desirable union. Therefore, while all the assorted regional princes may contend, only the one she believes to be the best will take her father's role; in both her life and in our country."
Hoshi Fugato grimaced. "We have been propagating rumors that the princess has been travelling abroad in contemplation of the choice approaching, but two things require the ruse to end… First is the annual Convocation of the Daimyo to renew their oaths of fealty to the Aquamarine Throne; it is an event that no Queen or Princess in the current dynasty has missed, save for the odd occasion two centuries ago when one went into labor with the throne's heir three hours before the Convocation began. An unexplainable absence could be cause for some of the more rebellious-minded Regional Daimyo, the ones that have been chafing the most under the current dynasty, to refuse to renew their vow and attempt a military insurrection."
The majordomo picked up the conversation. "The other concern is that with the Princess's unexplained disappearance, Lord Mizuzaki the 27th has been prone to bouts of increasingly severe depression and his health is waning. We fear that he will not live to welcome the summer."
"That's only seven weeks from now..." Sho Inugami said, sounding almost insulted. "Severe Melancholia alone takes far longer than three months to kill someone; especially when they still have something to live for. What quack made that diagnosis?"
The majordomo gave a grim smile to Sarutobi. "I take it that this would be the medic-nin I requested as part of the service package?" The Hokage nodded in agreement.
The older man turned to Inugami. "The royal physician and I agree that, all things being equal, your opinion would be accurate. The distressing fact of the matter is that the Daimyo is slipping away far faster than medicine alone can explain. With the Princess missing and the Lord Daimyo dying, my fear is that this apparent weakness could result in a civil war between the regions of the Land of Rivers, something I am sworn to prevent at all costs. The Daimyo's life is my primary concern, of course, since as long as he draws breath, Reiyuriko-hime's decision is held in abeyance."
He shook his head. "I have some training in the ninja arts - I was trained in Tanigakure in my youth - but my skills lent themselves better towards administration than being a ninja. I cannot confirm this, but I suspect someone is using ninjutsu to accelerate the process by some means undetectable by regular doctors.
"Since a number of the regional Daimyo typically hire ninja services from our own Valleys Village or the Sand Village, I decided that it would be unwise to ask Tanigakure or Sunagakure for a medic-nin team to investigate. Konoha is the only other Hidden Village reasonably close whose services are comparable – more accurately, superior to – our nation's village, which is what brought us here two weeks ago. Konoha also holds a…" He smiled to the Hokage. "…special place… in Lord Mizuzaki's heart and he would have wanted any assistance to come from here if he were aware enough to ask for it."
He gestured to Kimiko. "That is when I encountered you, Itou-san, and it gave me an idea to resolve this dilemma - or at least buy us time to locate the real Reiyuriko-sama. Shortly thereafter, I returned to the palace to get Lord Mizuzaki's approval for my plan. He may be losing his faculties, but he agreed."
Kimiko Itou gasped as she made a connection. "That's why you left me that gold plate isn't it? For giving you the idea." The majordomo nodded in agreement.
"Gold plate?" Nakahito asked. His voice was thick with surprise and disappointment that Kimiko hadn't told him about it. His hand clenched and relaxed in his reflexive technique to calm himself.
The kunoichi made a cute wince of embarrassment. "Um... Yeah... It was just so weird that I wasn't really sure how to react to it. With all the tension we'd been under since becoming Genin, I didn't want to tell you about it because you would have reacted like, well, this, and you were so proud that you were winning the tips competition I didn't want to take that away from you, 'Hito. Especially because of something I didn't understand myself at the time..."
Nakahito's pumping of his hand increased in speed, causing the younger of the two men from the Land of Rivers to gulp nervously. Finally, he exhaled his breath with a great blast of air and the tensing stopped. "Yeah... I can see how you would have thought that... I mean with Rock Lee offering gifts I couldn't match and Sakura off on an INTERESTING mission, I was kind of frayed then, wasn't I? I just wish you'd told me about it sooner."
"When?" She asked wryly. "Before my misunderstanding with you and Karin Inugami or after the accident at my apartment?"
Sho frowned impressively at his two teammates. This was the first he'd heard of an issue between his sister and Nakahito, but he quickly pushed it aside; he'd get the details out them later...
Haruno frowned rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, your point."
The Hokage cleared his throat. "Now, getting back to the mission… The reason I'm assigning Teams 11 and 13 to this mission is because they've hired us for four jobs that are designed to be run concurrently. First, as our client mentioned before, we need someone experienced in medical techniques to confirm or deny Fukamichu's hypothesis that the Daimyo is suffering from something other than natural causes."
The old man looked over to Inugami. "According to the medical corps, you, Sho, are possessed of some of the most accurate diagnostic and treatment skills despite your youth. This skill, combined with the fact that you are low enough in importance in the grand scheme of the medic corps, means that having you away on an extended mission will not impair the operations of the Hospital."
"Always nice to be appreciated." Sho said with his usual ribald humor.
The Hokage overtly ignored the medic's comment, but a slight grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "The second task is to explore the palace and tighten the holes in the security that allowed Princess Reiyuriko to slip out of it undetected. Miho Hyuuga with her Byakugan and Okito Tanaka with his understanding of engineering and defensive emplacements are the best to serve in this capacity." Both the Jonin nodded in agreement.
"The first two tasks are fairly easy and should not require more than a few hours of work…" Sarutobi pointed out. "The other two are where things get difficult: Your third task will be to try and find Princess Reiyuriko. Miho, once again your Byakugan and your training as an Espionage specialist, makes you best suited for this job, with Takahashi and Kyouran able to assist you directly in this endeavor." The scarred blonde Genin nodded in agreement as Kyouran growled in excited anticipation of the hunt.
Sarutobi focused on Kimiko Itou. "The fourth task is that until we locate the real Princess, you, Kimiko, will assume her identity and play her part during the upcoming Convocation. You will continue in that role until Princess Reiyuriko returns to the palace or you leave the Land of Rivers, whichever comes first."
The kunoichi's blood ran chill at the Hokage's words. "M-m-me?!" She asked in disbelief. "But Sarutobi-ojisan, I'm a tomboy and a hand-to-hand combat specialist! I don't know the first thing about acting - like a princess or even a lady. Can't Motoko-chan use the Transformation technique to do the job?" The red haired kunoichi squeaked in nervous embarrassment at the suggestion. "At least she knows how to act like a lady."
The Hokage shook his head. "Unfortunately, that is not an option for us, child." Motoko breathed a sigh of relief. "First, neither she nor any of the Genin in the village have sufficient chakra to be able to hold a full-body Henge no Jutsu for several HOURS at a time. Second, the jutsu requires a conscious mind to control the transformation, which means if the user fell asleep the jutsu would end. You are a near perfect match to the real Princess Reiyuriko; a few adjustments to your wardrobe and the sparring use of the Transformation technique should be able to deceive all but those who know Reiyuriko closely."
"But what about those who do? I'm no actress and I suck at improvisation." Itou protested, desperately trying to get out of this task.
"I had no intention on you attempting this task on your own, Kimiko-chan." Hiruzen Sarutobi said, gesturing to the employers. "Master Fukamichu was operating under the assumption that you were Teuchi Ichiraku's daughter and brought a number of the Princess's personal effects - clothing, journals, books, and the like - to help you get to know how the princess thinks and what she knows."
He gestured to both Inugami and the female Hata. "During the seven day trip via carriage back to the Palace of the Land of Rivers, you and Sho, with his photographic memory, will study these materials. And as I suspected that something unusual was afoot with Reiyuriko's odd absence from the public eye as of late, I ordered Motoko-chan to start studying River Country etiquette and protocol two days ago. The two of them will act as your advisors - she to help you avoid social mishaps and he will help you stay in character."
Kimiko was still frantic, although as the Hokage explained things, the abject terror was easing. "But if the others see them coaching me, the jig would be up!"
Fukamichu spoke up. "I have arranged for a secret room with direct security feeds from every camera in the palace, which will be their base of operations. The room does not appear on any of the guard's blueprints and can only be entered by opening a series of hidden latches. It was meant to act as the panic room for the Daimyo during times when the palace was under attack, so only he, his majordomo - myself – and my assistant, Hoshi, know how to access it.
"The Lord Hokage has also provided us with a number of state-of-the-art microtransmitters and in-ear audio receivers. We will be able to hide the microphones in your clothing so they will be able to hear everything you hear and the earpiece is flesh-toned to allow you - and only you - to hear their responses."
"Hoshi and I arranged to have the panic room connected to the palace's security system - it's a little slapdash since it was just the two of us working on it - and it has two futon beds and a few basic amenities that will allow Inugami and Hata to remain comfortably out of sight, but allow them to keep abreast of everything happening and be able to communicate with you during those occasions when the Princess would not normally have any of the usual servants, courtesans, guards or the assorted other hangers-on surrounding her that we could slip them into the crowd during, which is the majority of the time."
A nervous blush crept onto Motoko Hata's features. 'Sho-kun and me... A-a-a-alone? Together?' She thought to herself as she glanced shyly at the young man that held the reigns that were connected to her heart. Inugami saw her looking at him and turned to avoid her gaze, but not before she could see the reflexive bob of his throat as he swallowed. 'And he doesn't seem too thrilled by the idea...' She could feel her heart sink slightly at the subtle rejection of her feelings. 'I don't know if I can handle this... What if it drives Sho-kun away for good?'
Hata looked at Kimiko, and, seeing the barely waning abject terror on her face, the rising-dawn-red-haired kunoichi took a deep, calming breath. 'No, remember what Kimiko said in the forest - as long as Sho-kun doesn't openly express his anger, he's not as upset as he might appear to be. And Kimi-chan needs me to be strong to help get her through this.' She shored up her meager self-confidence and nodded in acceptance of the task to the Hokage.
The Sandaime gave her a warm smile before shifting his focus to all the members of the combined team. "Because of the unusual nature of this mission and the fact that subterfuge is required, you'll be broken into non-standard teams. Since Kimiko Itou will have to be disguised as the princess, it would result in the teams looking unusual - since Team 13 would be one person light - and might attract undesirable attention. Okito," Sarutobi focused on his former bodyguard, "You will go in disguised as a newly hired non-ninja guard for 'Princess Reiyuriko.' Inugami-san and Hata-chan will be similarly disguised as civilians, so the four of you will have to leave anything that could be viewed as ninja in nature with the other team. Okito will be in command of the 'Civilian' Team."
He gestured to the other four ninja. "Miho Hyuuga, Takahashi, Nakahito Haruno, and Raiden Hata will accompany your group as ninja hired from Konoha to augment the palace security during the Convocation of the Daimyo, so will not require any disguise whatsoever. Haruno and Hata will remain by Kimiko as much as circumstances allow as the Princess' direct bodyguards. Meanwhile Takahashi, Kyouran, and Hyuuga will patrol the city - ostensively looking for potential signs of an external attack while looking for the real Princess. Nakahito and Raiden will also carry equipment summoning scrolls with emergency backup gear for the Civilian team if events so require them to take action."
Raiden Hata eyed Kimiko Itou's fancy outfit, rubbing his chin. "As boring as being a bodyguard sounds, watching Itou have to dress and act like a woman for a change makes it a bit more tolerable."
That was the final straw for Kimiko Itou. The frustration caused by the cat, her irritation at Sho, and the overwhelming nature of the mission caused Hata's demeaning comments to push her over the edge.
Without warning, her low-heeled shoe lashed out in an overhead roundhouse kick that smashed into his face, knocking him flat on the ground as Motoko winced as some of her brother's pain was transferred to her own face. Hoshi Fugato's eyes bugged as the image of his Princess attacking someone was burned into his mind.
Kimiko followed up by setting her foot on Hata's breastbone, the tip of her shoe pushing uncomfortably against the bottom of his throat. "You were saying something sexist a few seconds ago… Care to repeat it?" She asked in a low, sickly sweet voice. Raiden looked up at Itou's enraged face for an instant, but then his eyes dipped slightly and a grin appeared on his face. "What the hell are you smiling about, you jerk?"
Raiden gave her a toothy, irreverent grin. "Just admiring the view. So were you already wearing blue-green panties or did you just make them on a whim with the dress?"
Kimiko's breath stopped in her chest - she'd forgotten that she was still using the Henge no Jutsu to look like the Princess in the picture. At the same time, Nakahito inhaled a hissing breath of rage directed at Raiden but made no move towards him - he knew better than to get between Kimiko and the object of her rage. Before Haruno could act, Kimiko's elegant gown puffed into smoke revealing her usual outfit and she drew her one of her Tonfa. "I'm going to kill you, you Hentai bastard!"
Before she could follow up on her promise, Sho practically leapt forward to catch both her arms in a grip of soft steel that surprised the kunoichi - since all of Sho's techniques didn't rely on strength of arm, she never realized how strong he actually was. He pulled her back. "Kill him and you kill Hata-san." He whispered in her ear with a terse monotone. "I may not be sure about how to handle my feelings for her, but you can bet that I'll kill anyone that threatens her safety..."
Kimiko glanced over her shoulder and the sight chilled her to the core. Sho's threat was sincere enough sounding and she knew that if he were so inclined she'd be dead before she could hope to fight back.
It wasn't his words that caused her heart to stop as if it had been locked in meter-thick ice; it was the fact that she could see the faintest hint of red creeping into the whites of his eyes. Kimiko recalled Karin's warning about Sho's combat mind and had a flashback to the conversation the two of them had had a few weeks before about how when he got really emotional the mind could surface on its own. Not to mention a flush of embarrassment as she remembered that unusual connection between Motoko-chan and her brother that Sho had alluded to.
The brown-eyed survivor of the Itou clan relaxed as much as she could in Inugami's grip. Sho, feeling the change in her attitude, blinked a few times and the red tinting vanished. He inhaled deeply with a slight grimace; a silent apology to Kimiko as he released her arms, his face turning stony as he shut the guilt away and moved away in embarrassment at what he'd been on the verge of doing to a friend.
Kimiko felt a brief surge of pity towards Sho as she finally began to understand the depths to which the boar's attack had injured him - like a wound that couldn't heal on its own, so similar to the one that she bore where her family was concerned - as she tucked her inherited Tonfa back into place beside its twin.
Hokage Sarutobi sighed as Raiden picked himself up to get chided by his older sister. "Perhaps dropping this task on you is too soon, but time is not a luxury we have at this point and as you've clearly heard, Teams 11 and 13 are optimized to resolve it with a minimum of fuss. It's a week's travel to the River Country Palace and the Convocation is set to begin in three weeks, which means you'll only have two weeks to get accustomed to the surroundings before the pressure will begin in earnest."
"And you will not be able to count on the Palace staff to assist you." Shao Fukamichu spoke up. "NO ONE besides the Daimyo himself, Hoshi, and I will know that the Reiyuriko-hime that returns with us is a fake. We need to judge who you will be able to convince of your authenticity and who you can't so that we can make sure that those amongst the latter are put on duties that will keep them out of the way - preparing the summer castle, perhaps."
"We can only give you two hours to prepare yourselves for the mission." The Hokage resumed. "Kimiko, you'll have to remain here so that we can make certain that 'Princess Reiyuriko' is seen passing through Konoha on her way home for the Convocation. It will be a push to prepare your disguise by that time, but it's all the time we can afford. Clothing appropriate to the disguises for Okito, Sho, and Motoko have also been prepared and you'll need to be in them when you join 'Princess Reiyuriko' in her carriage."
He snapped his fingers and the main door slid open and as a group of six women, two men, and a pair of older Genin entered the room. "These women used to be some of Madam Shijimi's personal retainers and should be able to help the ladies dress authentically while the men will assist Sho. The Genin will take your equipment and prepare the emergency scrolls. In the meantime, Nakahito, Raiden, inform your families that you'll be departing on an extended mission with your teams, but be vague as to the details beyond saying that you're heading to the southwest. Miho, if you'd inform Sho's family while we get him into character?" Haruno, Hata and Hyuuga nodded in acceptance.
Sho Inugami turned to his Jonin instructor, removing his glasses and the tie that held his shoulder-length hair in a ponytail, causing it to billow out and change his appearance, and handing them to her. "If you'd take these with you, Miho-sensei? I won't need them while we're on this mission and they probably won't fit in with my disguise. Plus it will give my parents some peace of mind."
Miho accepted the items; not bothering to ask why giving them to Sho's family would give his parents peace of mind since the answer was probably just some kind of inside joke between him and his parents. "But what about your eyes? They're rather distinctive, Sho." She pointed to her own. "Almost as memorable as these."
Inugami nodded, holding his hand up to his gray eye and black hair streak for a few seconds. "I need to do something to keep up my training, even on this mission." As he lowered the hand, he now had a pair of identical forest-green eyes and his hair was now completely white. "Keeping the Henge no Jutsu for a minor color change active as much as possible should be suitably draining without creating a pulse that any sensory type ninja that are hired by the regional Daimyo are likely to detect."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the combined members of Teams 11 and 13, the pride of a loving grandfather beaming at all of them. "I wish you the best of luck. You'll meet the royal carriage at the South Gate in two hours and then depart shortly thereafter. Dismissed."
To be concluded