Time: 8:00 PM
The moment that Kimiko Itou and Nakahito Haruno had been dreading – for similar reasons, although neither of them knew it – was rapidly approaching.
For Kimiko, it was because she feared she wasn't ladylike enough to pass as Reiyuriko when she danced with the princes. For Haruno, it was that his best friend was being forced so far out of her element and he'd be unable to assist her.
There was another reason, of course, but the two Genin were still oblivious to it.
Suddenly, the music shifted to a certain cadence that caused the red clad ninja to squirm a bit.
Raiden Hata, whom had just been experiencing everything his twin had been doing with Oni Inugami – of all people – second-hand, welcomed someone else's discontent like ice water in the Great Desert in the Land of Wind. The sensations had, thankfully, stopped around the time Hyuuga-sensei had announced that Itou was on her way back out. "Dude, you look like someone just pissed in your porridge; what's the matter with you?"
Nakahito Haruno gestured to the band. "They're playing a Tango."
The male side of the Hata twins listened for a moment and then shrugged. "So?"
"Don't you remember those sessions of detention when the kunoichi were learning how to go undercover in social events, like dances?"
Raiden pinched the ridge of his nose. "Haruno, my sister has just been playing tonsil hockey with a certain medic we both know for about 10 minutes and I've been feeling every whorl of his tongue as if it were in my own mouth…" He shuddered as Nakahito's face crumpled in disgust. That time Naruto had been bumped into kissing Uchiha accidentally had been traumatic enough to deal with the mental image of, but to feel one's sister having an intimate moment? And with Inugami? "Yeah, tell me about it… Will you just spill what your damned issue is with the music?"
"Okay, it's just…" He sighed, clenching his hand to calm himself. "Do you remember the time Iruka-sensei sent you, me, Kiba and Naruto over to the kunoichi dance practice because we laughed our asses off the first time Uzumaki unveiled his 'Sexy Jutsu'?"
Hata thought back and then chuckled, feeling a phantom ache in his back from the event in question. "Oh, THAT time."
~•~
The quartet of Haruno, Hata, Inuzaka, and Uzumaki grumbled as they were ordered by Iruka Umino to leave the taijutsu session to report to Suzume-sensei's kunoichi class to provide young men for the girls to practice dancing with.
"Iruka-sensei's got no sense of humor!" Naruto whined in annoyance even as he was dreaming of pairing up with Sakura for at least one dance.
Akamaru, riding on Kiba's head under the hood of his human's jacket gave a whine followed by a bark. "Yeah, I know, buddy; you were looking forward to trying that new combo Mom taught us the other day. I'm sorry I got in trouble."
Haruno reached the door to their designated punishment session first. He put his hand on the door and slid it open. On the other side, it was revealed that in addition to the spectacled face of Suzume-sensei, the room had Kimiko Itou, Akkiko Roa, Motoko Hata, Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuuga milling about, waiting for their dance partners to arrive.
"Sensei! There's only four boys!" Ino complained, "There's six of us!" She scowled at the boys. "Why couldn't two more of you dorks get in trouble?"
"Yamanaka," Suzume-sensei said, with a 'fu-fu-fu' of laughter as she adjusted her glasses. "Congratulations!"
Ino looked like someone who just got the taste of something vile in her mouth. "I'm about to hate my life, aren't I?"
"You really must learn to control that tongue of yours." Suzume-sensei said as she moved up, quickly making the seals of Dog, Boar, and Ram. "Otherwise you'll never fool anyone into thinking you're a lady; they'll think you're a BOY."
As the sensei said the word 'boy,' she tapped Yamanaka on the shoulder. Suddenly Ino's womanly body, with all its shapely curves, puffed into smoke as the Chuunin used the forced transformation technique on her student. As the smoke cleared, Yamanaka was revealed to have been turned into a male version of herself! Akkiko, Kimiko and Sakura began to cackle in amusement as Hinata and Motoko looked embarrassed.
"Sensei!" Yamanaka complained, her voice unchanged, as she looked down at herself. "This is humiliating!"
"I don't know, Pig-chan, you've never looked better!" Sakura cried in mirth.
"I'm glad you think so, Sakura." Suzume-sensei said with a look of annoyance on her face. "Because you're going to be Yamanaka's dance partner today for that remark." The male Ino and Sakura glared at each other, but they knew better than to push Suzume any further. "Hinata-sama, please choose a dance partner."
The Hyuuga princess let out a terrified squeak at being called on first. She gave a brief, longing look at Naruto, who was still laughing at Ino's form with Raiden, but a blush overtook her face quickly. She looked at Nakahito for a moment, but then glanced at Kimiko before turning to the last two. "Ano, K-kiba-kun, will you partner up with me?"
"Yosh!" Inuzaka remarked as Akamaru barked. The puppy's bark brought a brief smile to the white-eyed girl's face.
"Itou-san, you're next!" Suzume ordered.
Nakahito straightened, expecting Kimiko to pick him – as she usually would for these assignments, but there was a tenseness in her features and the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks. Haruno was surprised by that, a feeling which only grew as Kimiko stormed over to grab Uzumaki by the ear and drag him into the middle of the room.
"Ow! Kimi-chan! What..?" The blonde student complained.
Itou leaned down and whispered something to Naruto – a promise to take him to Ichiraku's five times if he could behave himself for the duration of the class, she had told Nakahito later – and the spaz straightened up; giving her a slight bow.
"Hata-chan, I presume you'll be taking the one that is not your brother?" Suzume-sensei asked with a slight smile to her face.
"H-hai, Sensei!" Motoko Hata confirmed as she stepped before Nakahito.
"Which leaves me to bat cleanup, as usual." Roa grumped as she approached Raiden diffidently.
"So, as we have discussed, today's dance style, the Tango, is different from the other ballroom styles… The Tango is about mystery, passion, and, yes, seduction." At these words, Hinata and Motoko, always the consummate ladies, as well as Nakahito, flushed slightly. Haruno now knew why Kimi hadn't chosen him for this practice; it would be as awkward for them as it would have been for Motoko and Raiden or him and Sakura to do together.
"In your case, you must perform the dance in such a way that your target believes they are leading when, in fact, you are the one in control." The kunoichi instructor continued. "Sometimes you might have to lure your partner to a specific location or trick them into a compromising situation. Remember, ladies, that only you can decide for yourself how far is too far and what lengths you are willing to go to in order to complete your mission. If you become Genin, part of your service packet will be a list as to what lengths you are – or are not – willing to use your body, so that can be accounted for when it comes to socially-focused assignments. Just because using your body may be the easiest way to seduce your target does not make it the ONLY way."
"Hai, sensei," The six ladies agreed.
Suzume nodded. "Now, I am going to come to each of our kunoichi – regardless of their current form – and give you an objective to accomplish. Once you've completed your objective, you can either stop dancing and disengage – but if your partner guesses what your objective was, you will lose points – or you can continue so as to leave them unaware of what your goal was. This is about your social skills, so no Genjutsu, Roa."
Akkiko looked at Raiden, whom she'd been paired with in the past and found to be rather irritating, and sighed in annoyance. "Hai, Suzume-sensei…"
The Chuunin-level instructor then went to each of her students, whispering in each of their ears. Once all six had been briefed, Suzume approached the sound system. "There are five musical numbers, each running just short of three minutes long. The earlier you accomplish your objective, the more points you earn. Make it to the end of all five and you can consider your target safely unaware of your goal. And… Begin!" She said, hitting the play button.
As the music began, Motoko Hata took a deep breath and put on a game face, that – now that he was reflecting on it – was very similar to how she'd been this evening; full of self-confidence. The passion she had put into the dance had completely surprised Haruno and had left him looking very uncomfortable for the duration of the dance.
Haruno'd kept looking over to Hinata, whom was still clearly her normally timid self, but – thanks to whimpers and whines from Akamaru – the normally brash Kiba was politely playing along. Everyone knew that Hinata – like the majority of other Hyuuga kunoichi – would never be fielded in such a role, but the kunoichi matriculation form required at least minimal scores in the soft skills for graduation. Nakahito felt rather jealous of Kiba, but knew Hinata had chosen Inuzaka since he was the only one who didn't have a connection to Hyuuga's limited social circle of Kimiko and Motoko.
Nakahito had also kept a loose eye on Kimiko; protective of her as always even though he knew that between Kimi's tomboyish nature, threats of Haruno's swift and terrible vengeance if anyone messed with Itou, and the fact that Uzumaki was more interested in the pink haired kunoichi in the room, he'd have little to worry about.
Even still, seeing Kimiko dancing with another man – even if that man was the mostly harmless and pretty much useless Naruto Uzumaki – had left Haruno feeling sick to his stomach; he didn't know why then and he was still clueless as to why now.
Then there was the issue of Motoko, who was a cute handful to be sure, but there was something disingenuous about her performance… It was like there was someone she was picturing in her mind in place of Nakahito as she all but plastered herself to Haruno's body. From the outside, the two of them were moving around gracefully, but that was all Motoko's hard work; 'Hito was basically along for the ride.
Then, at the other end of the spectrum – tied for worst, there was the antagonistic pairs of male Ino & Sakura and Raiden & Akkiko.
Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were dancing well enough, but their arguing while doing so showed just how out of sync the formerly close friends were. Suzume-sensei seemed to take great satisfaction in their mutual discomfort.
Then there was Roa and the male half of the Hata twins. Raiden was being his usual handsy self, which was making Akkiko increasingly uncomfortable and self aware. Whenever Suzume-sensei wasn't looking, Roa would slap or kick Raiden, once getting his cup-protected junk, but the male Hata, inured to such injuries, barely even felt them. His durability was such that, aside from the occasional minor flinch, Motoko – through the twin bond that connected them – was largely unaffected.
And then it happened.
During one spin of the dance, Raiden's hand slid up and gently caressed the lower swell of Roa's breasts. Embarrassed and enraged, Roa let out a sharp screech that triggered the defect in her chakra network. There was a brief blue bloom as Akkiko's raw chakra emanated from her and bonded with her shriek and blades of chakra infused sound waves ripped through the air in a dome surrounding her.
Only the fact that Raiden had pissed Roa off in the past, combined with his natural athleticism, prevented the audio burst from flaying him alive. The unintentional attack caught Raiden across the back, shredding his shirt and carving a divot that managed to pierce his armored vest. The force of the shockwave blew Raiden into a wall, breaking his nose again, and left a silhouette of blood splatter on the wall. At the same time, Motoko collapsed, her back feeling like it was cut up.
The banshee-like screech would have continued, but Kimiko's Wusha, drawn by Itou at the first sound burst and directed by her chakra, safely pierced the destructive dome surrounding the kunoichi wearing earth toned clothing. The metal links gently began snaking around Roa's neck and squeezing until the pitch cut out. It was a trick Itou and Roa had practiced for those occasions when the raven-haired girl lost control.
Akkiko Roa collapsed, sobbing, as she rocked herself back and forth. "Sorry… So, so, sorry."
Motoko quickly rebounded from her psychic injury as Raiden passed out from his real ones. She half crawled/slid across the floor and wrapped her arms around Roa, saying, "It's okay, Akkiko, we know you can't control it…"
~•~
"Yeah, I guess I can see why you don't like the tango." Raiden agreed as his reverie ended. "She was undoubtedly subbing Inugami for you in her mind."
The dancing class had been cancelled and debacle was swiftly remedied: Raiden had elected to keep the scar on his back as a reminder to himself to never underestimate someone smaller than him. Roa had repaired the damage to the hall and replaced Raiden's shirt and armored vest; she'd even apologized because she knew that the triggering incident hadn't been intentional on his part.
About this time, as the tango ended and a more refined musical piece began, the rice paper panels slid open, revealing Kimiko/Reiyuriko wearing a variation of the elegant dancing dress that had been in the photo of they'd seen in the Hokage's office at the start of the mission, this one in shades of teal and cerulean.
Even though both knew it was Itou under all that glamorous clothing, both young men were left agog at her beauty.
Raiden's elbow jabbed Nakahito's side. "Your girl cleans up well, eh, Haruno?"
Haruno scowled at Raiden, even though the orange-haired boy's words were resonating at the back of his mind. "Kimi's like a sister to me, asshole."
Hata snorted derisively; unbeknownst to either party involved, Raiden had a bet going with Hiro Jeitsy as to whether Kimiko and Nakahito were going to crack and confess their feelings or just bone each other out of mutual frustration. Raiden was betting on the latter. "There's a large gap between 'is a sister' and 'is like a sister,' pal."
Before Nakahito could come up with a proper retort, Miho Hyuuga and the disguised Kimiko Itou had approached them. Haruno bowed respectfully to his best friend. "Reiyuriko-hime, you look…" He shook his head. "I can't come up with anything better than gorgeous, but it feels like it's not enough…"
Outwardly, Kimiko nodded acknowledgement at 'Hito's words, but she felt her heart skip a beat or two, recalling – yet again – the dream of the future that Motoko had shared with her.
'No… No! He's just being polite to the Princess, nothing more.' Her inner Kimiko screamed at her heart. 'And damn Momo for putting that image in my head!'
"We accept the intent behind your words, Haruno-san." She looked around, noticing all the eyes in the room were on her. "Why are they all staring?" Itou asked under her breath, hoping the hidden microphone in her dress would pick it up…
"They're curious about who you'll dance with first." Motoko's voice came softly, but clearly in her ear; confirming the mikes were functional. "It should be Prince Muso of the Thirteenth District."
"Muso?" Kimiko asked, sounding surprised. "You mean Rei-," She coughed briefly. "OUR ex-suitor?"
"Did I hear my name from the lips of our divine Princess?" An urbane voice asked, causing the four Konoha ninja to turn.
"Holy crap." Raiden whispered to Nakahito, recognizing him as the one who'd given him intel on his own sisters. "He's the one f…" Hata's words cut out as Haruno gave him a quick elbow jab to the belly.
"Indeed you did, Muso-dono." Kimiko agreed, giving him a smile that was polite although the look in her eyes was saying something that sent a spear of jealousy through Nakahito's belly. She extended a hand to him. "We are hoping you will be amenable to being our first dance of the evening."
Prince Muso wa Akago gave Kimiko a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I am grateful for the honor, Reiyuriko-hime..." He paused, looking briefly uncertain as he extended his hand. "However, I feel I must ask, did your time away change your mind regarding your last words to me?"
"My last words…" Kimiko repeated wistfully.
"He means that he should be free to follow his heart and not be shackled into a loveless marriage." Inugami explained, reminding Itou of one of the last entries in Reiyuriko's journal.
"Before Nakahito shut him up, Rai was pointing out that Muso had an intimate encounter with one of the Palace maids; a girl named Kikyo Higurashi." Motoko's voice chimed in.
Kimiko/Reiyuriko smiled at Muso, taking his hand and leaning in confidentially. "I promise you that I am not intending on coming between you and Kikyo-chan." A look of surprise flickered across the lesser prince's face, but was quickly concealed by years of training. "Indeed, I am glad you took my words to heart. Sometimes a dance is just a dance, Muso-dono; one done for the sake of appearances."
The tension in Muso's features melted some as he guided Kimiko onto the dance floor. "I guess I was not as cautious as I thought I was being…"
"Oh, you were cautious enough, but Fukamichu-kohai runs a tight ship during the Convocation and any unexpected deviation gets looked into is all." She whispered to him as the crowd on the dance floor opened up to give them room.
Once they reached the center of the floor, the orchestra began performing song appropriate for a waltz. Kimiko gave Muso a slight bow versus his slightly deeper one in deference to their respective status levels.
Then, as one, the two began move in time to the music. The crowd resumed dancing with one another as the clock on the wall ticked over to 8:25 PM.
Unseen by anyone else, the traitor looked over to his facilitator's pupil, who nodded before holding up 3 fingers.
'Soon, Ayanami, you will fall and this country shall be mine!' He thought to himself as he took a long drink from his glass with a smile.
* * *
Time: 8:20 PM
A woman in a dark rose red dress with gold filigree and a matching veil covering lower half of her face moved through the ballroom like a ghost.
"Satou; status." Kari, the Desert Rose asked her student.
Amaya Satou nearly jumped out of her skin; she hadn't sensed the approach of the assassin-turned-Jonin-instructor. Satou's make-up was marred from her tears and she had a number of would-be sycophants practically groveling at her feet.
"We have full dispersal," she said, gesturing to Amara and Asuna, who had similar mounds of men sitting before them.
Kari nodded, looking around at the guards and ninja stationed at different spots in the room. As she turned, Satou was surprised to see a large rose tattoo covering most of the area exposed by her Sensei's backless dress. "Any abnormalities?"
"A few. The Rain ninja, of course, but they're wearing those filtered rebreathers, so that's to be expected." The assassin nodded. "And for some reason none of the Leaf ninja guarding the fake seem to be affected."
Kari glanced at where the Hyuuga and her two functioning students were standing by the fake Princess Reiyuriko. "They probably used some of whatever protected that panther trainer from you. Any others?"
Satou crossed her arms across her chest tersely. "Urashima slipped out of my grasp, but that was probably because the pheromones hadn't fully permeated the room. He also apparently had a fiancée that showed up out of the blue…"
"Yes, I saw your little verbal tussle earlier. I'm rather proud that you didn't attack that flame-haired…" A sudden hiss of shock escaped Kari and her eyes began darting around the room.
"Sensei?"
Kari looked at Amaya intently. "Is there anyone else that seems to be unaffected by you and your cousins?"
Satou gestured to the small mountain of a man standing over by Mizuzaki the 27th. "Just the giant standing by the River Lord, why? What's wrong?"
Kari's jaw clenched and relaxed under her veil a few times as she glared at the disguised Tanaka, whom returned the gaze in kind. "We were mislead… There are TWO Leaf ninja teams here in Mizumiyo Palace! Not just one."
Satou's eyes went wide. "What..? Who?"
Kari broke the staring contest as Tanaka reported to the others that the Desert Rose had realized he was in disguise. "Satou, look at the young man in gray and yellow by the stand-in."
Amaya looked over at Raiden, letting off a soft hiss of rage as she noticed the resemblance between him and that Konno bitch. "Holy shit… I see it now… But how..?"
The Desert Rose gestured to the fake Reiyuriko who was taking to the dance floor with Prince Muso. "The other day, when you ran into your latest nemesis outside Urashima's quarters, there was a maid with Reiyuriko that had the same shade of orange hair as that Leaf Genin and your newest foe tonight. In all my years traveling the Five Nations, I've never seen hair that color before… And now there are three, well, two, with that same color in one place at the same time?" She snorted derisively. "Gaara has better odds at becoming the Kazekage than that happening by coincidence."
Amaya began ticking off her fingers. "Okay, so the Hyuuga and that mountain are the Jonin. Panther boy and Things 1 and 2 there are one team. The princess, the maid and…" Her face fell. "URASHIMA?! I was falling for a fucking Leaf ninja?!"
Before Kari could confirm her Genin's correct assumption, there was a bright burst of light and a loud clap of thunder as all hell broke loose as the aquarium behind the Lord Daimyo exploded!
Amaya's eyes went wide as she saw the sigil on the Lord Daimyo's forehead burn through the makeup "Holy shit! Urashima's trap just went off with full force!"
"Satou! Pacification! Exclude the Leaves; open or otherwise." The Desert Rose ordered before the panic, which was beginning to radiate from the western side of the room, could start running rampant.
"Hai, Kari-sensei!" Amaya obeyed as she invoked the Shrine of Nirvana, a technique that created distracting feathers to appear in peoples' vision to keep them calm. It was weaker than the Temple of Nirvana, which induced sleep, but should be more than sufficient for crowd control…