Location: 50 miles west of Salt Lake City Date: Aug 19 2010
Salt Lake City was a relatively small city, but when you consider the metropolitan areas, the number of people living there was more than significant, at least for me. Even after all the years I had been on this planet, in this country, I had a hard time accepting how many people lived here, especially in cities like Los Angeles.
Konoha, even being a shinobi village, was, well, a village and was relatively small in comparison. Even the capital of the Fire Country would be a small city compared to places like Los Angeles.
The size was one of the reasons why I chose Salt Lake City.
The second reason was its location. In all senses and for any purpose, it was a backwater city with no significant importance and a relatively peaceful population. No parahuman-led gangs, few villains, and even fewer heroes — just regular crime and rare parahuman visitors.
Not the least reason was the token presence of the PRT - it was an unimportant location, with no notable action that would end up in the news, and the PRT was not interested in maintaining a strong presence here, at least for now.
That was exactly what I needed to start gathering data and making sense of this place and this planet. I had too many questions that I hadn't had a chance to find answers to.
The mountain area around the city was just the cherry on top: I needed a secluded training ground and the mountains would be the perfect location to organise it.
When I properly set up fuinjutsu barriers there, it would be a completely isolated and unnoticeable training ground where I could figure out the necessary changes to fuinjutsu to address the local senjutsu effects on it.
I prefer to avoid repeating the last mishap with the Kibaku Fuda, if possible.
⚡
"You need to choose a name," I said to Paige.
It was afternoon, and the sun was mercilessly burning from the sky.
We found a small, out-of-the-way valley between the hills, with a trail that led back to the gas station at the intersection, to clean up and change before we emerged back into populated areas.
"I'm still thinking," she replied. "It's hard to come up with something I like."
I just gave her a nod and went back to sorting things in a makeshift backpack. I needed to organise it in a way that wouldn't draw attention to the new storage seals inside but would still let me pull out items if needed.
At the first opportunity, I was going to work on a pouch or something similarly inconspicuous to have a storage seal easily accessible at all times.
I pulled out a small storage seal — 1x1 inch in size — and was absently spinning it in my fingers.
Before the kaboom, my clone had managed to finish this one as a prototype to store Hiraishin knives. He had also made only one Hiraishin kunai so far while wasting the other five knives in the process due to the side effects of the senjutsu.
Apparently, senjutsu with water nature chakra and metal don't mix well together. Well, it did enrich the metal with chakra, but at the same time, it changed the aggregate state of the metal to liquid. Then he got unlucky with earth (which turned the metal to a sand-like state), wind (the knife rusted in seconds), fire (melted, no surprise there), and finally lightning (which made it collapse into a smaller size — one inch long! — while keeping its weight intact). The last result was promising, but the original throwing knife bought in LA lost ninety percent of its size before it was saturated enough to hold the Hiraishin seal.
I don't even know if all that was normal for the mix of senjutsu and elemental chakra or if it was something unique to this planet due to the absence of elemental chakra in its natural state as we had back home. Even then, there were no research papers (hidden or public) available on this topic to me before. Maybe due to the limited number of Sages in general or the more straightforward military application of the Sage arts, no research similar to what I did had been done on it.
Something to think about later, but right now, I need to place this seal somewhere easy to reach so I can pull out a Hiraishin kunai in an emergency.
"What is it? Another grenade?" Paige asked with curiosity. Last night she had asked me what went kaaboom, and I explained explosive tags to her. She immediately started calling them grenades, much to my irritation.
"No, it's a small storage seal to hold my Hiraishin kunai," I replied without showing my displeasure at her naming Kibaku Fusa as grenades.
"Ah, your teleportation knife, right?" She beamed at me.
"Right," I sighed. I kind of get it; all my native naming doesn't make any sense to her, but understanding doesn't make me feel better about it.
"What's the problem, then?" she questioned further.
"I want to put it on me in a way that makes it easy to touch and take the kunai out, but at the same time without drawing attention to it," I explained. If it were the Elemental Nations, I would put a pouch on me and be done with it. But I'm not there, and even after almost three years, I still have a hard time coming up with ideas to conceal things. Putting it in my pocket hid it but made it harder to pull the kunai out…
"Make a wristband," Paige interrupted my thinking process.
"What is a wristband?" I had to ask.
"Give it to me, I'll show you." She grabbed the seal, pulled out a hand-sized camping towel, wrapped the seal in it, and then put it around her wrist, pretending to tighten it up.
"See?" She extended it to me so I could look at it.
"Is it common for people to have something like that?" I asked curiously. It looked like a headband but worn on the wrist. If I play it right, I can even call out the kunai without touching it, just by properly sending the chakra through the skin contact on my wrist.
This idea has merit; the wristband is even more inconspicuous. I just need to expand on it a bit more.
"Sure, but usually it's more like many small bands, or really wide ones with metal spikes or something like that," she explained.
That should work perfectly then, I decided.
⚡
A few hours later, we got off the bus at the Central Station, ready for our settle-in mission. The major problems were our low funds and the absence of any credit or debit cards, which were the preferred method of payment now, at least in more legitimate places.
It was a concept I still wasn't used to. Back in the Elemental Nations, we always used what they call cash here for transactions. While we had a banking system, it was mostly used for transactions between businesses or official entities and was not used by regular citizens; they preferred to keep Ryō to themselves.
We checked into a hotel not far from the Central Station and paid for one night. The suite cost us two hundred, and the receptionist didn't even blink when I paid in cash — he just smiled sultry and winked at me.
"I'm first to the shower!" Paige happily proclaimed as soon as we were inside and ran into the bathroom.
While she was at it, I went over the suite, checking for any recording or surveillance devices. Back at home, I would have looked for fuinjutsu or simple mechanical means, but here I needed to adapt my routine to check for local surveillance systems. It would be really stupid to leave any evidence behind.
When I was sure nothing was present, I made a clone. He gave me a cheeky salute, something I saw on TV at some point in the past, and turned into a hawk. I let him out and went to unpack the essentials.
It's funny how things come full circle. I learned to transform into a hawk back at the academy and kept it a secret, hoping to use it for surveillance. That is, until one day when ANBU caught me and explained that any decent sensor could detect me. While it's an impressive skill with Henge, they said, it offers very little benefit compared to other jutsu.
Still, I turned that skill into my hidden ace. It became one of my major advantages in fast-paced battles. I would Hiraishin to the hawk in the middle of a fight to get a quick overview of the battlefield and then return to the most critical part of it. It could also inform me about any critical changes at any moment, simply dispelling itself.
If only I had used it to keep an eye on Kakashi, Rin and Obito. Even if I had just left a regular clone with them back then.
⚡
The next morning, I woke up to a chakra flare signal. It looked like my clone had returned with good news; otherwise, he would have dispelled himself to pass information. I went to open the window, and he immediately sneaked back into the suite.
"Heya boss! Mission success!" he exclaimed, placing a storage seal on the table.
"Here is a mission report too!" he added, slamming a piece of paper on the table before dispelling himself.
I-hawk sneaked inside the hotel room. There was the sound of the shower from the bathroom. I Henge'd back to human shape and pulled out a bag with documents. I needed to make a good enough Henge copy of all of it for the boss.
...
I-hawk was following one of the drug-selling thugs that I found in the shady part of the city.
...
I was sneaking inside the house, mostly sticking to the ceiling. In the main room, there were half-empty bags with what I assumed were drugs, and in the middle of the table, there was a pile of different denomination bills. Seven thugs were laughing, drinking, and smoking.
...
I Shunshined to catch up with the last thug running for the door, and the blood from the cut that I made went flying to cover the door and part of the wall.
...
I put the kunai into the heart of the last one, who said his name was Steve Tomson. The last hour he spent telling me everything he knew about the gang and himself. With a poof, another clone manifested and quickly Henge'd to look like Steve. Now let's put a bit of blood on him, and he is good to go to infiltrate them.
"Tobirama-sama, I hate you, wherever you are," I rubbed my face with both hands, assimilating the memories.
Yesterday, I sent my clone on a scouting mission to find a suitable person that I could use to open a bank account and get a debit card. I needed someone who was in transit and leaving the city soon. That part of the mission was successful.
The second part of the mission was to scout local gangs to see if we could "borrow" their finances. Well, that was a success as well, though a bit bloody.
Nothing unusual for the Elemental countries, but it will stand out here like a sore thumb. At least we have six thousand in cash, with more on the way.
⚡
"You are opening an account for Miss Abbott and depositing five thousand in it, is that right, Mister Stensen?"
"That would be correct," I replied to the manager. I was in the guise of Mister Stensen, a thirty-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a professional suit that screamed money and wealth.
"You know, we usually ask for more documents for the primary account holder than just a driver's license," the manager, a woman over forty in a professional black suit with a skirt and white blouse, replied.
"That's why I am sponsoring it, of course. I assume you can make me a secondary card so I can replenish the account at my leisure?" I replied with a charming smile and gave "Miss Abbott" a reassuring hand squeeze.
She was dressed more daringly today, playing the role for this visit. She used her new look: silver hair, and green eyes, but the same body shape, and a few cosmetic changes to her facial features. It had taken her the best part of three weeks to master it flawlessly. Add to that her current attire — a short skirt, high heels, and a blouse with deep cleavage — and nobody would recognise the original Paige McAbee or even Canary at all.
It seemed the manager got the assumption we were aiming for, and we received two debit cards in less than half an hour.
The next stop is apartment hunting.
⚡
By the end of the day, we were able to find a furnished apartment (master bedroom, den, open kitchen, and spacious main area with an exit to the balcony) located downtown on the top floor, with a view of the mountains and within walking distance of everywhere important. And it was now registered under the name Abbott with no issues at all. My presence as Mister Stensen was solely for a second signature, which did speed up the signing process.
"I like it," said Paige, walking back from the balcony and dropping onto the sofa. She continued, "Now we need to buy some decor, towels, bedding, and many other small things."
"I'm sure you can take care of that," I replied and went to check everything. I needed to put proper protection around the apartment and take all necessary measures for that.
I had already sent another clone to find the best place to set up a training ground in the mountains. As soon as that is ready, I will organize the Hiraishin marker here so I can jump between places in no time.
Right on cue, memories flooded my mind, and I received a marker from that clone. I went to the window and looked in the direction of the mountains. If I focused enough, I could even spot the location my clone had chosen for the training ground. It should be between those two hills. Good, it will be easier to hide and have enough space to set up everything, especially soundproof barriers.
But first, I need to make enough barrier plates to set them up around the apartment.
⚡
It was already early morning when "Steve" Hiraishined into the apartment. I had just finished setting up a permanent Hiraishin seal in the main room and sent the memories to all the clones.
"Heya Boss! The mission is complete." He was covered in dried blood, holding a huge case in one hand and two guns on his hips. With a poof, he left behind the case and the guns dropped to the floor.
"What the fuck happened to you?" said Bob — at least I assumed it was Bob from Steve's description.
"They're all dead," I faked panic and collapsed against the wall as soon as he let me in. "Dead, dead, they're all dead."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" questioned Bob, putting a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched.
"He killed them all! The blood, it was everywhere!" I kept it up, it's not a time yet.
Bob looked more closely at me, at the blood that covered my face and body, and made the connection: "Someone attacked The Hub?"
When I didn't respond, he hauled me up and led me deeper inside.
"Let's go. I think the Boss needs to know everything."
...
The Boss, Manuel, was looking at me with fear in his eyes. His two bodyguards were bleeding out on the floor, and Bob was smiling at him with two mouths now from his chair.
"Well, Manuel, I need to ask you a few questions and then I will be gone."
...
Manuel didn't last long under interrogation, and I got access to all his hidden stashes, which even other members of the gang did not know about — his little nest for when it was time to get away.
In his safe, I found a nice Smith & Wesson antique pair in a gunfighter harness and found it interesting. Maybe Boss will find a use for it later when he cracks the issues with senjutsu.
...
At least the blood was just for show, or it would be a nightmare to wash away. I picked up the revolvers and smirked. It's not my motto, but I am adaptable above all else; they might be useful later.
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