---

The wild woman slowly backed out of Fujitora's personal space once Ayame started talking. For however much Tsukiko might think she behaved odd she had to admit the woman was good with words and was definitely a smart one. She kept her mouth shut as her superior explained herself, resisting the urge to interrupt several times. Ayame was right about several things for sure, such as not having full trust in Tsukiko and her awareness of the 11th Corps. But Tsukiko had been spied on plenty of times in the past, whether it was under the orders of Zeno, Ayame, or whoever was in charge of the 11th, she wouldn't know. The Honeybadger has always been a hard woman to trust, given her background, attitude, and skillset. And Tsukiko knew she would never shake that stigma that she had earned.

It wasn't until Ayame presented a little box, placing it down for Tsukiko to examine herself. She initially looked curious, but after Ayame spoke it became very clear what was inside. Then came the surprised expression. Is she serious? Oddly carefully, Tsukiko walked over and picked up the box, gingerly opening it to reveal the armband inside. If one were to judge by looks they would guess that Tsukiko had never been given gifts before. While her expression was mostly serious, it was easy to see her eyes light up in restrained glee. A recognition of her service, after close to twenty years of serving Konoha.

Tsukiko quickly closed the jewelry box and took up the bottle that Fujitora had passed back. "You piece of shit, you drank almost all of it," she stated casually, immediately before gulping the remaining third of the beer in one quick chug. Rather than tossing the empty bottle she set it down in a civilized manner and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "That is good beer." With that she opened the box again and removed the Jonin Commander armband, slipping it onto her right arm and flexing a few times, to see how well it held. "Huh..." After confirming that it wouldn't easily slip off, she brought her attention back up to Ayame.

"It fits." A grin formed on her face as she sat back down in her soaked seat. The dangerous tension that she had given off before was now completely gone. Her rage had subsided, though it wasn't entirely from the promotion. Tsukiko was conflicted about Ayame and Fujitora as it was, as they had certainly pissed her off but they were still her friends. Their words were assuring, though Tsukiko knew that she would never trust them fully and they wouldn't trust her fully either. It was a fact of their lives and nothing to be hung up on. Perhaps at this point a normal person would think to apologize, but the thought didn't even cross Tsukiko's mind. "I guess my plans for killing you guys are gonna have to be put off," she joked, in reference to Fujitora's last comment. "I am a shinobi of Konohagakure. Now I am also the Jonin Commander. But first and foremost: I will always be a survivor. I've been through far worse than a change of leadership. I can adapt just fine. Just like how I adapted to that import beer you got. Have another bottle that your brother hasn't drank from?"

---

---

The young detective remained quiet and patient as Reijo gave his answer. He gave no signs of how he felt about the discussion, keeping a straight and sincere face all the way through. In his mind, Reijo's ideas were better, and by extension less extreme, than Kaito's plan for a total purge. But he didn't intend to let on what he was thinking. So far in his young life it has gone bad almost every single time he voices his opinion. "My father figured you would say that," Shin responded casually, leaning back in his seat once it was his turn to speak. "He knew his initial request was a tall order, but he felt the need to make it nonetheless. However, though I don't represent him completely and I'm only a middleman, I am positive that your terms are acceptable."

Shin pulled several pieces of paper out of his pocket, all stapled together at the top left corner and the entire thing folded neatly to fit in his pocket in the first place. It was a list that was several pages long. "This is a list of all registered immigrants that have a criminal record," Shin began, "Ranging from vandalism to theft to murder and whatever else. It contains their names, registered address, and offenses. Printed it off this morning so it's up-to-date. My father would like your assistance on handling them." He handed the list over to Reijo, though there was no particular need for him to look through it just yet. "The plan isn't to dispose of them or get them to change their ways. But instead to enable them. Help them out."

"My father believes that if we cannot remove the immigrants and the problems associated with them, then the next best option is to amplify them. To allow them to draw attention to their flaws to the point it becomes the only thing that can be seen." Shin let out a sigh and started scratching his head. "This kinda stuff goes over my head a bit, but I guess it's supposed to be like reverse psychology. The idea is that, with your expanse of wealth and power, it would be easy for you to set conditions in their neighborhoods to make them more prone to crime."

Shin looked down at his hands now, which were resting on his knees. After a brief pause, to allow Reijo to take it all in, Shin looked back up. "In exchange for this... no shinobi or police will intrude upon your business. There are some that my father cannot convince nor does he have jurisdiction over them, such as the 11th Corps. But an alliance between you and my father will make you largely immune to the law... not that you will be breaking it to begin with." That part was specifically mentioned to him by Kaito, though Shin was sure that it was just supposed to be sweet talk. "Are these terms acceptable? Or do you have anything else to add?"

Numb. Cold. Alone...Gin had given up on the idea of rescue that day. It was the only thing going for him, the only thing that pushed him towards a light, any light, that would make his hell better but the higher he tried putting himself the harder the fall was. He body consistant shivered from the AC and the sound of the water dropping onto the table would make him flinch each time. Two figures had entered into the picture, one Gin had to desperately try to contain the immediate fear from running into him and the other he wasn't too sure about but nonetheless left him on high alert, though that wouldn't mean much in this case. The one had left which left Gin to relax slightly but remained on edge as the other approached him. He didn't watch him approach, but rather another set of feet on the ground showed the man had made his way to hm. He didn't bother to look up at the man while he read off his profile only to respond to "Konoha" with clenched teeth and a heavy sigh and a slight growl.

"Hah, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Gian, and I'll be your best friend today, Gin. And I can see we have at least one thing in common. Guess what it is? If you do, I'll release you from those chains so you can stretch a bit, how does that sound? Oh, and I'm one to give lots and lots of second chances, so if you miss I guess you can also answer this: Why do you think you're here?"

He raised his head a fraction as he let out a chuckle. "Best friend-" He shook his head. He remained quiet for what seemed to be minutes. "Betrayal? Betrayal from the place you called home. The place you wanted to be considered valuable? Only when you do what you think is right, they toss you away. Make you feel inferior. Why? Because you weren't a prodigy, you weren't some...fucking family heir. No, you were a fucking foreign nobody that is nothing but an expendable piece of shit. I doubt it." Raising his head only to look at the man's chin. He almost whispered his answer with venom laced in each word. If the man could see it, which he most likely could, would be the anger that was building up with each word as well until the end where his face would show nothing but fatigue. He then was silent again for what seemed to be another minute be for this time he looked up at him a smug look on his face but not because he felt cocky but rather he kinda had an idea for what it was for. "I'm thinking that maybe..." He paused only to look at the ground and then over to the table. The sound of dripping subconsciously caused him to flinch but as he stared at it he couldn't help it. "I.....I don't know." His head dropped down. He was to tired to keep looking at him. He stayed in silence as he thought about what had happened to him since his time at the castle till now. "I guess I was born to just be a fucking used over and over again until left for dead." He mumbled to himself.

---

Cho could here the sounds of the barbecue being prepared over the rain from the room he was in. He sat on a chair as he held an ice pack against his head. He was being taken care of by one of the Akimichi medical nins. She was Bandaged up with a few stitches were his trophy for the spar."Stupid stupid stupid, why was I so careless. I could've had that in one or two more hits." He said with frustration as he let out a heavy sigh. "But you didn't because your still young and your still learning." He looked up to see his father standing in the door way of the room, a lopsided grin upon his face. The nurse looked over at Chokuto and had paused when he gestured for her to stay. Chokashi on the other, frowned at his father. His father looked him up and down as he moved into the room towards his son. "We are all always learning pops, that still is no excuse f-" "If it was a life or death situation yes I would agree...But this was spar. We spar to find out our strengths and weaknesses." "But after all the times I've trained-" "You expected the fight to be in your favor." Cho's father grabbed a chair and moved it next to his son. "Understand this. Your a great Akimichi and a great ninja...Choji would be proud. But we're not meant to win everything." His son looked down at the floor when he let out a chuckle after a moment. "I almost had him." "Yeah well you got a long way to be on my level. Oh s-s-sorry Cho!" Chokashi letting out a silent painful scream as his father slapped his back before realizing that his son had bruising along his back. His son waved him off as the pain started to subside. "Well. When you start to feel better we could use your help outside...or the mess hall... either one. "Outside?" "Yeah, we have some outdoor stages and eating areas that still need to be set up under some pavilions we built. Also we need help setting up a roof at the entrance of the compound." "Alright. I'll be out in a hour or so." Chokuto stood up from his seat and made his way to the door, giving his son the thumbs up. "Still proud of ya Cho. Put on a good fight. Just be sure train more." His father's voice would slowly fade as Cho looked at the doorway and then up to the ceiling.

A few Akimichi members would make their way over to Daisuke, Aoi and Chi, gesturing for Chi to come along, mostly to show where the young heir would be seated during the barbecue. "Seriously Chokuto!? You gave me a fucking monk to help out here? Jesus Christ kid I hope you have a working knowledge of carpentry cause we don't have all day!" A rather harsh, raspy voice came from behind Daisuke as another large man made his way over to him, picking his nose before flicking whatever it was off into the ground somewhere to his side. He was shorter than Daisuke and Chokashi but carried himself in a matter that showed authority. He wore a bandana across his head and with an open shirt and a pair of jeans and boots, obviously soaked in a mixture of sweet and rain. He carried a duffle bag with him inside containing clothes for Daisuke to work in. He seemed to eye up Daisuke and then noticed Aoi before giving her a nod, his frown becoming more prevalent as he released a heavy sigh. "I'll make my greeting short and simple. Name's Fugaki Akimichi, senior carpenter here in the Akimichi compound as well as head of security. I was told I was gonna get some help but I was expecting-" He sighed as he tightened pulled out a cigarette as he let the comment hang in the air, lighter making its way up to the end of the cig before lighting it and gesturing to Daisuke with his hand, suggesting that he wasn't what Fugaki wanted. He held the cig with his thumb and index finger while shielding it from the rain with his other fingers. He looked up at Aoi with slight confusion, pointing up at her with cigarette in hand. "Are you going to be up there the entire time? Never mind don't answer that...You come with me." He threw Daisuke the bag as he began walking towards the exit and to the left, towards one of the current pavilions, the largest of the three, being built.

Seta smiled a lazy grin. They got the easy job. Sneaking in should be easy enough, as long as they don't get caught. Then taking what they needed, no problem, and it should be done in a flash too. Soon after the thought it felt like it started to rain harder. Seta looked at the bath house and back at his team leader. He had never really had to work with anyone, or more like no one wanted to work with him, he was lazy in most situations and it kinda dampened the impression he gave others while they were out on missions. Truthfully the only time he ever took things serious was during missions, and even then people thought he was just playing around.

Seta was enjoying the rain when Akio started to explain their part in the mission. Jaku like the water, and would love this rain, if the situation became that lethal. But in all honesty he Seta was ready to go. He just wanted to get this done and over with so they could move on. Seta did worry about his partner in this mission. He had never met her before and did not know how she functioned, or how they would work together, hopefully nothing went wrong. When she brought up questions Seta looked at her."Nope. But I am ready when you are partner."

---

Nobunaga stood at attention as Seta arrived to meet with the team. It would only be four people to handle this mission and Nobu was rather fine with that. Four was the usual number for teams of ninja which helped create tighter teamwork for them to go off on. Akio was to be the leader of their team and calling all the shots. He had never actually held long interactions with Akio excluding a select few missions. Missions where they acted as team members solely to complete their given mission. It was a wonder to the Inuzuka if this would be the same. Maybe they could actually form a bond that was lacking in the past. His eyes shifted from Akio to Reihana and then Seta who had arrived to complete their team. Once Seta had arrived, Akio began to explain just what they be doing. As she talked, Nobu dropped to one knee to begin petting Oichi in the open part of her armor.

Akio gave Nobu a bit of praise on his ability to keep a cool head and everything weighed on two factors, the first team's ability to keep the Hojo talking, and the second team's infiltration. If either failed then one could be in serious trouble. Nobu wondered how things would play out if the second team had been caught. Would they have to fight their way out? That wouldn't bode well but maybe that was what Ayame wanted. Nobu looked out the corner of his eye, a jaded thought running through his mind. A purposeful failure to the mission would only work against Nobunaga's goal of ending Ayame's reign eventually. A sigh echoed from his mouth as he stood back to eye level with the rest of the shinobi.

"Rei and I will keep them talking and find the right words to expose any information. A true animal can sense a fool's words."

---

Tsukiko's lack of reaction to the gift was to be expected - the woman tried, very hard, to retain her image of cold ruthless killer after all. But a trained assassin like Ayame was quick to pick up on the glimmer in her eyes. The dog had been tamed atleast, and perhaps she'd shown the dog some understanding of the relationship between herself and the Choko siblings. Never the less the 'threat' was a testament to Tsukiko's hardfought attempt at being cold as she could be. It came across more like a joke to Ayame however, prompting nothing more than a shimmer of a smile before Ayame nodded. “As if you could ever bring yourself to kill me. I'll ask for some more, before we assign you a small task I suppose. There's some files I want you to go through, and also these missions on my desk need a jonin or chunin assigned to lead the missions..” It seemed the slur of daily Jonin commander tasks would inevitably catch up with Tsukiko right away.

While Ayame was getting her started an 11th corps member entered the room again, collecting the empty glass of water and the beer bottle, as well as the wine glass, and then headed away again to refill them. At this point the 11th seemed more like servants than the famed secret agency they were rumored to be, but ofcourse these figures were only the lowest of the lowest the 11th had to offer. Soon the man returned with a new tray with the same collection of drinks as before, putting it down an then leaving again.

---

---

“Ohh, so we just get to have a conversation with the Hojo miss? Okay, that sounds easy enough!” Rei exclaimed whilst she turned to Nobunaga. “Here's the plan, we'll pretend that we are just coming for a bath, and ask them for some info. That way we keep them busy whilst Akio works her magic with Seta.” she'd tell him before turning towards the bridge. She seemed rather careless about the rain despite it pouring heavily onto her hood, maintaining her perfectly happy expression. Her steps sounded as she walked towards the bridge, splashing in a pool every now and then, before resonating on the wooden underfloor of the bridge that lead to the bathhouse. Before long she started skipping even, seemingly ignorant to the rain that was coming down.

It was just like any other day to her with a (relatively) easy mission for once. She'd had had enough of all the jonins thinking she was like Yamato, able to tackle any mission without difficulty, because quite frankly Rei was not well suited towards the kind of missions that Yamato underwent. Fighting rogue nin, political missions.. that was nothing for her. She preferred the easy missions of gathering info, guarding a location for a few hours or even just the genin style missions. It was for that reason she'd been thinking about signing up to become a teacher to some genins in the school, but it was a bit too early to be thinking about that. She'd need to become a jonin for that first..

“Jonin Rei Minamoru, but you can call me sensei..” she muttered to herself under her breath, practicing how it'd sound when she'd get her first team assigned to her. In her opinion it'd sound pretty good.. she was unaware however that all three of her teammembers could probably hear her at that point, which would make for a rather amusing situation. Nevertheless they'd head towards the large manor type building, entering it and as a first reaction shaking the rain off of them. Whilst Akio and Seta would likely go off to do their own thing, Rei would walk up to the front desk. “Hello! I am Rei Minamoru, I would like to speak to miss Hojo, it's about a special deal my father had made with her about a one-time discount.” she said, a blatant lie but a cunning one at that, since there was no way to check if she'd be speaking the truth or not. Likely they'd be led straight through, which was the case as an assistant appeared and led them through to the office of the matriarch herself. “Arigato!” Rei said loudly to the servant, completely out of character considering that Rei was part of one of the more influential clans in the village, where Yamato simply saw himself as superior. It seemed Rei had a different vision on things, treating everyone with respect or atleast decency.

Before entering she turned to Nobunaga. “Before we enter, is there anything that you think we should ask her?”

---

The first one to arrive was Giichi Uzumaki, a pretty outspoken boy to say the least, at least that's what Katsu would have observed after the events one week ago. He wasn't scared to get himself killed for what he believed in, but it could very well be because he was young and the blonde child would eventually mellow out of this phase. Katsu stayed hopeful to this kind of behavior however, the world needed more people like this, ready to stand up for what they believed and insure a better place for the future generations. As much as the Hyuuga appreciated Fujitora and the approval he gave, he couldn't hide the despair brought upon by the Choko from himself. He still had a hard time coping with it. Nonetheless, he'd smile at the boy for a brief moment before simply peering down at the frowning boy expressing his rather extreme views on how to deal with the problem he envisioned. Katsu didn't say a word, he didn't have anything to say about nor would it be wise to at this moment.

With that small pause the Minamoru heir finally arrived as well, making the wait not as excruciating as he'd expect. His cigarette was already half finished and there was still one missing, however the historical and political charged conversation did keep things entertaining. Finally, Tatsuya arrived and things could finally get started. The Hyuuga gave them a moment to say hello and mess around, the time it would take for him to dispose of the cig before affirming himself.

"You're all here, great. You've all read the briefing so I don't have to remind you the name of the artifacts I barely remember. I like to keep things simple and avoid any conflicting situations that way we can all go home and labor away another day. I do have one request before we depart."

He'd say as he'd turn around to face the masses of trees that still surrounded the now highly urbanized megalopolis, acknowledging the beauty that was the Hidden Leaf despite its drastic change in climate. He'd turn his head enough so that he could eye the lads at the corner of his eye.

"We will not discuss anything involving Konoha's political orientation or the Choko issue during this operation. Understood?"

With that established, he'd immediately jump away like the typical shinobi and took the path he had already selected to reach the client's meeting point as quick as possible. This kind of hastened and no bullshit method seemed to be what Fujitora rubbed off him, expecting others to have the cognitive capabilities to follow despite a lack of direct order. Katsu was afraid that something would explode regarding politics in Konoha, especially with the diversity of his team. Yamato was for this new system from what he could understand but the Hyuuga knew full well what Fujitora thought of that lineage. Giichi already marked himself as a potential noise maker and Tatsuya had origins that could even make the clansmen of Konoha nervous, no matter what position he'd take in this tension.

"If you boys have an analysis of the method we should take, say it as we travel, I won't improvise when we arrive."

---

---

Gian tilted his head as he fully acknowledged Gin's dive into despair as he exposed his inner thoughts about his current predicament. Who could blame him, he was tortured and forgotten by the nation that he trusted. Then again, he had no idea where he himself was nor what actually happened to that place he called home. The irony was quite humorous for Gian, both sides unaware and equally brought to a level of apathy that could simply be avoid with a little information. But the flashy looking jester knew better, plus all of this was of course linked in some way, so it wouldn't be hard for someone of Gian's caliber to twist any interpretation of this into his favor.

The melodrama of Gin's explanation made the man grin visibly enough for the wasted young man to see the jester's contempt. To the Keihatsu executive, this was good, Gin had indeed submitted himself to this mild torture with his background weighing as a major toll to his conscience. The man's tilted head would then have its neck crack as the he'd straighten himself slightly with the key still spinning on his index finger. Snickering at Gin's response, he'd then reply.

"Ahaha~ Betrayal. My friend, as a shinobi, we all live this kind of stuff at varying degrees at one point or another, unless you're some guard duty chickenshit."

The jester stood and made his way around the strapped Gin, fiddling with the small key as he took his time to circle the boy before halting behind the white haired lad. The shadows made it extremely difficult to notice any movement, plus the omnipresent pressure applied by Gian's overwhelmingly strange presence accentuated even more the burning sensation on his open wounds. The peak of that pain would be when the man simply set his hand on the young man's shoulder, the pain and nausea becoming unbearably strong for something devoid of any strength or fortitude at this point.

The jester squeezed the shoulder just a bit as if it were some form of massage gesture as he'd kneel down to insert the key in the shackles of Gin's feet. Slowly he turned the lock and the soothing release of the boy's ankles would sooth him from this endless pressure he was mercilessly subjected to.

"But as they say ... It came with the territory. Now you may wonder why I'm releasing you when it's clear that wasn't the great thing we had in common. You see, I'm feeling generous, especially with the shit Monzaemon there put you through. See it as consolation."

By keeping the hand on the boy's shoulder, he'd lift himself back up so he could undo the chains on wrists as well, giving Gin the freedom he was robbed from for more than a week now. Gin was free to get up, walk around, fight, run away, or at least attempt. There were to chains to keep him still, but there was a massive presence that was Gian, an entity that he clearly knew was a colossus compared to him, whether he was in a good shape or not. Perhaps he would take advantage of Gian's good nature and make a quick run for it, he still had his chances. But the jester didn't seem to have a single worry regarding that. Quite the contrary, he'd slowly make his way back to his seat and make himself comfortable on it.

"I guess I can tell you. You know this feeling when you make a very weird and ephemeral connection with someone because you can relate to their origins? Konoha guys finding other Konoha lads in some foreign land suddenly have some synergy most of the time? Yeah, you see my friend, that big ol' island, the land of Water, is a place I'm very familiar with. I'm actually quite sad as to how it's turned. You think Konoha left you for no good reason? Wait until you see what rotten core Kiri has become. Never try to completely pacify a culture of barbarians, they'll just poison everything I say!"

He chuckled in the middle of his speech, not expecting Gin to be so rash as to attack or try to escape just yet. It was obviously a trap and it wouldn't be the wisest thing to do to suddenly get impatient after a week when the evidently biggest menace so happened to be in the same room. But he had an escape, for once, as slim as it seemed. Gian would just go on, Gin's actions having little incidence to his vision of things at this point.

"So just that we're clear, you and me, buddy. Why was it that you were sent in such a near-suicide mission in that ugly castle in the first place? What did you do, Gin?"

Gian knew most of the details already, especially when a lot of information was withheld from Gin, or most people for that matter concerning the current status of things and recent events. He wanted to know if Gin would let in to his inner frustrations and his mental stability would finally let go to Gian's will.

~Yume Tenchi~

Buried deep under the covers of her soft warm bed is a young girl with long white hair and striking red eyes. Slowly stretches her legs and literally rolls out of bed onto the floor. While laying there for just a moment a thousand thoughts run through her head and it makes her want to both scream and simply go back to sleep. This isn't an option and she knows it. Glancing up at the clock she see's its already past 10:30 and a shiver goes up her spine.

"SHIT!" She exclaimed jumping to her feet she strips off her pajamas and into her ninja gear in record time.

Not even bothering to use the stairs she jumps out of the window and lands softly in the alleyway. Turning around to look up she see's her small bedroom window on the second floor and beneath it on the first floor is her foster mother's bakery. The bakery is located on the outskirts of the downtown district so the neighborhood is a little harder than the rest of the village. However all of the hoodlums knew not to steal from an ex ninja so there hasn't been any problems with theft or what not in many months. It was strange for someone who is an ambassador to live in such a place but for her it only seemed natural. At first they offered her a sweet three bedroom place in the upper districts. It was too spacious for her and it was cold. She would much rather stay with her foster mother's run down bakery.

The cold rain that has fallen on the village for the past week sprinkles on her face and suddenly she remembers she is very very late for a meeting. With god speed she makes a mad dash through the alleyway and then leaps to the top of a nearby roof and begins hopping from roof to roof. Sometimes you can get in trouble for doing this but only if you get caught. About five minutes later she arrives at a small Ramen shop in the traditional section of town. She is sweating and out of breath when she walks in.

"'Bout damn time" A familiar voice sneers at her. It comes from a tall man wearing a cloak with the hood down. Underneath is a scarred up face with an eyepatch over his right eye. He looks to be in his 40's or so and isn't wearing a ninja headband. In fact his clothing was more like week old dirty laundry rather than tactical ninja gear. "You said 10 in the morning didn't you!?" he barked while slurping his ramen. There were four bowls of ramen next to him. This seemed to be his fifth. No one else was in the shop except for the owner who was minding his own business. The man had a bit of an stench to him. Didn't look like anyone else wanted ramen badly enough to sit through that.

"Sorry. I thought if I went to bed early I would get up on time. I guess I was wrong." she pinches her nose as she looks at him. "Did you oversleep too and forget to shower or something?" She takes her seat just next to him and the ramen shop owner simply walks to the back to give them some privacy. "I would have forgiven you if you took the time to shower first..." She says in a low under the breath tone.

"Now don't start your shit with me!" He says slamming his fist into the table. "I've been doing YOUR FUCKING JOB!" his hand holds the chopsticks pointed at her. A bit of ramen broth almost gets on her but she dodges nimbly to the side while remaining in her seat.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I did my fair share of research too. I found you didn't I? Either way I didn't want to leave the village in such a...turbulent time." Her tone made it sound like it was more of an excuse than it really was. She had a hard time looking him in the eye and her words and mannerisms are rather rude. She doesn't meant to be but her natural social awkwardness isn't debatable. "Either way..." Her eyes narrow suddenly and her tone of voice changes to a serious one. "..what did you find?"

"Well.." the man begins as he takes a seat back. "Seems like there is a lot going on right now. I know that is a little vague but its the best thing I can give you. Shady stuff from some shady people. Things even I won't risk my neck looking into." He slurps down the rest of his broth and notes the disappointing look in her eyes. "But I did find one thing." she perks up immediately. "You were right about Gin. He has gone missing. There is no mission report of him leaving and no one has seen heads or tails of him."

She grits her teeth and clenches her fists. She hadn't taken much direct action over the last week. In light of recent events that may have been a mistake. She had hoped that by waiting she would have gained more information but the plot simply thickens as mystery lead to more mysteries. The only thing she has uncovered are more questions. A burning in her stomach rises up through her chest and into her cheeks. She knows she is turning red. Her blood pressure is always high due to her kekkei genkai and the fact she has such fair skin only allows her to show her emotion all too well. She didn't know Gin very well...but to be fair she didn't know anyone very well in either village, but that still doesn't change the fact that he is a fellow Kiri shinobi and his safety one of her top concerns.
"Thank you." she says letting out a long sigh and her normal color returning to her. "Gin goes missing the same day the Hokage was assassinated? I don't think there is any way that could be a coincidence." She bites her thumb nail awkwardly as she stares into space. "Guess the only lead I currently have is our new leader. No way to beat around the bush either...I'll go meet her in person." She gets up quickly and starts to walk outside but hesitates. The thudding of her own heartbeat betrayed her awkwardly calm appearance. If she was right then she is going to go talk to the woman who not only killed the Hokage in broad daylight but also managed to get rid of Gin without raising so much as an eyebrow in the village. Yume seriously doubted she would think twice about killing an ambassador if necessary. But she had to risk it.

"You sure?" He asks somberly.

"Yeah..." She looks down. Part of her doesn't want to leave the shop. Part of her wants to run home. But she has duties now. Thats why she came to Konoha. "As Kirigakure's official ambassador I probably should have visited her earlier. I'll try not to give her much of a reason to kill me. But...just in case....t-tell my mother." She turns back and gives the most awkward smile possible and a weak thumbs up before dashing out into the rain.

Many moments later she arrives at the main building at the center of the village. She calmly walks through the doors and up to the second floor. She stands for a moment outside of the kage's office before knocking several times and then opening the door.

---

With both Chokashi and his father assuring him that they weren’t upset at him for the outcome, Daisuke soon banished his worry about that and turned his attention to a more pressing matter his dislocated shoulder. This was not the first time he had to deal with this injury, and likely not the last. Normally he would go in to get it checked, but given that it wasn’t a severe seperation and the fact that he still had to help with the setup he opted to reset it on his own. As he did his jaw clenched at the sudden pain, it wasn’t until the sharp pain subsidded into a throbbing one that he finally relaxed again.

While he rolled his shoulder a few times, Daisuke suddenly felt his head become heavier as Aoi leapt up and balanced on top of his head. Without moving his head he glanced upwards, just in time to see the juice box that the harliquin was offering him for his victory. Reaching up slowly, making sure not to sway too much, he took the drink and drained it quickly as his ‘captain’ told him the other part of his reward. Being unable to shake his head he instead let out a slight sigh, though he wasn’t surprised in the slightest that she would give him something that he was going to do anyway as his mission. A thought abruptly formed, and as he spoke he glanced up again even knowing that he wouldn’t be able to see her. ”Since this is my mission, that means you are going to pay me for it right? Otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a mission.”

Before he could get a response out of the clown another man made himself known as he spoke. Keeping his back straight, Daisuke turned around to face the shorter man that was apparently displeased with the prospect of having Daisuke aid in the setup. He caught the duffle bag and peeked inside of it while the carpenter lit his cigarette. Upon seeing the clothing he closed the bag, not bothering to take them out. With Aoi balancing on his head it would be impossible to change his attire, and he could work in what he wore easily enough. He waited until the Akimichi was finished speaking and had already begun leading the way before he responded as he followed his temporary boss. ”I am not a master of the craft, however I do have experience with it. When I was away I built the small cottage that I lived in. I only hope that my skill is enough that I am able to be of assistance Fugaki-tōryō. And as long as Aoi-sama is as talented as I believe having her on my head will to prove to be a problem.”

---

Shifting from one foot to the next, Daisuke would only feel his head release from Aoi's almost unnoticeable weight as she danced around to train herself now of all times. She completely zoned Daisuke out when she focused on her new endeavor which consisted in making the most shapes with her silhouette as she kept her balance. Eventually her now Kohai would demand some form of payment for the mission, but Aoi remained adamant toward her little performance on top of his head. It would only be when the grumpy looking Akimichi would show up and inquire their presence for something she didn't quite know about. She could only assume she'd have to help setting stuff up with that ugly man, but now she wanted to perform, prompting a frown from the little clown.

"Bleh, he smells bad, Dai-Kohai~"

She'd express to Daisuke with a weak, whispering voice so the obese man wouldn't catch on to her blatant disrespect. She'd eventually hop off her trusty steed and keep up with the general pace while staying in front of the man she now considered to be her Kohai, and she'd grab any possible opportunity to express this new luxury she was offering to herself. The harlequin felt a wave of power, of dominance but mostly of importance when she'd take the spot of Senpai toward the guy she until recently considered her senior. It felt like she accomplished something that many couldn't, or at least had a harder time doing. She'd stop dead on her tracks for a brief moment, indicating a desire for the young man to halt before she'd poke his bulging chest with her index finger repeatedly.

"Now now! Let's be sure about one thing, Dai-Kohai! We're going to consider this as ... Community service! Yeah, we're good citizens after all~ That and we gotta show a gratitude to the Akimichi for offering us such a nice BBQ! Don't be too greedy Kohai, I've taught you better than that!"

A impish grin formed on her face as she was somewhat provoking Daisuke at this point, though she didn't expect it to have much impact on him given how silly she'd look when they were compared in size. That and he overall silly attitude simply cut her credibility when she got slightly more agitated with her amount of power. She then follow the Akimichi a little more before zoning out, again, when she'd see the stage being set up by various men. Orders were a non-factor at this point as she rushed to the stage and swiftly made herself familiar to the whole place, tinkering with the amps and various disconnected mics. Eventually she'd hook one up to the machinery and walk up to the front of the stage. She'd start off by poking the mic before actually testing the thing.

"Ahem~ Testing. One, two, three! Blah blah blaahhhhhhhh!"

The sound was strong, maybe a little too strong, but she liked it that way. Various individuals looked at her rather awkwardly, most of them wondering what she was doing there when nothing had started yet. It didn't matter to Aoi however, as attention no matter how bad it could be was potential new fans for her to entertain! She'd proceed to practicing a few basic gymnastic moves on the stage that was still being built over her head.

---

---

Pleased by the feral woman's reaction to her newly acquired promotion, Fujitora grinned in complete joy. Swiftly he'd nab a champagne bottle stored in Zeno's old drawer and popped the lid off as soon as possible as if this was some sort of festivity. She wanted beer, but instead would get one of the worst headaches the next morning if she were to force on the bottle there. Serving three cups of the luxurious product, everyone currently in the room was served with some top quality, cheers worthy champagne. Lifting his glass up in the air, he was ready to propose a toast to the new Jonin commander, the dog they had thrown in a treat to keep in almost complete control. The way she practicably wagged her tail at the sight of reward satisfied Fujitora quite strongly. He considered her a person, a friend, but he was the best placed to assert as what she truly was: An animal.

"To Tsukiko's promotion, as batshit insane of a decision as it may be! To a long and prosperous care- Hmmm? I'll get it don't worry."

When he was to finish his little declaration, Ayame's office door was being repeatedly knocked on, prompting the ex commander to take the initiative instead of the nearby 11th Corp agents. As she arrived before the door and reached out to open it, the person behind it would have already seized the chance to opening it by themselves. The blonde man froze before her, peering down for a longing five seconds, unsure what to make of this woman's presence here of all times. After a prolonged analysis, he'd scoot his imposing figure to the side and briefly bow in respect to the ambassador.

"Why hello Miss Tenchi, you're just in time for Tsukiko's decoration. Have a seat and join us!"

He welcomed her the best he could despite knowing full well she wasn't here to do casual chit chat and fruitless political discussions. He could only guess what her issue was at this point, and he frankly didn't quite know what to do about the situation himself despite his position. Walking her over to the seat he had left vacant, he gestured her to take his place as he'd simply stand like the gentleman he'd attempt to be. After all he was the only man in the room. He didn't stop there, she'd also get the chance to have a little champagne with the trio, they weren't going to halt the festivities for an unexpected guest of all things.

"Ahem, so I was saying that ... Um ... Yeah just don't break the new office windows please. Cheers!"

And with the typical lifting of his glass, he'd then drink the content. The fizz in the alcoholic drink made him cringe just a little before he'd revert his attention to the probably confused ambassador. He could only harness a guess as to what she was thinking of them at this point. Cold blooded murderers, sadistic psychos feasting on her inevitable misery by making such a surreal scene, or better yet she was going to be sacrifice made to send a very strong message to Kiri as an act of war. Of course, tensions were at an all time low at this point making it all the more humorous to Fujitora.

"So, Miss Tenchi, what brings you here all of a sudden? I assume there isn't any problems regarding the recent trade agreements regarding goods of luxury? Tenjiro almost threatened embargo for some reason. Crazy man he is, huh?"

He asked with a slow and casual tone, trying to ease the inevitably worry the young girl would feel around all these confirmed killers and lethal idealists who of course didn't hesitate to kill the Hokage in front of the entire shinobi force. He leaned against the nearest wall, completely convinced there wasn't going to be much violence, no matter the subject of the confrontation.

Akio nodded, glad to see her team get to work right away. She couldn't help but chuckle at Rei as she talked to herself. She chose not to comment on it, walking away from the entrance with only a gesture for Seta to follow after her. She trusted Rei and Nobunga to handle themselves just fine with any final pieces of advice from her, and besides, diplomacy just wasn't her thing. While not a hot-headed individual, Akio was definitely not as good at maneuvering around people with words as she was in combat. Best to leave such things to those who had more talent in it.

After a few minutes of silent walking around the small moat that surrounded the bathhouse, Akio made it to the spot she had staked out in the short amount of time she had before the mission started to make a plan of action for the infiltration. From where they were positioned, a window could be seen across the way, one that she done a recon of to see where it led. It was a storage closet of some sort, and luckily for the two of them, had a vent in the ceiling that they could take into the ventilation system. F She knew where to look as far as the offices and residential area was in the building as she had asked for a blueprint of the place the moment they'd given her the mission, not wanting to go in blind. With that help, it'd be an easy trip towards the office. She had spent as much time as possible committing it to memory, and had a rough mental map of the ventilation system that should lead them there quickly enough.

Turning to her partner, she explained the plan.

"Okay Seta, we're going to cross the moat, head into that window over there that leads to an empty storage closet and climb into the air ducts via the air vent. From there, I'll lead us to the offices and we'll see if anyone's in there or not. Hopefully, with the diplomatic team engaging the Hojo's, it'll be empty and relatively easy for us to get in. Oh, and before I forget, take off your Konoha headband and put it away somewhere. I doubt they'll attack us, but it'll look bad if we get caught so deliberately spying on the clan. With that in mind, I've also provided these." Reaching into one of the pockets on her chunnin flack-jacket, Akio pulled out a small sealing scroll, which when rolled open, brought forth two plain white masks with two holes to allow for sight. She'd tossed one to the salamander boy while securing her own, then performing the transformation technique to change the color of her hair. "Just in case."

She said, the mask causing a slight distortion of her voice. Once Seta had put on his mask and done what she asked, she'd begin the operation, taking off across the water at a modest speed and making a seamless transition to the wall, barely slowing down as she did so. She'd soon be at the window, holding out a hand to signal for Seta to wait a moment as she stared inside. A man was walking in with a cart and was collecting a few towels and cleaning supplies before walking out. After waiting a few more minutes to make sure he didn't comeback, she moved in, opening the window easily enough from her end and sliding in with ease. Once Seta had made it in, he'd see that Akio was currently on the ceiling attached with chakra as she took a shuriken and using it to take the screws out of the vent.

"Get ready to catch, and if you drop it, so help me god." Akio warned as she was half-way through, giving the boy plenty of time to prepare for the moment where the last screw was gone and the vent came down toward where he presumedly be, hopefully catching it.

@Mugin



Tatsuya attention was turned from Giichi as Katsu-sensei began to speak, keeping things short and to the point before heading off into the forest. Tatsuya was quick to follow behind him, trying to think of anything to suggest, or if he should even say anything to begin with. He was the lowest ranking member here, what right id he have to suggest anything to those who were much more experience than him in these matters. Still. . .

"Um, if it isn't assuming too much, I'd like to give a possible plan of action for the mission. I think that we should, obviously, start with investigating the other previous crime scenes, so as to see if we can find anything that another person might have missed for whatever reason. We should also talk to the owners themselves, to se if we can find anything that was similar about each theft besides how easily he snuck in and out of each area." Tatsuya's voice was somewhat unsure in the beginning, but slowly gained confidence and steadiness as he went on. "Maybe we could even split into two groups, an investigative one, which could be made up of one to two people, and the rest would keep on the look out incase the thief strikes again while we are investigating."

"The main issue, however, would be deciding what team to put you on, Katsu-sensei, as while it'd seem like a no-brainer to put a Hyuuga on watch, you're ability to make out precise detail would be very useful in finding hidden details that other's could miss. I guess that design would be up to what you decide, if you decide to go with my plan that is." Tatsuya bowed his head bait, not wanting to look to uppity at this moment. He hoped it didn't seem like he was trying to tell the jounin what to do on his own mission.

@Savato

@Renny

@Partisan

Taking a few steps into the room with the warm welcome Yume keeps her eyes up as much as she can. Naturally they fall to the ground but she quickly correct herself. Looking down was a sign of weakness in such discussions. As someone of her personality and general character this position would seem rather ill suited. However this has little bearing on her sense of duty. As the Kirigakure representative and ambassador she must contain herself and overcome these minor flaws. Realizing she hadn't taken a breath during this whole train of thought she lets out a small gasp.

"nailed it" She thought to herself with a thick layer of self inflicted malice.

Fujitora gets up and motions for her to take a seat and she robotically obliges and even manages to look him in the eye while doing so. She can hope that her face didn't let on that she was nervous. In fact her facial expression came out to be rather null. Showing no emotion was better than appearing less than confident at least. Taking a deep breath she collects herself and closes her eyes.

"Thank you." she says letting out the breath. She slowly opens her eyes. Now they are focused and unwavering. Turning to Fujitora she answers him directly. "My reason for visiting should be obvious. The coup that has taken place here in Konoha has thrown the politics of the world for a loop. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has taken this opportunity to take a long hard look at the alliances forged over the years." She then turns her head toward the new leader. She hesitates for just the slightest fraction of a second as Ayame's appearance was striking. Sure she was intimidating but it seemed...more than that somehow. There was a purpose behind her and a resolve far stronger than she had anticipated.

"To be honest I should have come to you far sooner than I have. I apologize for my lateness." She takes a slight bow. It looks respectful but in reality it gave her a moment to think carefully before choosing her next words. "You have caused me a lot of trouble." Her tone is bold but didn't carry any tone of malice. It is possible that annoyance may have found a small opening to be heard if someone had a keen ear. "In fact I am shocked and amazed at how smoothly the whole transition has been. Our era of peace has indeed changed everything." she leans back some making herself more comfortable. While doing so she takes the chance to tear her gaze away from Ayame and to the cup of what appears to be some kind of alcoholic beverage instead. "I wanted to be sure I had my information strait before speaking with you. Firstly it seems that I will have some degree of sway in the opinion of how Kiri will respond. This is natural as my reports help shape the view of Konoha held by Kiri." She clenches her hands together and looks back at Ayame.

"I would rather make you my friend than my enemy. From the standpoint of Kiri it seems there is no functional difference in our relations between you or your predecessor so long as our trade agreements remain the same. So far it seems they have and this was at least one major hurdle cleared. However 'trust' is where we fall short. No matter what I say I doubt the elders will simply accept a new leader based off of the assassination of the previous. This brazen aciton was neither called for by the people of this village and neither was it called for by Kiri. While it won't illicit any aggressive action it will mean cautious action. I have been instructed to facilitate the talks for what measures can be taken to regain trust between the two villages." A twinge of pain shoots across her chest. A bit of red begins to rise to the surface of her cheeks making it look like a light blush. Her face remained emotionless as it did before. It was obvious now some sort of emotion was boiling underneath the surface.

"I..." she began tentatively. "...I believe that I have found something that can be done. According to my intelligence a certain Kiri ninja living currently in Konoha has gone mission. He has gone missing on the same day that you assassinated the Hokage." Fear creeps in on Yume as she blurted out the last part perhaps too quickly. Its possible that Ayame could mistake the way Yume has intended this information. Would the new leader see it as an accusation? More importantly did she herself mean it as an accusation. Not having all of the information is troubling but the signs are not pointing in a favorable direction so far. "I want your full cooperation with finding him. There are no mission logs for him that day. There is no real explanation for his disappearance. During this topsy turvey shit storm no one has even noticed Gin..." She catches herself just a moment too late as she realized how rude she just spoke. Her light blush quickly turns to a heavy blush as her face is nearly tomato red. Standing up quickly she takes a quick stride to the window. The heat in her cheeks felt like it might burst into steam any moment. "...but I noticed." She continued "I want him found. Help me with this and I will do everything within my power to get Kiri's support in the new leadership here." A slight shake was heard in her voice this time.

---

Chen shrugged and let himself be led to where he was going to be seated. He nodded as several Akimichi's explained the plan and he listened to them somewhat. He watched Daisuke set his own shoulder, that looked painful, and then the strange harlequin girl jumped on his head and he shook his head. Such strange behavior, highly doubtful he could ever get away with something like that. Being a female comes with way too many advantages.

"And many disadvantages as well. Never forget the disadvantages." Chen began mumbling to himself. Listening a bit more closely, it sounded like Aoi was Daisuke's superior. "Thank you for the help. I should probably be following Daisuke-San now." He waved off the various Akimichis and followed Daisuke and Aoi. Where the hell did that juice box come from?

"Damn, now I want juice. I can't wait for the barbecue." Chen was talking to himself way too much. Probably a little creepy. Not that it mattered, nobody here would offend him. Not after he donated so much to make this barbecue happen. It would appear as if help was needed to build stuff.

"What the hell?" Chen exclaimed as Aoi began speaking into a very loud microphone. He rubbed his left ear lightly as the pain from the loud noises died down. She began doing gymnastics on stage and he growled. The audacity, she hurt his ear drums and then just started showing off in front of all these people. At least he wasn't alone as several other people glared at her. Or looked at her weirdly at least.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The figures had remained still for a few more seconds, staring silently at Shouken, who was focused on them as well as the location of Kumo. He had disappeared either right before the two showed up or right after, Shouken was unsure, yet he drew his blade and stood tall and ready to defend himself. The two cloaked ninja gave each a quick glance then one took off into the thick wood. Shouken assumed the ninja set out to find Kumo, so he set his focus to the only one remaining.

"Who the hell are you?" Shouken said, never lowering his gaurd. Not a word came from the ninja, only a slight tilt of the head. Shouken gritted his teeth and lifted his blade directly infront of his face, keeping the figure in his sights.

After a few seconds, the right hand of the shady ninja rose to the center of his chest, forming the tiger seal. It seemed he was about to release a jutsu, but before anything would happen, Kumo would re-enter the scene behind Shouken.

"Spider Style: Widow Maker!" Shouted kumo from behind the unaware Shouken. The boy turned to see the jutsu and gazed upon Kumo stretching his right arm out and forming a ethereal, pistol-shaped, mass in his palm. It emmitted the same dark purple chakra as before which supplied the pistol-shaped outline.

After the pistol took form, it released a black ball of chakra that moved at incredible speeds. It was on the cloaked ninja giving him no time to react and knocking him back at least 30 yards. Shouken watched the man struggle to get up then realized the other one was attacking. He quickly alerted Kumo he paid no attentiont to the threat whatsoever. As the man approached Kumo from his blindside, a spear was driven through the side of the neck of the second ninja and exited out of the opposite hip, pinning his lifeless body to the earth. Kumo looked to the trees and out came a large spider. Though this one was different then the one earlier. He wore a more leather armor and carried two spears, crossed on his back along with many knives lining his upper half. He only possessed two eyes and spoke as clear as the large spiders that Shouken had encountered earlier.

The spider walked passed Kumo and retrieved his spear from the body with his two front legs. With a few twirls and twists, he placed the spear back into its holding. Turning back to Kumo, the spider gave a quick nod. Kumo returned the nod then walked over to the spider, placing his palm on the large symbol on his back, sending him back to the land of webs.

Shouken stood shocked with awe at the confidence and percision of Kumo. It was amazing to watch such a spectacular sight. Summonings had always fascinated him and this event only just added to that. He wanted the same power Kumo had and would stop at nothing to gain it.

Kumo examined the fallen ninja for a second before turning to Shouken. Without speak a word, he walked past and made his way for the ninja he had blasted earlier. Shouken, like a puppy, followed his master and accompanied his examination of the second person.

After further examination, Kumo finally spoke.

"Well, neither one were carrying anything important. All we have to go by are these odd crests on their backs. It appears to the markings of the Vampire Clan..."

Shouken shifted his gaze to Kumo and gave him a confused look, "The Vampire Clan?" He asked.

Kumo enlightened Shouken with a back story on the clan, " The Shimyaku Clan. about 50 years ago, a cult clan formed on the outskirts of the Grass Village. Their leader, Reikyuu Shimyaku, developed a jutsu where the user could abosrb chakra from drinking the blood of their opponent as well as physically draining them and back-washing dangerous poisons into the blood streams. Though it did not stop there, Reikyuu went further with the technique and discovered you could enter the mind of the opponent and drive them insane. Well let's just say, Reikyuu didn't have the best inentions for these techniques and began teaching the clan murderous and immoral methods, leading to the banning of the clan by the Grass. Though they were exiled over a decade ago... And I use exile lightly, the clan was slaughtered after committing atrocities to the people of the Grass."

Shouken nodded and replied, "They sound pretty creepy, I wont lie. But why us?"

Kumo only gave a shrug then returned to a completely standing position.

"No worry though, we will figure that out later. First we will enter the Grass and gather our bearings. We are only right around the corner."

Kumo pointed to the path and through the gaps of trees he had made with his jutsu, the gates of the Grass were visible. Shouken yawned due to the fact that they had been walking nearly all day. As the proceeded on, Shouken's mind flourished with thoughts of becoming a master like Kumo one day and saving his village.

---

"Ah, I get it. So that's how you two plan to kill me," Tsukiko joked, ending with a sigh. Paperwork isn't difficult in the least, but it is always annoying. A waste of time in her eyes. It seemed a lot more efficient to force the nerdy types that aren't good in the field to do all the paperwork, but realistically it wouldn't work that way. But this is different paperwork now, so she really can't just shove it onto someone with a weaker will. It's administrative stuff, something Tsukiko would have to get used to or else the promotion would begin to feel like a demotion. "I'll do that shit in a little while. Much rather sit here and drink with you guys first."

She raised her glass of champagne with a grin on her face. Fancy and expensive alcohol was new to her, but she wasn't so daft as to not understand how a cheer worked. "To a new era," she spoke oddly softly, the grin on her face becoming darker and more maniacal. When Fujitora began his cheer, some girl intruded and interrupted the festivities. Who dares to interrupt us? The smile vanished and an irritated expression took hold as Tsukiko faced the approaching Yume Tenchi. Oh, one of the diplomatic rats. What does an ambassador want from us that is important enough to ruin a good drink? Without even realizing it, Tsukiko gulped back the entire glass of champagne and just continued to hold the empty thing. While Fuji humored the girl and she explained her business, she could easily tell by looking at Tsukiko that the older woman was not happy.

Evidently some other asshole diplomatic rat went missing a week ago, the same day that Ayame and Fujitora had killed Zeno. Gosh, stupid girl. Maybe if you thought for a moment you'd get that they wouldn't have any reason to hunt down some ambassador weakling when they have bigger fish to fry, Tsukiko thought, tapping her finger against the glass rhythmically. All the while she supported her head with her free hand and continuously stared harshly at Yume, as if she was looking right through her. The intimidating gaze of the new Jounin Commander only relented when she chuckled at Yume's brief stutter. "So this asshole goes missing and you want him found?" Tsukiko spoke up, finally setting the glass down and leaning forward to take a more threatening posture in her seat. "He's been gone a whole week and you wait until now to bring it up? He could be dead for all we know."

Now Tsukiko grabbed one of the replacement beers that the 11th Corps servant had brought it, popping the cap off with her thumb again. "Don't come in here and tell any of us what to do, girlie. You should know your place. We don't have to help you with anything. Gin could've left on his own, gone rogue. Then we'd be obligated to kill him on the spot once we find him. Did you consider that?" The Jounin Commander slammed the bottle back, taking a big swig of the beer to serve as a pause. Once she finished and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her voice grew a bit calmer but not any less dominating. "We can find the little fucker, but not if you aren't going to address us with respect. I can have him tied to this chair I'm sitting in by sundown if I were to feel so inclined. So why don't you try again and this time talk a bit more like the diplomatic pansy that you're supposed to be."

Gian would continue talking as Gin sat there silently, listening to the man talk. It wasn't until the chains came off of him did he try to stand. His legs soon buckled from the fatigue and pain that he was in and had to use the chair as a means of stability. He let off a bit of killer intent as glared into the whiteness that would be where his eyes would be.

And he would strike at him....

Strike at him for the torture he went through....

For the isolation he was left in....

But he never brought himself to do it. He just remained glaring at him, on occasion, glancing at the doorway where the torturer originally stood. To Gian though it might seem as him contemplating running. Which, he was, however, decided against it. A feeble attempt would be cause more problems. He was thrown off though at the question of Why he went on the mission and what he did. His attention being taken from the door back to Gian with the glare turning more to guilt then anything. "Why? Because I was asked to. I can see now why I was. Otherwise I wouldn't be here." He chuckled as he climbed his way back into his seat. "And you want to know what I did, huh? So I guess afterwards you'll have no need for me." His voice trailing off a bit. A lopsided grin crossed his face as he looked towards the ground. "It's what I didn't do, what I should've done...Not what I did...But I couldn't do it without having guilt on my conscious, without questioning why. Everything was too shady for me but now when I look back..." He grit his teeth as he slammed his hand on the arm of the chair. 'I'll kill'em. I swear to it I'll kill'em. " I should've... I'm not useless, I'm not... Forget it..."

The Akimichi placed a hand on the back part of his arm as he led him to the one of the larger pavilions that were set up next to the main mess hall where the festivities would be happening. Part of the wall to the main mess hall was taken down for the pavilion and would be attached by a large valley that would slope down at that section so those who would be seated there would still have view of the performance even though they would be outside. Work horses were set up with bevel saws and sanders as well as drills and tools. Some of the Akimichi used their clan jutsus to raise building material and equipment to those in higher places. The sounds of hammers, drills, buzzsaws and other equipment muffled the man's already booming voice. "THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE WE'RE WORKING ON." He pointed to an area at the top, about 20ft in the air where a curved roof was being installed. With cigarette in hand he leaned Daisuke over to him and extended his arm to the spot he would put him, yelling over the sounds of the construction. "I NEED YOU UP THERE TO HELP FINISH PUTTING IN THAT VALLEY! THE RIDGE BOARD AND VALLEY RAFTERS ARE IN PLACE. I JUST NEED YOU TO INSTALL THE LOOKOUTS, THE UNDERLAYMENT AND THE SHINGLES. THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THAT?" It wasn't a moment's notice when a small piece of timber fell on the Akimichi's head and caused him to jerk his head down, grabing the area of impact. He looked up to a younger Akimichi who had a sheepish and nervous grin on his face as he quickly forced out a sorry. The older Akimichi's face went red, causing the other to flinch. "Goddamn kid...LOOK ONCE YOUR FINISHED HERE MEET ME BY THE ENTRANCE OF THE COMPOUND AT THE OTHER PAVILION. WE STILL NEED TO BUILD THE SECONDARY STAGE THERE FOR WHEN PEOPLE FIRST ENTER." The man then patted Daisuke on the back and walked off into the mess hall.

Inside the mess hall, Cho's mother was unleshing her wrath on some of the other Akimichi chefs. "YOU COOK LIKE OLD PEOPLE FUCK I SWEAR TO GOD IF THAT PIG ISN'T FINISHED BY THE TIME THIS BBQ STARTS... She she stopped when she heard the sound of someone on the microphone, a young girls voice. 'Is that-" She smiled and waved frantically at Aoi as she brought a small pot with sauce and a spoon over to her. Even with construction and preparations going on in the mess hall, she managed to maneuver the chaos with such ease and grace. "Aoi-chaaan~ She said with a sing-song tone. "I want you to try this. It's a special sauce that I make only for the barbecue. Spicy, but not to spicy, a bit sweet with a tangy aftertaste. It's going to go on the pulled pork that we will be serving among other things. Tell me what you think please~"

After Chokuto had left his son to think he made his way to the kitchen in the mess hall only to about face when he heard his wife yelling at the other cooks. 'NOT dealing with that.' Instead he made his way over to the compound's entrance where the man in charge of construction, Fugaki, to discuss how the construction was going. "I SAID FOUR FEET AND THREE EIGHTHS NOT THREE SIXTHS, GODDAMNIT. GO DO IT OVER. WHAT....Oh, Chokuto-sama, sorry I didn't no I-" Fugaki turned to yell at another Akimichi only to find the leader with a hand on his shoulder. "No worries Fugaki-san. How're things progressing?" Fugaki gave him an inquisitive look before realizing what he was asking about. He gestured for the clan leader to follow him inside of the maintenance office of the compound, which was located a few yards across from the entrance stage. The Senior builder sat down in a chair with a sigh as Chokuto followed suit. He sighed. "Well...The second stage? Next to the Koi pond? Is done. Same with it's pavilion. The pavilion at the entrance is almost finished but I need that Daisuke boy to help build it after he's done down at the mess hall. Hope that boy is worth something. I don't like working with incompetence Big Cho." He had lit up another cigarette on his way to the shack as he took a drag from it, his head slightly cocked to the side. "From my understanding he is a decent working from what my son described, and a quick learner at that. He's helped us in the main house with cleaning and cooking already. My wife was happy to see someone else share her taste in creative recipes and such. My son and him seemed to get along so I see no problem with him." "Yes that's great on all sir, but have you seen him with some hammer and nails before? I don't need his work to come down ontop of some unlucky chumps who had gotten the shor stick in seating arrangements. That won't just affect your reputation but mine as well. Understand I also run a tight ship here myself with my maintenance crew and Akimichi Contracting so I expect nothing but the best-" "And believe me when I say the boy is good. Don't worry about him. He's my responsibility when it comes down to it.

There was another young Akimichi working alongside Daisuke. He had heard the commotion between Daiuske and Fugaki and showed a sympathetic look as would approach. Unfortunately that caused him to lose focus as he dropped a piece of timber on the old man's head. Quickly he gave the man an apologetic smile but flinched when he turned red. As the man walked away he hopped down from where he was and made his way over to th taller one, shaking his hand was soon as he approached. "He can be a bit of an ass but he's a good guy. Name's Daru Akimichi, I'm Fugaki's son. I've seen you around here before. Weren't you the one that recently beat Cho? How was the fight? Was it intense?" His eye's lit up at the thought of those two fighting. He wanted to be like Chokashi but lacked the strength or experience to do so. It didn't take long for him to realize that he was rambling on so he coughed and looked at him again with a serious face. "You'll be helping me with this roof I guess com'on and I'll show you where we're going to start...You've done this before, eh?"

---

Nobunaga smiled at Reihana as she spoke to herself. It was a relief that she was different from her brother. She lacked his rabid over-confidence and rough demeanor, a more relaxed individual to say the least. Well that was what I saw for now. Hopefully she stayed in this light. A few minutes passed before Reihana asked if Nobunaga had anything specific they should ask. A good thought indeed. They would have to figure out a way to keep the Hojo talking and possibly leak information. His mind ran through a few questions that sounded good until he came up with something. We can bring up the rain. It has been a dis-pleasant sight ever since that day. Maybe there will be some strong emotions attached to the rain. Come on. Let's go in. Nobunaga responded to Reihana with a hand under his chin in a sort of thinking pose. Oichi barked in excitement for the mission and Nobunaga looked down at the Ninken. You stay out here, Oichi. I'll call you if I need you.

Nobunaga placed to fingers upward and activated the transformation jutsu. His clothes took a different look to match the nature of a bathhouse. It was always a good thing to look the part. They needed to fit in if any of this was to go off without a hitch. Nobunaga smiled at Reihana, an aura of kindness radiating from his body. Reaching down to grab Reihana's hand, Nobu held a plan in mind. Play along. Older people get sentimental around young love or so I've heard. Bring out any emotion we can to make this work. Nobu was equally afraid that this might backfire and it only led to the many thoughts of what could happen. It could all fall back on to Nobu himself as he was the only person in this team that openly dismissed the current leader of Konoha and could become a patsy for a failed mission in his own village.

@Partisan