Starring:
Date: September 10, 2014
Summary:
Meruin pays Ishino a brief visit to discuss his plans to protect Kirigakure's classified documents.
"The Silence - To Hide a Secret"
The Doihara Residence
'I will enter your home, unseen, at 7am on the 17th. Neither Akane nor Saisho will be home; this is purposeful. Leave a window open and disarmed.
M'
Okumo Meruin traveled through the marketplace, sifting through alleyways and rooftops in bursts of speed, using superior awareness and knowledge of his shinobi's slightly altered posts to move through it without detection. He was as a ghost, walking here and fading from view — scaling a wall there and fading from view until he was upon the home of Hiramekarei's wielder. In the same manner, the home was surveyed, examined. Provided Ishino had followed the instructions of his message, he would appear within the man's home, hair rising to close the window behind him.
Meruin would find it as requested. The back window a narrow space between wall and building enabling that ability to slip in. With the window unarmed, the seal not completed due to the window being open, Meruin could get in easily. Once Meruin closed the window, it was of course, sealed.. not a good way to go back out. Ishino was home alone. Although alone meant the gremlins were around as well as the old man pouring him some tea. The table was otherwise empty, two places. Himself, Meruin. Each had tea and both were waiting while Ishino would watch Meruin come in. Standing to his feet smoothly, he'd sweep that western style bow to Meruin, the old man giving the much more normal eastern style bow. "Alone. It does make it interesting, does it not? Welcome to my home, Mizukage."
"It is becoming rare of late, isn't it?"
Meruin inclines his head to Doihara in respectful greeting, saying, "Thank you for receiving me." The Mizukage stepped towards the table that the other stood beside, gait long and smooth — gliding beneath his voluminous robes. "It is brief business that brings me here." He finds his way into a seat with the assumption that he was welcome to it, expecting Ishino to do the same.
"You and yours are well?" is his query.
Ishino nods and once Meruin settles in the chair, he does as well. Picking up the tea himself, he'd pour each cup full and offer Meruin that selection. Not that he'd poison the Mizukage.. no reason to at the moment.. but that understanding of the poisoner's choice was kept in mind. If/when a cup is selected, Ishino would pick up his own cup of tea to sip from it. "We are well. Saisho-chan has done a wonderful creation that I've seen you take advantage of quickly. Akane-san is pregnant.. we've determined it to be about 4 months along. We didn't know at the time of your last meeting.. but it is good to know. I myself have perfected Time Keeper. There is no way to enhance it further for what it is designed to do."
Meruin's head dips in a nod of understanding. "Very good news. It is true, Saisho has given us something very valuable. She is nothing if not talent, to have invented such a thing at so young. I am expecting much of her. As for your wife, it is pleasing to hear that your attempts have been successful. You will see her taken care of, I know." He arches a brow, "Though, I must say that I find it odd you would admit perfection in anything, especially your own puppet."
The Mizukage's hand slides out, taking a tea cup between the fingers and drawing it back. It was a simple fact of life for those who specialized in poisons. Trust in those among your craft is sparing, to say the least. "I expect it means something… extraoridinary."
He brought the cup to his mouth, briefly tasting it. "Perhaps I will see the results. Perhaps someday soon, with the threat currently facing the shinobi villages." He lowers his cup. "Which is why, as it were, I have come to speak with you. It is for taking defensive measures against them."
Ishino gives a solemn nod in response. "Agreed, Mizukage. I know that is something I rarely state.. However.. I have reached the point of not being able to go any further.. and when the puppet is deployed.. it will be acknowledged as such." Ishino mused as he'd drink more of his tea, nodding slowly. "That's very hard to resolve easily. They are from a group who's entire design was to make them not exist. As such, most standard defenses will be rendered moot. The current steps you have taken does help. I would recommend attaching scrolls with traps to seals that Saisho-chan made. From there, they can be remotely launched at will to help reduce potential rushing. If given access to the Administration building, I can come up with a further design there.. akin to what I have done to my own home.. to enable it to be reduced in capability of breaking into." Ishino shakes his head a little, then sips his tea. "It's impossible to make it unable to be entered at all. No place is proof. But enough resistance could be developed so as to render an attempt null."
"The capabilities of Saisho's seals for such methods are currently being explored. They seem to be a bit limited as the seals currently are but perhaps that will change." Meruin sets his cup down. He was unlikely to pick it back up again. It was almost odd, in fact, that he'd picked it up at all.
"As for enhancing the defenses of the administration building, you may do so later, if it would not interfere with the task I have for you. They would be, however, be very much for show. The Silence has now invaded two of the Great Shinobi Villages and survived the attempts without taking any serious harm from it. If we their credibility as a threat has been in doubt, it can no longer be denied.
"I have decided, then, that we shall not underestimate them and shall spare little effort in our combat with them. Their goal is, besides our destruction, our classified documents. As such, we will take them and place them all within a single scroll. More accurately, you will do so. They will then be replaced with falsified documents revealing secrets of other villages with some secrets of our own for credibility. Those documents must be rigged with explosive seals and reinforced to survive the blasts — fireproofing and concussion absorbing seals. Should the Administration Building be attacked and the vaults invaded, they must survive the explosion. And if they do so, they will receive only falsified documents whose revealing will ultimately prove beneficial for us. Meanwhile, the true documents will be hidden in a location only you and I are privy to.
"Are you able to see this done?"
Ishino raised both brows, musing contemplatively before finally giving a nod. "Easily. It will not take me that long to gather the materials for the storage. I will have to have assistance in the false data. The sheer amount that will be there will make such a potential gathering render the whole attempt fruitless if I do it alone. I know how to enforce the writing materials to do just that and I can render the rooms impervious to any resulting explosion." Afterall, he hasn't blown up the marketplace yet from his own experiments. "Considering everything necessary. I am looking at a 3 day turn around. With help to gather false data. If you want me doing that solo.. then probably a month to gather the proper amount."
"The acceptable secrets of Kirigakure's have already been selected," spoke Meruin. "A portion of the false secrets that I wish to see doled out have already been chosen, crafted specifically to target those I wish to take advantage of. Were you aware that we have 'evidence' that Hashiramako has been assassinated — and by her own Uchiha Clan, no less? It would seem this highly dangerous mission of hers was nothing but a ruse. Such a shame."
The Okumo nods, "Regardless. With what has already been prepared and our two efforts, I project it to take five, perhaps six days. The relocation of the true documents will be before then, however, even if what we replace it with is too small to be credible. The security of the truth is what is most important."
With that declared, the Mizukage rose to his feet in a single supple motion. "As I had said, this business was to be brief. I have a meeting to attend. Begin preparations as immediately as possible; I will meet you again very soon." He inclined his head and began to turn about before pausing, looking to Ishino with a slightly wry expression.
"If you would be so kind as to disarm the back door…?"
