Starring:
Date: February 18, 2014
Summary:
Shintaro meets with Tobiramako on an emergency and is sent to escort someone to the village in regard to it.
"The Silk Conflict - A Nara's Mission"
Hokage Mountain then Winding Road
Early in the morning in Konoha, an emergency summons would come from one of the Jounin of the village to meet with Tobiramako inside Hokage Mountain. The letter would be signed from Nara Shintaro, explaining that it is extremely urgent that he meet with her right away. Rather than just his Chuunin Vest and regular-looking clothes, the Jounin is adorned in his rather assassin-esque combat attire today, apparently fully prepared to go on a mission. From under his hood, his expression is incredibly stoic, a look of concealed rage showing on his face as he awaits the arrival of the second-in-command of the village and Senju Clan Head. Something is definitely wrong, and something much deeper than what's been annoying him for the last several months.
Tobiramako receives the call while she was trimming the bonsai in her home, taking what little time she had in the day to do something she found peaceful and relaxing. Needless to say, that peace was interrupted by work, leaving her precious bonsai unattended as she vanishes from the room, making her way through the various seals she had within the village to arrive within Hokage mountain within minutes of her summons. Expecting the worst, the young Senju clanhead walks into the area where Shintaro was with her own expressionless face and simply says, "Report", keeping things formal and to the point.
With the arrival of the Clan Head, Shintaro shifts to face her and offers quick bow of his head before retrieving a scroll from his robe and presenting it to her. "… I received this early this morning. I can attest that this hand-writing is that of Nikumari Mushi, whom I have been dating for a few years, as I'm sure you know," he says as he hands it over. "I will allow you to read the contents rather than speaking it so you can make a firm judgement, but I am prepared to find her and do whatever you deem necessary to rectify this situation."
The letter reads: Hi Shintaro. The body contained within this scroll is Nara Kaito, your fellow clan member and the village's Jinchuuriki. I'll tell the truth and trust you with it. I went with Shirokiri Rise to stop him. It was clear he was overtaken both in body and mind by the parasite, which had evolved further in intelligence with the chakra of the Jinchuuriki. I drained him of his chakra in the hopes of keeping him alive and removing the parasite. However, the parasite was taking over Kaito's consciousness and I feared I had to do the procedure to remove it right there. I extracted all his chakra and have it stored—his bijuu and the parasite. In this process it killed Kaito. I am so sorry. Though it was an accident, I knew the techniques I was using were dangerous. And yet, I set containing both the bijuu and parasite above his life. I sent a message to the Raikage to tell him Nara Kaito had passed away, and it was not an act of war against Konoha or Kumo. I'm on my way to Konoha to speak with the Hokage. I write this with only one request. Believe what I say in this letter, both the good and the bad. Then do what you have to.
Mushi
Tobiramako listens to Shintaro's explanation as she takes the scroll, slowly unrolling it to read once he is done. After a few moments, Tobiramako sighs and shakes her head, pushing a finger down upon the seal Mushi had placed and, with a POOF the cold body of Kaito appeared on the floor between them. "This is a big issue." Tobi says as she begins to pace. "Not only have we lost a valuable weapon and shinobi to this parasite, but now a supposedly neutral medic has, in her possession, a Konohagakure Bijuu." She paces a bit more, rereading the letter, occasionally glancing at Kaito. "It says she was on her way to visit, which makes me wonder if it was to hand over the Bijuu. Any kind of rash actions might spook her into doing something silly." she says as she stops her pacing, looking over to Shintaro.
"I will assume by your attire that you were prepared to do everything and anything to handle this situation." she says in a stern voice, "For now we need to make sure Nikumari Mushi makes it to our village without any distractions. Whatever personal opinions of this girl or the situation need to be put aside until the situation is discussed, the Bijuu is contained, and Mushi's fate has been decided on." Tobiramako says as she looks down at Kaito's body again. "Daisuke is to be kept in the dark about this for now."
Shintaro remains silent as Tobiramako reads over the paper then reveals Kaito's body. He looks at his deceased clan member for a long moment before closing his eyes and clenching his fist. When she speaks, his eyes open again to look at her and hear out her ruling. A simple nod is given to her comment about his attire, though he remains silent until the instructions finally come. "Very well, Senju-sama… I will find her and be sure that she is on her way here without fail. I do have a way of contacting her to make sure she comes to where I am immediately, though I will move to a spot a bit closer to the Land of Lightning before using it."
Tobiramako nods her head and turns to leave before stopping. "If she hands everything over and explains the situation, that doesn't mean that you are to just forget this ever happened. Once, theoretically, she is released, you will be free to make your own decisions on the matter, as long as it is far away from our walls." she says silently between them. "In my experience it is better to put everything out in the open instead of leaving things left unsaid, but I am not your mother or a helpful child-hood friend, so I don't want to hear about it. What I will want from you is to be present in the meeting, as you know this woman well enough to notice anything awry." she says before turning to Shintaro. "Can you do that?"
Listening intently to Tobiramako's words, Shintaro gives a nod. So he is basically to handle this as he sees fit /after/ it is officially handled by the village. So it seems his love may get a rather harsh reminder of why he is called the Shadow Demon if things do not go well… "Everything will be handled officially before Mushi and I discover things… between us. I'll escort her here then remain at her side for the duration of the ordeal to be certain things go as they should and to detect anything off about her behavior."
Tobi watches Shintaro as he speaks for any signs of distaste in the orders. Seeing none, she nods her head firmly. "See to it then, after you bring poor Kaito to the medical facility, within the scroll of course. I don't want others to see his poor state." she says before looking at Kaito one more time. "Poor kid didn't really get to live all that much. He was close…" she says before turning away and vanishing, heading for the office to do paperwork and inform her sister.
A little later…
On the Winding Road that leads toward the Land of Lightning from Kirigakure, Nara Shintaro has arrived not long after receiving the letter from Mushi. Rather than the Chuunin Vest and normal clothes he wears when teaching, he has assumed the attire he wore when he acted more as a combatant, the assassin-like robes and rather disturbing-looking mask. He seems rather sinister, though he stands in a spot with plenty of light, his shadow standing alone to show that he is not here to attack. It's not been long since he focused chakra into the feather he was given by Mushi, having decided to summon her somewhere far from the village rather than calling her directly into it.
Mushi is nervous. While not calling her into the village was a bit of relief, she hasn't exactly been the ideal girlfriend. She only called him when her life was possibly in danger. And she asked him to send a message that might get him in serious trouble. But more than any trouble, she doesn't want to see him disappointed or angry. The one dead was his clan member. Is that unforgiveable? Such thoughts are what she's mumbling to herself as she flies over the fields…the hills…the mountains…the lakes. And what Kirameki finally tells her to be quiet about, she doesn't want to hear this for hundreds of miles! Okay.
When Mushi gets there she doesn't bring Kirameki in. She considers doing a sweep of the area. But no, she doesn't even want to consider the possibility of having to do such a thing. So she walks stiffly towards the designated meeting place until he's within sight. "Shintaro-kun," she says, and her voice is surprisingly steady. "How have you been?"
Shintaro remains still as a statue as he waits for Mushi and even as she arrives. The mask is not removed when she approaches, his form seeming rather tense, his gaze even more intense. "… Mushi," he begins then pauses, his voice rather cold as he stares her down. "… I have been ordered to escort you to Konohagakure for questioning without delay or distraction. The feather seemed the best way to be sure you would come immediately. For your reference, no one besides myself, the Hokage, and Senju Tobiramako are aware of the situation yet, including Usagi and Daisuke, so I would suggest not attempting to reach out to them until this has been resolved on the official side of things first."
Mushi smiles crookedly when Shintaro explains his intentions. It's smart. Had they sent an armed squad she may have balked at that. But what would she do in this situation? Try to beat up or perhaps even killed Shintaro? The medic doesn't look surprised at the summons to his village. She'd expected the orders to come straight from Konoha. But Mushi looks surprised as he adds that last part, and she frowns. "I'd never ask Usagi-chan for help," she says. "She's your sister." She considers the matter of Daisuke a bit longer, and eventually shrugs. "Daisuke-kun wouldn't help me," she says. But she doesn't deny she might seek her aid if she could get it.
She pushes her hair back distractedly. "As long as I don't have to run, I won't," she says, "but I need to tell you one thing. I want my Center left out of this. Okay, we can go." And she'd fall in beside him. "Do you want to take Kirameki?"
Shintaro is silent as Mushi mulls things over. When she finally resolves, he gives a nod and turns to walk toward the village. "Your Center will be left out of it as far as the village is concerned. I will instruct the clan not to seek revenge there. Hopefully they will listen since I was up to take the position of Head before this… And I suppose we can expedite the journey with Kirameki if you wish." Turning his head back to her, he says, "There is one more order of business. If you want any hope of not being labeled a criminal who committed an act of war against Konohagakure, the Bijuu you extracted must be returned without incident."
Mushi visibly relaxes when Shintaro promises to vouch for her Center. If they're attacked she knows the medics can put up quite a fight. But even if they won they'd never operate as they had in the past. She even manages a smile at Shintaro after that. At the mention of the bijuu, she rummages in her pocket and pulls out a scroll. "This has the ten scrolls in it," she says. "And the ten scrolls each have a written seal." She explains Ten Point Seal Technique carefully, how each seal contains roughly 1/10 of the bijuu's chakra. "You need multiple powerful Jounin to put this into the…the next person," she says. "If you have ten and they're versed in seal mastery, the process should go far more smoothly than I did it."
Then she drops her gaze. "Shintaro-kun…" She rummages in her pocket and pulls out a sealed letter. "If my life ends open this." She smirks. "Don't worry it's not a love letter or anything like that." She holds it out. Then she'd whistle sharply. A bit later Kirameki lands and they'd fly to Konoha without incident.
Looking at the scroll, Shintaro listens intently to the explanation then gives a nod. "Be certain to explain that to the Hokage or Tobiramako, whichever we meet with… I've been ordered to remain in the room during the meeting since I know you and can attest if anything is… off about your testimony." When she hands him the letter, he quirks an eyebrow and stares at it for a moment before grabbing it and stuffing it into his coat. "After all this time, I'd rather doubted it would be… Let's go." And he would remain silent for the rest of the trip toward Konoha.
As they land Kirameki says, "You guys seem distant. Is this some lover's spat? Or maybe the air is a little thin this high. You feeling faint?" Mushi clambers off and rubs the back of her neck. It seems the hummingbird doesn't know much. "Umm…" she says. "Don't worry. We could breathe just fine." Then she'd dismiss Kirameki in a poof of steam. Seems she doesn't want to use Kirameki…or maybe she has another summon already floating high overhead.
Either way, she looks pretty glum as they move towards their destination. She's a Jinchuuriki alright with great strength. But against someone who would be a Clan Head, a Hokage, and another who was probably at Kage level, the best she can hope for is outrunning them. Shintaro would be able to tell she's thinking of an exit strategy already. She's looking around, measuring the distance and width of the street with her eyes. Or glancing off into the alleys. Right before they go in, Mushi says one more thing, "Shintaro-kun. Don't…" Then she trails off and says nothing more.
Shintaro doesn't reply to the bird's words, allowing Mushi to handle that part. His eyes cut to Mushi once in a while as they walk toward where they will meet with Tobiramako. Her words bring a quirk of an eyebrow before he looks back ahead. "If you want to say something, you better spit it out because I'm only going to be in the meeting to observe and be sure you're not going to pull anything."
Mushi stops right before the entrance, to consider whether she'll spill the beans at all. Then, she nods. "Shintaro-kun, don't do anything that might injure your chances at becoming Clan Head. You did nothing bad. And like you said, none of your clan knows. I think the higher ups value more than one thing of 'dark wings, dark words.' I think you've done a lifetime to deserve it. Also, I'd hate to think I'm the reason you don't get it," she admits. Then she goes in before he can reply.
"It's already done," Shintaro says with a sigh as they walk toward the meeting place. "I couldn't take the position in good conscience after this… I think it's about time I join ANBU or join the frontlines again." With that, he would go to open the door to lead her inside and down the hall. Seems he's not going to stop for pleasantries at all today. It's rather unlike him, as he's normally glued to her for a bit when finally seeing her, but things are rather different right now…
Mushi looks sharply at Shintaro. So this demotion is self-inflicted. Long ago she would''ve grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly to make him see sense. Or kicked him in the knee. Or swatted his head. Jeez, she assaulted him quite a lot didn't she? But she has to try, "What's there to be guilty about?" she says. "You weren't where I was. I did absolute none of this because of you. In fact, you successfully brought me in as your Hokage ordered. You think it's noble to punish yourself, but it's not. You're the one for the job." She's not bothering to lower her voice. She ends with a scowl, and makes her way to the office.
"… As much time as I've spent waiting for you to come back, only for you to come back to me like this, do you really think you have a right to make that judgement?" Shintaro asks, cutting his eyes at her before looking back ahead. "If I wind up put in the position, so be it, but I won't be pursuing it until things have settled…"
Mushi raises her eyebrows. "I'm not judging you," she says. "If anything I'm encouraging you. If I were judging you perhaps I don't have the right. But it doesn't mean I'm wrong. Besides. You never came to look for me either. You didn't even summon me with the feather I gave you." She looks straight ahead. "You know, I didn't…no, nevermind. Maybe we can talk about it after this." She purses her lips, maybe in vexation. And until they reached the room she would say nothing either to ask him a question or reply to him.
"Well, maybe we'll work it out the next time you're in danger since you told me to only use the feather in an emergency," Shintaro says with a shrug of his shoulders. With that, he continues to lead her down the hall toward where they'll meet the Senju Clan head…
