Taira Residence.
"Did they really retire?" asks a clearly confused Touki, in his signature Akira attire, sitting in a comfortable armchair in Zenji's meeting room.
"Kumogakure has completely abandoned Chikara and the land of noodles. Everyone is just as confused as you," Izumi assures, with a relaxed demeanor and wearing ordinary clothes, in the only place where everyone knows her true identity.
"It was so sudden, the order doesn't really know how to react. Not even the rebels expected it… Could it be a trap to tempt the rebels into invading the capital?" says Zenji, sitting in another chair next to Yuina, the ninja who now has a completely different presence and demeanor, more like that of a married woman.
"It can't be ruled out, though I doubt it for someone like this Raikage. If I had to guess, I'd say they realized the war is pointless and that they've lost too much to gain nothing," Touki comments.
"What do you mean?" Izumi asks.
"Most likely, A wanted to interfere in the war to obtain the rebels' weapons and perhaps gain political control of the land of noodles. But by now, he must have realized that the weapons are spreading across the continent on their own, and his chances of controlling the nation have become almost impossible. In short, Kumogakure only served as a massive propaganda campaign to plant the idea throughout society that ninjas are not invincible, and that with the right tools, there's no need to fear large villages anymore," Touki asserts.
"Believe me, I didn't think it would work. Although the rebel leadership surprised me quite a bit and was largely responsible for everything," Izumi adds, making a cup of tea with Suki at a table while they enjoy a variety of pastries.
Suki wears her typical Kiyoko attire, but has started wearing a black veil instead of a mask in less formal situations and when she wants to enjoy food and drinks.
"Is all this necessary for the interests of the order?" Zenji asks.
"Of course, though I must confess it was all done very haphazardly. Everyone now knows it's possible to fight the ninjas using those advanced weapons we gave to the rebels. It's only a matter of time before copies and perhaps even much better upgrades start appearing. The goal is obviously to balance the scales of power in favor of civilians… Mind you, this won't in any way threaten the authority of the strongest individuals, especially the elite jounin or S-class ninja, but how many of them are there in the world? Perhaps more than 100 or 200?" Touki comments confidently.
"That's going to cause a lot of chaos, especially in the smaller nations," Yuina says.
"In the medium term, of course. And it's at that very moment that we'll strike at the authority of the large villages and change the world forever," the masked man states.
"And I suppose we'll take down the damned people responsible for the massacre of my clan?" Izumi asks seriously, a hint of resentment in her voice.
"Of course, in due time, though we need much more strength to be able to face such individuals," Touki replies, "Now we can only wait and let the war end on its own, since I don't think anyone else will want to get involved… Although there is the matter of Konoha, who got involved at the last minute. For now we should just ignore them and urge the rebels to stay away from Omiya City, because when they take over the Capital and the rest of the nation, it will only be a matter of time before the old Hokage abandons his protectionist reaction."
"Then we could start cleaning up our territory a bit," Izumi suggests. "These past few months, there have been several reports of suspicious individuals lurking around some of our cities. It could serve as a test for our new recruit and her water team, as they've had very little action in this war."
"Tomomi? You're right, we need to test those rogue ninjas. I don't like them much, but if she can tame them, they could be a good addition to our intelligence department," Touki affirms.
…
Capital of the Land of Fire.
On a moonless night, so dark that even the street lamps seem to have more than a faint effect, a shadow slips between the buildings of the commercial district, jumping between the roofs and walking on the walls like a supernatural act, until it reaches a peculiar building with large windows and enormous chimneys.
Upon reaching the top of one of the chimneys, the shadow reveals the figure of a woman, dressed entirely in black, with a tight-fitting robe and a hood that seems to cover an also black mask. The woman's agility is astonishing, demonstrated when she proceeds to descend the chimney without any problem and without making any noise.
Inside the building, there appears to be some kind of factory, with countless materials and a significant number of large furnaces. The woman, again using the stealth of a shadow, begins to explore the infrastructure, walking along the walls and ceiling.
Suddenly, a light appears in the hallways, clearly a flashlight, but the woman doesn't seem to notice. It's when the light illuminates her silhouette that a voice reverberates through the room.
"Stop! Who are you?" a man's voice is heard, a sort of guard dressed in a blue uniform.
But that's all the man manages to say, when from the woman's black mask, two intense red eyes, with a three-tomoe pattern, stare fixedly at the man with the lantern, who immediately falls under a kind of spell, lowering his arms and falling asleep to the ground.
The woman closes her eyes again and increases her speed, searching for something in the rooms on the first floor. Upon reaching a large hall, she seems to find what she's looking for and her eyes open again, staring directly into a glass case containing shiny objects of various colors.
Approaching the largest display case of all, the woman pulls an object from her clothes, a strange metallic artifact that adheres to the glass and, after a few circular movements, cuts a perfectly circular piece out of the display case's surface. Soon, she picks up several of the objects, at least two of each color, and they end up in a bag that she makes disappear with a wave of her hand. The exit is much faster, using the same route she used to enter, leaving the building from the top of the chimney and then leaping again like a shadow, over the rooftops in the direction of the residential district.
A few minutes later, the woman enters through a hotel balcony, where another person appears to be waiting for her—a woman dressed the same way as her, also sitting in an armchair with a bag of chips on her lap.
"Are you done with your training joke?" the woman in the armchair asks, sounding bored.
"Of course, it was a success," the newcomer replies, making the bag reappear and dumping its contents onto a table in the room. The contents, of course, are pastries and sweets of various flavors.
"You know, when I told you to practice your Sharingan in realistic operations, I didn't mean this kind of thing… Why candy?" the woman in the chair complains, watching disdainfully as the thief begins to organize her loot.
"My master says motivation is the most important thing you need to do something well," the thief replies, trying to emulate someone else's voice. "I like candy, so I kill two birds with one stone by doing this exercise."
"At least you trained your skills?"
"I used genjutsu today… I know very well that a civil guard is a pretty easy target, but I must say I'm getting better at this."
"Try to find better targets next time, as you must improve your other skills as well. I don't want those eyes to go to waste. By the way, do you know what Akira is going to do with the other pair of Sharingans?"
"The master doesn't have any candidates for now. These eyes aren't something you can just grant to anyone, as trust comes first. I believe he told me once that if you have someone in mind, the possibility can be evaluated."
"I don't think I know anyone who deserves such an honor, but it's good to know I have influence over something that belongs to my clan."
"Don't worry, if all goes well with Yuina, in a couple of years your clan has a chance of being revived," this time the thief's voice has a mocking tone.
"I still can't believe they're getting married," the woman in the chair sighs. "One day we're trapped in their dungeons, and the next this foolish woman falls in love with her jailer."
"Don't be harsh, they make a nice couple. And what about you? When are you going to start reviving your clan?"
"For now, that job will have to fall to Yuina and perhaps young Sasuke," the woman's voice turns serious, "My mission is to take down those responsible for the massacre of my clan… and I won't rest until I accomplish it… After that, I don't know if I'll have the heart to love someone and have children..."
_____________________________
If you can, support me on Patreon and access chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Thor87