The return to Otogakure was a descent into shadow and reverberating sound.
Nestled deep within the Land of Rice Paddies' treacherous mountain range, Otogakure was less a traditional settlement and more a network of fortified caverns, metallic towers, and research blocks fused with the rock.
The air thrummed with a low, constant frequency. The hum of machinery suppressed chakra experiments, and the distant screams from the deeper, forbidden sectors where Orochimaru's minions completed their research.
Ryugo's team passed through the main gate, a massive block of rusted iron with the symbol of Oto inscribed on it.
The guards, their faces obscured by Otogakure's stylized musical note forehead protectors and bandages, gave curt nods. Recognition, and respect.
Ryugo Jumiboro was not just a capable tool, he was a clan heir with influence.
The mission desk was a cavernous hall lit by flickering greenish lamps. The clerk, a pale man with the tired eyes of a lifelong bureaucrat in a village of monsters, accepted the scroll case without a word.
Ryugo's system flickered.
[Quest Complete: Iwagakure Goods]
[Rewards: 4000 EXP, 50,000 Ryô, 3000 EXP distributed.]
[Level Up: Ryugo Jumiboro - Lv. 85 (2200 / 4100)]
[Attributes are raising slightly…]
[+50 Reputation with Otogakure. +20 Reputation with Orochimaru. +100 Reputation with Jumiboro Clan.]
[Team level ups confirmed…]
[Dosu - Lv. 33 (↑1) Genin]
[Kazu - Lv. 24 (↑2) Genin]
[Kin - Lv. 27 (↑) Genin]
The Ryô was transferred to his account—a number in a ledger, funds that would be taxed, tithed, and portioned out to his team. The EXP was a warmer sensation, a subtle strengthening of body and spirit. He dismissed the screens.
"Debrief in two hours. Training in three. Get your gear checked and rest"; Ryugo ordered, his voice cutting through the hall's ambient noise.
Dosu, Kin, and Zaku scattered, a tinge of fear appearing on their faces. Training under Ryugo was closer to torture than it was to actual training.
He did not go to the barracks. He turned towards the administrative spire, a jagged construction of black stone and imported steel that housed the Council of the Sound.
The corridors here were quiet, the hum tuned to a more subdued, ominous pitch.
The walls were lined not with tapestries, but with sealed containment scrolls and diagrams of advanced seals. The air smelled bad. Ozone. Gas. Perhaps even a tinge of poison.
Two figures blocked the entrance to the council antechamber.
They wore the grey and blue uniforms of the Shiin clan's internal security, their forehead protectors polished to a mirror shine. Their eyes held a flat, empty quality—the hallmark of those who routinely scrubbed and edited their own memories to maintain operational security.
"Jonin Ryugo. The Council is in session. Your report?", one intoned, his voice devoid of inflection.
Ryugo produced a smaller, summarized scroll from his pouch. The Shiin-nin took it. His eyes glazed over slightly, a pulse of yin chakra as he instantly absorbed and verified the contents using his clan's techniques. A living, breathing document scanner.
"Verified. The cargo is secure. Team Gamma's failure has been noted. You may enter for commendation and assignment"
The doors, heavy and soundproofed, swung inward silently.
The Council chamber was a half-circle, built to mimic ancient theatres. It was dark, lit only by a single shaft torch of blue fire, illuminating a central stone table. Six seats, five of which were occupied.
Ryugo took his place in the open space before them, kneeling on one knee, head bowed just enough to be respectful without appearing subservient.
He felt their gazes—assessing, calculating, laden with the weight of their respective domains. Each seat was occupied by a clan leader. Strong, unyielding, they were the backbone of Otogakure.
Ryugo glanced at the central throne. Orochimaru's seat. The Otokage was, once again, absent.
"Rise, Jonin Ryugo of the Jumiboro", the raspy voice of Patriarch Takeshi Fuma commanded.
[Patriarch Takeshi Fuma – Lv. 130 Elite Jonin]
It belonged to Elder Fuma, head of the Fuma clan. He was a thin, old man whose fingers constantly twitched, weaving invisible chakra threads in the air as a nervous habit. His clan's specialty, immobilizing enemies with near-invisible filaments, made them the Council's foremost enforcers in charge of internal security.
He spoke: "Your efficiency is… acceptable. The Iwa goods are vital for the Foundry's next production cycle"
"The enemy jonin were weary. Team Gamma softened them, though they failed to break them", Ryugo stated, a neutral fact. Giving credit to the dead was a cheap currency here.
"A generous assessment", murmured Lady Amubi.
[Matriarch Ina Amubi – Lv. 105 Elite Jonin]
She was the only woman on the seated council, her age unreadable behind a delicate, polished mask of brass and obsidian that covered the upper half of her face. The Amubi clan was in charge of the Foundry.
In the Foundry, all kind of shinobi tools were produced, from the most basic kunai to the village's most sonic weapons.
Dosu's Melodic Armament, of C-grade, was one such sonic weapon. Strong. Durable. It raised his strength by at least 30%. The massive resonance cannons that dotted the village walls, were the Foundry's masterpiece. They were capable of destroying even the most durable defence jutsu.
"The components in that scroll will allow for refinements to the Decibel Driver prototypes. Your team's performance validates the resource allocation", she continued
A grunt came from the massive form of Elder Danki. His right arm, resting on the stone table, was not an arm at all, but a nest of dormant, scaled snakes that occasionally shifted and hissed softly.
[Elder Danki – Lv. 120 Elite Jonin]
The Danki clan's artificial bloodline was one of Orochimaru's earliest "gifts" to a loyal clan—the ability to transform limbs into serpents, secreting a variety of neurotoxins and corrosives. They handled chemical research, poison, and the talented fueled the ranks of Oto shinobi too. "The poison on the kunai of the fallen Iwa shinobi. You recovered samples?"
"As per protocol," Ryugo said, producing a sealed vial from another pouch
Oboro Shiin was next. He was the youngest-looking, with perfectly coiffed hair and calm eyes that saw everything and remembered only what he chose to. The master of Otogakure's intelligence and memory manipulation.
[Patriarch Oboro Shiin – Lv. 110 Elite Jonin]
He said nothing, merely steepled his fingers. His presence was a silent threat; he knew every secret, every failure, every treasonous thought, and could make you forget he knew. However, he was also the least loyal to Orochimaru despite his abilities. A secret that all but he knew.
"Your successes have created a… budgetary surplus for your operational unit, your team can retrieve four C-rank jutsu from the Sound Library. Dosu, Kazu and Kin have proved their worth under your tutoring. The Council of the Sound deemed them worthy of the chunin title", Patriarch Toyo Jumiboro said with a smile, "The Council is generous to the strong. The Land of Rivers trade route requires… stabilization. The lands of Rivers' Daimyo is relinquishing his support on Tanigakure, our latest sabotage missions effective"
[Patriarch Toyo Jumiboro – Lv. 125 Elite Jonin]
Toyo Jumiboro was a tall, strong man in his fifties. His muscles were well-developed, and a massive scar coursed his face. His veins were tainted purple, from his encounter with Orochimaru ten years ago. Poisoned, he had never truly recovered after his defeat, and since then, held the fifth seat of Otogakure's Council of the Sound.