Academic Analysis [D-Rank Moderated Mission]

[Kamaru]

Kamaru looked through the records again and rubbed his eyes letting out a sigh. Since they were only giving him partial details he only had a few things to go on. He read through the criteria for the exam for entrance into the ANBU program of Stone. From what he read he didn’t think the some of the minimum requirements were meet. Jomei had gone through a similar process though attempting to graduate early. Kamaru had technically passed him using an actual exam as a final class to pass the boy versus a practical which would have mostly been paperwork after a demonstration. He didn't know if this was the case since he didn't proctor exams for other branches. The only other piece of information he had on the exam was the person who proctored the exam and the results being a failure. Due to the exam being for and executed by someone from a separate branch Kamaru really didn’t know what had happened from the paperwork on hand.

Jomei said he wanted to look into things but it was a bit touchy of a subject. One really couldn’t just openly accuse someone of mistreatment without proof without it blowing up from a public viewpoint especially considering it was interbranch related. On the other hand was it the examiner's doing or that of the examinee? With other things on his plate Kamaru wrote out several letters and requested a meeting for Jomei to start an investigation. He’d have a mentor and lead to chaperon him though so he couldn’t get into that much trouble. Kamaru had received word back from the man for the time so he figured the place was agreeable. It was up to Matsui and Kazehi to dig up more information on what happened now. Kamaru wondered what they'd find out.

(OoC: Calling in Kazehi Ryu (Team Lead); Matsui Jomei (Team Member); Raharu Tao (Playing the role of Satoshi))

 

[Okada Kaji]

The meeting was set early in the morning, somewhere within the confines of the stone's general office, the Spire. The tower was one of the Hidden Stone's oldest super-structures, designed in an era when bigger was better. But as you know, bigger has always been better. The building had a reputation for the strong ninja holed up inside. Jomei had not visited this old office since an academy field trip years ago, but even then it was eerie, and had an ominous silence. However, this morning a rush of reaction to recent events and chain reactions interrupted the oath of silence. The building had been in a constant buzz since the untimely end of the Tsuchikage, Inu Endo. The paperwork was jamming, and the village was gradually falling into disarray. Along with the decree by Haruka seeking out Jomei's own Branch Head Kamaru to boot, the Spire was close to caving in.

Jomei's personality shrank into a quiet, reserved form as he glided through the halls. He avoided contact and hated attention, especially in such an assertive environment. In fact, he was ill-prepared to chat, and mentally charged to fire on his suspect once their meeting commenced. He wanted to see his face, and know how he could live with himself.

Jomei paced to the room down the hall and to the left. He had a stiff, lead-footed walk today, anxious and eager as ever. In his excitement, Jomei aimed to stow away the fear that this Satoshi would mutilate him the way he did Gasu. The forced flash-back of laying on turf and pleading to live burned into his retina as if he'd experienced it first hand. Gasu shared a vision of his fate with the same eyes that caused his persecution, and his fear of the masked man contaminated Jomei. A lasting effect he struggled to shake. Since that day in the hospital Jomei had made himself familiar with the anbu attack, and committed it to memory via notes and hand-drawn diagrams.

Jomei arrived in the designated office fairly early, making sure to come first so he could checkout the room and ready his notes. Unlike most ninja, he believed in due process and hoped to force the truth out of Satoshi if he didn't admit it willfully. But as the night terrors and Shikora's haiku reminded him, evidence alone wouldn't suffice against an ANBU. Things were bound to get ugly if they went as expected, but that's what Ryu was for. Kamaru had wisely paired Jomei with an experienced Jounin who'd provide some tact and guidance. The big brother came along to make sure there'd be an even fight, if at all. Nervous as hell and strained from days of tireless research and waiting, Jomei stood by, ready for the meeting to commence.

WC466
[Entered Thread]​

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Normally, for such things Ryu would have been prompt if not lurking in the doorways of the room awaiting the time to get things started. But it was part of his job right now, not to act as forward to this mission; he was the advisor, the level head, and the mediator. So, as to better know the one he was guiding, Ryu had arrived early but waited until he spotted the kid who matched the picture. Many hands to keep busy indeed. The towering man, normally conspicuous by his height looked like a boy around Joumei's own age with features that were just off enough to make a questioning glance slide away and be filed under a different person without looking into things more.

Ryu puttered about with a stack of empty books and looked as though he were going somewhere of importance that Joumei happened to be going, but as the kid started to pace, the shinobi marked the location mentally, continued on his way down the halls to an empty office to set the books on a desk and come walking back out with the same bustle before he stopped to stare at the pacing, nervous kid levelly. Just watched, brown-green eyes flat and face just tinted with a slight bit of curiosity.

Now to see how easily this kid's goat was to get. That would directly determine just how much work Ryu would have to put into these....questions so as to assist the boy along a proper path.

His current form wore a simple outfit, a business casual look that was all in a drab grey and black format. A dark grey, long sleeve over shirt with a black shirt beneath to match the darker, charcoal colored pants and finally bottomed out with shiny, spit shined shoes that glimmered in the light. Ryu felt it an ironic joke to have a sort of bowl-cut that a paige boy would be likely to wear in such things as an internship run by some old, cranky warhorse who was so stuck in his ways that change in himself or others was NOT ACCEPTABLE! Needless to say, if the kid in his agitated state could be flustered and knocked off course by a simpler passerby then Ryu had his work cut out for him. "Wow. So. You seem pretty handy. Ever consider work in janitorial, or is it difficult to remember which hand is doing what and when?" A little extra realism to someone just staring seemed appropriate, especially for a kid, but Ryu winced inwardly at the comment's crudeness. He really didn't like infiltration sometimes. Really truly.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Just before arriving in the chosen room, Jomei had a close call with a moving wall who towered over him with incredible stature. Ryu closed in like an owl to a field mouse, and tried to move his weight around. A twinge crawled up his spine and his whole body Jomei swerved to the left involuntarily, slipping by his would be leader. The elder of this duo intended to make something of their initial meeting, rather than the standard meet and greet. He through Jomei off his game by starting his own. Jomei parted his lips to offer an apology, but pursed them again as Ryu delivered a witless insult. As he said this, Jomei's multitude of limbs were wide spread and balancing him back to a balanced stance. "What's that? I can't hear you from all the way down here" he replied. Maybe he didn't really listen in on half of his cut-down, but was observant enough to recognize it. He made eye contact with Ryu to see how his reply sunk in, and regretted it when he saw through his hair-cut and prank. Any of you more seasoned ones would know quite well that Ryu Kazehi was unmistakable.

Jomei froze in place. "Casual work day, Captain Kazehi?"​

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

He studied the kid for a moment, a once over before he inclined his head slightly and released the transformation he'd put himself under, dropping a small statue off to the side of him. Returned to his natural form, the towering man simply stared down at Joumei with hard violet-blue eyes. The awkward bowl cut became long, straight hair that reached down to the small of his back, slight features became clearer, chiseled even. The clothes he seemed to have worn were replaced with a functional battle garb of black on black, trousers that seemed to be loose in all the points of mobility mixed with a slightly baggy kimono top that settled across his wide shoulders to increase the sense of enormity the man practically radiated. Beneath the vest that marked him as a Jounin could be seen, along with the headband around the top of his right arm. "Too easy. Some thing unexpected next, maybe?" He brushed off his black kimono top and lifted the statue half his height by the head and set it to the side of the hall where no one would trip. "Observant enough, though can be easily mislead by appearances." The jounin rubbed his neck with his right hand. His height had gone from just towering to hulking over the smaller shinobi. "Keep a clear mind, jokes have their place. Forgive my rudeness." His speech was short and clipped, right to the point without much in the way of room for small talk either. The man was on business now, no longer interested in testing the capabilities this kid had and would likely have to keep the kid from being segued by a shinobi who was more interested in altering reality itself for the boy. "No introductions seem to be needed." He cocked his head to the side and looked at the room that Joumei had been pacing in front of.

It was time to get this little party started then, the fun was had and spent; he needed to get the kid on track now and not distract him any more than he had. But it did seem that Joumei's fuming had decreased, or at least forgotten for a few minutes. It would have to be enough, no shinobi needed to go into a situation like this with other things on their mind; just the mission. That's what mattered. But Ryu did suppose the kid realized he was far out of his league in dealing with Satoshi. "Keep your head in the game." With that, and a check of the time, Ryu slid through the door of the meeting point more quietly than his bulk seemed capable of. Time to get the game face on!

 

[Okada Kaji]

Kazehi Ryu revealed himself in his truest form; a towering man who seemed as if he could have managed the planet on his shoulders. Jomei marveled silently as his appointed Leader entered the conference room; he must have had to dip just to enter any doorway.

"Guys like us have a hard time blending in." Jomei identified as he followed behind Ryu. He kept his distance as if the statuesque man could tip over and crush him at a moment's notice. As he stepped up the platform into the elevated suite, the panels creaked beneath his weight. Jomei was beginning to like this new Captain, but even he couldn't wear down Jomei's sense of alert towards the impending chat. This morning, Jomei felt at risk in Spire. A bigger game was in play, and he had no clue who was holding all the pieces. He was going to end up like Gasu. Panic. Fear swelling into it's second, nastier form, paranoia. A command to keep his wits afoot snapped Jomei out of his trance, and he marched into the conference room after Ryu.​

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Ryu just glanced at the boy over his shoulder before moving about the room to get it ready for their inquisition into the dismemberment incident. He cleared much of the space up by moving non-essential objects off to the side of the room; such as extra chairs or various items that clustered around the meeting table. "I will never blend in." He had pulled out a couple items from a pouch he'd tucked into his kimono top. "Blending in is for those ashamed of themselves. Afraid to be an individual. For those who wish to never make a mark or a name." He didn't look at the boy as he spoke, he'd set to cleaning the table they would sit at with a cloth and spray that would make the wood gleam. "One's body is but a part of what the person Is." He lectured the boy with no inflection, he was to act as the boy's guide and he was fulfilling the job. He offered a small amount of philosophy for the many-armed boy to consider; it was something Ryu's father had passed down from being a monk.

The towering man set about cleaning and neatening up the chairs to be sat in after the table glowed. It was something to keep him busy while he thought, a little bit of action to assist consideration. "Be observant. Be vigilant. Think quickly." He dropped that little bit of advice on Joumei for him to gnaw on as well; this kid had a certain air of nervousness because he had practically walked into a lion's den by being handed an investigation like this. The players were beyond his reach in the sense of strength, Ryu included, and the boy was smart to be a little afraid. But.

He stopped his cleaning and stood up straight again, tossing the slightly dirtied rag onto the spritzer bottle of cleaning fluid almost idly as he turned to face Joumei. "And never. Ever. Be ruled by your fear." Fear wasn't something bad to have, it often kept people alive as it was a sort of assistance during times of danger; used in tandem with skills and trained reactions it often brought warriors home alive. But it was also the downfall of those who allowed themselves to be controlled by it. Ryu simply let this hang in the air while he stood facing Joumei; the boy had a lot of growing to do and it would just take time and the right hands to guide him along. Ryu rubbed his broad right hand against his thigh to clear off the wet feeling the cleaning fluid had left on his flesh, he wasn't one to often lecture as he preferred actions to words but he did understand that not everyone was like that. Some not only had to be shown but spoken to as well, it seemed that this boy was one of such. He had to hear the words, listen to thoughts given form so that he might consider them and perhaps turn them to action. Nothing wrong with that, Ryu was a quiet man but he could provide at least some of the words the boy needed to hear. "You are under my care. If it costs me my life, I will make sure you survive if things go wrong."

He moved with practiced quickness, returning the cleaning items back into the hidden pouch he'd brought them forth from and settled into a chair he positioned at an off angle from the door with his back mostly to a wall and slightly away from the table where it wouldn't hinder him from rising from his seat quickly. Even sitting, he had a look of readiness, collected patience with a sense of steadiness in the neutral set to his features. He had one hell of a 'cop' face, he'd been practicing it since he was a kid after all. His violet-blue eyes flicked from Joumei to the chair on the same side of the table as the towering man, opposite from the chair he'd places on the other side of the table in a slightly inviting position of being pulled partially away and at an angle that someone could comfortably slide into. That was for their 'guest' as it were.

Ryu settled himself, laying his right arm over top of the concealed and immobile left arm with the fingers relaxed. He was ready to go, but the real question was if Joumei would be able to handle what needed to be done or would he show too much weakness and gain nothing for his efforts.

{MFT}

 

[Okada Kaji]

Jomei observed in content silence as Ryu made an effort to rearrange and restore his depiction of order to their meeting space. His thumb flipped through the corner pages of his notebook. Notes on this matter at hand, which was taking a backseat for the moment. Jomei didn't bother making his seating a lengthy process, and took a seat at the table just as it was intended for. As he did so, Ryu continued his somewhat preachy dialouge in the background. This was new to Jomei; he never knew the presence of a nagging overseer. It made him chuckle once, and distracted by far he had come ffrom his meager beginnings. In this he found sudden conviction. Gasu's undoing was not his own. Jomei wouldn't make the same mistakes, and if he does, he'll have a little help to call upon. Fear was not a limitation, it was a defense mechanism, or survival tactic. Though he had built the courage to face this man today, calculated fear prepared Jomei for the challenge at hand. Jomei had done all the research he could upon the methods Satoshi inflicted the damage on Gasu in that attack. As a result, Jomei developed reasonable expectations in the event a fight broke out. But a fight against a well-trained and out-numbered Anbu Operative isn't a typical thing. If Satoshi expected a fight, he come prepared for them, or not at all.

"I appreciate your commitment to duty master, but it looks like things aren't coming down to life or death, at least not yet." A tilt of the wrist revealed a simple calculator watch beneath his sleeve. The time had slipped and Satoshi wouldn't arrive on the mark, or so it seemed. "I have a feeling he's not coming, but if we take some action, maybe we can find Gasu before it's too late." Jomei looked to his elder, perplexed, wondering just how aware or blinded his leader was about the lives and secrets at risk.​

 

[Kamaru]

As the two men exchanged banter back and forth they’d eventually here someone rushing by. It didn’t seem to be that big of a deal until they came running back popped their head in the room and looked from Kazehi to Matsui before he motioned outside to others, ”He’s in here!” he stated a bit loud to hear the drumming of feet.

As the man moved in several people flooded in setting up displays on target dummies they set up with a vest and booklets were handed to both Kazehi and Matsui.

Sorry for the delay it’s not that easy to find conference rooms at the appointed times if you’re not from around here ya know.” he began before going into a full blown pitch.

”But in any event you can see from the mockups and prototypes the product was built for being worn and living up to our brand’s name in rugged environments and extended campaign wear and tear for your everyday unit and/or detachment. Although not indestructible they are light weight, slash and piercing resistant, come with removable sleeves for added ventilation in extreme warm environments, a fold out hood for rainy seasons, as well as a liner and face mask for extreme cold weather scenarios. Storage solutions are form fitting so not as many angles sticking out to be spotted by or items to get snagged on various things. Besides being modular it comes in various sizes and variations to provide a stock experience for anyone using the product.” he explained stopping occasionally for the demonstration of features on the dummies or by people.

Looking at the subdued black and dark red vests besides the embossed logo for Stone the vests seemed void of description.

The booklets were rather heavy and going through them went through various schematic specifications and scenario features.

“With the finished product being obviously improved on what do you think of the prototype? Can we put you done for a few thousand units?” the man said after a few minutes before stating a very large sum of money for the ‘discounted price’ in the eight digit range.

(OoC: While the two of you wait for Satoshi - Mistaken Identity: You’ve both just heard a sale pitch for an armored vest/jacket unit from this company for the field use for Shinobi doing a highly mobile job out in the rigors of the environment tasked with a duty of doing a Border Patrol tour. For some reason they think Kazehi and his attendant Matsui are the people they needed to talk to for the meeting.)

 

[Tao]

A letter arrived several days ago informing Satoshi he needed to attend a hearing regarding an issue that arrised with a kid named Gasu whom he was tasked to evaluate as a candidate for ANBU training and operations. He frowned slightly as he walked towards the spire, the mear concept of him being investigated over something like this seemed almost insulting considering the way the kid has preformed in his exam, further more, he actually had to take the place of another ANBU, who could not evaluate this kid well enough as it'd seem. During his walk he came to consider several directions that the investigation could lead, but what interested him more was just how much they knew about what happened in the time he interacted with Gasu and what the ANBU are all about, considering that the summon was sent from the main branch, it would seem like the judgement came from elsewhere which puzzled him slightly considering that usually the main branch never would deal with these sort of situations, not that Satoshi himself had much prior expirience with these sort of occasions.

Walking through the corridors of the building and several flights of stairs, he came across the meeting room he was assigned to, in front of the open door several people stood, did not seem like the door frame could hold that many people if they were to try to fit themselves all together through that door at once, but they seemed to enter short after one by one. He sighed slightly and waited for them all to enter and then knocked once on the open door before waiting for the people to make a path for him to enter through. Once he was inside he would notice the smallish crowd of people holding one of the newer kinds of battle vests which were in the market only recently and two shinobi sitting in the far end of the room next to the large conference table. He completely ignored the people crummed at the entrence and just took a seat, waiting for the group to leave the three alone to begin the investigation.

[Topic Entered]
[OOC: appearance-wise whatever you see on the image on the left is how he currently looks like minus the blood, under the casual clothing he had his anbu garb concealed]

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

(OOC: as a heads up, I'm working off the kid not having his mask on, if this is not the case PM me the details on his mask so that I can edit this post accordingly please.)



The large man simply looked at the young man, and remained silent for a moment. The young man could be correct, but if this person was a devoted member of the village they would show up; for better or worse they would arrive. "Patience." He glanced at the person that ducked in initially before running off. Perhaps the wrong r-



Before he could even finish the thought a cloud of people descended upon the room and a man began slinging about numbers, facts about product, and price ranges for said product that they were pitching. Except Ryu wasn't buying, actually it made a storm of irritation roil up from his gut for some reason. When the man was finished speaking, though Ryu hardly paid attention to what exactly was said, the towering man allowed the faint irritation show and a heavy, oppressing cloud surrounded him as he stood and leaned towards the salesman. "Wrong room. Please proceed to the lobby of the Spire. If you require assistance, staff will provide you an escort to the correct meeting room." He spoke calmly, but his voice resounded with a solidity that suggested that he would listen to no excuses or further advertisement.



For the sake of the Ancestors he had just suffered through what could possibly be spam-mail in live form. Maybe he could do with some sort of pop-up blocker to prevent situations like this? Though he doubted men like him would be likely to pop-up often, and it wasn't as though he could fault the guy for trying to do his job but Ryu took offense as the sales rep could have easily asked before assuming that he was in the correct spot.



As he directed the advertisement crowd to the lobby, his eyes noted the entrance of a white haired boy no bigger than most in the village who settled into the chair Ryu had set up. This would be him then. The boy flatly disregarded the entire flood of sales reps, and had a sense of confidence only most veterans or those who were trained for all their life to do a duty had.



Once Ryu gently put a massive hand on the shoulder of the lead salesman and quashed the strange feeling of agitation, he would usher the misguided passer-by out of the room without crushing the guy's shoulder but with a good solid grip of assistance that would inform his fellow man that Ryu wouldn't be interested in more information. As well as the fact that he had a good grip. As soon as the cloud of reps were out of the room, Ryu closed the door softly, keeping himself at a cautious angle so that this 'Satoshi' was kept within sight and the towering man's back wasn't turned to him. No need to offer any openings, showing no caution towards an unknown subject might just insult the kid. With the door closed, Ryu turned to fully face their subject. "Satoshi, I presume." Returning to his seat and settling back into position beside Jomei. "Apologies for that." He shifted his left arm within the sleeve and pushed away the urge to scratch at the shoulder where he felt the familiar burning tingle, placing his right hand with fingers half curled so the first knuckles rested against the clean edge of the table. Now that the subject was here, it was time for Jomei to go to work; Ryu was interested in seeing just how this kid actually performed under pressure.

 

[Okada Kaji]

By the time Ryu spoke up Jomei had been swallowed by the swarm of tailors and desperate merchants. While his master insisted they leave, the group made an expedited effort to show off their designs in motion. Jomei's subservient demeanor made him the perfect candidate. A blanket of measuring tape, scizzor blades, and dense fabric blockaded Jomei from his mission at hand. The wrinkled grimace of an old man making small alterations shielded his view of the room as Captain Kazehi ordered their exit. Even then the tailors were slightly persistent, and Jomei shot them with webbing to run them off. The salesmen piled through the door, covered with cobwebs and their tails wagging between their legs.

The dust settled and merchants left, out of sight and mind as they say. Their tale of suspense snapped back into place as the man from Gasu's nightmare emerged, direct and unabashed. Satoshi had come. Jomei stood between Ryu and Satoshi, equally unprepared for either's oncoming aggression. Two professional tailors fit some state of the art flack jacket to his chest, and did it so tightly that Jomei struggled to strip it off. The tailors did a poor job accounting for Jomei's unique physique and left him in the Chinese finger-trap of fashionable apparel. He slid the robe upward, but was stuck.

He spoke out to Satoshi, but the tactical vest muffled him. Once Jomei finally ripped it off, he revealed himself with his hair a mess and his face flushed. "Do you know why you've been called here this morning, Satoshi?" He looked to Satoshi with a rushing attitude; as if he were already fed up. It wasn't until he met eye contact that Jomei finished finding his timid side. Repeating flashes of another man's memory rippled through his mind, and Jomei remembered Satoshi as a monster once more, memory refreshed.

"What comes to mind when I say the name Ryujin, Gasu?"​

 

[Tao]

[OOC: Sorry for the wait, and dont worry, you did fine, he's not wearing his mask]

It took quite a while before the briefing room was emptied from the salesmen and as soon as they left the taller fellow has recognized who Satoshi was and appologised for what has just occured, but to Satoshi the younger fellow who seemed distressed enough seemed more interesting, or rather note worthy. He at first asked him if he knew why he was called into this arrangement and afterwards he was questioned if the name Riyujin Gasu ringed a bell, he even put quite a heavy emphesis on the name to make sure that Satoshi would be able to hear it as clearly as possible. He planted his elbows onto the table with his hands joined together when the fingers would cross eachother going slightly above his nouse so that it would put a higher emphesis on his eyes. Speaking in a slow, calm yet cold tone.

"I would like to adress your first question first. I would also like to know why I was called here, during a work day, where I had to take one of the very few days off I had and cancel a mission so that I could free enough time to get to THIS meeting. So yes, I'd like to know why I'm here as well."

He paused slightly, breathing in slowly while lowering his hands slightly showing a more relaxed and less intimidating state as he was preparing himself to answer the next question.

"Yes, I know who Ryujin Gasu is. But I think that you are forgetting something, I'd assume you are pretty new at this as when you start a questioning a person, you must first of all make sure that said person is aware of who you are when its done within your own ranks, so lets start this from the begining, state your name, rank and position."

He concluded, his manner of speach was much calmer and easy going than before, the way the younger fellow seemed act during a questioning showed how green behind the ears he was, on the other hand, the taller person who accompenied him seemed much calmer and collective, if he had to guess, the shorter one was probably a newly appointed Chuunin while the other one was clearly a veteran, so he would guess either seasoned Chuunin or even Jounin. He didnt make too much of an effort observing the room or the people in it, there were no spesific signs of temperment which means that it is highly unlikely that the room is filled with traps or listening devices, the people who he was facing seemed distracted as it is, probably from the earlier insident, but it was obvious that lowering his guard will lead him to his death, it was true in any of his missions and even now as within the walls of the same village he is working for.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

As his ward started the questioning, Ryu restrained himself from wincing and taking charge of the situation. Jomei seemed more familiar with direct work, dealing with pursuit of a direct lead as was shown by the fact that he hadn't bothered telling their subject just who they were. The tall man leaned forward, damn near doubling on himself to reach the boy's ear. "Do not let emotions cloud judgement or approach." The kid had probably already given away the fact that he was stressed and worried, so much too late to advise otherwise. But he could at least attempt to get the boy to compose himself a bit better and think more about how he worded or phrased his questions than just plowing forward like a Carnasaur in a china shop. He could at least recover some momentum, this kid showed intelligence and he didn't want Satoshi twisting Jomei around. "Kazehi Ryu, Main branch, Jounin;" He first gestured to himself with his right hand as he sat back up from whispering his guidance to Jomei. "and Matsui Jomei, Main Branch, Chuunin." He eased back into his chair and looked the white haired boy over and observed the posture. "We hope to resolve a misunderstanding, many apologies that your mission was disrupted but this too is a matter of village importance. Rather, primarily regarding events that included one 'Ryujin Gasu' that perhaps you might enlighten us with another perspective." The man's voice was a resonant, calm baritone rumble, keeping the conversation close and tight between just the three of them. The towering man hoped that he could keep the conversation placid even though Jomei was vibrating with restrained tension; it takes years to master one's self to reveal nothing to others, and there were moments where Ryu even had moments that he gave something away through body language without meaning to.

This kid, even despite being under suspicion, was still a member of the village. Possibly even a ranking member, in fact. They knew his name, and that was it in all reality. Ryu was here to keep things civil, and he would ultimately do so; not only negotiating information out of the white haired boy but he had to juggle delegating Jomei? It was going to be tough to keep his attention on both boys but if Kamaru hadn't the faith that Ryu could handle such things then he wouldn't have been assigned to this investigation.

[MFT]

 

[Okada Kaji]

Jomei took cover in the shadow of Kazehi's confidence. He was like an obelisk, shielding Jomei from Satoshi's wit. He even concocted a solid answer, adding a little polish onto Jomei's rank. Being promoted to chuunin was a pick-me-up, even if it was a lie. However, such a privilege can go to your head if you're not careful. While Kazehi finished smoothing over the start of their conversation with Satoshi, Jomei took a seat and took a deep breath, regaining his composure.

"That's right" Jomei tagged an affirmation aloud, following Kazehi. He paused shuffled his notebook once. This Satoshi really made him stir within. Those cold eyes. He didn't have a shred of guilt, and it was clear. "Actually, we were hoping you could help us build a case. We have reason to believe that Gasu has defected from the Hidden Stone, and is on the run. Whereabouts unknown. You were one of the last AiT Faculty to work with Gasu, so we're hoping you can help us secure a motive."

Jomei could feel the tingling sensation of worry building in his spine. His body was ready to react and take up a defense; the spider's nature. As the nervousness mounted and he resisted the pressure, Jomei stayed focused on the facts. He focused on being rational, and the fear would overcome itself. "The Ryujin family is too high-profile to sweep this one under the rug, so the main branch is handling the investigation." An occasional stammer interrupted his speech as he spoke; the ticks in his machine caused by anxiousness. "Rumor is Gasu is in possession of village secrets that could pose a threat if he turned against the village. I suppose that's enough to add some time-sensitivity to the matter. Can you please confirm for us if Gasu Ryujin a threat?"

 

[Tao]

So he was up against a Jounin and a Chuunin, just like he expected. What surprised him even more was their gap of knowledge, on one hand, they presented a case of facinating information regarding that Gasu kid where he might have been MIA and that he might be a threat, on a whole other note, they seemed to be misinformed about who Satoshi himself actually was, the mear fact that they didnt nail his rank within the ANBU corps correctly proves that their intel is not 100% accurate, which means he could as easily doubt any other piece of information they have presented thus far. He leaned a bit further towards his arms and narrowed his eyes. He didnt know that Gasu was in possession of any village secrets, not the kind that was off limits to even academy students, but then again, he didnt touch his file ever since he added the section of the exam itself as his own report.

"I see. So, this is the reason why you called me all the way out here..."

He concluded briefly once the younger of the two finished speaking, it wasnt hard answering that question, not the last portion of it at least, but now he had some facts to consider, facts that he himself could not even validate as true or false considering how unreliable their information network must have been.

"Ryujin Gasu, as far as I'm concerned is a threat to the village as long as he is not within the village walls and/or within captivity by enemy forces. I'm not aware of any goverment secrets this child might possess, he does seem more informed than any academy student I have ever seen, that is true. He knows information that will endanger many lives of fellow comerads as well as innocent lives of the villagers. I am however unaware of his location as of now nor do I have any assumption to where might have gone to. If he was taken forcefully, Ryujin Gasu is not the subject we will need to look at, at all, but rather try to figure out exactly who is after said information and who found out that Ryujin Gasu knows it as well."

He spoke, this case started to seem more interesting by the moment, but he couldnt put his finger at why someone would choose to take a kid as their information source rather than an expirienced veteran, when isolated they are maybe more difficult to handle and extract information from, but are much more reliable source none the less, nor will the action itself will be impossible, Satoshi himself has already expirienced numerous interogations when he was on the asking side, and after applying some physical and psychological preasure, the subject would always crack at some point, after all, the point was to know which point to press and he'll open up like a box with a spring mechanic.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Ryu watched as the two conversed, his eyes flicked back and forth as they spoke as though he were carefully watching a match of some sort. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before reverting to his stoic mask of neutrality; Satoshi was able to not only only partially answer a question but evade a pointed part that Jomei had left open. Satoshi not only neither confirmed or denied being the last one to interact with Gasu, but the boy also bypassed the interaction between himself and Gasu and just how information was passed. Waiting for a moment more, Ryu tapped a finger on the table's edge and adjusted himself slightly. "By your words, if the boy was taken, should he be a danger to the village with the knowledge he has or had, one could infer that he was easily cracked for information. Could your evaluation be incorrect? How did you evaluate his worth, precisely?" Ryu felt like he was clubbing a seal asking questions like this without much tact, but at the same time Jomei had a lot of experience he needed to get before he could cover ALL his bases.

To be frank, Ryu might have been intelligent but he was terse when it came to interactions as it was proven by his most recent line of questioning. But he was examining another member of the village, he wasn't about to torture the kid just to get what they needed for an investigation. Rather, that would be the incorrect message to give to Jomei who needed to better use his wit, he needed to be able to trap his interviewee in a web that he could pick up on their mistake or make a false opening for someone to walk into. Ryu hoped that he'd managed to goad the ANBU into making a slight slip that Jomei would be able to catch on.

 

[Okada Kaji]

The order of questioning fell in line almost perfectly. Ryu was up to speed with the investigation and on the trail of the answers they needed. Together, it was only a matter of time before they reached a conclusion. But as they dug deeper, there was one crucial bit of information Jomei needed. He was digger for the truth that hid behind Satoshi, that would determine just how deep the rabbit hole went. As Ryu asked for Satoshi’s evaluation, Jomei revealed Gasu’s Medical Report from his case files. It ran several pages deep and had all the details about the damage dealt, like an autopsy for a living man. This report was reason enough to believe Gasu wouldn’t have made it far if he did go missing. Maybe he was that much easier to hunt down.

“Actually, I have some concerns about your evaluation as well, Satoshi.” Jomei added to the heated questioning, sure that their interview was about to open up or hit a brick wall. He opened the medical report and slid it across the table to Captain Kazehi. The report described nearly fatal wounds created by advanced elemental ninjutsu.

“That report describes Gasu having received career-ending injuries, including a severed arm. If he’s not a threat, this evaluation of yours better be pretty detailed.”​

 

[Tao]

Satoshi watched the two as their questioning continued, they didnt seem to be very pleased with Satoshi's answer so far, of course there were many gaps of information in his answer but he couldnt tell them everything, that would be a violation of procedure. He lowered his hands and planted them onto the table with open palms almost as if he was about to get up, but the muscles were relaxed and so was his expression. He didnt know how the Jounin knew that Gasu would crack under preasure, it was a healthy assumption that he would but Satoshi never even hinted toward that aspect, he seemed to know more than he should which worried Satoshi slightly, could it be an attempt to frame Satoshi for some groundless accusations that were meant to burry some dark secret the main branch are trying to cover up?

"Exactly as I said, he is a danger if he were to be captive, much more than any veteran shinobi who would know more than him, because as you said, he'll easily give out information with little effort to concele it. If I were to put it in words, he is a box of files of information that the only thing you need to do is to open it's lead to gain access to them, that is precisely what would be his worth in the event of his capture. The problem is that the information he posses is not goverment secret but it is tactical and can create an easy access to the village by enemy forces and to verious other links of information such as more informed operatives, leaving us vulnerable to an attack within our own streets."

He concluded, the thought of an academy student having that sort of information was scary at the very least and the event of his capture is more realistic than anything else as it seems from the direction of the investigation is taking them, or at least so it seemed to Satoshi himself. Then the younger boy took his turn as well, taking out a file containing by what was described to Satoshi a biopsy of Ryujin Gasu where he has sustained grim injuries that could end a shinobi's career. That was obviously not Satoshi's doing, yes he was injured badly during the exam, and yes he did lose his forearm, but he have seen many shinobi function properly even after that, several of his peers have had more severe injuries than that.

"I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with me? During my encounter with subject Ryujin Gasu he has sustained medium injuries, which means that the report you hold in your hand was something that happened after my incounter with Ryujin Gasu, if the reason for presenting this file in this line of questioning was to gain my insight on the matter, I'll need to see the file first to evaluate the source of the damage, from there we might be able to obtain more information of the suspected third party that might have captured the subject. If that is indeed the case talking to me now in this forum is a waist of time on your end, if anything you could request me to join your operation to find Ryujin Gasu's wereabouts so that we could make sure that our village is not in danger."

He spoke, his eyes were lingering for a moment onto the file, he needed to see what was presented in it to be able to shed some light on the matter.

 

[Tao]

[left unless stopped - due to inactivity]