Cool Story, Sis [Requesting Kitsune/Nobuyuki]

[Kogami Ayumu]

[Cont. from here.]

As the two Sennin, Main and ANBU, passed through the lobby of the Torre Celeste, Ayumu stopped briefly to speak to the receptionist. "Contact the hospital and let Shinrya-sama that the Sennin are coming to meet with her. Both of them," he instructed, glancing back at Nobuyuki. After receiving a nod from the receptionist, Ayumu set out and left the building. Normally, he would have dashed across the rooftops to reach his destination in the village. There was something thrilling about flying over the gaps between the buildings at high speeds for him even as long as he had been doing it. This time, however, there were a couple of reasons to take the streets like a normal, well-adjusted person. First, Nobuyuki was accompanying him and while he was more than capable of taking to the rooftops to travel Ayumu was probably one of the few shinobi that would travel in such a way casually. For most it was reserved for being in a hurry or for cases of emergency when they didn't have time to worry about people thinking they were crazy. The second reason is that they were going to meet the Medical Sennin on fairly short notice. She was likely as busy as either of them were, so it was better to give her time to wrap up any business she was attending to so she could meet them.

The trip to the hospital was pretty uneventful. Ayumu wasn't as talkative as he usually was, given that he was thinking about the coming conversation and questions to ask. He hadn't seen Kitsune since he had found out what she told to Akira and Junko. That was actually a little difficult to pull off given that Kahako lived with Kitsune. It definitely required some careful planning. Part of it had to do with how angry he was when he first found out. Fortunately, he had cooled down some since then and was more interesting in finding out the truth of what happened. After a short trip, the duo arrived at the hospital and entered through the main entrance before approaching the hospital receptionist. "The Sennin are here to meet... the Sennin," Ayumu said, realizing afterwards the slight absurdity of the phrasing of that sentence. Regardless, it should have gotten the point across and the message would have already come in from the Torre to expect them. Hopefully Kitsune had made time to meet them.

[Topic Entered w/ Nobuyuki... requesting Kitsune!]

 

[Morishige]

As soon as they had left, Nobuyuki too had things to do to prepare for the meeting that was about to be had. He messaged ahead to the Sileo for a squad to bring the recording equipment to the Aesculapium. After doing so, Nobuyuki simply followed the Main Branch sennin in silence. From time to time, Cho would speak up with a question or notification after getting a message on her headset, but for the most part he was left to sort out his thoughts on what he had learned so far.

The squad with the equipment was awaiting their sennin at the front doors. "Okage-sama, here is what you requested. Where would you like it set up?" they asked. Nobuyuki motioned for them to follow. "When we have found a spot, I will let you know. Just follow." he replied. They bowed quickly and readjusted their grips on the gear and followed him inside along with Cho.

Ayumu spoke to the receptionist for the small group. The receptionist responded with some directions. The meeting would be held in the office of the medical sennin.

An escort took the group to her office where she was waiting. She had been informed that they were on their way. With a knock the door was opened by the escort and the small group would enter.

Nobuyuki immediately took the opportunity to direct the ANBU with equipment to set up the video recording equipment and a microphone before any real talk began. He too placed a compact voice recorder on her desk and hit the 'record' button. He did all this amongst whatever talk or words were exchanged between Kitsune and Ayumu, and maybe even Cho.

The ANBU sennin turned to Ayumu and nodded his head. "I am ready to begin," he paused to turn the the masked ANBU who had delivered the equipment. "If you would wait outside the door, and don't let anyone inside while we speak to the Sennin. This is an official interview pertaining to my investigations."

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune had been in her office most of the day, and had been working on the samples that she received from Tomikan Taro. One of them in particular had been of great interest to her. It held a charge 150% more efficiently than the second most efficient lithium ion battery. But it wasn’t enough for Kitsune, so she was trying to see if she could make an alloy between that element and another that was known to be very chakra receptive. Come on. This has to work. She applied her fire chakra to the two elements, to heat them up and melt them together in the small stone form on the desk. If it worked, it’d become the core of a new type of battery.

Then it suddenly knocked on the door and she yelled ”Enter!” while cooling down the molten metal by literally drawing the heat out of it. Kitsune didn’t even bother to look up at who was entering, as she was far to engrossed in her work. ”Please have a seat, I’ll be with you in a second.” she said once she heard footsteps inside the office, as she proceeded to tip the newly formed central core out of the mold, and then mounted it inside a receptacle in a circular container. Surrounding the metal core were a densely wrapped circle of copper wire, and the container itself was made of the most heat-dissipating metal known to shinobi to prevent overheating while taxing the core.

She then looked up and saw both Nobuyuki and Ayumu in her office and blinked ”Oh right. My assistant told me you’d be showing up. Apologies for not shaking your hands, but science waits for no one.” she said in a polite tone, accompanied by a light sincere smile as she then charged the core with her chakra, pushing as much power into it as she could, only to see it eat it all up as it began to glow a bright icy blue while the measuring equipment set up on the table was telling Kitsune that it was holding steady and was outputting a power surplus, something that technically shouldn’t even be able to happen, but it was.

”Well now. I’ll be, it actually worked this time. It didn’t blow up, or burst into flames. I actually succeeded…” she said, surprised to see it working at all. She began clearing equipment to the side so she could better see the two men, but left the newly created chakra power core on the desk before sinking into her chair. ”So! From what I heard you say it’s about an investigation. Now putting two and two together brings me to the conclusion that both of you want to hear my witness account of what happened in the conference room when Hayata-sama was killed. Correct?” she asked the two men and glanced them both over. It was hard to get a read on either of them, but it was definitely hard to get a read on Nobuyuki, given his masked state.

[MFT; WC: 507]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The receptionist responded to Ayumu, explaining that the Medical Sennin would see them in her office. Ayumu nodded and waited as an escort came to meet them to take them to the office. Ayumu and Nobuyuki, along with the various ANBU Nobuyuki had brought along, followed the escort and reached the office quickly. The escort knocked and from within the familiar voice of Kitsune called for the group to enter. The door was open and the group entered together. Within, Kitsune practically had her head buried in her work, barely acknowledging their entrance. It was slightly rude, but the meeting had been called for on short notice. It couldn't be helped if she was wrapping something up at the moment. Besides that, it gave the ANBU Nobuyuki had brought time to set up their equipment. Kitsune invited those staying to take a seat, which Ayumu ignored for the moment. She continued her work until finally she looked up to see the Sennin awaiting her and apologized for not greeting them properly as science could not wait.

"Apparently," Ayumu commented as he leaned back against a wall and folded his arms. After a few more moments or minutes, she finished with her work. Whatever it was had succeeded without blowing up... this time. 'Oh good, how fortunate that we didn't get blown up or set on fire,' Ayumu thought, facepalming at the thought. With that, Kitsune sat down and made herself ready for the talk that the Sennin had come from. She had deduced why they had come, which wasn't that difficult to do. Ayumu looked to Nobuyuki who said he was ready and then instructed the ANBU to wait outside. Ayumu waited until the ANBU had cleared out and Nobuyuki had started his recording and then responded.

"That's correct. We're here to hear your testimony in regards to what occurred the day that Hayata Shin, Kaguya Daisuke, Raitoningu Eiji, and Isaki Hoshikata were murdered. As you can see, your testimony is being recorded as evidence. Please start from the beginning... and don't leave anything out. We need to know everyone's actions," Ayumu said, opening up the floor for her to begin recounting what happened. Ayumu looked to Nobuyuki briefly to see if he had anything he wanted to add before they began. For his own purposes, Ayumu had decided to record a snapshot of this interview so he could review it later at will.

 

[Morishige]

Nobuyuki returned the look to Ayumu and shook his head. Until she was finished, he would remain quiet, silently making a list of questions he would need answered based on her testimony. But until she was finished, he would wait. With Cho at his side, he expected her to be taking notes; she was ready with a pen in hand.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

”Very well then.” Kitsune said and looked at the two men. ”You’ll get the full story: I arrived a tad late for the meeting, which I had been invited to by Hayata-sama himself. I figured it was because I was second in command of the medical branch at the time. When I arrived, Isaki Hoshikata, Shima Haruka, Shima Ai, Suzaku Keiji, Kaguya Daisuke, Raitoningu Ejji, and Hayata Shin were already there. Apparently just prior to my showing up, Hayata-sama had said something which infuriated Isaki-san who went on a tirade about how he had done the village several services, and that he returned from his exile expecting entry into the village, and perhaps even acceptance into our shinobi corps. He then rather expertly deduced that you, Kogami Ayumu, had stepped down from your position as ANBU sennin seeing as you weren’t present, and that Tanaka Hikari also had personal issues as she wasn’t present either, but Haruka-chan was.”

Kitsune paused for a second to let those bits of information sink in, before continuing with the story: ” After that he went on about how he had been treated and how Hayata-sama apparently hadn’t been man enough to meet him at the gates, and finally snapped. Keiji-kun tried talking him down, and postponing their fight if not outright cancelling it. But, as we both know, that didn’t work as intended. Then Haruka-chan began speaking, and denounced the ideas that Hayata-sama had proposed just minutes prior, saying that if he went through with the plans, he wouldn’t be any better than the man Hoshikata once was.”

”She then said, that she didn’t desire to see her comrades of Kumogakure harmed, and that she only wanted the end of the reign of destruction that Hayata-sama would cause if he was allowed to continue with his proposed plans. She then directly said that if we stood down, we would not be harmed. Keep in mind, at the time we had reason to believe that Hoshikata had lied about letting go of his otherworldly powers and returning to being a regular shinobi again. I opted to stand down, as my vow to give my life for Hayata-sama had already been carried out, as can be seen in the graveyard, in the section dedicated to those that have given their life for the Raikage, seeing as I’ve got a grave, with headstone and all, right next to the one that was dug for Takaki Masao-san.”

Kitsune then pulled down the choker, so both of them could see the scar on her throat, where she had been stabbed by a fake Masao, which prompted her to either die doing nothing, or give her life saving not only Shin, but Ayumu, the Shogun, and the other delegates present at Tenouza as well. ”I received this scar, giving my life to protect Hayata-sama, as well as my fellow Kumo-nin and the Shogun, heck, even the Queen of Bear and the representatives from Marsh. Masao-san revived me with the Holy Grail of Tenouza. Only it didn’t work right away. So never got to know that his action actually worked.” she explained and then resumed telling the events of that fateful day in the conference room. ”Shima Ai, opted to follow Haruka-chan, and Daisuke-san opted to fight for Hayata-sama. He said that he had no wish to fight the Shimas or Hoshikata, and he didn’t even agree with Shin’s proposal, but he couldn’t accept that they’d just kill Hayata-sama. He went on to say that he wouldn’t blame me or Keiji-kun if we elected to fall back on this one, and gave his final orders as Medical Sennin. Which was to promote Keiji-kun to a Chief Mednin, and to underline that if he went, I would be the next Sennin.”

There was a long way to go in this story, but hey. They wanted to hear it, so they would get it all. With the council being behind bars, and the story already been told once, Kitsune didn’t fear council spies ending her life for talking. ”Keiji-kun and I remained on the defensive, protecting ourselves and being ready to avoid incoming attacks if necessary. He radioed his team of harvesters and told them to not interfere. Ejji-san looked like she was paralyzed with fear, really. Then again. A genin getting caught in the crossfire between titans like Hayata-sama and Hoshikata. Must’ve been horrible. Hayata-sama tried to apologize to Hoshikata, but he wouldn’t hear any of it. Hayata-sama then tried to get them to agree to let Ejji-san leave, but that too was shut down. Then the actual fight started. Ai shot Hayata-sama full of arrows, and Haruka-chan encased them in ice mirrors, while Hoshikata seemed to gather more power into himself. Long battle short, Ai ended up shooting Hayata-sama, Hoshikata, and Ejji-san full of arrows. It was mostly Hoshikata and Haruka-chan’s doing in regards to Daisuke-san’s demise. However, after that, Haruka-chan and Ai turned on Hoshikata and murdered him as viciously as Daisuke-san had been. Then they finished off both Hayata-sama and Ejji-san. Afterwards, Keiji-kun and I were asked to mask the wounds on the bodies. I intentionally used an acid to melt the flesh around the arrow wounds, and due to acid burns, I knew it’d be picked up upon in the autopsy. It was my attempt to make people realize that something was off about this whole thing, without actually saying anything. Fortunately Tsuyoshi-kun found out, and that’s led us to this point in time.”

”As for why I didn’t resist the orders to cover the events up, well…” Kitsune paused and rubbed her temples a bit. ”I mean. Those two had literally just taken down our Raikage himself, as well as an S+-rank danger in almost one go. Not doing as asked would be the same as asking them to go ahead and shoot me that very instant. She came up with a cover story for what had happened, and upon my finishing the rather sloppy, if I do say so myself, work on the corpses, I went to get the nearest council member to inform them of the events that had transpired. Keiji-kun spoke to his team members and informed them that they had heard nothing. After the councilors had seen what had transpired, we were detained and we were meant to give our statements. Classic isolation tactic, too. It turned out that Ai snapped, or got bored, or something along those lines, and told the council what had really happened.”

She leaned back in her chair and looked at Nobuyuki, and then at Ayumu. ”After the interrogation by the council, they covered it all up, and probably rigged the election. Y’know, to have a Raikage they had direct control over. Though I’ve got no proof of directly rigging it, I wouldn’t put it past them.” she said and sighed ”Is there anything else you’d like to be informed about?” she asked the two, looking at them.

[MFT; WC: 1160]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

It seemed Nobuyuki had nothing to say and wished to get to Kitsune's story immediately. Kitsune wasted no time beginning. She had clearly been expecting this as the story came quickly and easily. It started out as a simple meeting, but that meeting was with Hoshikata. He had always been a loose cannon and a threat. Any meeting with him should have been held with guards, truly. Shin had been too trusting of him and gave him too much leeway despite how clear it was that he had no respect for Kumogakure's leaders. Who could have guessed, though, that two of Shin's supposed allies would turn on him, though, and that two would stand by and watch as it happened? Ayumu couldn't blame him for not seeing that one coming. It came as no surprise to find that Isaki had instigated it all, irrationally expecting the village to forget all the wrong he had done and accept them as one of their own.

Apparently he had also quickly picked up on Ayumu's absence, a revelation that made Ayumu's stomach twist into a knot. 'Of course he did... I was there at the other meetings. Had I been there at this one at full strength... things would have played out differently,' Ayumu thought, his hands clenching into fists. Kitsune continued, recounting how Isaki had also been outraged about Shin hadn't met him at the gates the first time he had shown up. Ayumu could admit that Shin had, in Ayumu's view, handled the situation with Hoshikata a bit clumsily at times. Had he helped the village on a couple of occasions? Yes, Ayumu had himself been aided by Hoshikata in taking down a dangerous criminal who had killed civilians in cold blood. He had also kidnapped and brainwashed one of Kumogakure's shinobi. Doing good deeds wasn't going to erase all wrongdoings. Yet in his arrogance he felt that the village, and its Raikage, owed him something. In his arrogance, he felt that he had the right to kill the village's leader.

If anything was more disgusting to Ayumu, it was the way Haruka quickly jumped on board with the idea. She believed that Shin's leadership would lead the village to ruin. 'Yes, because murdering the village's leadership and then assuming the position for herself and then fleeing when it was revealed, leaving nobody to lead, was so much better for the village. Thanks for everything, Shima Haruka,' Ayumu thought, clenching his fists tighter though his face remained placid. More arrogance- she and Hoshikata really had been two peas in a pod from what Ayumu could see. That she would kill Shin was bad enough, but to murder the innocent people, one of them a child, that stood in his defense was the most despicable in Ayumu's eyes. Then there was those who took her up on the offer, Keiji and Kitsune.

Kitsune proceeded to rationalize why she had stood down. She believed Hoshikata's claims of godlike powers, apparently. Ayumu had fought alongside the man once. While he understood that he was a powerful shinobi, he also understood that he was just that. Regardless, what it came down to was that Kitsune and Keiji had stood aside because they feared for their lives and wouldn't risk dying to stand by the Raikage even though they were sworn to protect him. Kitsune explained that she felt her oath to protect the Raikage had already been fulfilled when she gave her life in his defense and healed her comrades including Ayumu in Tenouza. Ayumu could actually seem some logic in that line of thought, but there was something he still disagreed with. He decided to wait until the story was complete to say anything. Keiji apparently went so far as to radio his Harvesters and tell them not to interfere. Standing aside was one thing, but to order others not to help? That was even worse.

The fight proceeded from there and from the sounds of it was quite short. After all, it was three on two, not counting the Genin. This was assuming they were equals in battle which Ayumu knew they weren't. He didn't know about Daisuke, but he had seen Shin fight before. In his prime he might have been one of the finest shinobi, but perhaps his peaceful nature had caused him to lose his edge. Also having seen Hoshikata fight, Ayumu knew that Shin wouldn't have been a match. In the end, though, Hoshikata was made the greatest fool of all that day. Haruka, the one he thought was his paramour, turned on him and Ai followed her lead. That only served to prove that he wasn't the god that he was feared to be. At the end of the battle, Kitsune was asked to mask the wounds and make it seem like Haruka and Ai weren't the ones who killed Shin and Daisuke. If Kitsune was to be believed, she had intentionally done a sloppy job so that it would be revealed during the autopsy. It was true that it seemed more sloppy than what the now Medical Sennin should have been capable of.

In the end, Kitsune had remained silent and idle in order to save her own skin. As Saito said, the council had covered it all up knowing full well what happened and let the assassin herself become the next Raikage potentially even rigging the vote although there was no proof of that. With her story finished, Kitsune asked if there was anything else they had questions about. Ayumu took a moment and went back over the story quickly in his mind. There had been a few questions that had been raised in his mind during the story.

"I do have questions, but I'll start with two for now. Why is it that, despite having the radio available which Keiji used to tell his Harvesters not to help... neither of you used it to call for aid at the time? And if you felt that your duty was fulfilled when you gave your life in Tenouza, why did you come back and enlist again if you didn't intend to take on all the responsibilities, such as risking your life for its people, that accompany service to the village?" Ayumu asked, two questions at once leaving Kitsune to decide which to answer first. The first was a question of Kitsune's true intentions with standing by. There was obviously a radio present, yet orders had been issued not to help rather than any issued to lend assistance. Was there a part of Kitsune that agreed with Haruka's actions? The second question was about Kitsune's rationale for not risking her life for the Raikage. Ayumu could see why she might feel that she had fulfilled her oath by laying her life down for the Raikage once. There was some logic to that. But when she had come back and entered service again, was she not willingly putting herself under the oath once more? Otherwise, how could she be a shinobi of Kumogakure? Ayumu looked to Nobuyuki to see if he had any questions himself.

 

[Morishige]

Nobuyuki watched and listened to the story she had to tell.

He took issue with points of her story, but they were more of a personal problem that one of the law. No, he would focus on establishing a chronology of what had happened, and the actions of each individual so that he might compare it all against other evidence.

It was going smoothly until Kitsune said that her vow had been settled. A black leather glove on Nobuyuki's hand slowly protested as his hand became a fist. This woman was worse than he had originally assumed. For her to even say that just showed him the type of woman she truly was. An opportunist- a weasel- a weak willed, selfish, excuse making old woman.

It was a good thing that it was being recorded, for Nobuyuki missed her explanation of her grand heroic efforts in his silent rage. But he soon returned to the conversation, and listened to what needed to be said. As she continued, he realized the puzzle wasn't those who were there to discuss whatever Shin had to discuss -- their motives were clear--, but those who didn't belong.

The account of the fight was almost, unbelievable at first. From the sounds of things, it had been a one sided battle. But betrayal? It seemed convenient to Nobuyuki. How did just two people, one of which was a lowly chunnin, take down this god-man that Kitsune continued to hint at him to be.

She revealed that it was her plan all along for it to be discovered as foul play, a probable lie for a weasel like her to try and escape some kind of trouble. This prompted questions in Nobuyuki's mind. But it would be Ayumu to ask first.

His questions weren't much unlike his own in fact, but there were other things he needed to know. He would wait for Kitsune's answer to Ayumu's before asking his own.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

”That is indeed a good question, Kogami-kun. Honestly, I don’t know why Keiji didn’t use it to call for backup. I, myself, didn’t have access to a radio, so I was unable to do so.” she said, rubbing her temples again, but applying medical chakra as well, as this whole ordeal was giving her a headache. She then continued to answer Ayumus question ”Well, I never got the chance to actually renew the vows. See, I went to see Hayata-sama, and he did scold me for staying away for as long as I did, but never made me re-swear the oath. It could’ve been because as we talked, an earthquake shook the entire country.”

Kitsune remembered that day clearly. She had just returned home, seen Kahako be a shell of her former self, pale, with little marks all over her body… It wasn’t a pleasant sight, but Kitsune had fixed her right up, with a diluted version of the same mixture that gave Kitsune everlasting, bar getting murdered, life. She had then gone to see Daisuke and had been reinstated as a mednin, without any oath-swearing, and had been, almost immediately, made second in command of the branch, as if Daisuke knew something would happen to him. Then she went to see Shin, who was surprised, but glad to see her alive. He scolded her, and then the entire tower shook by virtue of the earthquake, and he sent Kitsune to investigate right away. No oath-swearing there either.

”I was then dispatched, by Hayata-sama himself, to investigate the cause of the earthquake, and as it turned out, it was the Titan Corporation, literally raising an entire island of earth into the air somehow making it fly. I tried investigating as much as I could, but without a way inside their ranks, I couldn’t get much information other than the fact that it was Titan behind it, and they were excavating a buttload of minerals from the ground below the floating island.” she said, furrowing her brow before looking to Nobuyuki. The man had clenched his fists, as if he was upset with things. Hopefully he wouldn’t be letting his emotions run wild, when he was supposed to be objective with the information he was given. If he couldn’t be objective, what possible way could he judge someone?

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Kitsune didn't need much time to think about Ayumu's questions after he had finished speaking. She addressed them in order, first responding to why she didn't call for help. By her account, she did not have a headset and therefore was unable to do so herself. Keiji, on the other hand, was in possession and yet used it not to call for help, but to keep potential help away. What was his reasoning? Did he have some kind of grudge against Shin, or did he simply agree with Haruka and the others that the Raikage was not good for the village? For all Ayumu truly knew, it was possible Keiji had done no such thing and Kitsune was lying right now to pin the blame on the now missing shinobi. All they had to go on thus far was her word, which was ironically hard to put any faith in if her story was true. Ayumu simply sighed as she went on to his next question.

He wondered why she would have bothered to return and become a shinobi once more when she wasn't willing to lay down her life anymore as being a shinobi entailed. What she replied with was technicalities. According to her, she had never renewed vows after she returned. The conversation that might have resulted in such was interrupted by an unexplained earthquake. This conveniently made it okay for Kitsune to pretend that she wasn't held to the same standards as other shinobi. Could she go on missions? Collect a paycheck? Lead a branch? Sure. But she hadn't technically resworn the oath, so she wasn't under the same silly obligations of loyalty as other shinobi. This excuse outraged Ayumu. It took everything he had not to spit out some venomous comment. He bit his tongue and closed his eyes for a moment as he took a deep calming breath, hoping that Nobuyuki would take the lead for a moment so he could collect himself.

Instead, Kitsune continued with her story, going off topic to speak of the earthquake she mentioned while Ayumu restrained himself from expressing any outward manifestations of his anger. She had discovered that the cause was the Titan Corporation raising an island into the sky. The Titan Corporation, a name Ayumu had heard several times by now. Apparently they had gotten into the mining business... and the floating island business, if that was an industry that existed. This was enough to briefly distract Ayumu from his anger as his thoughts turned for the moment to what Kitsune had just revealed. 'A flying island? What the hell?' Ayumu thought, trying to picture it. For all the advances shinobi had made, causing a landmass to fly had not yet been accomplished to his knowledge. That was certainly worth investigating, especially with the Titan name attached to it. He made a mental note to check into it more, but for now that was not why they were in Kitsune's office. Ayumu glanced at Nobuyuki, giving him the opportunity to speak first this time, if he wished.

 

[Morishige]

​

Her responses towards Ayumu's questions were... interesting-- almost baffling in fact. Nobuyuki began to wonder what exactly she told Saito, and if there had been differences in her story. Maybe he just needed to be affirmed before taking action and didn't ask these questions. But those were thoughts for another time. She then spoke of whatever quest Hayata had sent her on, and while the tale was definitely tall, it mattered not to the discussion at hand. The detail she went into also seemed like a diversionary tactic.

Ayumu indicated that he had nothing to add for the moment, and Nobuyuki took the opportunity to begin his own series of questions. "Listen well, and do not deviate from giving complete answers when I am finished."

"First, just quickly, are you saying that had you had a radio at the time, you would have risked your life by calling for help? The difference between you standing at Hayata Shin's side and watching him murdered was... a simple radio? Mayhaps you could have asked your comrade Keiji for his so you could make a call."

"Secondly, would you say that it is accurate to assume that you were somewhat motivated to remain at the sidelines along with Suzaku Keiji because you had just learned you would become the leader of the Medical Branch? Perhaps because you have worked in the medical branch for..." he leaned over to look at Cho's notes on her. "Four decades without any real promotion?"

"In fact, is it entirely possible that with your political gains given to you by the Shogun some time ago sparked some kind of ambition in you? Most people of your age grow content in their ways and think about retirement. To go so long without a promotion is, well unheard of. Most people would be outraged after putting in years of work like you had. Why the shift in lifestyle? Was this perhaps a chance for the old Shinrya clan to perhaps be great once again, like in the early days of our village?"

"Thirdly, you mentioned that you used acid to mask the wounds, knowing full well they would be uncovered later and thus revealing what had happened. A honorable idea, but something just doesn't seem right. If you had planned on revealing the wounds in such a way, why didn't you confess to the Council when you were first debriefed. You were isolated from the others and safe from any retaliation then. If your intentions were righteous, would you have not pleaded for mercy and told your confession then?"

"Last but not least, when you are teaching new mednin, do you tell them that they must help all people? Or to only help those who they have taken vows for? As a doctor, isn't there some kind of vow to aid all who are in need? As a decent human being, isn't it your duty to help stop innocents from being murdered right before your very eyes? At the very least, as some of the few people in this world blessed with the ability to use chakra, aren't we supposed to fight against evil with that power?"

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsunes right eye twitched slightly. Who the hell did this pompous asshat think he was? Not only was he talking to someone that had been in the business for decades, he was also talking to nobility. She decided to bite down her annoyance and instead, in a honey-sweet tone answer his questions. ”Well, Mask-kun. It’s not that simple. Three people, versus one doctor. It’s clear how that’d end up going. If I had moved from my position, they’d have jumped me as well. Then you wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, and you’d likely not know a thing about what went on.” she said, giving a slight smile before continuing.

”The fact that I was second in command of the branch at the time played no role in my decision to stand down. In fact, if it wasn’t because of Daisuke-san’s last words to me, I wouldn’t even be here. I probably wouldn’t even be affiliated with the branch. But he told me that I was in charge. And if I turned that down, I’d be dishonoring his memory. As for why I went four decades without any real promotion, that’s a simple one. I didn’t want one. Do you have any idea how much paperwork is involved in being a medical chief? And what would you know of people of my age, hm? There are dwindling few shinobi that reach this age, so how, στο όνομα του Raiden, would you know about that?”

The ANBU Sennin had now annoyed Kitsune, with his implications that she didn’t do anything simply because she’d earn a promotion from it. ”At that point, I didn’t know who I could trust. So I stayed quiet. You already know what the Council did to a whole bunch of ANBU. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have done the same with me, simply because I talked, hm?” she postulated.

”I teach them to use their common sense. If they’re dead they can’t heal anyone. If they’re alive, they can. But, yes, they’re meant to save innocents. They’re supposed to do their utmost to help people in need. HOWEVER. There’s no such thing as an innocent shinobi. No, it’s not an excuse for my inaction. It’s merely stating a fact. ‘Evil’ is highly subjective, and is truly a concept where the phrase ‘is in the eye of the beholder’ fits. No, I don’t condone the murder of Hayata-sama. No, I don’t feel they were justified in attacking him. And yes, I wish I could’ve done something. But at the time, I was still recovering from a harrowing ordeal. My ability to manipulate chakra was weakened, and I’ve been training ever since to gain strength. If you don’t believe me, so be it.”

She hit the desk with her clenched fist ”I’m here today, because two good men died, and one of them told me that I was the new leader of the branch. I’m here today, because he trusted me to carry on his legacy. I’m only here today, simply because I’d be dishonoring a friend’s memory.” she said with a quaky voice and fire in her eyes.

Με τη βροντή, ο μόνος λόγος που είμαι διασκέδαση ακόμη και η ιδέα ότι είναι κάπως λάθος μου που Hayata Shin και Kaguya Daisuke είναι νεκροί, είναι επειδή ήταν δύο καλοί άνθρωποι, και αξίζουν δικαιοσύνη. Αν αισθάνεστε την ανάγκη να με ρίξει κάτω, εδώ είμαι! she finished, the full fury of the language resonating within the office, commandingly melodic and at the same time full of furious thunder.

Spoiler

First bit of classic Kumo: “in the name of Raiden”
Second bit: “By thunder, the only reason I'm even entertaining the notion that it's somehow my fault that Hayata Shin and Kaguya Daisuke are dead, is because they were both good men, and they deserve justice. If you feel the need to strike me down, here I am!”

[MFT; WC: 589]

 

[Morishige]

Nobuyuki rolled his eyes behind his mask. "You've got to be kidding me." Was she really just toying with them at this point? Or did Daisuke leave the branch so someone that was truly this dense. Nobuyuki had lost faith the the fruitfulness of this conversation after hearing just her first response to his first question. His concerns would be addressed in his report, it was plain that she would not give a straight answer and instead provided more excuses.

Her next batch of information was interesting though. What did she mean she wouldn't have been affiliated with the branch if he didn't say anything? "Was she planning on quitting... or retiring?" Perhaps his speculation that she was unhappy with her position wasn't to far from the truth. Interestingly, she did admit to her own laziness in a way, and then ended up saying something that he couldn't understand in regards to her age. He paid that little mind. She was trying to discredit him because of his age when he was merely asserting a stereotype to see how she reacted.

Her attitude started to shift as she carried on in response. He words were not so sweet anymore. Her true colors were beginning to show. A small smile even found it's way onto Nobuyuki's face for a moment. But it quickly disappeared as she spoke. The law was not subjective when it came to evil. She could preach her ideals at them all day, but Nobuyuki would not budge to such logic. Then she began shouting in that language again, making it obvious her restraint had gone. Nobuyuki could only ignore whatever insult it likely was.

"Peh!" grunted Nobuyuki. "So be it. The only reason you are here today is because you stood by and did nothing while the true leader of this branch was slain. You call him a friend and did nothing to help. The only friend Daisuke had in that room was Shin. I have no further questions for you." he paused, looking to Ayumu. "Kogami-san? Anything else?"

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu gave the floor to Nobuyuki to ask questions if he wanted, and boy did Nobuyuki take the chance when it was given. Several questions came all at once in rapid fire. He expounded upon Ayumu's question, not willing to let go that all Kitsune really had to do was ask Keiji to make a call. Of course, there was no guarantee that Keiji would have agreed to do so. The Med-nin had the opportunity to call on his own, but instead he used the headset to send others away. Would Kitsune's suggestion to make a call for aid have really made any difference, or would it simply have painted her as another threat? This wasn't really the point for Ayumu, though. She should have been considered a threat because she should have stood in their defense.

Nobuyuki also wanted to know if Kitsune had any motivation not to intervene because she was assured the position of Medical Sennin if Daisuke died. To be truthful, Ayumu had also had a similar idea when he had first heard the story from Saito. It was an insulting question to ask of the Medical Sennin, but there was logic to the suspicion. People had killed before to advance their career. Kitsune didn't even need to do that. All she had to do was let someone else do it for her. Nobuyuki went on to some speculation that the life Kitsune had lived leading her to want power. So many years she had spent as a Med-nin without promotion, and then to be given power at last by the Shogun- did it spark a desire in her for more power? After all, even after being handed Sennin, ill-gotten gains in itself, she had run in the election for Raikage too even going so far as to run a campaign for herself in front of the voting booth. This theory of Nobuyuki's was interesting, but in the end it was speculation on her motive that couldn't really be proven.

Ayumu could already see Kitsune getting angry at the accusations, but Nobuyuki wasn't done yet. He questioned Kitsune's claim that she had purposefully botched the cover up so that the crime would eventually be uncovered. When she was out of immediate harm's way from the assassins themselves, she still chose not to speak about what happened. No, only once Saito had confronted her directly did she confess. And finally, one last question. Nobuyuki questioned what Kitsune was teaching the youth of her branch. Was she teaching them to be like she was? Would they do the same, in her position? Ayumu hoped not. The only pupil of hers that she knew was Kahako. Had she been in that office, Kahako would have aided her Raikage and Sennin or died trying, without question. Was that how she was taught, or was that just Kahako? Nobuyuki went on to make a point about the responsibility of having chakra and using it for good.

Ayumu couldn't help but be surprised at the ferocity with which Nobuyuki asked his questions. He actually seemed to be surprisingly passionate about justice and morality. In his heated questions, however, he had been pretty insulting whether or not he intended to be. It was no surprise that by the time he had finished speaking Kitsune was practically fuming. She responded to his first question with a sweet tone that had an obvious undertone of annoyance. She was once more insistent that if she had done anything at all, even call for help, she would have died. Once more it came down to Kitsune placing herself before her comrades, but that was no longer in question. It was clear to Ayumu what kind of person she was now. Maybe the person that had died defending her comrades in Tenouza never actually came back from it.

Her annoyance was even more obvious with her next answer, insisting that her imminent promotion to Sennin if she simply let Daisuke die had no influence over her decision to let it happen. If it was true that Daisuke decided Kitsune should replace him even knowing that she condemned him by staying her hand, Ayumu had no idea what the man had seen in her. She addressed why she had gone for so long without promotion, claiming that she had never sought it because it meant a lot of paperwork. It really had no bearing on the current situation in Ayumu's mind, but it said something about her. She also appeared to be insulted about Nobuyuki bringing up her age, even shifting into Classical Kumo in the heat of the moment. Ayumu had only gone so far as to learn the Vulgar Kumo variant of the language seeing no value in going further beyond purely academic interest. Still, he could make out the name of Kumogakure's god and given the context it wasn't difficult to imagine what she had said.

As for why she never said anything until Akira had confronted her, predictably it was because she feared for her life. That point had been beaten to death by now. At last, she addressed Nobuyuki's comments about what she was teaching her students. She then launched in to some bullshit (in Ayumu's opinion) speech about how there's no such thing as an innocent shinobi and how evil was subjective, as if it actually had anything to do with the topic at hand. Despite what she claimed, she was just trying to justify doing nothing. On the tail end of that, she claimed that her ability to manipulate chakra at the time had been weakened- one last excuse. Ayumu truly wasn't sure if he believed it. This had been the first time she'd even mentioned it, so for all he knew it was an invented excuse made up on the spot just now.

Suddenly, Kitsune slammed her fist down on the desk, the pain in her voice coming through as she spoke of the dead and how she was instructed to lead the branch by Daisuke. Ayumu sighed, shaking his head. Maybe she really did believe that she had done the right thing, but she was the only one that thought so. She concluded her answers by rolling into Classical Kumo once again, the fury evident in her voice but the words falling on deaf ears as nobody but her understood what she was saying. Ayumu's rough understand at best gave him an idea that she was talking about the death of Shin and Daisuke and then something about herself. Nobuyuki had clearly had enough. He flung one final insult at Kitsune, saying that she was only in the position of Sennin because she let her leader be slain. Even more insulting, he insinuated that she couldn't truly call herself Daisuke's friend when she had let him die without lifting a finger. Ayumu couldn't help but feel that was somewhat true. Nobuyuki looked to Ayumu, whom had been silent for some time, to see if he had any final questions.

"I believe I've heard enough. What it comes down to, Kitsune, is that you stood by and watched them die because you were afraid- by your own admission. You feel that you were not obligated to defend them because you never technically said aloud, upon your return, the vows that each shinobi in this village holds in their hearts. I disagree. If you want to call yourself a shinobi, those vows are inherent with the title and no technicality releases you from them. I'm not sure what I would call you now, but I struggle to see you as a shinobi of the village, much less a Sennin," Ayumu said calmly, lifting himself away from the wall he had been leaning on. He really had nothing more to say. He felt that he had a grasp on what had happened that day, which is what they had come for. He had also formed his opinions of Kitsune and was ready to advise on that matter, too. Ayumu began walking towards the door of the office and glanced at Nobuyuki.

"I think we're done here," he said to Nobuyuki before turning his gaze back to the door. From the sound of it, the ANBU Sennin was finished and had formed his opinions as well. It was hard to call the meeting productive, but they had heard what they had come to hear. There was nothing more to be said right now, in the presence of Kitsune. Ayumu opened the door of the office and proceeded to step out unless Nobuyuki had any reason for them to stay longer.

[TLUS if/when Nobuyuki leaves.]

 

[Morishige]

Nobuyuki nodded his head and looked to Cho. She began to disassemble the recording equipment.

Nobuyuki opened the door and ordered the crew that had brought the equipment to go gather it all up. It was a few awkward moments before the whole group was ready to depart. Nobuyuki grabbed his personal recorder and headed out the door behind everyone else. It was time to copy all the information and send it to Saito for his decision.

[Topic Left]