On Duty

Masuyo sat in the Hokage Office with two blank parchment scrolls before her. She had sent Konami and Toonami off to Tanzaku town where they were to operate while Konoha was on lock down. Until Akihiro could figure out what was going on with Lord Satomi the country remained on maximum security. Masuyo dressed in her standard gear choosing not to wear the common Hokage garb. Her footwear consisted of standard black sandals fitted for comfort and security. With the toes and heel left exposed they provided additional balance, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle was protected by the thick nylon material of the sandal. The soles of the sandals are reinforced with hardened material to resist heavy impacts and weathering. She wore a pair of loose fitting black pants with the bottoms near her ankles taped securely in white bandage wrap. This provided balance and reinforcement to her ankles while closing off the ends of her pants. In addition, more bandage wrap was wrapped around her right thigh which allowed a navy blue holster to be strapped over comfortably. Around her waist she wears the basic utility belt which carries two green holsters on her right side along with a tool pouch around her back side and a canteen to the far left.

A black mesh shirt is worn under a common long sleeve black top having a red seal of fire placed on the outsides of each sleeve towards the upper arm. Over that was a fitted green flak jacket provided by Konoha's armory. The jacket was zipped up and secure firmly on her body. On both of her hands were a pair of fingerless black leather gloves, each fitted with a steel plate on the backs for protection as well as a means to fortify backhanded strikes. Around her neck Masuyo wears her forehead protector as a collar. The black cloth is tied in a knot around the back side of her neck with the steel plate facing the front for identification. The steel plate has Konoha's emblem engraved on the front. Masuyo has straight black hair which extends down to her mid back. Two strands of hair drop down touching her chest which leads into her bangs, those being cut shorter and swept to the side. She stands at 5'9 weighing approximately 145 lbs. Her fair skin is complimented with her voluptuous form which is completed with a pair of hazel eyes.

One scroll was opened before her. Grabbing a brush and dredging it in an ink well she would draft two missions: one to be completed by Gin alone and the other by Gin and Konami. After finishing drafting the mail she would resume studying until the messenger Shinobi arrived. "Very good. Deliver these to Gin Akiyama. He should be at the Defense Corridor. Instruct him to leave at once." The messenger Chuunin would nod and turn to head off before he was interrupted by the Commander's voice. "Oh, and before you head off! Please let Gin know to relay to Konami that Toonami's foolishness would not be tolerated in these trying times. The only reason Toonami is even here is because she's apart of Konami. Any misbehavior or obstruction will be dealt with harshly. Gin can lead whatever squad of ANBU he chooses. You are dismissed.

A-rank:

B-rank:

Yui took a big sigh she had to talk to Masuyo about this as it was an important issue for her. The pressure from her clan to get an approved district was mounting, and between that and them wanting her to marry she could at least calm them with the district. She would make her way to the office with her telling the shinobi guarding who she was, most knew her well and knew she was also one of Masuyo students. They would let her inside as she made her way toward the door and gave a good knock, she would wait for a response from Masuyo before stepping in as the last thing she wanted was her to beat the crap out of her again. She knew Masuyo was stronger and better then she was currently and certainly would not want to make her angry.

"Masuyo this is Yui can I come in and talk, I am here on official clan business so it is very important."

Sachiko entered the building, entirely unfamiliar with it, as she rarely came to the administration offices. Walking towards the reception desk. "Um, excuse me? My name is Sachiko Yamada, Chuunin. Would it be possible for me to speak to Masuyo?" She asked uncomfortably.

Sachiko wore her chuunin outfit, with her headband tucked into her belt, having left most of her weaponry at home while she was in the village.

She didnt really know who else to talk to about her situation, as most other shinobi she knes didnt specialize in taijutsu, or mixed in ninjutsu with their styles, but Sachiko couldn't do that. Masuyo was from Iwagakure though, and knew other styles, and mght be able to give her some advice on how to further take her specialization of Taijutsu to another level.

The clerks at the front desk noted Yui's entrance not being too alarmed by her lack of protocol. The security in the building was tight enough to not worry about the little things like failure to request audience. Yui was a familiar face being Masuyo's student. She was one of a kind in build and attitude. A few graceful knocks on the door would alert Masuyo of a visitor.

"Come in, Yui. Have a seat." Masuyo said taking her eyes off her paperwork and giving her full attention to the blonde. "What is it you seek about Clan Business?" Masuyo already had a good guess with what Yui was going to request. Every clan had a sense of pride in them that they seek having their own district in whatever village they occupy. It allowed them to govern their own their own rules and have a homogeneous community. Masuyo recalled Kameko successfully having one for her candy clan before she passed. What good it done the village was beyond her besides cost them. Nonetheless she was willing to hear out Yui's request.


Meanwhile...

Back on the first floor Sachiko requested audience just a few minutes after Yui made her way inside. The same clerk looked up at the little girl dressed in her uniform. "Masuyo is currently speaking with another client. Feel free to have a seat in the lobby. You will be called up when you're ready." Sachiko would have to wait her turn to speak. The lady grabbed a pen and wrote on a clipboard a visitor's list adding Sachiko's name in the queue. It was in that moment she recognized a note she placed at the corner of her clipboard. "Oh, actually, before you sit down there is actually something Masuyo wanted you to do." Pulling the sticky note from the corner of the clipboard she'd set it on the desk for Sachiko to retrieve. "Masuyo wanted you to head down to this address here to pick up 'flak jacket inserts'? You could do that and by the time you return you should be up next. This note works as a voucher for those items, so don't lose it."

Yui would come inside and take a seat as she appeared nervous not something she usually showed. It was clear she was thinking of how to say what she wanted in a polite way, this was something she was not to good at as her personality was simply not that type. She was sure Masuyo knew what she wanted but she had to ask, and hope the village would fund it as she had nowhere near that cash to buy it herself.

"I am here to request a clan district for my clan, I feel we have proven our loyalty and worth to the village. With how our bloodline works it would be much easier to contain any bad apples if we had a district as we are best equipped to deal with our own bloodline. I also ask for some funding as there is little chance I could afford the district, I am also reporting my loss to Sachiko, she had a great plan and she showed me my greatest weakness which is a lack of nonlethal force. I am working to fix that issue by finally training my Doton and Raiton."

She waited for her reply, she was unsure if she would approve the clan district but she hoped she would, as she felt she had to keep a close eye on her clan. Many are upset she won't get married and the last thing she would want is a clan coup that causes massive damage to the village.

Yui's request spilled out as the young woman did not hold anything back. It was what she had expected. Leaning back in her chair she got comfortable for a possibly drawn out conversation. "A Clan District? Well, you and your clan have been loyal seeing as Konoha offered you a home with open arms after the collapse of Iwagakure a few years back. But 'worth' has yet to be shown. I'm assuming you are going to act as their Ambassador. What has the Kotoshura offered to this village since their arrival?" Masuyo would give Yui a brief moment to either retort or continue to hear her out. "A Clan District is a lot of money. Not to mention building the infrastructure to make it useful. If I were going to allow a clan district to be built it would have to benefit Konoha greatly to be worth the investment. What would this District offer Konoha aside from Shinobi?" She questioned, wondering if Yui knew something she didn't regarding her clan.

Just as she was about to turn and go sit down to wait, the clerk held her up, givimg her a voucher for some metal inserts to go pick up for her armor. More than a little suprised that she was getting more than just the flak jacket, Sachiko nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll be back in a few minutes. Hope nobody comes in and starts a new meeting."

-exit

Returning to the office after picking up her inserts, Sachiko went to the front desk to see if Masuyo was still in a meeting or not. She hadnt taken long to pick up her stuff, so it wasnt a surprise that someone was still speaking to Masuyo. For now, Sachiko figured she would just sit and wait until Masuyo was free, but it was so boring here.

Taking a seat, Sachiko closed her eyes and waited, counting each breath until she lost track and started over again. She was fairly good with the numbers, but the problem was agitation from doing nothing.

She knew Masuyo understood the power the clan had, they easily were the strongest clan in the village as far as power went. What else they could offer they had plenty, many of them used Fuuinjutsu and crafting, with the ability to create clay they could mold and form many items. Her clan were also well-known artist and entertainers using their bloodline at the lowest levels to put on firework like shows and dazzling people with what appeared to be magic.

"My clan is very artistic, along with that we have many crafters and those that can create weapons and armor in the clan. We have strong ability to create entertainment as well using our bloodline to put on firework type of shows and make things appear magical. You know of our power as we are easily the strongest and most powerful bloodline in the entire village. I am more than willing to host emissaries from other countries in our district for several reasons one to entertain and two with such strong bloodline in the area if they try anything funny we can easily deal with them."

She would wait to see what Masuyo would say or do, she also wondered what she would think of Yui losing to Sachiko, she knew her weaknesses and that was the lack of nonlethal or dangerous to herself force.

Masuyo tapped her digits against the arm rest of her chair as she listened to Yui. Masuyo was a bit curious to hear the Kotoshura had craftsmen. She certainly had not heard of them being renown for their crafts. Kameko's clan was, and it showed through her work. "Fireworks are an unimportant frivolity we can go without. Your clan is certainly powerful, but so are the Senju and the Uchiha. If we were to build special districts for every minority group in Konoha we would lose all of our funding. But you did mention the Kotoshura were capable of crafting, so I'll tell you what. Come back to me with one weapon and one piece of armor from the Kotoshura clan. I am very experienced with weaponry. If what you present to me is of superior quality as you claim your clan's craftsmen to be I will put in the request to have a Kotoshura Clan district built in return that we have some craftsmen act as our armorer. That is my proposition I offer you. Now, if you may, I have other visitors to attend to." Masuyo was a bit eager to try out the crafts Yui's clan was so profound with. If they were similar or superior to what Kameko produced she would be utterly surprised. Only time would tell. Masuyo waited for Yui to dismiss herself before resuming the piece of paperwork she had before her. She would work on it for the moment of peace she had before another knock was had at her door.

She listened to Masuyo and gave a bit of a glare, so despite their insane power and usefulness, she wanted her to craft armor from the clan. This felt insulting, how could her clan in Konoha craft anything without the district to actually craft it. That was when she remembered her clan had a district in Iwa, if she was allowed to travel there she was sure she could find someone to craft the armor she wanted.

"I understand but without a clan district in Konoha that is difficult to do, we do have one in Iwa if I am allowed to travel there I am sure I can acquire the armor. I know we are on lockdown currently but that will not remain forever if I am given permission to travel to my clan's district and homeland I can get this armor you desire."

She would wait for Masuyo answer, she was sure she would not decline her visiting her former homeland it was under Konoha control after all. If she refused this would only further piss Yui off, she had her patients time and time again, being stuck as a genin still despite having the firepower most Jounin could dream about.

Masuyo was sharp. Her perception was honed to pick up the slightest detailed being incredibly sensitive to the environment. She was easily able to pick up the small passing glare Yui gave in response to Masuyo's request. It was not hard to tell Yui was motivated by greed and pride. Any other clan would have been proud to present their crafts. She deduced Yui was lying. But this was the place to accuse her and frankly, she was running short on time. "Request denied. So you're telling me there is not one Kotoshura craftsman? One that, over the span of two years after settling in Konoha, has not resumed their practice? We are in lockdown, yes. But even if we weren't, you are still a Genin. You do not have permission to leave the gates on your own for personal luxuries. If the Kotoshura in Konoha can't provide me with any crafts they offer no services that privilege a Clan District. Head off now. I have other people to attend to."

Yui was clearly angry the look she gave Masuyo would say it all, the rudeness despite how strong her clan and herself were only made her realize Konoha would never accept them. They were the strongest bloodline no matter what others thought the sheer power and usefulness if war ever happened was beyond measure. Still, she did not have anyone inside the village to craft, could her clan in Iwa the chances were high, certainly it was not out of the realm of possibility, but she was not going to be allowed to show this.

"...You are the kage I can't argue with you but I will let you know the previous kage did approve of my clan district. Not following the agreement doesn't look good in my clans eyes. We will prove our worth, someday the village will realize what power we have."

She would simply leave but it was clear she was angry, but she was civil about everything, she certainly would want to hang out with Rin when he finally got back to the village. She would leave the office and head past Sachiko before stopping to say a few words to her.

"You did great on our battle and surprised me with your tactics, you should join me later for some food. I could use a friend in the village beside Rin, so let us meet up soon and hang out."

With that said she would leave and prepare to prove her clan worth, she would prove it and she would show how strong her clan was. No matter the cost she would show its power, the tide of war was close where her clan could truly shine.

=Exit Thread=

EXP:10X5=50

Masuyo kept a stolid expression as she watched Yui's emotions go wild. A mix of worry and reflection worked in her mind. She questioned if she was a bit too harsh with the blonde Kotoshura. After losing her brother, partner, and failing the Chuunin exams she figured Yui had a lot of disappointment to deal with. And if the pressure she was receiving from the clan was true she would be likely to snap. The Kotoshura were known to be insurgent bombers-- hired mercenaries to demolition a location or even an entire town. If one were to go unhinged it would prove disastrous for Konoha. There was some bitterness in Masuyo's mind seeing Yui's entitlement. You were always lax about your duties and proud of yourself and your clan, but think. Understand why your request is ludicrous and driven by your pride. Alas, Yui finally left the office and allowed Masuyo to resume some of her duties.

As Yui passed the lobby she would make her statement with Sachiko before leaving the administration building. The lady behind the desk took note of Yui's departure. Once she was out of the building she turned towards the little brown girl. "Sachiko, you are next. Feel free to visit her."

Masuyo pulled out a scroll from her desk and began drafting the details of a mission. In the short space of time between Yui's departure she was given some unfortunate news regarding Konoha's economy.

A little surprised that the person who had been talking to Masuyo was Yui, Sachiko was still unsure whether or not the blonde was mad at her for tearing her apart during their fight without giving her a chance to fight back. Sachiko knew that she herself would be incredibly frustrated if she couldnt do anything.

Instead of anger, she got respect though. Inviting her to hang out at some point and to potentially be friends. Smiling at Yui, Sachiko affirmed the statement. "Absolutely. Long as I am not on mission."

Once Yui left, the desk lady told Sachiko she was free to go in, being up next. Standing up, Sachiko made her way to Masuyo's office, knocking before she entered, and went in.

"Sorry if Im taking up your time, but I dont have many people I can ask for help." she began. "I was wondering if you knew anything that might help advance me as a kunoichi. It was such an honor to be promoted to Chuunin, something I never thought possible for someone who could only use taijutsu. The problem is that I dont know how to advance further unless I learn other fighting styles, and even then, I'm always going to be at a disadvantage unless I maintain peak form the entire time."

There was no point in dragging out what she was asking for , Sachiko found it easier to just come out and say what she was looking for. She wasnt much on pleasantries and wasting time. She wanted more fighting styles to learn from to give her an edge in combat and keep her viable as a ninja, and Masuyo was probably the only person innhe village she could ask and get anywhere with.

Izumi walked into the front part of the whole big building. She was glad there was a desk type lady sitting there in that room, because she was already super lost and had no idea where to go. She also had no idea who to talk to about the stuff she wanted to talk about. Maybe the desk lady would know!

"Um, hi, excuse me. Uh, I was hoping to speak to..." She said shyly and trailed off. Really, this was a super neat plan to get the desk lady to finish her sentence for her. That would tell her who to speak to. Probably. Actually it wasn't a very good plan but Izumi was lost!

In her brief moment of peace she was interrupted by another knock on the door. Thankfully she had finished the mission she drafted after hearing the news she had about Konoha's budget. She'd roll up the contents of the scroll and place a paper tag seal on it which was almost a jade green matching the rest of the scroll's trimming and had a black and bold 'B' on it clearly showing it was a B-ranked assignment. She would set that scroll aside reaching down to the foot of the desk where she grabbed a familiar bottle of bourbon. Today was a productive day and she had a weekend to look forward to. The door would open as Sachiko was greeted by the site of Masuyo pouring a bit of brown liquor into a lowball glass. She preferred it with ice during the warmer time of year, but an ice box just wasn't a luxury she would want to bother her staff with in her office for the seldom times she would drink at work.

Sachiko was straightforward as she spoke, probably not completely accustomed to basic formalities like greeting the person you planned to talk to. Sachiko had no time for 'Hey Masuyo' or "What's up." Her disregard for formalities made her likable in Masuyo's eyes. She was not much of a fan either and loathed any pretentious yuppie who took the lack of such meaningless formalities as offense. Before she could even open her mouth Sachiko followed through with her request. Masuyo leaned back in her chair and took a swig of her bourbon before putting both arms at rest. She'd let the liquor swish around on her tongue for a bit as it fell numb in return for a medley of butterscotch, corn, oak, and a hit of crisp green apple before swallowing it down.

"So you want something special to enhance your current progress. You have proven witty enough to take down Yui using non-lethal abilities. But as it seems you are quite limited in what you're capable of. Taijutsu is your most pronounce feature but nothing more. That is where I feel Yui may surpass you at some day. There is one ability I can grant you permission to learn. It is a Konoha Exclusive art, so understand what I'm doing is considered a very high privilege. You have proven your loyalty and worth in Konoha by representing us at the Chuunin Exams. However, the village is not your master. It is as much you as it is everyone who helps it function on a day-to-day basis. Since you have invested into its well-being it would only make sense for you to see the fruits of your labor." Masuyo rose the glass to her lips once more taking another sip and swallowing immediately after and not savoring the flavor this time. She'd set the glass on the table before turning to the east side of the room to Sachiko's right. "Kazumi," An ANBU would suddenly materialize out of thin air seemingly joining them in the room out of nowhere, "Please escort Sachiko to the Archive Library. Make sure she becomes familiar with the Eight Gates."

The ANBU would approach Sachiko by two steps after nodding to Masuyo and turned to face her. "Are you ready, Miss. Sachiko?" If Sachiko had no further requests or questions the ANBU would take the girl to the location specified. This would leave two of the remaining group of ANBU in her office who maintained vigilance and concealment as Kazumi once did.

Meanwhile...

Back at the lobby the secretary looked up from her log as Izumi entered. She was very coy and unable to complete her own thought. She stared at her for a moment waiting for Izumi to either sneeze and complete her sentence or finish what she was saying after her faux pas. But nothing. Nothing came out of her mouth. "Go on?" She said raising an eye brow. Frankly the government building contained plenty of offices for the administrative workers. It was practically the heart of the village. The woman would be unable to give any reasonable suggestions.

Kazumi Stuff:

The plan failed! Izumi started to sweat. She had to come up with something, but she didn't know who she needed to talk to. Ah! That's right! She could just ask the desk lady!

"Um, can I talk to the Hokage or maybe the Hokage's assistant? I want to ask about a special technique and maybe some special enchantments, but I don't really know who to ask about that kind of stuff." Izumi replied. She still sounded super shy.

Sachiko had asked, but she hadn't thought that she would get anywhere with her question anyhow. It came as a bit of a surprise when Masuyo agreed to let Sachiko learn some sort of technique known as the Eight Gates. She hadn't heard of them, but that wasn't a surprise, given that it was a Konoha secret technique, and Sachiko wasn't privy to a lot of knowledge on secret things. Still, Sachiko was pleased that there was something that could help her.

Following the ANBU that had appeared from seemingly nowhere, Sachiko bowed before she left. "Thank you very much Lady Masuyo."

She exited the office, and went to go learn what the gates were and how to activate them, and then would go to try and master that new technique somewhere if she could.

-Exit

OOC: Chronologically, this happens a whiiiiile after Izumi leaves the office. So there's no need for you to reply to this Izumi We'll enchant your stuff at Mockingbird's base.

Akihiro arrived at the Hokage Building in a hurry. This report was of extreme importance as it would allows Masuyo to take the village off lockdown status. That in itself was incredibly valuable because it allowed merchants and other travelers to get in the village and thus boost its economy. He entered the lobby at a fast pace and merely nodded at the poor employee who was by the desk and was sort of powerless to stop him. Of course, the lobby had guards but they recognized Akihiro as the head strategist of the village and he rarely ever hurried at such a pace. It was well known by these men that he went outside of the village walls to find the Hokage's body and the fact that Akihiro had appeared in such a rush merely left them wondering whether or not they'd get news soon.

Alas, he got inside the Hokage office where Masuyo was sitting behind a desk. "We found him." he would start by saying. "Well, his corpse. My plan worked, Sachiko's sense of smell was able to track him down. We found several other bodies in the area as well. Rin recovered Lord Satomi's corpse, it was in a...erm, poor condition. We'd be wise to send a team of men to collect the corpses in the area- there are secrets within these men's bodies which I wouldn't like to see revealed. We also found a stranger's body very close to Satomi's..." Akihiro made a small pause. He took off a small object from one of his cloak's pockets and placed it on the table.

"These were used as projectiles to kill most of the ANBU units accompanying the Hokage. It's a bone, human bone. I'm even confident it's Kaguya Bone. This means Kirigakure no Sato was most likely involved... We need to consider this information carefully." He stared at her, waiting for a reply. This was very delicate diplomatic issue.

The secretary looked at Izumi with a bit of confusion, unsure if she was serious or not. A Genin asking for exclusive technique was unheard of. Usually they don't get ballsy until Chuunin, or if they are bold enough to request something like an enchantment or exclusive technique they would lie to the desk lady to have a better chance at seeing the Hokage. Unfortunately, this girl was not savvy enough. "I'm sorry, but Lady Masuyo is very busy right now with the amount of traffic coming through the building right now. As much as she is eager to hear your request, please try again at some other time." The secretary was well rehearsed in Konoha's protocols. It helped her preemptively deny oddball requests, such as massive loans or rare items. Although the girl was innocent she requested goods that were a privilege to Jounin-level Shinobi. If Konoha were to fulfill her request there would be little drive to try and achieve Jounin status if what she sought could be earned with honeyed words.

A while later...

Akihiro entered the government building. The privilege of being an administrative worker was the privilege of passing through the lobby without going through the annoying check-in process. Akihiro had his own office in the building somewhere where he conducted most of his work unrelated to his organization. By the time Akihiro arrived she was done with her first glass of whisky and halfway through her second glass. The young boy barged into her office like little regards to any manners, though Masuyo was still very aware of his presence the moment he entered her floor in the building. The only thing that surprised her was his brash entry. The alcohol she consumed settled her nerves just enough to where she was not motivated to make any comment.

Satomi was not with them and she was not given any sign of his arrival the moment he entered the gates which told her the situation was as bad as she thought. Akihiro confirmed the man was dead, killed on his way through the Senju Forest. She gritted her back teeth in frustration and a bit of anxiety. Has our defenses become so lax that a Kage can be assassinated in the middle of our own countryside? She'd set the glass on the desk and shake her head in disappointment. But there was a silver lining in the news. Akihiro had mentioned a body unrelated to the others in the area. Following his findings he retrieve a small ivory bullet from his cloak and placed it on the desk. Masuyo reached for it and held it close to eye level. She'd remain in silence as she identified the bone shrapnel giving a brief second or two of silence after Akihiro finished. "Where is Satomi's body? Please tell me you at least retrieve that." She said before setting the bone on the desk next to her glass of whisky. "Satomi left Konoha in order to secure a buyout for the Land of Grass. He carried a scroll wiht approximately five million ryo stored within. Did you find that on him?"

Masuyo would consider responding to Akihiro if his answer was positive. If not she would need to send an immediate recon squad to retrieve the bodied and take them back to Konoha's hospital where they would be placed in the morgue for identification.

Akihiro took a small scroll from one of the many pockets located in the interior of his cloak and laid it on the table. "This should be it, I did not unseal the scroll to confirm that it contained the ryo because I did not think it was wise to do so back at the forest. But this scroll was indeed located near one of the bodies." Unsealing 5 million ryo in a forest which could still potentially harbor enemies was not a wise move in Akihiro's opinion so he decided to simply bring the scroll back. Of course there was a possibility that it was a trap, and that whatever laid inside the scroll could come out to harm them. But by examining the scroll Akihiro found no apparent problems with it, and whatever was inside it could now be unsealed in a controlled environment. The young Jonin assumed Masuyo would be able to take care of that.

"As for the bodies, Rin Uchiha sealed two of them inside a rather large scroll of his. They were in a very decomposed state, but we're positive that the two bodies he'll be dropping out at the morgue are Lord Satomi's corpse and the Kaguya's corpse. There are other corpses there which we did not retrieve. They belong to ANBU units. It would be wise to send medical squads to retrieve the bodies. " Akihiro's expression was serious. If the attacker really was a Kaguya this could mean a serious diplomatic issue with the most important ally Konohagakure had right now. "Also...I advise you to keep the bloodline of the attacker a secret for now. The Uchiha will want blood and while I can suppress their anger for a while, we should have some sort of assurance ready to give them, some sort of reparation. Lord Satomi was incredibly respected within the clan and his death will not be tolerated without payback." Akihiro paused for a moment. It pained him to admit this, but it was the truth and Masuyo had to be aware of it. "If the clan feels the village doesn't protect its interests, I cannot guarantee that some inner factions won't leave the village to seek vengeance or even start a rebellion. Our bloodline is ancient and proud, and what they did to Lord Satomi's eyes..... you can see for yourself if you examine the corpse. There's a high chance that they won't simply let that go." Akihiro paused. Pondered for a couple of seconds, and then corrected himself. "No, I can virtually guarantee some factions won't let it go."

Akihiro presented a small sealing scroll which potentially had the fortune Konoha had lost. Masuyo grabbed it and examined it with caution. As Akihiro stated it was very possible the enemy rigged it with traps. For all they knew there was more than one attacker. They could have made off with the money and replaced the seal with a rigged explosive. At surface value there were no notable flaws. She peeled back the seal, nonchalantly yet with extreme caution. The seal exposed itself a quarter of the way. It was a very generic seal and Masuyo identified its contents with little effort. She sighed with relief as she opened the scroll completely laying it on the desk. Placing her palm against the seal she'd undo its contents. A plume of smoke filled the room which naturally vanished. What laid on the desk over the unraveled scroll was money. Piles and piles of ryo bundled in one-thousand ryo increments. The smell of dirty money filled Masuyo's nostrils causing her to grimace blissfully. "Roughly five million ryo saved from that recovery. When the coroners get Rin's delivery there would be more saved, hopefully. But for now I am at least glad we retrieved the funds. Seeing as this scroll was untouched I can at least safely there was only one attacker who failed in their mission. But only time will tell."

Masuyo grabbed her whisky drink and drammed the rest of what remained. She didn't care for money, but the village's budget certain did. This allowed her more freedom to fortify their defenses and build infrastructure. While that problem was out of the way Masuyo still needed to address the elephant in the room. The Hokage was indeed assassinated. This meant that she was next in line for control. There also needed to be an investigation and a proper response to the situation. And, of course, there was were the Uchiha who had lost their clan leader. "The identity of the attacker will remain classified. There is no reason to release anything about them to the public. That will only brew hatred and cause more problems Konoha cannot properly control. I trust you are capable of controlling the Uchiha during these troubling times. Their pride and emotions need to remain in check during the investigation process. We can't allow a blind retaliation in this very fragile situation. Konoha and Kirigakure have an alliance and I intend to keep things that way. We just need time to investigate before we make an accusations. For all we know the attacker could have been an enemy of Kirigakure and a long-term rogue."

She'd begin to organize the money pile so it can be transferred more easily when the crew arrived. She knew there was a lot she had to speak for. Not only that but she had to throw a proper burial for the former Hokage. So much work and so little time. "On a side note, I trust you have developed the enchantments I have requested?"

The young Sparrow watched as Masuyo unsealed the ive million ryo right in front of him. It was a bit odd seeing that amount of money in sort of a single desk. It made Masuyo look more or less like a drug lord (or was she a drug lady?). That added to the whisky added to the image of a life-style which most could only dream of. Akihiro had a feeling that should any foreign diplomats enter this office right now this picture would cause a better impression than any other carefully picked words- a demonstration of strength and confidence. Alas, this money hadn't come from the selling of drugs but rather from a failed mission... but no one else had to know that.

He listened as she spoke about the money scroll and how relieved she was that the funds had been safely retrieved. The next issue was a tad bit more delicate however. Of course Akihiro had to agree, as he'd suggested earlier, that the identity of the attacker should not be released to the public. And that the alliance between Kirigakure no Sato and Konohagakure no Sato was also of the utmost importance not only to the village's economy but also to its military strength and overall security. Not that Konohagakure couldn't stand as a mighty opponent on its own, but Kirigakure's aid added safety in the mind of civilians and that in itself brought stability to the Fire Country. But if Masuyo believed that, even with Akihiro's influence, the Uchiha would remain still without news for very long, she was well mistaken.

Sparrow shook his head. "I can keep the Uchiha in check for a while, yes. But not indefinitely. The news of Lord Satomi's death will soon echo throughout the village and naturally throughout the Uchiha Clan as well. We cannot allow the Uchiha to know of his death by rumours. I shall inform them first and foremost, and we shall hold a closed casket funeral once the body is released for burial. But Masuyo..." he made a pause, to make sure he had her attention. "They will want some sort of reparation for this. And I cannot deny them that. Lord Satomi's sharingan progressed to a level we hadn't seen since the days of Uchiha Kazuya. And while he didn't have quite the same status within the Clan as the 1st Hokage, he was still massively respected and admired by all. I understand we need time to investigate, but there's not a lot of time left. Rogue or not, the Kaguya Clan is Kirigakure no Sato's responsability. I trust you will make sure they make reparations and compensate the village and the Uchiha Clan for what their rogue dog did. Kiri's hunter nins are not what they used to be..." Akihiro let out an audible sigh. He decided to go with the optimistic view that Kirigakure hadn't planned this attack. But the other possibility still haunted the back of his mind.

Then Masuyo made another question, to which he nodded. "Aye, the enchantments were fairly simple. Do you have the items?"

She organized the stacks of ryo as Akihiro spoke, reclining back in her chair as she grabbed the mostly empty whisky glass. There was a few drops left that she savored in a tilt licking her lips clean before setting it down on the desktop again. "I already told you. The identity of the attack is only between you and me. We need to approach this topic subtly. For now the people may know Satomi's death. I don't care if the Kaguya belong to Kirigakure. It'll be asinine and ignorant to make them responsible for a lone wolf attacker. We can't always pin the blame on someone, and I would be hesitant to point fingers at our only ally." Masuyo leaned forward in her chair and placed both elbows on the table speaking in a quieter tone, yet still very audible for those in the room to prevent the presence of any eavesdroppers. "I will send you the details of my plan when I develop one. For now we have plenty on our hands. Between preparing Satomi's funeral, letting the coroner investigate their deaths, lifting the lock down, and getting in contact with Kirigakure. If this person was an enemy of Kirigakure and a long time rogue there isn't much we can benefit from. But if there is any ambiguity to the whole situation we can hold Kirigakure responsible and demand reparation. But that is only if we can find what we're looking for."

Masuyo was expecting word back from Gin about the whole Iwagakure mission and studying the Twin's movements. In the meantime, Akihiro had successfully studied and developed the enchantments Masuyo was looking for. She'd slide off the titanium ring and necklace. They were rustic in design, being dark gray and very standard lacking polish or anything engravings to make it look pretty. She was not a huge jewelry fan, but they were items she could wear with her daily without them prohibiting movement. She'd set them them on the desk before her. "Come around to this end. They're ready to be imbued."