Irui after Dark (Flashback Mission)

Mission Name: Expose the Corrupt (Repeatable)
Mission Type: Investigation
Mission Rank: B
Mission Goal: Find and expose corrupt politicians or government officials.
Description: Brothels, Slavers, Drug Rings, Spreading Yakuza influence and instigator trying to stir up race wars against the marginalized members of society.

Many of these things even shoe horned in as legitimate missions. There is a slowly growing, and unnatural amount of corruption in Kumo lately.

It's your job to route out who you can and return Kumo to the nation it used to be.
Payment: 25,000
Requirements: Genin (With Chuunin+), or Chuunin+

Ryuko was waiting in standby in the office for a gennin she’d summoned to arrive.  Unlike when she’d been meeting with Mort this time she was dressed in what passed for her full battle gear while her new suit of armor was still under construction.

Wearing a set of chainmail over a gambeson, white gloves to protect her hands and a pair of white stockings under metal boots that make any kicks coming from her extra fierce.  For a weapons user her holster didn’t seem to have a lot on it.  A sword, two batons and a folded fuma shuriken but appearances could be deceiving as the pouch on her belt held several unseen shuriken and kunai as well.

With the red face paint she was currently sporting she looked like she was ready to head for war which was apprepo considering the god she was a priestess of.  She remembered speaking to the twins when she’d woken up and something they’d had to tell her at the time.   She had made them a promise that day and it was long since time to deliver.    If nothing else Ryuko strived to always be a woman of her word.

As an S-rank Jounin Ryuko had combat capability that went virtually unmatched in the village. There were few people in this country that were in the same league as her but this wasn’t a problem that could be solved so simply as punching or stabbing it.

Taking a seat on the desk and crossing her legs she waited patiently for Irui to arrive so that she could begin briefing him on the role she was hoping that he’d be able to play for her.  This was an optional mission as far as he would be concerned, not one she was going to force upon him so she hoped she’d chosen the right man for the job and that he’d agree once she explained things to him.

[1]

“Why did I buy these things? Because they looked cool?” Irui moaned, as he looked over the so-called “resonating echo speakers” now gracing his forearms. He wormed a finger into the holes, prodding around and grumbled. “These holey things are supposed to make soundwaves? What do I do, blow into it like a whistle?”

He sighed, and dropped his arms at his sides, muttering about his expenses. It was fortunate that the Mission Bureau had assigned him to another job-- he couldn’t live on instant-noodles forever.


Daylight has broken across the Hidden Cloud, pushing down the clouds, forming an expansive white sea that rolled through the lower elevations. For the moment, it appeared the entire city was truly suspended in the sky.

“What a nice day….” He murmured to himself, watching the rivers of cloud snake around the peaks.


Irui’s sandals clacked against stone as he wound his way up the stairs to the Administrative buildings of the Raikage. As the highest structure in the known world, it stood suspended in the air, extending from the sides of the mountain’s peak. Expansive glass and steel formed the skeleton of the building. He paused, craning his neck to get a better view of it, then turned and glanced at the many terraces of the Hidden Cloud, then carried on.

So much had changed in the preceding weeks that it was hard for him to keep up. He’d made an acquaintance, maybe found a friend, in Mort from the Kurama Clan, and begun regular training with Niko Kanuchi, another Jounin. He couldn’t help but smile lightly to himself. Maybe this Ryuko would be similar.

Eventually his path brought him to the Jounin Field Office, and he stood outside, patiently adjusting his traveling cloak and headband before stepping inside.

“I am here to see Ryuko-san?” He said to the Chuunin office clerk. “I was requested for a task-- I uhh, I’m sorry I don’t have a mission number, or a document but uhh..” He said as he began fishing through his pouches and things.

“Kid,” The twenty-something interjected, and pointed boredly to the open office along the far side. “She’s right there. I’ll pen you in.”

Ryuko cracked a grin even as she overheard what Irui was saying to her acting secretary. He must not have been used to being summoned if he thought he still needed specific documentation after being called before her. If there was that much bureaucracy involved with meeting with her or the Raikage all the time nothing would ever get done.

Hopefully he’d get used to being called upon quickly because if he did well on the task she had for him today this would be far from the last time she put him to use. When Mort had suggested to her the idea of holding exhibition matchs with the gennin she’d specifically started screening them for the most useful ones which was when she’d come across Irui’s file.

As far as gennin when he was exceptional which is why she had personally selected him for this mission. She believed that he had the right attitude and the right ability to carry out the task she needed of him and with the right mentorship there was a good chance he’d be able to go on to become one of the village’s shining stars. Hakkin knew she needed more talented subordinates like that.

“Irui-kun you may proceed to enter.” she said as she used a chakra string to remotely open the door for him without having to stand up. “My thanks for responding to my request for a meeting so quickly. I have an optional mission available that I’d like your assistance with.” she explained tapping the desk lightly.

Unlike some of her other meetings lately no food had been put out, at least not yet. Right now she was all business. It wasn’t every day that someone was given the choice if they wanted to take a mission or not. Most times those in the lower ranks did not have the right of refusal and could be ordered to take the job or risk the consequences.

“Once you hear the details you are free to agree to take the mission or decline at your discretion without receiving any demerits. All I ask is that if you do not wish to take up the task once I’ve explained what it entails is that you keep what you’ve heard confidential. Tis critical that we keep this information close to the vest.” said the priestess sternly as she offered the boy a set across from her.

“Several years ago a close associate of mine suffered at the hands of an illicit sex trafficking ring. I was under the impression that all those involved had been put down, but it’s been brought to my attention that the main perpetrator responsible is still at large.” That all sounded typical enough. Irui must have been wondering what an Elite Jounin such as herself needed someone like him as part of the operation to catch this villain.

“This scumbag…” she began refusing to acknowledge the man as anything but trash. “was able to escape justice because as a member of the nobility he is too powerful and well connected for most people to touch. I however as you might be aware am not most people. As a scion of the noble Rose clan and a Vestal of the Church of Hakkin I shall not abide such villarny to exist inside the country in which I reside.” Ryuko declared as she slid a picture of the man across the desk.

“This mission is not officially sanctioned and I shall take full responsibility for the fallout if there is any. Luckily we are in a position where there are very few people that could scold me for taking such action.” There was the Arch-Priest but now that she was the host of Rafaela she had become something of a living saint within the church when meant her level of authority now outstripped his.

There was Nariko but she knew the Raikage wouldn’t give a fig about her cleaning up refuse. The only problem would be if the Daimyo caught on and took offense. That was a rather large if though, all they had to do was simply make sure he never found out. They would make this noble disappear without any evidence to link back to her. Worst came to worst and he did find out it wouldn’t bit too big of a problem. Ryuko was a noble woman of high status herself and could use that as leverage to placite this country's lord.

“What I need from you Irui-kun is simple. I need someone to infiltrate the village’s most prosperous brothel and bring back information so that we can locate our target.” she explained with a straight face. It wasn’t everyday someone was being asked to go into that kind of place so she wondered what the boy’s reaction would be.

[2]

Irui smiled and nodded as he followed the Jounin commander’s invitation and slipped into the office. She sat upon the desk, garbed in battle clothing, ornate weapons and things that Irui couldn’t identify glimmered slightly. There was an air of confidence to her, a Jounin that had clawed her way to the top, and now held command over everything within her view. He didn’t miss the red face paint smeared across her cheeks, or the stark white gloves either.

He placed himself before her, hands folded behind his back as he stood quietly at attention while she spoke. The mission was indeed unusual; he'd soon learn: he could refuse to accept it or carry out its objectives. What’s more, she wanted the information guarded closely. His heart jumped, was this a classified mission?!

He felt a smile twitch at the edges of his lips. He couldn’t be too hasty, or too eager. Mora would have none of that from her flock.

“Several years ago a close associate of mine suffered at the hands of an illicit sex trafficing ring. '' Ryuko spoke, “I was under the impression that all those involved had been put down, but it’s been brought to my attention that the main perpetrator responsable is still at large.”

Ah Irui thought, there it was.

“--“was able to escape justice because as a member of the nobility he is too powerful and well connected for most people to touch.” She continued, her words heavy with anger. “I however as you might be aware am not most people. As a scion of the noble Rose clan and a Vestal of the Church of Hakkin I shall not abide such villarny to exist inside the country in which I reside--”



From one Church to another, Irui mused bitterly. She needed someone else to mop up for her mistakes, without staining that title. She wanted someone expendable-- someone not from her Clan.

His eyes moved to the photograph as she slid it across the desk. This Jounin, he’d already gathered, bore a prestigious title, and spoke of quashing the rising tide of criminal activity in the country. It made his skin itch, his teeth worked against one another as the reality of the mission set in.

Irui lifted his gaze from the photo, back to the woman, as she continued, and raised his eyebrows at what came next:

“What I need from you Irui-kun is simple. I need someone to infiltrate the village’s most prosperous brothel and bring back information so that we can locate our target.”

“Wh--?” Irui sputtered, his mouth agape. The mission had come out of left field. A brothel, and not just any brothel. “Y-you want me, a fifteen year old boy, to sneak into a brothel and-- an---” He clamped his mouth shut, folded his arms across his chest and stood quietly, composing himself.

“Commander, if I may ask,” He said, glancing at the photo. “Why me? Why was I selected for this mission?”

----
-R3-

As Ryuko explained a bit about what the mission was about she couldn’t miss the sour expression that crossed Irui’s face as if he’d bitten into something extremely bitter. It seemed to her that when she’d mentioned her clan and church his eyes had darkened. Did he think perhaps she had brought him on as a nothing but a sacrificial pawn? That she was the type of person to throw others under the wagon wheels as it were?

“Precisely.” she confirmed with a soft giggle to show she wasn’t offended by the younger boy’s outburst. He was pretty professional for his age but it would be hard for anyone to not give that type of reaction to such an outlandish request. She raised a hand showing him three gloved fingers which was the number of reasons she was about to rattle off.

“The first is because you have the right skill set and disposition for the job. There aren’t many gennin who are as talented with genjutsu as yourself and fewer still who would be able to keep a level head in such a distracting environment.” she said in full seriousness.

Most gennin were teenagers, even a simple tease of the prospect of seeing bare mammary glands was enough to get most of the man off task. She needed someone mature enough to not think with his lower half the moment he entered the establishment.

“The second is because of your age, gender and looks make you perfect for the role. The brothel in particular is a high class establishment for the elite with membership exclusive to men only. Needless to say the only way a female can enter is by selling their bodies and I can’t ask such a thing of my subordinates.” Ryuko said her nose wrinkled in disgust at the prospect.

If she sent some poor girl in just to get information that made her no better than the man she was trying to catch. She knew some Kunoichi were fine with such a thing but even so the thought of crossing that line filled the priestess with nothing but disgust. \


“Besides even if they did cater to ladies, as a woman of virtue there’s no way I could be seen near such a place under normal circumstances. Without a warrant I can’t raid them for the information even if I wanted to.” explained the priestess bitterly. Even someone of her stature still had her hands tied in the right circumstances.

“As a member of the prestigious Mikiri clan you qualify for membership. Though you are on the young side, your face gives you the appearance of a dashing rogue which means they won’t question things too much if walked straight in though the front door.” He was the handsome and charismatic type that looked like he was up to just the sort of mild trouble that was needed.

“Last but not least is because my squadmate Shimiko has spoken highly of you Irui-kun. That gives me the extra confidence that you can pull off a job like this. Succeed and we’ll see about putting you on the track to becoming an anbu.” she said offering him a carrot but not a stick.

There was actually a fourth hidden reason but she didn’t want to say it outloud. Revealing too much information might clue him to the identity of the person who had been victimized, something she intended to keep private as she didn’t think the twins would appreciate her airing out their dirty laundry.


“And just so we’re clear Irui-kun and so that there are no misunderstandings between us, you are NOT disposable. You may be a member of another religion but your life is still a precious jewel in my eyes and not something to be carelessly tossed away.” she said firmly.


“This isn’t a sucide mission. If you come into danger you don’t think you can handle your priority is to escape whether you have the information or not. We’ll track this bastard down eventually one way or another but I can’t replace a talented individual such as yourself if you’re lost.”


[3]

“Precisely. The first is because you have the right skill set and disposition for the job. There aren’t many gennin who are as talented with genjutsu as yourself and fewer still who would be able to keep a level head in such a distracting environment. “The second is because of your age, gender and looks make you perfect for the role. The brothel in particular is a high class establishment for the elite with membership exclusive to men only. Needless to say the only way a female can enter is by selling their bodies and I can’t ask such a thing of my subordinates.”

Uh huh. But you’ll send in your teenage boys…

Ryuko carried on in her deliberate, and stern debriefing, pausing to extrapolate on the reasons why she couldn’t just raid the establishment on her own. All the while, Irui’s expression slowly lost its luster, fading to marked stoicism. As he stood there, listening to the woman, he quietly ground his teeth trying to not let his thoughts show on his face.

This Jounin had missed her mark in the past. It had haunted her day and night, failing to take the man down. Perhaps, he wondered, it was why she’d turned to religion, devoted herself so deeply and climbed its ranks. She now sat on a desk, garbed in status symbols and war paint, agonizing over a situation that she had lost control over, and now--

“--As a member of the prestigious Mikiri clan you qualify for membership--.”

Wait what the--- what?!

Irui shook his head and blinked furiously. Did she just lay that on as icing for the proverbial cake? The Mikiri Clan, long regarded for its astonishing levels of secrecy, even to its own kin, had of all things, a membership with the most expensive brothel in the Hidden Cloud? There was a story here, someone somewhere in the Clan maybe-- yeah some old fart!-- had to have slipped up. The Mikiri weren’t the kind to make mistakes, and if they did, you never heard about them--

“--Last but not least is because my squadmate Shimiko has spoken highly of you Irui-kun. That gives me the extra confidence that you can pull off a job like this. Succeed and we’ll see about putting you on the track to becoming an anbu.”

WaIt--- wait--! A membership to a brothel at fifteen and a career track to ANBU?! This could be the mission of a lifetime, one that could open the door to pathways and help him carve out his path in the Kumogakure Military.. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Either this was all true, or this Jounin was very, very convincing.



He held up a hand after a moment, and paused to gather his thoughts. While he tried to suppress the smile on his face, he had to clear the air on a few details. He cleared his throat, before finally lowering his hand, and resumed his attentive posture.

“Commander, regarding the mission, I must be clear; I have chosen to not rely so heavily on genjutsu-- Its a training thing.” He returned, albeit a bit robotically. “As you’ve likely seen from the Exam reports, my performance was not deserving of this praise, although I appreciate it.” He trailed off, leaving the two of them with the hum of the office. His eyes flicked to the photograph on the desk.

“That said, if the Mikiri have a membership to this brothel, getting into it should be easy. Once I can locate his chakra signature, all that’s left is to find my way to him.” He murmured. “Speaking of his signature, do you have more identifying information on the target?”

---
-R4-

As the priestess explained things she got the feeling that Irui had the wrong idea about why she was running this unofficial mission in the first place. It wasn’t like she had been part of the original mission in which Shimiko had ended up rescuing the twins and taking them in. The only reason she had gotten involved was because of a personal request on the twins behalf.

The twins had implicated five people who had been involved in abusing her outside of her own step father who they’d brutally murdered. Ryuko had already arrested four of them and now only the biggest most troublesome fish to catch remained standing.

It didn’t matter if Irui misunderstood, heck it didn’t even matter if he liked her or not. At the end of the day as long as he got his job done and remained loyal to the village he was free to think whatever.

She was going to have to teach him how to have a better poker face. As things stood he was being far too easy to read. The expression on his face when she revealed his clan’s membership was so priceless that she would have snapped a picture and framed it if she could get away with it.

When she was with her friends the priestess would allow her expressions to flow freely but once she switched to business mode her face became very placid and she rarely showed any experisions except those she carefully selected. Her mask of professionalism wasn’t perfect but it didn’t slip easily either.

She gave the boy a minute to compose himself favoring him with a genial smile as he made his comments and questions. Instead of being cross at what he had to say she actually looked somewhat pleased.


“Tis good to see you diversifying your skill set. Becoming over reliant one one particular trump card can be dangerous. If all you had was genjutsu and ran into someone who found a way to neutralize illusions then you’d be in quite the pickle.” said the Priestess approvingly.

There was a reason she’d fought the way she had in the Jounin tournament. She wanted people to think she needed her weapons more than she actually did. If someone somehow managed to disarm her they might think that would give them an edge that didn’t actually exist giving her a chance to turn the fight around.


“And so what if you didn’t do so well in the exams. Not everyone can expect to pass on their first try. Is not the you of today already better than the you of then?” She asked firely in a deliberate attempt to raise his spirits.

“In some ways you’re already stronger than I was at the same age. Who knows how far you’ll get if you keep improving. That said you’ll never grow if you stop pushing your limits. I wouldn’t say that this will be an easy mission, but tis still one I believe you can pull off. I wouldn’t have bothered asking for you otherwise.”

“While you’re inside the building I will be outside scouting the perimeter. Do you have a way to signal me if things go south such as the flare gun technique?” she asked. The security on the building was tight but nothing she couldn’t get past if she absolutely had to, that was just a much more messy option then she would prefer to take. Sometimes it paid to be sneaky rather than use brute force.

“As for the target he’s the second cousin of the Daimyo, Yoshi Takamoon. He’s a large unattractive man known for his excessive over indulgence in many ways. He likes to eat the most lavish of foods while leaving his retainers with little more than crumbs. He was paying slave traders to traffic women for him but now that I’ve shut their operation down he’ll have no choice but to come here to feed his appetite.” said Ryuko, her voice openly dripping with scorn.

The man was so rotund that it was amazing that he could still move around at all. As a doctor it was a mystery to her how someone could put on so much weight and still be alive. She would have thought his heart would have given out ages ago but apparently he was more virulent than an elephant.

[4]

Irui smiled politely at her spirits-raising remark. The Hidden Cloud these days seemed to be full of them in an attempt to raise morale. He was starting to have a sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere in a psychology department was trying to make enthusiasm infectious. The amount of it though made his skin crawl.

“I do know the flare gun and fusee techniques. I can also perform amplification if needed,” He replied, gesturing a shimmering sphere of light into existence. It wavered in his palm as proof of skill before dissolving on the air.

“As for the target he’s the second cousin of the Daimyo, Yoshi Takamoon.” Ryuko continued, “He’s a large unattractive man known for his excessive over indulgence in many ways. He likes to eat the most lavish of foods while leaving his retainers with little more than crumbs. He was paying slave traders to traffic women for him but now that I’ve shut their operation down he’ll have no choice but to come here to feed his appetite.”

Irui folded his arms over his chest and looked at the photo once more. He would be hard to miss, literally and figuratively. The man looked like he could barely walk. If this man traded in human slaves, a thought crossed his mind. Could this operation be related to the drug cartel they’d destroyed in the southwest? At least a hundred or more people, many he’d noted from foreign lands, had worked there before Seid destroyed it. Despite the Hidden Cloud’s best efforts to root out crime, it still persisted throughout the Land of Lightning, and the more they tried to quash it, the hardier it became. Yoshi Takamoon was only the latest example.

“This will be the second mission I’ve undertaken involving a criminal syndicate in the Land of Lightning.” He said and smirked. “Maybe this will become my speciality.”

Irui grasped a sleeve and pulled it back, revealing the polished steel of a Resonating Speaker; an arm bracer modified into an acoustic weapon. “I purchased these to make my ninjutsu more subtle. I can use the Echo Drill once inside to subdue him without raising much of an alarm.” He lowered the sleeve, and reached to the Kumogakure headband around his neck, straightening it. “When do we get started, Ryuko-san?”

-R5-

Ryuko had no way to know how much she was creeping out Irui with her enthusiasm. If she did she’d probably wonder how he’d react if she told him she was the source of most the attempts to raise morale in the village. It was all part of her plan to get everything ready from behind the scenes for the upcoming transition. What she was doing now was just as much about getting justice for the twins as it was making sure there was one less corrupt political figure around to solly the new kingdom once it was born.

“Excellent. The fact that you were prepared speaks volumes of your capability.” said Ryuko excitedly more then a little pleased that she wasn’t going to have to waste time training him on what she considered to be some pretty basic jutsu just to get ready for the mission on hand.

They weren’t required to learn at the academy so it was to the boys credit that he’d taken the initiative to learn them on his own. If he was this capable now as just a gennin then she could look forward to what he’d become under Shimiko’s capable guidance. Hearing that he was considering hunting down the roots of corruption his specialty was like music to hear ears.

“Anbu lurk in the shadows to serve the light. Tis no fame nor glory to be won by becoming one and yet tis a most noble profession indeed. Even if the people may never acknowledge your efforts to keep them safe, know that I ever shall.” said Ryuko, speaking both poetically and sincerely.


“Oh, that’s a pretty cool weapon you’ve got there.” she said admiringly as she took a moment to inspect his echo speaker moving close that she could get a really good look at it. She’d seen Shimiko’s modified ones before but hadn’t really had a chance to study the standard version until now.

As weapons went they were a little unconventional but that made them all the more alluring as far as she was concerned. The standard market version was too weak for her purposes as a tank to soak up damage but that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested in getting a sturdier copy for herself. It never hurt to expand your options in battle.

As she was thinking about that she found herself almost face to face with Iuri at almost point blank range. Realizing that she had gotten a bit TOO worked up about his equipment she blushed and backed off feeling a bit awkward. She was usually super professional but every one and awhile she let her inner fangirl show.

“Yes let’s. After you then.” She replied. She was intending to let him lead the way to give him a little bit of experience on what it was like to run a mission, only taking over if it became necessary. Once they arrived at the brothel she was planning to bring out one of her summons to act as support for him inside the building. They could only be out for so long so it was best to wait until they were closer to their destination rather than wasting duration calling it out too early.

[5]

There was no getting around her enthusiasm-- the compliments, the words of reassurance, the adoration of the echo speakers. Once she started it came like a winter’s avalanche, as she pulled, prodded, and flipped over the resonating echo speakers on his arms. Irui smiled sheepishly, and laughed lightly as she beamed and fluttered about. Steadily she tempered herself.

“Yes let’s. After you then.” Ryuko finished, gesturing towards the door. Irui nodded, and together the two of them stepped out of the office and into the dark.

[Exit Post to brothel area, if needed]

--

The cold night air soon gave way to lights, raucous crowds and wild music as the two of them entered the Red Light district of the Hidden Cloud. As always, it was bustling with activity of the sordid variety at this hour. Clouds, pressing themselves close to the Village’s skyline had slicked the city with chilling rain, but it didn’t stop the revelers.

Irui exhaled sharply as they came upon the brothel, a garish, red-pink-and-gold thing emblazoned with flashing lights and lanterns. His eyes wandered to the signs proudly exclaiming “GIRLS!” and “DANCERS!”, and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach. What once had set his teenage brain on fire, suddenly made him queasy. He scowled as soon as he clapped his eyes on the clientele of the night-- rotund, greying, elderly men, far past their prime, and men with greased back hair, and a myriad of tattoos. Submerged in the thick crowd outside the venue, he kept his hood drawn, and watched the entrance alongside Ryuko.

A man in a dark kimono stood out front, his black hair pulled back into a ponytail, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He exchanged words with patrons, a scroll was flashed, and the client was ushered into the brothel, past another pair of observant men.

“Two at the door, one checking memberships.” Irui relayed plainly. “Man with a cigarette has tattoos of some kind see there--” He nodded as the man adjusted his sleeve, flashing a koi-fish tattoo. “--Seid Sensei and I encountered men with that tattoo in a drug-bust in the southwest. It can’t be a coincidence.” He watched the sleeve fall, and kept his dark eyes on the man, watching how he shifted back and forth, smiling and chatting lightly with others.

He couldn’t shake the image of the Koi-fish from his head. It brought back memories of Kodo Kai, a drug lord who’d possessed what Irui later learned was the Shikotsumyaku--the Dead Bone Pulse-- and had transformed from a frail old man, to someone who could fight on par with Seid. It had been a terrifying sight, with plates and spears of ivory forming a monstrous armor around the man. He swallowed hard, and hoped it wouldn’t be the same as then.

---
-R6-

Thankfully Irui didn’t make a big deal about the priestess getting all up in his personal space or making fun of her for fangirling over his weapon and they were soon on their way, the mission finally beginning in earnest. It wasn’t long before they entered the red light district, a section of town Ryuko never had cause to visit before.

It took an iron will for her not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the sights before her as she walked behind Irui pretending as if he’d hired her to be his bodyguard. Her gear as a battle priestess of Hakkin was on full display which would help the Mikiri seem like more of a big shot then he really was.

Several people who might have given the young man trouble for being in the wrong part of town took one look at the her and quickly gave the a wide berth allowed them to proceed unmolested from pickpockets though her presence did little to disuard random cat-calls from the various ladies of the night vying for the young man’s attention.

It was a den of filth and sin as far as the eye could see. If it were up to the Vestal she would raze the entire red light district to the ground and use the land to build something more productive for the country but she understood academically why that would be such a bad idea.

Being a ninja was something of a high stress occupation. The man under her command often were busy with their duty and training to stay in shape. It was hard to find the time for a steady relationship, harder still finding a partner that could accept the reality that their significant other might not return home from work on any given day. Without various ways for them to release stress they would grow unruly and harder to control.

The last thing she needed was for her forces to start raping and pilliging. Kiri still hadn’t lived down the time they’d done that to the Land of Demon’s even though that had been years ago at this point. The after effects of such dark actions tended to linger long long after they were taken.

As Irui pointed out the koi-fish tattoo Ryuko was mildly impressed by how assaute his observations were. That was a detail the average gennin would easily overlook in their eagerness to slip inside and complete the mission. If he could catch that then maybe he really was suited to working in intelligence.

“Niko and I also recently brought in a drug-lord wearing that same symbol. Somehow I doubt tis a mere fashion statement.” said Ryuko with a concerned frown. That drug lord had missing ninja in his employ but it was hard to imagine that they’d snuck some into the village proper. Still this little missions of hers might be more dangerous than she thought.

She been internally debating on if she should call one of her summons to help but this clinched it. There was no way in heck she could risk sending Irui in alone anymore. Holding out her left hand she began channing chakra into a ring that was hidden beneath her glove and a moment later a small turtle appeared before them in a bust of smoke.

He might not seem like much at only 4 inches long as he floated over almost as if he was swimming through the air and circled around Irui in order to inspect him but this turtle was still a summon and could come in hand in a pinch though it’s ability to reverse summon her. If nothing else it’s shell was tough enough that he could tank an attack or two for the boy.

“This is Mozo. He’ll be providing you support while you’re inside.” Explained Ryuko prompting the turtle to wave a flipper at Irui in greeting. “Nice ta meetcha kid. Looking forward to working together.” said the turtle gruffly.

The priestess was almost tempted to summon a few more but she didn’t want to come off as overprotective. One flying turtle sitting on your shoulder could be passed off as a pet but it’d be hard to explain an entire swarm of them.

[6]

Irui remained focused on the men out front, watching the handler speak to another customer. The guards were cycled out by a new pair, after the patron proceeded through the doors. As much as he tried, it was difficult to block out the noise and smells of the city night. Cigarettes and alcohol were more than abundant, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Ryuko remained at his side, stoic and commenting on the situation.

She shifted abruptly, and Irui turned to look down at her hand. There in her palm was a small, vaguely wet, turtle with bulbous eyes and a patterned shell. “This is Mozo.” She said, “He’ll be providing you support while you’re inside.”

The turtle offered a stiff greeting, and Irui smiled back, and clasped the turtle in both hands. Mozo wiggled between the two of them, and Irui briefly held the turtle in his arms, close to his chest, feeling his weight. He was a small creature for sure, but carried an unexpected heft to him. He looked down at the turtle, then back at Ryuko, then back again.

“You’re not going to like this,” He said flatly, and twisted around to open his weapons pouch. “But I’m keeping you back here, in case things go wrong and you need to make an exit.” Without another word or hesitation, he fitted the turtle into the pouch, then dexterously pulled out the scrolls and tags, and fitted them into spare pockets. He dropped his cloak over the pouch, concealing the turtle fully.

Irui half-turned back to the orange and red lights.

“I know his face and name….” He thought aloud, scanning the front of the building for more personnel. It was a straight forward objective-- find the target in the brothel, and don’t get caught. So why did this mission make him so nervous? He looked back to Ryuko, and pulled his hood forward, and stepped towards the brothel.

He slipped through the layers of the crowd, with his chakra signature suppressed. Immediately he would vanish from the senses of any lurking Sensory-Types in the area. As he moved, he untied the headband around his neck, and slipped it into his pants pocket. Irui stopped suddenly, and looked back to Ryuko, suddenly unsure of the situation. What should he say? How was he going to explain why a sixteen year old, a minor in most nations, was there as a customer? His eyes darted from the priestess to the crowd, bobbing from face to face hurriedly.

Irui crossed his hands together, and strung his fingers through a sequence of handseals. He squeezed his eyes shut. Fuck it.

Transform!

A puff of smoke enveloped him, not quite so subtle, but he’d hoped the evening revelry would cover the jutsu.

“Good evening sir!” a wrinkled old man, with a white beard exclaimed, approaching the bouncer. “I’m… Maro Mikiri!”

“M-Maro… Mikiri?” The bouncer repeated, pulling out a small clipboard. “I don’t recall seeing a Maro…”

“Yes, yes Maro. Great Uncle of Ishi Mikiri”

--
-R7-

Mozo didn’t seem too surprised when Irui snatched him out of the air. If anything the boys lack of reaction to seeing a flying turtle of all things was more startling then being handled. Just what had the young man seen in his comparatively short life to be so nonplussed at such a strange sight?


“Need an exit? Boy I’m a summon, I can go back home whenever I want.” The turtle complained gruffly as it was stuffed into the pouch. It’s main job was to reverse summon the master in this case Ryuko if they got into a pinch which he could do well enough from inside the container even if he would have preferred riding on the boy’s shoulder.

Ryuko for her part hesitated for a moment as Irui looked back at her. Should she offer him a parting word of advise or two? Ultimately she decided to hold her silence. He didn’t really seem to be responding to her enthusiasm so far so what good would it do trying to prep him up even more with more words about how he could do it or that she believed in him.

Ultimately this was his mission. Trying to helicopter over him wasn’t going to be doing Irui any favors. If she actually believed in him like she had said earlier then she was just going to have to trust in him to get the job done. It wasn’t a big issue if he made a mistake or two or even messed up the whole thing since from the beginning she could have easily done everything herself.

She hadn’t lied when she said it’s be problematic for her to enter a place like that but really that was only if she was caught. The security was good but at her level they weren’t anything she couldn’t sneak by if she really really wanted to. The only real reason she’d brought Irui along was because this was a good learning opportunity for him. The perfect type of mission for a wanna be spy to cut his teeth on.

Her lips curled up into a half smile as she watched Irui transform. Some would say not to try that. Obviously their security was good enough to see though such a basic disguise but it was precisely because they could see though it that made taking that extra step so brilliant.

“Hmmm. Still not seeing a Maro on the list but if you’re a Mikiri it won’t be a problem.” said the bouncer as he double checked the list and made a quick note on it. Adjusting a fancy silver monocle he had over his right eye he put a hand on Irui’s shoulder and began to lead him towards the door. Stopping only to quietly whisper something into the seemingly old man’s ears before allowing him into the building.


“No need for the henge kid. I know you must be nervous this being your first visit and all but we’re very discrete, and we don’t judge either. Welcome to Paradise, the most exclusive gentlemen’s club in all of the land of lightning” said the bouncer with a grin as he pushed the door open and held it for Irui.

Ironically, by playing up his nervousness and transforming Irui had actually made himself seem less suspicious to the guard who was used to seeing those kinds of antics from the club's younger clitental.

[7]

“Ahh--Ii-- Uhh--” He sputtered and fumbled while the Transformation fizzled out with a whirl of smoke . Irui’s head drooped and he muttered a bitter: “Shit.” There was no getting around this afterall without attaching his face to this mission. Nerves gave way to visible irritation, and with a limp “thanks”, he stepped around the Bouncer crossed the threshold of the Paradise brothel.

Promptly, he grabbed the sides of his hood and pulled it down, and focused far too long on the carpet and his shoes. The more and more he waded into the brothel, the more he wanted to extricate himself from it. His nose krinkled at the acrid cigar smoke tinged with alcohols and perfumes, ears buzzed with the music. He ground his teeth.

Irui found himself shaking his head. It dawned on him why he found this mission so vexxing. As uncomfortable, and strange as it might be, Mora had put him to task with far more morbid objectives he--

“Oh why hello young man,” A dark haired woman chirped, brushing his shoulder as he walked past.

“What?!” Irui squeaked. “I-- I-- I’m just looking, not err uhh ready to….” He pulled back his hood now and fidgeted. “I’m uhh just browsing?” He could feel his face redden the more he talked, heard his tone rise, and man was it hot in here?

She laughed lightly and winked, carrying on.

“Hey,” Irui whispered lifting up the flap of the pouch holding the turtle. , “Hey Mozo. Ryuko doesn’t want me to-- you know-- do the birds and bees with someone right?!”

--

-R8-

The turtle watched quietly as Irui released the transformation. All things considered it had been a pretty good attempt at keeping his real face from being seen by witnesses. If he’d known how to use the Perfect Copy technique it might have even worked but expecting a gennin to actually know that without actually bothering to teach them was simply unreasonable.

Mozo found the inside of the building to be just as unpleasant as the boy he was accompanying him did. For a place totated as a being a high class establishment you’d expect it to at least smell a bit better but as one might expect from a club exclusively for use by men the stench of cigarette smoke was almost overwhelming.

One of the workers a lady of the night made a pass at Irui which he awkwardly turned down. His face seemed so red that the Turtle thought it almost looked like a tomato. Part of him was worried about if Irui would pass out or not and the other part was impressed that he was acting exactly how Ryuko had predicted he might in this situation. Sending someone inexperienced was the right call since a smooth operator would have less reason to wander around instead of just hitting it up with the lady of his choice.

“That’s entirely up to you my boy.” Answered the Turtle with shrug. “In the past Ninja, especially Kunoichi have had to do all sorts of things to complete a mission up to and including using their bodies if you know what I mean…” The truth more often than not you’d find at least one woman in almost every brothel that was working undercover. People often let down their guard during the act of copulation and would say all sorts of things they wouldn’t usually talk about otherwise.


“My master doesn’t want to force anyone to do things they don’t want to if it can be helped. If you actually needed to sleep with someone to complete this mission would have informed you about that during the briefing.” he explained

“That said how you get your rocks off is none of my business. If you feel the burning need to to engage in cotius with one of these lovely ladies, I won’t tell my master if you don’t. It can stay a secret between us bros” He said with a shit eating grin on his face before holding his flipper up as if he was expecting a high five.

[8]

“I-- Ah--” Irui sputtered as he felt himself twisting with emotion. Hew clamped his mouth shut, and hastily shoved the turtle back into the bag, and did his best to ignore the looks of anyone passing by.

It-- Its this whole setup! He fumed silently,. The mission, the location-- why the fuck isn’t she doing this for herself? If she wants this guy so badly, and wants to make up for her past mistakes she should have the fortitude to do it herself! Irui felt his hands ball, and his being tighten. She wants a Genin to do this for her on the premise of experience so I can take the fall for her when things go south. This woman… He cast a glance back to the entryway of the brothel.

She isn’t a Jounin Commander. Irui settled, This Ryuko is a coward through and through, dressed in religion. She’s just like Mora only with polish. He could feel the anger rising inside him but did his best to temper it. He could feel the faintest trickle of electricity coiling at his fingertips. She’s no different than the Jashinists….

He turned back now to the bustling interior of the brothel, his mouth coated in a bitter taste, the sights and sounds of entertainment buzzing numbly. Ryuko didn’t want to get caught in a brothel to preserve her own image. She was a ranking officer of the Hidden Cloud, highly decorated, and clearly held high importance in her own religion. This was a proxy mission; he was to be her extension, and she would bail him out but only if it was necessary. In other words: If she had to choose between her reputation and his life. Clearly, Irui thought she'd chosen the former already by refusing to enter the building with him.

So that’s how it was going to be. Jashin or Hakkinm Criminal or Shinobi, they were all the same; everyone using someone for something.

Irui closed his eyes and dropped to the floor, fumbling one-handed with a strap, while the other hand pressed against the floor. Tentatively he reached out to the brothel with his Sensory talent. A loud chorus of chakras surged back, of all colors and wavelengths of the Land of Lightning. He pressed harder against the information, focusing now to filter out the noise-- the small civilian signatures. Steadily he worked his way through, while pretending to tie something, until his mind emptied itself, and his senses came to recognize a small handful of chakra signatures.

The largest was likely the target.

“Mozo, tell Ryuko I’ve located five signatures in the building. Two on the first floor…” His eyes popped open, and snapped to the two men swathed in blue kimonos nearest the fountain. “They look to be carrying weapons.” He whispered as he looked to the second and third floors, craning his head to peer to the balconies above wreathed in flowers. “The remaining are up there. Although it’s possible others are Suppressed.”

Irui stood, and snatched a drink off the nearest tray. He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose, but paced away with it, letting himself blend with the partygoers. Like a candle snuffed out, he suppressed his own chakra with a weave of a handsign,slipped and skirted his way through the throng of people, mindful ot the two men in blue. He swept his gaze over the lower floor, noting the various doors and corridors that led away from the main venue. Irui paused watching the movement of employees-- the waiters, girls, and bartenders moving about, which ones were moving where.

If there was a kitchen, there was a backdoor, and if there was a backdoor, they could avoid the interior of the building altogether, and Ryuko could join them along the outside of the structure.



-R9-

Mozo was a bit disappointed when instead of getting the high five he’d been expecting he was roughly shoved back into the bag. He sighed as he realized that perhaps he’d taken his teasing just a little too far. He honestly didn’t get why humans got embarrassed about engaging in reproductive acts, it was just nature not something to be ashamed about.

“I take it you won’t be sowing any wild oats then.” He muttered actually sounding a little crestfallen that his new found friend wasn’t taking the opportunity to get some experience in. The urge to mate was hardwired into people on a biological level. In a way it was impressive that Irui was resisting his baser instincts to focus on getting the job done.

If Ryuko had known about what Irui was thinking and about his misassumptions about her she doubtlessly would have a lot to say to him and set straight like how the fact this man had gotten away with his earlier crime was no failure of hers since she hadn’t been involved in the original mission where Shimiko had rescued the twins.

The fact that Irui was internally comparing her to Mora would have rankled her but even more so was that he felt like she was setting him up as a scapegoat. The idea she’d sent him in expecting him to fail was so absurd she would have laughed at the prospect. But alas she wasn’t with him and had no way to know how his thoughts towards her where skewing so negatively nor to correct them.

“And how do you expect me to tell her?” asked Mozo, curious to hear Irui’s answer. “It’s not like I have a radio to call her and I’m not telepathic either.” About the only thing he could do was fly over to her like a carrier pigeon to physically relay a message but if he left who would be watching Irui’s back in the meantime?

He could desummon himself before the time limit was up whenever he wanted returning to his homeland one one of the islands off to the coast of the lightning country but if he did that he had no way to get back to the brothel anytime soon. He couldn’t summon himself back here on his own and it’d take him Hakkin knew how long to fly over.

“Urg, Maybe I should have had you sign the contract if you wanted to use me like that.” Muttered Mozo. He was a low level summon so using him as a messenger by summoning him back and forth between two people to communicate wasn’t out of the question.

“Still only 5? That’s less than we expected. There shouldn’t be anyone here that can suppress their energy or have a reason to be doing so in the first place.” added the Turtle adding his own take on the situation. That wasn’t to say that their wasn’t any or that a guard wasn’t wearing something like an armband that artificially suppressed chakra but those types of items were rare and expensive enough that Mozo had his doubts about finding any here.

This was a high end gentlemen's club which meant that most of the people that could afford such a device would use it to have a good time with another woman instead unless they really had something to hide. Then again given the person they were after did indeed have a reason to be hiding maybe they should be wary just the same.

He was using his status as the second cousin of the Daimyo to cover himself from the law to an extent which was the main reason he wasn’t already behind bars at the moment but the target knew the protection from the law could only get him so far since he knew there were people out to get him for what he’d done. People who wanted revenge for his crimes and other mobsters looking for money after his drug and slave syndicate had fallen apart. The fact that he was still doing dirty deals at all and was in the process of trying to rebuild rather than getting out of the game while he had the chance spoke volumes about just how vile the man was.


--

Meanwhile Ryuko hadn’t lied about chasing the outside while Irui scouted the inside but she hadn’t exactly told him the entire truth either. Right now she had a shadow clone looking around the area near the kitchen sealthly trying to find any clues among the rubbish. It was filthy and it stank and was just a biohazard in general which was why she was using a clone to do it and not her actual body. She didn’t have much hope of finding anything but you’d be surprised what people threw out sometimes even if only by accident.

It didn’t have to be much. A discarded memo pad with the perps handwriting, A receipt for what he had bought while he was inside. Anything that could offer her a hint that could be used to trace him would be welcome.

The fact was that since it was a man’s club she couldn’t go through the front door without a warrant. She’d never have needed Irui’s assistance in the first place if she could obtain one of those but the Daiymo had blocked all official investigation into his second cousin on principal which meant she’d had to go off the books to get the job done.

But just because she couldn’t go in through the front door didn’t mean there weren’t other ways inside like the service entrance that they used for their courtesans She’d spoken on about how she couldn’t be seen entering the building and that hadn’t been a lie either so she’d just have to make sure that either she wasn’t seen or that she wasn’t recognized if she was.

As someone famous they’d recognize her in a hot second if she showed herself without a disguise. Irui’s infiltration had provided her some invaluable assistance in that matter showing her that the bouncers had a tool that could see through the transformation technique which meant she had to do things the old fashioned way as she slipped deeper into the bushes and began changing outfits.

She often played it off as if she couldn’t get changed without the help of her lady in waiting Sophie but that was all part of an act. If people thought you couldn’t do something they wouldn’t consider the possibility of you actually doing it. Nobody who knew Ryuko would ever imagine her wearing the type of classy yet highly revealing outfit she was putting on now. Then with just a touch of makeup, some contact lenses and some hair dye to hide her distinctive blue streak she could become unrecognizable.

Sauntering into the building like she owned the place and looking very much at the part she made her way into the party to link up with Irui. She hadn’t told her this was part of her plan from the start because it was on a need to know basis. Even now she checks blushed slightly crimson in shame from walking around dressed like some harlet.

“Oh my you look handsome.” she said in a husky voice from behind the boy to catch Irui’s attention. “Is this your first time here? Care to show a girl a good time?” she asked as she gave him a playful wink. She’d use the pretext of entertaining him as an excuse to get him away from the party and towards a private booth on the second floor as close to the vip area as they could manage.

What she needed from Irui the most right now was his sensory ability so that they could locate the target. Once then accomplished that she could distract the man while Irui snuck in his room to gather clues. While this was a mission that she could have accomplished on her own if she absolutely had to, having Irui around made things much more efficient. A fact that made her all the more grateful for his presence.

[9]