Angels Don't Die in Heaven [ToW Halloween Mystery Event]

There has been a murder in the Heavenly Emporium. Not just any murder, the murder of an Angel. Rini Nakamura, the newly recognized Lead Engineer of the Emporium's propulsion division, was killed at roughly eight o'clock on a Sunday. Rini had been living in a modest cabin on the outskirts of the floating island. Her workshop was a mess of formulae, visions, and knowledge far beyond human comprehension. The Chuunin's cunning genius posed a threat to many factions and during that fateful evening, someone decided to remove her from the chessboard. Rini's corpse was found undisturbed except a lone dagger embedded deep into her heart. Despite the crime scene being unspoiled, the Emporium's finest are still scratching their heads.

For an act of murder to occur during the festival is unthinkable and the powers that be have opted for it to be hushed up. SHIRA, the Shinobi Humanitarian International Regulatory Authority, have set up a perimeter and have begun the long and arduous task of picking apart the the crime scene. Shinobi in SHIRA windbreakers and black sunglasses surround the cabin, with experts in white coats looking for a single shred of evidence. Rini's body is being carried out of the cabin with a white sheet draped over her body. This ominous killing must be resolved. In order to preserve the integrity of the peace struck at the Kage Summit and to maintain the confidence of the small-folk, those in the know have adopted the slogan: Angels Don't Die in Heaven. A codeword meaning that the Emporium's reputation must be secured, the perpetrators must be brought to justice and the people shielded from the awful truth of the day's events. For if an Angel can die in heaven, then no soul is safe from the scourge of evil.


This murder mystery event will consist of five clues. Anyone may bring one of their characters into this thread and roleplay out the processing of gathering information. Some of the clues will require OOC knowledge and problem-solving skills. Once you think you've solved a clue, feel free to DM me with your proposed answer. If you are correct (or close enough) then you will be declared the solver of that clue and shall receive a reward. This murder mystery event will run for about a month (past Halloween) and shall act as the first mission in the War in Heaven Theater of War. You can, of course, free-style RP in this thread as well and all regular rules apply.



There are five clues that you can use to discover the mystery of how Rini Nakamura was killed. Each one will provide a glimpse into what the murderers have in store for the ninja world.

Clue No.1

Spoiler:

Clue No. 2

Spoiler:

Clue No. 3

Spoiler:

Clue No. 4

Spoiler:

Clue No. 5

Spoiler:

Takara took a moment at the edge of the perimeter and inhaled deeply, considering what she was about to walk into.  She had permission to enter this crime scene and use her considerable mind to try to solve at least a piece of the puzzle that was a substantial crime.  She had been able to solve the murder a week ago thanks to her mental prowess, and apparently, that was enough for her to be sought for this current situation.  Angels Never Die in Heaven?  That obviously was not the case, but then again, the individual in question was not exactly an angel either.  Just a brilliant human whom she had wanted to meet and debate with before, and that opportunity snatched away from her before she ever got the chance.  Oh, the intellectual insights that could have been uncovered were something she would mourn just as much as the person that contained them.

So naturally, when asked to help solve the puzzles, she accepted enthusiastically and without hesitation.

Calm now, she took another step forwards and talked with one of the SHIRA representatives, and soon found out one of the weirdest things was a math equation of some sort left behind, and that immediately piqued her interest.  Moving up to the actual room where Rini Nakamura did most of her studies and such, Takara took a moment and surveyed the entire room, noting anything and everything of interest into her nigh Eidetic memory and considering how best to go about the investigation on her end, and upon completion noted the formula that had been left behind.

6 is U times the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's Milk

Hmm… interesting.  Math was something that the water ninja enjoyed, and this one seemed to be more than a typical math equation.  She had been informed that it could easily mean nothing by the SHIRA agents, but she wasn’t so sure.  Each part had a part to play, but she needed to be as effective as possible here… and formed a single seal.  Two shadow clones came into existence around her, and she looked towards the books and scrolls available and nodded.  Both of them would begin to comb through anything made available, including any chalkboards and other things that were used to take notes, while the original turned towards a small one that was blank and wrote the exact phrase onto it.

Looking at it, she pondered it for a moment before writing what she concluded with only the first glance.

6 = U x R² / Mother's Milk

R2 was a statistical measure of fit that indicates how much variation of a dependent variable is explained by an independent variable in a regression model.  Regression was considered, in this instance, a statistical method typically used in finance, investing, and other disciplines that attempt to determine the strength and character of the relationship between one dependent variable, usually denoted by Y, and a series of other variables, known as independent variables.  Takara took a moment to comb through her mind on what she knew about that portion and recalled that Regression helped investment and financial managers to value assets and understand the relationships between variables, such as commodity prices and the stocks of businesses dealing in those commodities.

It was honestly the only thing that fit in that space… but what was the correlation?  She wrote out the equation in a few different ways to try to make sense of it.

6 / U = R² / Mother's Milk
6 x Mother’s Milk = U x R²


But what was Mother’s Milk?  By definition, of which there were two, it was either the process a mother underwent during reproduction to provide sustenance for a newborn, or was considered something ‘something regarded as absolutely necessary or appropriate’.  But that didn’t make sense… so she turned towards the Regression part of the equation again to try to solve that part, hoping her clones would find some sort of clue regarding ‘Mother’s Milk’.  “Focus on Mother’s Milk… it’s the part of this that doesn’t make sense.  Start with just reading the titles of books and scrolls, and if you find anything relevant, look deeper,” she told the clones, who only nodded.  That would speed things along considerably.

Regression… The two basic types of regression are simple linear regression and multiple linear regression, although she knew that non-linear regression methods were for more complicated data and analysis. Simple linear regression used one independent variable to explain or predict the outcome of the dependent variable Y, while multiple linear regression uses two or more independent variables to predict the outcome.  She might as well put them on the board since she knew them both.

Simple linear regression: Y = a + bX + u
Multiple linear regression: Y = a + b1X1 + b2X2 + b3X3 + ... + btXt + u

Standing back, she considered them for a moment, simply pondering while weaving the chalk between her fingers, her blue eyes unblinking as her mind went over possibilities.  Neither Simple nor Multiple Linear Regression made sense here… and the fact that there were too many variables made this problem, for the moment, unsolvable as far as she could tell.  As if to help, she jotted the additional portion in smaller wording to the right side.

Y = the variable that you are trying to predict (dependent variable).
X = the variable that you are using to predict Y (independent variable).
a = the intercept.
b = the slope.
u = the regression residual

Was she trying to use the formula to predict the amount of breast milk she was going to be able to produce if she became a mother?  But what about the other parts of the equation? Was ‘U’ shorthand for ‘you’?  There were simply too many parts of this that didn’t make sense, but she was going to see if she could solve it regardless.  It could be an encoded hint to the murder, and considering it was a single dagger to the heart, for all she knew, it could easily be something that made her predict that she would never be able to conceive a child, resulting in despair and suicide, the puzzles her parting gift to the world.  Standing there in her typical warm-weather outfit she stared at the board, looking for that missing puzzle piece.

[1]

Irui held back at the rear of the group, with his hood drawn and cracked panda mask concealing his face. He studied the people milling about, inspecting the clues left behind by the SHRA. A girl had been murdered, that much was known. The Heavenly Emporium's authorities had cordoned off much of the area, but allowed the shinobi in attendance to examine the evidence.

Strange... Irui thought as he scanned the available documents and clues. Someone had rewritten a phrase on a document. According to the investigators it had been carved into her rib cage. Rumors had already begun to circulate of an activation code for a superweapon.

Rashi Tehilim.... Where have I heard this phrase before? His eyes fixed on the words for a moment longer. Messier? Is that a phrase or a shoddy translation? He immediately recognized the final piece, the characters written in classic kishin. The first phrase, was certainly referenced somewhere in the Orthodoxy. An old, ancient phrase borrowed from a distant land, discarded in favor of a direct Kishin variation.

The book of psalms, Mora had read from it during mass. Rashi Tehilim isn't a phrase, its a title, but the title was borrowed and used by other religions in the continent. He threaded his fingers behind himself, as he treaded through memories. The Jashinists had just borrowed the title for their own texts, when attempting to organize and become more cohesive.

Ah.... A spark crossed his synapses-- a connection made. Those characters don't refer to an element. They refer to a basic formula. Fourteen or Twenty-eight point one. Its one of the major elements, and a prime component in ninshuu-- a catalyst for Earth Release. This phrase refers to a chapter, a reference.

Irui gently treaded forward, his guise passing for ANBU Black Ops in many nations until he came within a foot or two of the scene.  He knelt, as if inspecting the crime scene, and looked forward, fixing his gaze on Rini's body.

Rashi Telihim is no Mikiri Cipher, but its cute. All religions borrow from one another-- Psalms Fourteen or Twenty-Eight-One. 'The blasphemer looked upon Ikari and from his heart, said "There is no God". Otherwise, it refers to 'Of Ikari. To you, Jashin, I scream. My Rock, do not be deaf to me, lest You be silent to me, and I will be likened to those who descend into the Pit.' Both are equally.... Strange.

Messier.... He turned the word over in his head. Messier. Does it mean Messy-er, like dirtier? No thats too vague. Could it be.... He turned his gaze over his shoulder, looking to the rest of the crowd assembled. His dark eyes scoured their faces. The astronomer from the distant land?

He drew himself to full height, and turned away from the scene, slipping back the way he came. Irui wandered away from the crowd to collect and focus his thoughts, and made his way outside. A vast night sky stretched before him, pockmarked with constellations of stars. The faintest ribbon of light, the God's Road arced across it, banded with dark striations.  

Messier was an astronomer, who believed the sky was vaster and more complex than any of us know. He made one hundred ten feats-- for which he was burned at the stake by Ninja for his heresy.

All shinobi of Kumogakure knew his story well. Messier, a man from a distant land, came to the shores of Kishin, they called him a wanderer from a different timeline, brought to them by the "Discord", for his strange clothing, pasty skin and odd speech. Lost and confused, he preached about his One Hundred Ten Feats, hoping to woo the public. It ended terribly however, when on Feats 14 and Feat 28, Messier attempted to convince then reigning feudal lord, Nakamoto, that the stars and constellations were not in his grasp, but light-years away.

Nakamoto, naturally, saw this as an affront to his rule. The rest was history.

"Stars..." Irui murmured, and raised his finger to the sky, pointing in the direction of Messier 14; a patch of tightly bound stars. It formed a constellation, Ophiucus, the serpent-bearer. He trained his finger next on Messier's Feat 28; part of the constellation of Sagittarius. "There is no god. To you, Jashin, I scream. My Rock, do not be deaf to me, lest You be silent to me, and I will be likened to those who descend into the Pit."

Irui swallowed.

"There is no God...."  He repeated, and more synaptic charges fired. The constellations, according to the Hoki, referred to an old deity, Nergal, an ancient being of the underworld. This too, he knew from the Mikiri, an old story from before the founding of the villages and further back still. It had been passed along in oral tradition and writing, but now Nergal's place was only in children's stories.

He lowered his hand.

Was he overthinking it?

Nergal, the ancient war god and namesake of a weapon constructed on a distant star by the Otsutsuki? Opheucis the Serpent-Bearer?  It certainly had a nice ring to it afterall. Perhaps it was a warning, a message of something to come, or someone.

"Is it a quote?" Irui murmured, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good, Their God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." Irui recited slowly, "said by an Ophiucus? Is that the connection with Messier, and Silicon? Messier's feat 14 and Silicon being the 14th element?"

He turned his attention back towards the sky.

"I see."

[exit > Heavenly Emporium]

Clue 2 answer:

[1]

Diana had quickly made her way to the Heavenly Emporium as soon as she had received the news, having been told through the Crystal Network the gist of what had occurred by Titania. At least, she had been told the basics, she still had to take time to ask those working on the case more details. In her hand was a large cup of coffee, something she honestly had hoped to never drink again but knew she'd need it for the task at hand.

Walking over she saw a poor recreation of the burnt poster nearby the real one, and for a moment a smidge of frustration came across her face. The artist had tried, sure, but even she could tell at a glance that it had too much interpretation to it. "Who had the bright idea of trying to make a painted copy of what this poster was? I swear you bring in an artist when you need to have an artisan. There is a difference and I am tired of people mixing up squares and rectangles." They were here to solve a crime, not wax poetically over her death and immortalize it.

Creating two shadow clones she'd get to work. One clone would begin analyzing the work, the wall it had been hung upon, and the small traces that had been burnt and scattered across the area, her keen eyesight being able to spot the traces that were scattered better then most. The second clone would look at the work itself exclusively, trying to interpret what was missing and relaying it to the Main Diana, who had pulled out her sketchbook and chemistry tools to make a recreation of the poster.

Diana was no expert, her ability to create being more of a job to get through the days then a proper pursuit, but what she lacked in skill she made up from her prior years of traveling over Kishin. The poster she had before her wasn't exactly unknown to her, the designs matched several she had seen from various places, but just because the designs were similar didn't mean she had it in the bag. Even with her intellect, years of having worked with her hands for various means, and her ability to see small inconsistencies, it was a long process to recreate & restore. It did not need to be perfect, no, she was not Kara, but after several hours she had a working restoration, one that was likely close enough to the actual poster they could start working with it.

"There we go. I will not say that this is a perfect restoration, but this should be enough for us to find out why she had it in her room, and to see if it will truly help us in any way."

In the background Diana's two clones would begin making copies of the poster to whoever wanted to try and assist as she began studying her own restoration of the poster.

---

Assisting Clue 4, Diana has A Int & Chemistry Skill

185/185 CP
Shadow Clone Technique; Split CP

Main, Clone 1, Clone 2
61.6̅6̅/185 CP

The first one to arrive was Takara. The talented Kiri-Nin had been tapped for her mental acuity and her desire to take on difficult challenges. The kunochi's gumption was shown through her willingness to immediately start working on the most difficult clue. The detectives looked on in amazement as the girl tried to solve Rini's formula. Unfortunately, she was no closer to succeeding than they had been.

While Takara worked, a purple masked stranger swaggered onto the scene. He was correct that none of the SHIRA detectives happened to be sensing his chakra at that particular moment. Despite his paranoia, the expertise that he rendered was appreciated. After a few minutes of analysis, he cracked the third clue like an egg and informed the detectives of the truth of the matter. Rini had been host to an otherworldly entity that had witnessed the assault. The two were not strong enough to overcome the evil that took her and now they were mourning her passing. The Angel had watched the events that transpired and though they knew it all, he was not of a mind to give particulars. The reason for this was unknown but what was known was that this was no accident nor trick. Everything about this scenario was real. Rini had indeed been murdered and her killer was a person of considerable power and intellect. This information was disseminated to the SHIRA personnel as well as the contractors that had been brought on to assist.

Prof. Cuomo had been watching Renny's efforts and he found himself smirking. Whoever the purple masked genius was, his powers of analysis rivaled that of the astronomer's. Renny would thus find Cuomo to be quite receptive to his pitch. The talk about reviving Rini was pretty funny but nothing that Cuomo was interested in. He was beginning to suspect that this individual was neuro-divergent given the bizarre things he spoke of. There was no context or genuine attempt to persuade. It was just stating facts and postulations. The information that he provided regarding the Nature Clan and Sage Mode made him perk up though. Prof. Cuomo took out a small notepad and jotted down a few notes.

Now that's interesting...

The bit about him peeping on girls elicited a louder and more hearty laugh. Before he could reply to Renny's soliloquy, the purple man left. He didn't even try to bargain with the most critical piece of information that he had. He just gave it, cracked jokes and made himself scarce.

What an interesting fellow....

Now that Prof. Cuomo had the knowledge, he didn't feel obligated to exert himself. He had essentially been rewarded without having to do anything for it. In his younger years he'd have felt guilty and tried to render aid, but as old as he was and as much as he had been through, he saw no reason to be pressured into doing Renny's bidding. If the man had wanted him to work, then he should have made his knowledge contingent on Cuomo's assistance. Renny's failure in this regard was his own cross to bear. So Prof. Cuomo continued to post-up and grin derisively as Rini's "avengers" made themselves look busy.

Another masked shinobi arrived on the scene to help with the investigation. He sported a cracked panda mask and he used his personal experience with the Jashinist religion to begin solving the second clue. The lad's impressive deductive reasoning led him to a perfect solution. However, rather than speaking it aloud, he turned to leave. Curious.

It seemed the investigation was finally moving forward at breakneck speeds. The SHIRA detectives would have a lot of explaining to do. Their superiors would want to know why a random collection of talented nin had made more progress than a squad of decorated criminologists. Their situation grew worse as Diana Elena Moneta Korikane-Kotōshura arrived on the scene to restore the deceased's burnt poster. The Chemist derided Renny's failed attempt at restoration and set to work doing what he could not. Diana's work took some time and the detectives looked on anxiously as she meticulously reconstructed the art piece. Once she was done, they looked on in amazement at the stellar recreation:


It appeared to be nothing more than religious iconography. A rather unlikely choice for someone as sarcastic and secular as Rini Nakamura. Perhaps there was more to this piece than meets the eye?

Diana looked upon her recreation, the memory having revealed itself over time as she restored it. While the assumption that she had her memory back in full was dashed away with this painting, it was something she'd worry about later.

"An angel, no, several angels above with plentiful more angels falling."

Now that she had the full recreation, she recalled where she had seen the picture before, a man who went by the name Dore. She didn't know the man personally, but she had seen his artwork, the signature something she had seen a few times in the past. He had been commissioned by what was later found to be foreigners from another land to create the pieces, which were later adopted in by several cults of Jashinism. it was a shame the artwork had become linked to the cult, but that was how life worked.

She'd look to the other clues. Even if she couldn't reach an answer for them, they all had the same through line: Angels and gods. It was rather macabre given the deceased's nickname, but it was a point she could use to narrow her possibilities. At least, that is what she though at first. The more she tried to interpret it's meaning, the more confused she became. Her specialty came from understanding the physical world and interpreting a person's emotions into something constructive for them, but given the supposed intellect of the deceased, she wasn't sure if the mindset when this art was hung was for a simple reason, or a deep and complex one like the two other major clues.

"It does not line up. If we are the ones supposed to be cast out, who among us was the instigator that we followed? Or are we the ones who have cast the killer and their followers out?"

She thought back to the assumptions of those who had been trying to recreate the poster before her arrival. Diana herself was a supporter of the Revolutionary United Labor and several members of her staff were previously a part of the group, though ever since she had recovered she had to keep that opinion quiet. And once again it did not make sense, the revolutionaries were removed from the 'correct' group, so what was she missing?

"Whatever this is, she knew something was coming. I guess that I better hurry on my own mystery if I want to endure the coming storm."

She was about to dismiss her clones when she gave pause, looking to the first clue again and the girl trying to assist in solving it. She'd walk over to the Kiri nin and speak up.

"Forgive me if I am overstepping madam, but do you think that 'Mother's Milk' could be referring to the myth of the Goddess Kaguya and her two sons? When I look at it it feels less like a math problem and more like a word substitution."

---

Main, Clone 1, Clone 2
61.6̅6̅/185 CP

Takara had been staring at the puzzle while other people came and went her clones diligently searching through every scrap they could find for something... anything... that could possibly give any sort of clue.  Frustrated by her lack of progress, she decided it was time to change tactics.  "One of you go search any personal room she might have had.  Journals.  Diaries.  Anything of that nature that might lead us to understand her way of thinking.  She was a shinobi, and a blind one at that, so it might be in brail or something, so see if there is a book for the translation as well... we might as well learn that much."  A moment of inspiration hit her like a sock to the fact.  Hand-signs.  "While you are at it, a dictionary of hand signs.  Maybe the way you say 'Mother's Milk' might look like a number or something.  I am going to see if I can inquire higher."  The one clone she had been talking to nodded quietly and took off, already thinking of what either of them might discover through this revelation.  Because the information wasn't shared to the original until they dispersed, all three of them were seemingly trying to solve the clue separately.

The original Takara approached the famed Professor Cuomo quietly, waiting for him to have a moment between talking to various SHIRA agents before speaking up.  "Sir.  My name is Takara Kaiyo from Kirigakure, and I was wondering if you could provide me a bit of insight regarding this equation she left behind if you would be so kind?"  She combined the polite request with a bow of her head to defer to his position of authority, and if what she had heard about the man was true, he was even more intelligent than she was.  Perhaps the two minds working in tandem could come up with a viable solution.  It hurt her pride just a little bit that she wasn't able to solve it herself, but she was willing to swallow her pride for the chance at a deeper understanding of the woman who was killed.  She partially regretted not being able to inspect the body itself; her medical knowledge and training combined with possibly finding something in her pockets was an excellent place to have started the investigation, although she was also certain that the SHIRA agents would have done exactly that before moving her.


"Forgive me if I am overstepping madam, but do you think that 'Mother's Milk' could be referring to the myth of the Goddess Kaguya and her two sons? When I look at it it feels less like a math problem and more like a word substitution."

It was the clone that Diana was addressing, but it was still Takara all the same, who considered her words and nodded. "Possible, sure... but if we are to consider every mention of the like, it would be endless. That is the root of all shinobi, which could have some implication... I will consider it as a possible source. Thank you. Which aspect of the investigation are you working on? Perhaps I can help as well." Without waiting for a reply, because productivity was key, she stood and moved to the chalkboard and jotted the information down next to the equation to be considered by all three of them before turning back to face Diana.

[2]

"All the animals come out at night: Harlots, skunk rats, buggers, tramps, hoshikagurens, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. Thank the Hokage for the rain."

Suguru took a puff at a cigarette and let the smokey plume dance in front of his eyes. Alas, this was ruined by the fact that he was coughing like he had the plague, despite his best attempt to keep a cool and stoic face.

"Sir? This is a noodle stand. Are you actually going to buy anything else?" A very disturbed looking employee asked Suguru, as he stirred ramen. "You just bought a small cup of cola and have been rambling yourself for five minutes. You are scaring away the other customers."

"This city reeks of crime and I will get to the bottom of it." The genin replied, as he put on a very dirty pair of sunglasses and starting walking towards the sunset.

"Sir, you still have to pay for your drink."

"Oh sorry. Forgot." Suguru turned around quite sheepishly and redfaced as he searched around his pockets, fiddled with his wallet before he pulled out a few Ryo and laid them on the counter. "Again, really sorry."

"Thank you for your custom." The man behind the counter replied with a sigh, just on the verge of sarcasm yet hidden by his polite and professional tone, as Suguru once again walked off towards the sunset.

Unfortunately, the crime scene was in the opposite direction.

[1]

Prof. Cuomo was bragging to one of the detectives about how he had escaped from the clutches of Konoha ANBU during the infamous Battle of the Black Site. Of course, the SHIRA agents knew he was full of it but they wanted to humor him. If they pretended as though they were impressed then perhaps he might help them. Unfortunately, while Prof. Cuomo was enjoying the attention, he wasn't about to come down on his asking price for some middle aged beaucrats.

The perky young Kiri kunoichi that approached him, however, was a different matter. He turned away from the detectives and gave a sly grin as she asked for his help. Prof. Cuomo opened his mouth to say something lewd when he realized that he was being observed. As rich and influential as he was, it wouldn't do well to be as crass as he normally would be on his home turf. The professor shrugged.

"Depends sweetheart. What's in it for me?" He gave her a casual wink indicating he was open to "alternative" arrangements. The astronomer and chemical engineer was renown for his lust of young college-aged women. It was common knowledge that the best way to pass his class was to be a genius or be a sexy co-ed. He assumed Takara only had one thing to offer but in the event she had more, he'd take that too. For even his "performance enhancing" medication couldn't get in the way of his grindset.

The purple masked comedian returned and began blathering once more. He had apparently realized his mistake and had tried to correct it by insisting that he hadn't given Cuomo all he needed to complete his research. He was probably underestimating Cuomo but at his point, the Professor Emeritus did not care. The man was funny and his offer to capture Chel was tempting assuming it was appropriately verbalized. However, Cuomo only had eyes for the kunoichi at the moment.

While the academic fraternized with the genin, one of the detectives had stumbled onto a realization. He was a mathematician with a specialty in a fairly obscure branch of physical science, or at least obscure relative to the feudal population. He had been examining a copy of Rini's formula when he realized that one of the values could be better substituted for another. The "Mother's Milk" portion of the equation could likewise be further distilled. Unfortunately, he wasn't smart enough to progress past a certain point and while his incremental advance may be helpful to some, it could make the equation even more frustrating for others. He printed the revised equation and began passing it around.

6 = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's(1) Milk(2).

This was not the type of task that Yuichi was particularly good at. He was no detective, he didn't understand algebra, and he lacked common knowledge about politics and the Heavenly Emporium itself.

He hung around far from the others. He watched as they scrambled around looking for answers, and made his way around the crime scene. He scanned the ground under his feet. Yuichi liked to read a mystery comic about a blood sucking detective, and he imagined himself in their shoes.

A true detective wouldn't hang back or doubt themselves, so he crossed his arms and made his way to the center of the crime scene. Around this area he overheard some professor guy bragging about how he escaped the anbu. Yuichi wanted to call him out on it. This man did not look like a shinobi. Maybe he was smart... but to outrun the anbu? Yuichi experienced first hand what that was like, and this guy, called Cuomo by what appeared to be interns, didn't look nearly good enough for it.

Before Yuichi could speak up, though, he started to chat with a young woman, a Kiri genin, who seemed to prod him for information. He was clearly only interested in one thing. Yuichi would get nothing out of him.

Still, something bothered him about this man, and if Yuichi learned anything from the detective comics it was to trust his gut. He decided to stay near him and look busy, in case he overheard something he could use.

Soon enough, somebody brought him a formula, and said it was a revised form of the old one. Yuichi didn't even look at the old one, and the new one was gibberish to him. He thanked the person who gave it too him anyway, and went back to listening in on Prof. Cuomo

It took quite a while for Suguru to realize that the crime scene, despite how cool the act of walking into it, was not actually towards the sunset, but rather the opposite direction. He had wasted a lot of time and far more capable shinobi had shown up to the scene, which make there were fewer clues to go around.

Nobody actually told him that a crime had occurred, he just heard it from some guards while he was up in a tree, where he was bird watching a rather large pair of Paridae. A unique specimen, never seen the likes before, even in Konoha which boasted very beautiful types.

Thankfully a quick trip to a local costume store was all he needed to look just like that manga detective. Having slicked his long tangled hair into an oily ponytail, Suguru fit himself into a faded dark blue suit jacket and pants, a stained pinstriped white shirt, a bright red bowtie and snake skin shoes.

After his stop at the ramen shop, he felt energized enough to take on crime. He was not sure what crime was committed, except someone was dead. So probably murder.

It also didn't help that he wasn't sure where exactly it happened either, but it was rather easy to figure out the way once he spotted the trail of identical shinobi wearing clothes marked with SHIRA.

Probably meant something like 'Shinobi Handling Important Real Atrocities'.

Yea, that made sense.

They led him to a quarantined area around a cabin, where all kinds of men and women were snooping about.

"Crime. The stink is unmistakable." Suguru declared after he took a deep breath. Apparently, crime smelled like clean forest air, with a hint of raspberry and cigarette smoke.

The genin began making way towards the cabin, yet a hand was raised in his path.

"Nothing to see here, sir, only authorized-" a voice began, before Suguru cut it off, by presenting his headband.

Suguru had a whole monologue ready on how Konohagakure was the greatest village ever, and by extension so where it's shinobi and that meant they went where they please. Yet, thankfully, he had no chance to say it.

"Oh, the Hokage sent you? My bad." The SHIRA agent nodded.

"Yea, the Hokage sent me." Suguru responded with a lot of eyebrow wiggling behind his smudgy sunglasses.

"The Hokage Protects."

[2]

Takara listened to him, knowing all too well what he was hinting at, despite her actual inexperience. SHe had done extensive research on human biology, to include the psychological craving most people had towards the pleasures of the flesh, and while she certainly had hormones, hers were carefully controlled and kept under wraps. But there was something else that she had learned about the Professor that she could use as leverage, or so she hoped, and that was his pride.

"I will take that offer under consideration, but more so than that, aren't you in the least bit interested in solving the unsolvable? I lack the experience, and your assistance could be enlightening for the future." That was about the time, out of her peripheral vision, she noted that there was a new edition of the clue being passed around, and she quickly read and memorized it. "Or perhaps this SHIRA agent is more deserving of my company and attention, as they have already produced some results."

The implication was clear; she was drawn towards people who were productive and helpful. The hope was that he would take this as not only a challenge to his personal pride, but also as a contest for her attention. She didn't have any intentions, as of yet, to partake in any 'pleasures of the flesh' but that didn't mean he wouldn't see the slim chance and go for it. If he did, then great; she would get the help she needed to solve this truly unsolvable equation. She turned without a second thought and stopped by the SHIRA agent in question. "Can I ask your thought process for why you would substitute U for G, and what the parenthesis next to Mother's Milk is indicative of?" she asked quietly, gently pulling her towards the room where she was working on the equation. Who knew, maybe the physical contact with the agent would further entice the Professor.

As she returned, so did the clone she had sent off to get the necessary materials, any journals, notebooks, or anything else that appeared more personal in nature, a book on handsigns and braille, and a few scrolls that might help. That was when the original noticed Diana. "Another inquiring mind. Excellent. There is a new forumula, and this lovely SHIRA agent was just going to tell us how he came up with it." With that said, Takara Actual quickly began to write it on the board.

6 = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's(1) Milk(2)

"Now, even with these bits, the problem is still absolutely unsolvable Mathmatically, which means that once we understand our new friend's mentality as to the changes he made, perhaps we can see if there are any other intuitive substitutions." With that said, she presented the piece of chalk towards the agent, all the while keeping Cumuo in her peripheral vision to see if he would join them. One clone, while still paying attention, began to pour over the new information, starting with the Brail and Hand-Signs, quickly and quietly memorizing them and looking for another connection. The clone that had been addressing Diana guestured towards the original, asking that she help her, and then settled in to start scanning the journals to try to get into the head of the deceased before she perished.

Making a mental note to light an extra candle at the Hokage's shrine, he ventured further into the crime scene, ready to put his volumes of detective manga knowledge to the test and get himself lined up for an award from the Hokage.

Unlike the rest of these people, he didn't play by the rules. He was a renegade, a maverick, but the best on the force. Suguru reached into his pocket and took out a bent cigarette, put it on the crook of his mouth, and made to light it.

"HEY! This is a crime scene. You can't smoke here." A man in a SHIRA windbreaker raised a hand, confused by the actions of the genin. "We can't let you contaminate the scene. It's standard procedure. Didn't they teach you that at the Academy?"

"I'm too old for this shit." Suguru replied, dumping his cigarette in his pocket once more and walking away.

"What the fuck is the problem with this guy?" The SHIRA agent muttered as the genin walked off.

"Who even is he?" Another agent close by chimed in. "They really let anyone become a detective these days."

Far away from earshot, Suguru was strutting his way under taped zones and avoiding small yellow signs next to white chalk on the floor, full of purpose who nobody else seems to understand, mostly because it was not really existent for anyone but him.

He walked past a snakelike man in a long fur-lined coat and a purple mask. Rather unsettling, a chill in his bones telling him to avoid this create. Thankfully, something more important was in the room.

The dead body.

His line of work as a shinobi and reading volumes upon volumes of gory seinen manga had desensitized him to dead bodies.

He knelt down and dramatically removed his sunglasses.

"Damn, nice ti-" Suguru began after a long pause. "-mbered floor."

A detective looked at him suspiciously.

"It's hard to get wood of this quality all level, as you can see by the fact that the blood pooled, not slid away from the body." He added, which only confused the listener further. "And a lot of work too. Especially if this was done by hand and not chakra aided."

The SHIRA agent shrugged and continued with his work.

Suguru was a very ignorant, yet he was very well versed in cabin building thanks to the fact that he had worked as a construction worker amongst many, in his early teens before he became a shinobi.

[3]

Fed up and thoroughly confused by both the discussion the professor was having and the algebra equation he had no hope of solving, Yuichi gave up on assisting with the investigation and instead used the opportunity to scan the room and observe the shinobi detectives.

A konoha shinobi was crouched down near the body, smoking a cigar and obviously emulating a detective manga. Yuichi suddenly wanted a cigar to really get in character. The shinobi's face was somewhat familiar, judging from his demeanor he was a genin, so perhaps he graduated around the same time as Yuichi. The genin looked much stronger than Yuichi though. Sometimes looks can be deceiving, but he was certainly somebody to watch for. Something about him made Yuichi a bit uneasy. There was a certain darkness to him, buried just beneath the surface. Surly he was dangerous. Though, for a shinobi, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Yuichi would keep his distance for now.

There were shinobi from all over. Kiri, Iwa, Kumo, and several other nations all sent investigators. He wondered what each villiage was being payed to get the all so eager to send their best and brightest (and also Yuichi).

He also observed several unaffiliated, he assumed, detectives mulling about. One in particular, a man who approached Cuomo after Yuichi left him, looked particularly sophisticated. A man with long hair and painted nails. Yuichi was somewhat jealous of his appearance. He was tall and slender, at least a foot taller than he was. It was hard for Yuichi to tell. Everyone above five six looked huge to him. He was handsome, as well, something Yuichi was sure he was not. Most of all, he seemed like a person whose presence stood out. He could make a mark on people, have an impact on the world.

Yuichi simply kept his distance and thought about leaving the investigation site. He had no purpose here anyway.

Suguru, having narrowly avoided a gaff thanks to his quick thinking, set masticating his an unlit cigar, which had gotten him quite a lot of odd looks as he pondered the corpse in front of him.

But it did not matter, for the eccentric detective always was received poorly, until he solves the whole case with the same easy one breaks an egg to make an omelette. At least in the manga, which was the same as a textbook on how to do anything for the genin.

The girl was dressed. Unfortunate, yet a vital clue nonetheless.

Suguru's stroked his chin, as he processed the scene in front of him.

An idea surged in his mind.

He went to look up her skirt, yet she was wearing pants. Thankfully, his keen detective senses still got what he was looking for.

She was wearing underwear. This meant she was not killed soon before or after a bath.

What could be the meaning behind this?

Could the killer be one who wants to put a stop to bathing?

The question was; Why did they stop her from bathing?

What did they gain?

A ploy to save water?

No...

The neuron in Suguru's mind fired up.

"I need to see her water bill."

"What?" A nearby SHIRA detective asked with confusion.

"Let's just say, it might show some..." Suguru put on his glasses once more. "...dark tidings."

The speechless SHIRA agent decided it was the best course to go look for said bill.

Once he got the bill in his hands, it would be time to put this boat in the water, and see if it leaks.

[4]

Suguru stood around waiting, which was not part of the plan, since whenever the cool detective asked for evidence, it usually was handed instantly in the manga.

So, the genin put on what he called a "gazely gaze" and look in the distance, which was only a few meters and a wooden wall.

"Umm, Konoha Detective guy? She has no water bill. It's Rini Nakamura; she is proficient with all chakra natures." The SHIRA agent came back, with a perplexed look on his face. "She can just jutsu all the water she needs."

To a lesser detective, this might have closed the truth away, a dead end to the case.

Yet not this one.

Instead, it opened the flood gates.

Who would want to kill someone because they had no water bill?

Big water of course.

This was a message to all shinobi.

You either pay for water, or you pay in blood.

This woman was just the first on the list.

He had to put an end to this before someone else got killed.

Suguru put his dirty dark glasses once more, and his mouth twisted in a snark.

"Round up the heads of the Water Company." He finally replied as he removed them once again. "One of them has split blood."

Yet the SHIRA agent was gone, as nearly five minutes had past without Suguru saying anything as he thought and so the agent was now busying himself with more important stuff then to listen to this strange rambling buffoon.

[5]

Suguru awkwardly shuffled to the SHIRA agent, who was now reviewing some paperwork before it was filed.

"I said...round up the heads of the Water Company." Suguru began once more, theatrics included. "They spilt-"

"Oh it's you again." The SHIRA agent raised his head to face Suguru. "What do you want?"

Unable to bring himself to utter his one-liner once more, the genin decided to just cut to the chase this time.

"The case's closed. It's one of the heads of the water company." He explained simply.

"Oh, the heads of the water company?" The SHIRA agent seemed more bemused than anything else, as if entertaining the flight of fancy of a child than a serious murder accusation. "That is a serious charge. Do you have proof?"

Classic. They always ask for proof, even though it was right in front of them.

"Simple, dear Wetson." Suguru tapped the side of his nose knowingly. "The victim didn't pay the water bill because she didn't need it. The water company wanted to make a message out of her."

"An interesting theory. Just one problem." The SHIRA agent replied. "Rimi is an employee of the Heavenly Emporium. She gets water and housing for free. If she wanted, she could wash every hour of the day and it wouldn't cost her a single Ryo."

A break in the case, yet not in his favor.

Yet Suguru knew it was time to swim or sink, so he thought fast.

"Check her lungs. She was drowned; the signature execution style of Big Water."

[6]

(Apologies for the wait all but work has been killer. I'm loving a lot of the posts here and have decided to give some more hints along with a couple of extra rewards: (1) 100 EXP for everyone whose participated thus far and (2) a suggested reward for those presently in the thread who continue to post. We are also  extending this event for 5 more days to give you guys more time  to solve the riddles/convince Professor Cuomo.)

When Takara asked him if he felt an urge to solve the unknowable, he dithered his head back and forth as if he was undecided. "What I consider 'unsolvable' and what you do are two different things entirely sweetheart." He wasn't particularly impressed with this Rini or the clues that had been left for them. He was certain that given enough time and effort he could crack the case, but he would not do it for free or for a paltry sum. He had not gotten as rich as he had by giving out free labor. Unfortunately, Takara wasn't interested in giving him what he desired though. She instead attempted to make him jealous by flirting with the detective that had made progress on the first clue. Prof. Cuomo rolled his eyes as the attempt.

Did she think he was some hormone addled teenager?

He wasn't going to sacrifice his position for the off-chance of some biddie's affection. He'd leave her to her games and now turn to Renny who appeared to want to offer some tangible benefit for his assistance. The cryptic statements uttered by the masked man was Power Talk. He was referring to things and beings that were beyond the scope of mere mortal understanding. In this instance, the two were kindred souls and his plan intrigued the Professor. He didn't like chasing after others as it signaled weakness and submission, but the temptation that Renny offered was too good to pass up.

Before he could open his mouth to express his interest, Renny dropped papers detailing his Senjutsu research. Cuomo would aim to snatch them off the ground before either Diana or Takara saw them. This knowledge was to be his and his alone. He grunted in annoyance at having to stoop so low and he toyed with the idea of making Renny pay somehow. If he succeeded in scrambling all the information off the ground, he'd call out to Renny.

"You! Come here! Let's talk business"

The candy-sucking stranger was not neurotypical but he was intelligent. He was on Cuomo's level and that meant the impossible was possible. The stark mad raving pronouncements could be made reality if the two worked together. If Renny could provide a roadmap to such a collaboration then perhaps Prof. Cuomo might finally be motivated to lend his help.

While the Professor spoke with Renny, the other detectives continued their investigative work. The SHIRA operative that had refined the first clue looked up to see that a beautiful brown skinned kunoichi was asking him about his discovery. She inquired as to what prompted him to perform the substitution. The lad was on the younger side which put him at around the same age as Takara. He opened his mouth to speak and then quickly shut it. The savant was just that: a savant.  He had trouble relating to people at a social level and preferred the company of books. The numbers were his friend not this gorgeous kunoichi. He was the opposite of Prof. Cuomo in that he could not muster the confidence to flirt with her or even communicate with her. He couldn't even stutter out a reply and so instead he tried to talk with the chalk so to speak.

He accepted the chalk from Takara and then dropped it. He picked it up and then dropped it again. This action was repeated several times. It was a clue in of itself and it functioned as his attempt to explain the purpose of the equation. If this failed, he would turn red with embarrassment and shuffle away. He had made a fool of himself and could not even articulate why he had swapped out the U for a G. He would try to work on the problem on his own and without the distraction of his social ineptitude.

Fortunately, another detective had made a bit more progress. They realized that the structure of the equation was better expressed in an alternative way. This structure would be superior in form form that Takara had produced. He walked up to the chalkboard, drew the better version and then went back to consulting his father's treatise on cryptography.

6 = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's¹ Milk²

Meanwhile, some of the detectives were having a laugh at Suguru's efforts to crack the case. He was so far off base he was no longer on the playing field.

The purple masked vagabond repeated his offer. He lauded his sealing capabilities and insisted that his talents were top class. Cuomo wrinkled his nose at Renny's hubris. It offended him as he considered it a challenge to his own skill in the field. He could work past that though. The fact that Renny was aware of the Angel's presence validated his braggadocio. Prof. Cuomo was quite greedy and he had worked out Chel's existence not long after he had arrived. He wanted the Angel's power for himself but he was smart enough to know that he couldn't do it alone. Unfortunately, Renny appeared to acknowledge that a hostile capture was simply out of the question. They'd need the mystery creature's cooperation if they were to pull this off and Prof. Cuomo didn't think they were like to get it. Even if Renny had the talent, their target was simply too elusive. The offer had piqued Cuomo's interest but insofar as neither of them could even communicate with Chel, he wasn't sure that  trying was worth the effort.

The Senjutsu Papers were useful though. Even more important than the papers themselves was the fact that he had successfully deprived the others of that knowledge. At least for now. He tucked them away on his person and rolled his eyes when Renny offered to be his assistant. He wasn't sure if the gentleman was flirting with him or just being a spazz. Either way, he wouldn't entertain the notion. From a romantic perspective, Cuomo did not swing that way. From a platonic perspective, he worked best alone or with clear subordinates. He did not trust this man to act in an inferior role for long. They could perhaps collaborate as partners but if one overshadowed the other for too long, it'd end tragically. This man was also a trained shinobi which meant he had more firepower to bring to bear. Prof. Cuomo nodded sagely to  himself as he confirmed his own suspicions.

"No....I don't think you're the assistant-type." The Professor looked at the sky and then back at Renny. "What good are you to me if we both must rely on our little friend's cooperation? I'm not inclined to think that the tar will stick" Prof. Cuomo alluded to the reality that they both were aware of but did not elaborate further. "If your best pitch is to negotiate with something we can't see or speak to then this about to be a very short conversation"

Renny had earned his attention but he was failing to keep it. He had no plan just capabilities and wild speculation. This astronomer would not work under a "mayhaps" framework.

An astonished and thoroughly confused, Yuichi approached the scientist and those surrounding him hear the conversation a bit closer. He stood about a food behind an extremely tall man and sophisticated looking man man. He said even more things Yuichi did not understand in the slightest. Something about placing a seal on the dead angel. Apparently, he knew of a way to transfer natural chakra. Something about sage mode. Yuichi didn't know what either of these were.

After doing a quick check to make sure nobody was watching, he began to scan the area for hiding spots. If a unique, complex jutsu was going to be performed, Yuichi was going to be around to see it. He was willing to bet that the powers that be, Konoha, the Heavenly Emporium, and the man performing the jutsu would prefer that he did not see it.

He stopped upon reaching a realization. The strange guy talking to Cuomo about performing a jutsu was unaffiliated, or at least not wearing a headband. Was it possible he was a missing nin? Perhaps he learned his abilities from another source, a source Yuichi didn't know. Now he was curious, though. All the more reason to find a hiding spot.

He entered what seemed to be a bathroom, and he hid in a cabinet beneath the sink.