Arc 2 Chapter 7 Part 2- Age: 10.02, Year: 14.02

...

"So what's the mission for anyway?" I questioned Tobirama as we walked down the busy streets of Konoha's main road. Though main was an arbitrary term really- It was just the road that directly connected from the main gates to the Hokage tower.

"Escort." Tobirama idly answered me as his attention shifted from the approaching building towards the fuck trying and failing to hide his presence as he shadowed us.

"Escort?" I questioned with a frown. "What kind of A Rank mission is this exactly?"

Tobirama turned his attention from the former missing ninja towards me. "Political I imagine, the full details were promised only after the mission was formally accepted. The rank in of itself I imagine was more of a safety net on what to expect."

"Wonderful, so we have a noble with money to lose-" I let out a sigh and turned to a nearby roof. "Kakuzu, if you're going to do a sorry job at hiding, you might as well just get this over and done with."

Said ninja almost immediately appeared before me at that, causing Tobirama and I to take a pause in our way. The former's eyes narrowed slightly at the man warily handing me a piece of paper.

Taking it out of his hands, I gave it a glimpse over with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Those are the costs of-" He started up only to pause at my sudden snort.

"You're only stealing a percent for yourself?" I questioned and watched his eyes widened quickly just as some kind of aura started oozing out of my sensei from beside me. I rolled my eyes at the slightly panicking man and handed back the paper. "Pussy, you can take five." Whatever was oozing out of my sensei promptly disappeared as exasperation replaced it while a baffled Kakuzu slowly took hold of the list of costs.

"Five?" He repeated my word questioningly. And warily at that.

I nodded at him. "Call it a bonus or whatever." I shrugged.

He nodded at that slowly. "...And the funds themselves-"

"Just give the number to Hashi, he'll sort out the rest."

Kakuzu gave me a long stare at that. "Hashi." He repeated my nickname for the strongest fuck in the village. "You mean the Hokage?"

I nodded at that.

"...You want me to give the Hokage a notice that evidently reeks of me stealing from him?"

I rolled my eyes at that, promptly grabbed the paper off his hands and signed my name at the bottom of it. "There, now it looks like I am robbing him." I deadpanned and handed it back. "Go on! I got a noble's mission I gotta reject you know!"

Tobirama chose that moment to let out a very disgruntled sigh beside me.

"...Right..." Kakuzu remarked slowly, his gaze shifting from me towards the Hokage's own brother as he dimly noted the entire interaction that went down. I watched him as he hesitantly, courtesy of Nunshu, considered outright removing one of the costs on the lists.

I elbowed my sensei on the leg.

Tobirama let out a twitch before he grabbed hold of the outstretched piece of paper and signed his own name onto it.

Kakuzu had a paranoid look growing on his face right now as he was handed back the paper, telling him he had the authority to steal from the village, which was cosigned by a lunatic and the Hokage's own brother.

As Kakuzu disappeared off, in the opposite direction from the Hokage's tower, I let a small smile build on my face just as Tobirama narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, his gaze tilted towards the direction the ninja had taken. "...That's a bad habit to enable," He idly said, a fidgeting hand by his side.

"Better to let him think it was with my approval than let him assume he got away with it," I pointed out as I started moving again, Tobirala not wasting another beat as he did the same.

"He'll push his luck in how much he takes in that case."

"Yes, but he won't bother trying to hide it so I'll know all the same."

"I would've argued to discipline him for the thought in the first place." The man's unsaid words were rather clear in all honesty.

"And the end result of that would've been one less Missing Ninja willing to work for us,"

"Relying on them in the first place was foolish."

"I happen to like the fuck what can I say?" A hand rapidly snaked it's way onto my shoulder at those words, Tobirama's annoyance escaping him for a moment.

"Shimura." He said slowly, as we paused on the street again, though this time with spectators gawking openly at us. "This isn't a joking matter."

"I wasn't joking." I sighed and idly threw up a sign-less silencing jutsu around us. "Look, at the end of the day it's my money and I am certainly free to do with it as I please."

Tobirama slowly turned me around to face him, his notice of my little jutsu making him pause for a moment before he filed it away and focused back on the matter at hand. "That letter is a request for village funds."

"That letter is a front and you know it." I snorted. "There's a reason he's not taking it to the Hokage, you know?"

He frowned at that. "Explain-"

"It's leverage, Tobirama-sama. He's using it as an example for any ninjas willing stab their homes in the back." I snorted. "In reality, I am actually paying it for it myself,"

There was a very uneasy look on the man's face at that. "...You're recruiting foreign assets?"

"Well I am sure as shit not gonna risk local ones now am I?"

I watched as a few different emotions sifted through the man's face at that. "And how do you know they won't-"

"The same reason I told him to take five." I rolled my eyes. "He's not recruiting loyal ninjas, he's going to recruit ninjas down on their luck who desperately need more money than they can get out of their village, whether because they're too weak, cowardly, or simply incapable of earning it. through normal means" I took in a deep breath from the sudden tirade. "And besides, the man's a miser, even if he was stealing it solely for himself, he's not likely to spend it." I shrugged the man's hand off my shoulders. "So worst case scenario, I'll just take it back if he grows too big of a head."

The man processed my words for a few moments, the confusion on his face not dying down the slightest bit. "Why?" He questioned. "I understand your idea for an underground network of sorts- That I see a value in, but hiring foreign, unreliable, assets to use is-"

"Honestly," I cut him off. "I am just throwing out a net for the moment, just to see what's out there."

He blinked at that. "Meaning?"

"I want an idea of just how many, and more importantly, who is willing to sell their skills out to the highest bidder." I locked eyes with the man. "I want a list of the kind of people willing to try and poison a Hokage at the orders of a Daimyo." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You know what I mean?"

He gave me a deadpan look at my question. "...Explicitly you little brat." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This conversation isn't over." He added pointedly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yes, yes, I'll keep you up to date on the list."

He twitched at me. "...Little brat."

I snorted at him.

...

My amusement, apparently, was short fucking lived. I couldn't help the glare on my face as I walked into the Kage's office and took in the fucker of a noble that'd tried to pull a fast one on the Inuzuka.

My gaze rested on the smug, smiling snake for a moment before zeroing in on an uncomfortable Hiruzen, whose eyes literally lit up at the sight of me.

Freakin' adorable.

Future god of shinobi everyone!

"Hiru!" I grinned at the fuck and promptly slapped a hand around his shoulder. "How's the shit-shovelling been?"

He blinked at that. "Fine." He answered with a slightly amused smile. "I see you haven't changed much."

"Nope." I promptly turned towards an indifferent Koharu. "Yo, Utabaka." She twitched at me.

"I am glad to see you're in high spirits," Hashirama elected to cut in before he turned towards the amused noble in the room. "Now that you're all here," Tobirama idly stealthed his way beside the surprisingly unstartled noble. "Meisai-san has a potential mission for the four of you."

There was a hint of curiosity on the Hokage's face as he said those words, which confirmed the fact the fucker had yet to actually give him the details in general.

When the noble made to open his mouth, I elected to speak first.

"What rank is it, shitstain-san?" I asked with a straight face as I removed my hand from Hiru's shoulder and watched the noble tilt his head at me while Hashirama let out a long sigh.

"...Five seconds. That's all it took." I heard the man mutter to himself.

The noble- Meisai was it? just stared at me for a moment as the silence threatened to stretch thin before he let out an amused snort for some reason. "...I do believe, by your guidelines, this mission would qualify as an A-rank." He answered easily.

Beside me, Hiruzen's eyes widened while Koharu's face blanched for a moment.

"And you think a bunch of children are enough for it?" I questioned quickly and was soundly disappointed at the lack of change on the noble's face.

"I merely requested the team you were a part of, Shimura-san." I felt something scathing roll across my skin at the man's use of my not-actual name. "I was not aware such an individual like yourself would be part of a Genin team, though I am more than happy to pay the increased amount necessary to make use of your services."

I watched Koharu's slight frown build up on her face as she heard those words while pride of all fucking things oozed out of Hiruzen.

"Of course, if you feel the safety of your teammates would be compromised in such a mission, I am more than happy to request you and your sensei alone."

I narrowed my eyes at him for that. "They need the legwork," I shrugged. "And their safety is guaranteed as long as I am around."

The noble blinked at that, his head tilting again. "And that is the kind of assurance I am looking for." He pointed out quickly."

"You misheard me, noble-san." I gave him a genuine smile. "I am more than happy to make sure my teammates survive this little expedition, no matter what may come." I waited for a beat and watched his smile falter ever so slightly. "But as far as you're concerned, you're just as likely to-" A hand rapidly swept onto my shoulder, cutting off whatever I'd been about to say as I took in Tobirama's shadow covering me.

"Behave." He said carefully.

I rolled my eyes at that and promptly made my way towards one of the walls, Hiruzen following me a beat later.

"...Well." The noble eventually started to cut through the budding silence. "That was rather telling." He slowly turned towards Hashirama. "You were right, I did bet wrong." The noble chuckled, shaking his head. "No wonder you agreed to those terms- Though I don't see how having an attack dog you can barely control is anything to be proud of."

...Did Hashirama seriously bet against me behaving!?

The audacity!

"...I want a cut," I deadpanned towards the Hokage, earning an amused look from the man before he turned towards the much less amused noble.

"Like I said beforehand, I have plenty of ninjas who have the skills you're looking for..."

"And like I told you," My head ping-ponged towards the noble's direction just as Tobirama slowly made his way by his brother's side and Koharu elected to join Hiruzen and me in watching things play out. "I want the best you have to offer." A beat passed as a darker look took over the noble's face. "I need the best you have to offer unless you want another disaster of a trial to hit your ninja?"

I blinked at that, a frown building up on my face.

"Is that a threat?" Tobirama questioned almost immediately at the other's words.

"Not at all- or rather at the very least it won't be by my hand." The noble sighed. "It's simply a factor that'll come into play were I to not return home in one piece."

...What the fuck was actually going on in the ninja world right now? Because if I am not fucking mistaken, my ninshu's telling me the fucker wasn't lying.

"And honestly," The noble let out a humourless snort, "Given the state of things, a trial might not even be the worst thing to fall on your village-" He shook his head. "No, there's good odds it'll be a war instead."

Hashirama rapped his fingers across his desk at those words. "War?" He questioned, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "That's a dangerous word to throw around, Meisai-san." The man paused for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want to use another? Not unless you want me to raise the mission ranking."

This fucker was eighth in line in the Daimyo's court there was no fucking chance they'd start a war over his death-

The noble didn't bat a fucking eyelash at that. "By all means, I'll pay you whatever you request, provided I get my guarantee." The man crossed his arms. "Money is of no value to me,"

...A noble that didn't give a shit about his wealth? I didn't even realise those existed!

"Because if I don't..." The man continued on slowly. "...If I die, my birds sing and this peace you've all built dies with me." The man crossed his arms. "I am the only thing holding it together,"

Translation, this motherfucker knew a lot of fucked up shit.

"And everyone in my father's court wants me dead."

...Right- That I understood.

What I still didn't really get was what the fucking mission was- Did he want us to escort him home or fucking kill every noble that wants him dead!?

Full disclosure, I am more than happy to do the latter.

"The mission Meisai-san." Tobirama thankfully shared my thoughts on the matter. "What exactly are you asking us to do here?"

"Well as much as I'd like you to get rid of the people that want me dead-" Holy shit did he know ninshu!? "-I happen to like some of the members of my family." The man somehow managed to chuckle out those words before he promptly turned his gaze towards me. "Everyone in the court knows of what that child did."

I blinked at that and felt a tad hint of worry at the thought of them knowing about the Earth fiasco-

"Everyone knows of the bodies he brought to that trial."

Oh, thank fuck it was just that murder he was referring to.

"The mission is to escort me home and have that child's infamy proclaim me it's patron."

Hashirama and his brother immediately narrowed their eyes at that- "Danzo Shimura is a ninja of-"

"Push for martial law and you got a deal." I deadpanned, cutting Hashirama off.

The noble blinked at that. "Martial law?"

I nodded and just as Hashirama made to object having me effectively throw a kunai into the shoddy political system we had, I clarified what that meant. "Konoha gains and keeps absolute authority regarding the village."

I watched as something flashed across Tobirama'a gaze at that, while confusion filled Hashirama's.

"The village already is-"

"Not in name," I cut the noble off. "I want it in name too." He gave me a quizzical look at that.

"...I don't have that authority-"

"You're the favourite, but even your father doesn't want you on his throne." A hint of hatred filled the man's gaze at that particular nerve. "Tell him you'll drop your right to it, in exchange for that law." I gave the shit-stain a smile. "That's my price, and if you don't want to pay it, then by all means find someone else."

...

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Will be released on 5/11/2024