IX

━━━━━━┓༻❁༺┏━━━━━━

Arc X Chapter 3

━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━

With the help of Yuriko, his daughter, Makoto assembled his old crew. Yoshito, Isamu, Raiden, all three were old friends and allies. Three dependable souls, completely loyal to Amegakure, and eager to join his cause.

Makoto greeted them. “Yoshito, Isamu, Raiden, I am glad to see you again after such a long time. Feels just like the old times.“

Isamu agreed. “Same here. Brings back fond memories.“

Makoto stared at the group.“I hope I can count on you once more, just like in old times.“

Yoshito chuckled. “Of course,you can. Why should we turn we down an old friend in need?

Besides, I heard you are quite the busy person lately now that you are under the little princess' thumb. I was told she recruited Is that true?“

Makoto clicked his tongue. “You and your poignant questions. To keep things simple, I am ... at her service. That's all I am willing to say.“

Yoshito grinned in victory. He got his answer. “So the rumours are true. Makoto, do you know what they say about your little princess?“

Makoto smiled. “Tell me, Yoshito, I am listening. What do they say?“

Raiden chuckled. He took the word after observing from the sidelines. “You know how they work, rumours about her are spreading like wildfire throughout the village, yet they contain little information of value. They are all equally absurd.

Some call your mysterious girl a wrathful black angel here to punish us. Some call her a divine emissary sent to us by Pain-sama. Some say she is in truth a demon in human skin, craving for human souls. Some say she is a foreign princess from a distant that took pity on us. Some say she put down the criminal underworld of Amegakure all on her own and saved two children from their terrible fate. Some say she is just a little girl without name. Some refer to her as a woman of extraordinary beauty and grace. A woman of refined tasted with hair black as the darkest night and skin pale as untainted marble. Demure and decorous. Virtuous and benevolent.

What is certain, though, your little princess caused quite a ruckus with her proclamation.“

Isamu shared Raiden's assessment. “Indeed.“

Makoto was confused. “How so?“

Isami's voice grew serious. The room's temperature fell. “Makoto, don't you understand? People believe in her and her cause! Her words and actions have reignited a flame we thought long since extinguished. They have reawakened something inside us we thought lost.

Do you know what I saw in their eyes, Makoto? Hope, genuine hope! It's hope I saw, something I have seen anymore since before the Second Ninja War.

Makoto, I don't need to tell you that hope is a powerful emotion, a powerful emotion she is wielding.

People know she is responsible for the declaration and the creation of the council. A mysterious girl without name, without origin, without history appears out of nowhere and unites the chronically fighting clans of Amegakure under her banner. She even managed to draw the Hattori and Fuma clan to her side.

Makoto, people think the girl has come to deliver us from injustice and ignominy, that she is the saviour we have yearned for all this time.“

Makoto didn't bother to hide his scepticism. “Whether Lady Asami will answer her calling remains to be seen. For the time being, we will perform our duty and serve her to the best of our abilities. For the time being, Lady Asami entrusted me with a series of projects. You will be responsible for overseeing them.“

His colleagues raised eyebrows.

“Yoshito, Isamu, you will be assigned project one and two.“ Makoto handed them their files. “I trust in your capabilities. The operations are delicate in nature. A careful approach is recommended. Don't disappoint me, failure is not an option. Secrecy is a must. Do you understand?“

Yoshito and Isamu understood well. Secrecy was nothing unusual in their line of business. They scanned their documents, unable to suppress their curiosity.

Yoshito stopped at the first paragraph. “Organophosphorus what? What's that?

Makoto seconded his notion. “No idea, I am neither a chemist, nor a biologist, nor toxicologist.“

“That makes two of us. “

“Doesn't matter, Yoshito from now on, it's your job is to find out. She wants us to revive Hanzo's failed chemical weapons program. Hopefully, ours is graced with more success.“

“A chemical weapons program ... No surprise, she wants to keep things secret.“

“You will recruit specialists and professionals. Lady Asami recommended contacting the Sumitomo clan in this matter. They are active in the chemical sector, herbicides and pesticides. They have experience with large scale industrial production. In her words, we shouldn't let synergies and cross compatibilities go wasted.“

Yoshito raised an eyebrow. “A smart girl, our little princess . No wonder she is running the show now. Anyway, I will do my best.“

Makoto merely nodded. “And you, Isamu, any questions?“

“So this is where we get our money from?“

“We rely on multiple sources, but from what I gathered, your operations will indeed provide a significant portion of our funds.“

“Producing counterfeit money, on an industrial scale no less. Land of Fire ryo, Land of Earth ryo, Land of Lightning ryo ... We are talking here about millions, possibly billions, of counterfeit ryo. These are massive sums.“

“Not only that, it will also fall to us to put them into circulation.“

Only Raiden was missing.

“Let me guess, a coup? Staging a rebellion? Destablising countries? What does our little princess want from me?“

Makoto chuckled. “No need to dramatise, Raiden, you are assigned a special mission, a simple investigation. Lady Asami want us to investigate the fate of the imperial lineage.“

Raiden blinked in confusion. Her request startled him. “Why?“

“Lady Asami didn't specify much as to why, but she suspects that Pain might be related to the once ruling imperial household. She wishes us to clarify whether that's the case, or not. We will assist her.“

“Very well, but isn't the empire just a myth, a fairy tale?“

“Yuriko.“ Makoto turned to his daughter.

His daughter assisted him. “Most definitely not, Raiden. We did a cursory analysis. The results are clear, we can say with much certainty, the empire did exist, as did the imperial household. Written records might be sparse after all these centuries following the daimyo revolt and warring clan era, but surviving fragments testify the empire's existence beyond any doubt.“

Makoto agreed with her assessment. “Your mission is to gather all information available, Raiden. Furthermore, you are also tasked with locating the former imperial capital. Some traces must have survived the times.“

Raiden was contemplating his options. “I will do my best. Any clues where I should begin?“

Yuriko assisted him. “We suggest you consult the temples. Their archives and libraries are among the oldest in existence. They hold countless documents and texts, and were mostly spared from destruction throughout the daimyo and warring clan era. If someone has the answers we seek, it will be the priests and monks.“

“...“

“As for the capital, rumours point eastwards, towards the Land of Fire. That's all we know.“

Raiden stared at Yuriko. “The Land of Fire ... The Land of Fire is big.“

Yurikio dismissed his concerns. “I know.“

━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━