Operation Cursebreaker

The rebellion had been quelled. After days of negotiation and management, Shimiko had finally managed to get both sides to stop killing each other. Even after the initial battle, the Loyalists and Jashinists were not through fighting. One-off incidents continued to plague the city as each side retaliated for crimes inflicted on the other. Shimiko commanded ANBU with an iron fist and though they were some who doubted her loyalty, her unbelievable strength and power was enough to keep them in line. She used the intelligence organization to halt, de-escalate, and neutralize threats. Meanwhile, Mora instructed the Orthodoxy to lay low for the time being. There were a few who disobeyed the Lady Superior's orders and they'd soon find themselves killed either by the Church itself or by the Kumogakure government. It took some time, but under Shimiko's leadership the crisis eventually abated.

Unfortunately, civil strife was not the only thing that Kumogakure needed to worry about. The Enlightened Society of Rebirth and Reordering had been busy. Very busy. Shimiko had learned that what had started this conflict was the appearance of a strange woman at Kumo's gates. Mora had wanted to meet this stranger and give advice to the Raikage on how best to proceed. Mora was not permitted inside the detainment zone and when she refused to leave, she was arrested. Mora never learned who was in the detainment zone, but Shimiko soon found out on her behalf. As ANBU Captain, she had complete and total clearance on all matters affecting state. As it turned out, the mysterious strange was a Kotoshura from Konoha. And boy did she have a story to tell.

Shimiko read the reports and decided that it was best to meet this refugee in person. It seemed as though Konoha and Kumo were on the same page with respect to the Society and Kirigakure. Shimiko decided that by meeting this Yui Kotoshura in person, they could perhaps come up with a plan together. They'd meet in a secure location inside the Defense Coordination Center. It was a fairly plain room with a circular table and three chairs at each point. One for Shimiko, one for Yui, and one for Seigi.

Shimiko had decided that because Seigi was now more or less a Kumo asset, it would be useful to loop him in on this discussion. It was becoming increasingly apparent that Konoha and Kumo's interests overlapped so Shimiko didn't think there was any harm in Yui meeting Seigi. It was true that Shimiko had deceived the Hokage with respect to where Seigi was going but that was before Shimiko realized how much their interests had already aligned. If Shimiko knew then what she knew now, she would have gone as herself rather than as Raijin. Each individual would be given a folder that contained all the information that had been gathered on the Soceity up to this point. Of course, any intelligence that might be damaging to Kumo's interests would be redacted. This included descriptions or ideas that too strongly hinted at the village's capabilities. Shimiko trusted Seigi and Yui, but ultimately they were not her "people" and so she couldn't trust them with anything too sensitive just yet.

The reports would contain:

1. Yui's Story
2. Information on Nozomi and Raijin
3. Information on Menza and Honiko
4. Kirgakure's Various Crimes & Alleged Affiliation with the Society

The Chinoike was wearing her standard battle armour. The Chinowakagumi, a bright red skin tight suit that contained metric tons of her own blood. Her hair was done up in its usual manner: a pair of sporty pig-tails held together with discreete skull pins. A pair of Sai would be fitted into a pouch located on the small of her back, the handles would jut out every so slightly. There'd be another four Sai similarly situated at 3 inch intervals along her back. On each arm she wore a fitted Melody Arm variant which functioned as a gauntlet. Her eyes were a deep bluish-green and her face was unblemished and strikingly beautiful. She had the visage of a young woman who smiled often, and often she did smile. Today was not one of those days. Once everyone was seated and had a chance to read over the information, Shimiko would fold her hands and look at each of them with a completely serious expression.

"I think its clear at this point that the two biggest threats to peace in this world are the Enlightened Society of Rebirth and Reording and Kirigakure no Sato.....Yui, Seigi, I want you to help me eliminate these threats. Not just for the good of the world, but for the good of those that you care about."

Yui had got a message from Shimiko which she knew was part of the Jashin church after everything she had witnessed the riot was over and she had quickly taken control of the situation. She was told the location to meet as she made her way there with her gauntlets ready just in case this was a trap. She had no idea who to trust but she was sure the Church and the Society were not friends at all. Yui also likely had information even they don't fully know about Menza which she would gladly answer. Any chance she had to make sure that man was dead the better, she had no idea if Rin was safe but she could only hope he was.

Yui began to read through the files reading up on Nozomi and more about Raijin, she, of course, knew some about him but he really didn't seem that bad. If anything she had the feeling he wasn't that bad of a guy at all. Now Menza she knew tons about likely more than either of them but she had no clue about this Honiko, she was the one that Nozomi followed but it seemed she had not been seen in some time.

"I do have to agree The Society is the biggest threat, while Kiri is also an issue if they have a different kage they may calm down. The Society has its hands in everything and with a member that can literally teleport wherever he's placed a seal they can arrive with forces whenever they want. I am sure you saw what I said they also have control of at least one-tailed beast, they are a grave threat with unknown goals except for world domination. They don't have a nation or play nice with other nations they only way to deal with them is form a task force, one authorized in secret between nations that don't work for any nation. They will be given their own authority to make decisions and those will be accepted by all nations involved. This will prevent the Society fro, being able to manipulate the taskforce and will make sure we can do any needed actions to destroy them without needing to wait for chains of command."

Yui hoped Shimiko would agree with her idea, this was something she had thought about for a while the freedom to be able to chance down and crush The Society without any more restraints being able to execute warrants or arrests at will no matter where they weasels tried to hide.

"Another thing the hidden nation they control is likely an island when I was captured I could smell the sea so my guess is its some island, where at I do not know but you have to assume close to the island chains around Kiri."

During the riots, Seigi had laid low, staying in Shimiko tower, still not wanting to make his presence known to many people yet. For what he knew, his presence here really was mostly secret. He wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible, hoping to keep any heat off of him, which was hard when you wear the face of a dead Raikage.

Sitting at the table, his outfit had chanced since arriving in Kumogakure, opting to ditch his robes for a jumpsuit with the sleeves tied around his waist. He wore a loose-fitting black t-shirt, his right arm completely bandaged. There wasn't much wrong with it, but it was a scar he carried from his other universe. Underneath the wraps, Seigi's arm was discolored, slightly purple, his fingernails black. His bones had healed, but the blood vessels in Seigi's arm had been crushed completely. When it healed, the color never quite returned to normal. He figdeted with the wraps around his palm, making sure they were tight.

Seigi listened as both women spoke, taking in the information as best as he could, forming plans, and thinking of what they needed to do. So far from what they had gathered was that they were up against a man who could teleport anywhere, a whole-ass tailed beast, and a woman who spelled bad news for everyone involved. There was probably more, but that's what Seigi focused on.

"Well, the good news is that at least we know who we're up against." Seigi would say, resting his arms against the table. "Bad news is that it sounds like we're heavily outgunned. We need to play this smart. Do we have any leads on a target?" Seigi would ask, confirming that he was indeed in this with them. Seigi didn't have much in this world, but perhaps this was a second chance for him. A world where he could make things right for both Kumogakure AND Konohagakure.

Shimiko watched as Seigi and Yui both entered the room. Yui was more or less similar to what ANBU had described her as. She had a serious grudge against the Society (a trait Shimiko shared) and she was quite powerful with a temper to match. Shimiko already took a liking to her as she saw a lot of herself in the Kotoshura. She turned her attention to the Douchiwa. Seigi was so much like her brother it hurt. The way he sat down, the way he analyzed the situation, the way he talked. It was all reminiscent of the man that had inspired her to become a shinobi in the first place. Shimiko's gaze lingered on Seigi for longer than was normal. Eventually, she forced herself to look away. No matter how much this man looked like her brother, he simply was not the same person. The last thing she wanted to do was creep him out by acting like she had known him his whole life. She trusted him, but ultimately she wasn't ready to view him as family and she was certain the feeling was mutual.

Yui noted that the Society posed a bigger threat than Kiri and she made a solid case for that claim. The intelligence they had received from her was rock solid and filled in many gaps. Nikuyo Yuki was an operative of their's which meant that they might have spies embedded in Kumo's government as well as Konoha's. If they could corrupt the Second Mizukage who couldn't they get their hands on? One of them was also a teleporter with unlimited range and they had a penchant for snatching Bijuu like it was nothing. Honiko was powerful by herself but now it was clear that she was leading a pack of demigods.

She's training Nozomi to be just like them...if they carry on with their operations then she'll be just as strong as them....I can't fall behind!

"I agree Yui. If they recruited a Kage it would be safe to assume that they may have eyes and ears in every village in the world. This means that a taskforce that was outside the traditional village governance structure might be our best bet for taking them down. I've already begun that process....but I've had limited results so far...."

She was referring to having let Ken loose with the hope that he would infiltrate the Society and weaken them from within. However, she had not heard from him in some time. Perhaps she would need to start cutting off Kaida's fingers on live TV to get him to remember his mission.

"We don't have any real leads on the Society's whereabouts so far Seigi, but from what Yui tells us they might be based near Kiri. Given Kiri's close relationship with the organization its not impossible to think that they are housing themselves near their allies. I still think we might need to squeeze Kiri if we are t-"

Shimiko stopped as they were interrupted by a masked ANBU. The Kumo-Nin strode towards his Captain and whispered something in her ear. She paused for a moment and whispered something back. The man nodded in response and left the room.

"The situation's changed" Shimiko said in a serious tone. "Give me a moment"

Shimiko got up and left the room. She was gone for fifteen minutes or so. This would give Seigi and Yui a little bit of time to get to know one another. Or perhaps not. Either way, when Shimiko came back in the room she'd be holding a VHS tape. Several ANBU-Nin would begin setting up a projector and hooking it up to a VHS player. Shimiko would insert the tape and the projector would pop to life. It casts an image on the far side of the wall. The lights in the room were dimmed and the video began to play.

Menza's Message to the Kage of the World:

Shimiko remained silent with her hands folded as she watched the video. A chill ran down her spine. So this is the teleporter that Yui was referring to....Menza Sukiyama aka Menza the Cursed One.... He was wearing a doctor's outfit which meant that he was probably an Ijutsu specialist. She also noticed that the man was deathly pale. He literally appeared to be a Shiroi just like Honiko. What the hell is it with this organization and albinos? She wasn't sure if she trusted his claim that he was retiring. The man seemed quite mad and mad people were notoriously unreliable about their future plans. Nevertheless, based on what Yui had mentioned to her he might be playing some kind of sick game. And those sort tended to have a compulsion regarding sticking to their rules. Either way, the options were all bad and ultimately unacceptable. Shimiko knew that much right away. Rin Uchiha was not her Nin nor was Yui, but even from a machevilian perspective letting an Ōtsutsuki fall into the hands of the Society was completely unacceptable. Based on what she knew about Seid, the people from his homeworld were far too powerful to simply give away. If there were other such beings in Konoha and Kiri then they'd need to be kept safe from this man and his cohorts. But even if they weren't, she wasn't keen on giving up Rin and Yui. Yui seemed to be pure of heart. She was imperfect, maybe even reckless and naive, but she was trying to do the right thing. She loved Yui and Shimiko had no reason to hate Rin. She didn't know him but if Yui vouched for him, she was willing to believe that he was a good person.

More importantly though, Shimiko did not want the Society to win. All three options were a victory for Menza which meant a victory for Nozomi. Hell no! Shimiko thought defiantly. They weren't going to give Menza what he wanted, not if she could help it. The money was out of the question. Kumo didn't have that kind of cash and she sincerely doubted that even the Kiri Empire had that kind of money laying on hand. Konoha was rich sure but they probably weren't 15 Million Ryo rich. That wasn't even a possibility and even if all three villages pooled their funds, they'd be economically crippled. There'd be a global depression and the conflicts between nations would grow as each village would seek to take advantage of the other's weakness in order to shore up their own country. It was the exact sort of environment that the Society would thrive in. The last option was by far the worst. Rin would die and Menza would inflict unimaginable suffering on the shinobi world. The only real option he had left them was to cheat.

The video stopped playing and the projector was turned off and the lights turned back on. Shimiko turned to see Yui's reaction. She was certain the girl would be distraught. Menza appeared to be taunting her specifically. Lording over Rin's vulnerable body and implying that he was likely a goner. That sort of torture and psychological warfare from a Godless man like Menza only further infuriated the Chinoike. She imagined Yui felt even angrier.

"Yui...I'm sorry." she said. She gave the Kotoshura some space and silence. To vent, curse, scream, and threaten their foe. She could only imagine what she would do if Yui and Yua were in that situation. The thought alone caused the Necrossiah's spirit to bubble with righteous vengeance. Jashin forbid.... She banished the thought and eventually continued: "We'll get him back...I see now what we are dealing with. These people need to be totally destroyed. We cannot negotiate with them, we cannot give in. They have threatened every village in the world and jeopardized the safety of even their so-called allies. I'm not sure if we can trust Kiri but if we can get assurances from them and if you truly think there are people within their government that we can rely on then I say we work with them. The only way we are going to overcome an enemy this powerful with the deck stacked against us, is to work together. "

"Seigi and I had planned to attack Kirigakure....to drive a wedge between them and the Society and to get them on the same page. It looks like for now we might be bedfellows although we'll need strong confirmation that they'll play ball. They'll still have to answer for their crimes on a host of issues but that can come later. For now, I'm willing to accept their help...What do you guys think?"

Yui listened to the boy he did not have too much to say, Shimiko, on the other hand, seemed to understand the threat. Yui listened to her words it appeared she was trying to place a spy in the group already this was good news for sure. She also seems to agree with Yui about them being close to Kiri, having an ally nearby was in their best interest but Yui doubted they only controlled one land. Suddenly an ANBU entered the room and the look on Shimikos face shoed it was all bad news.

They would urn down the lights and turn on the projector as Yui saw Rin and heard that vile man's voice. She stood quickly the anger clear in her eyes, she listened to his words and his options he had listed. She was so full of rage it could boil over as she had to vent she moved toward one of the walls and punched as hard as she could as an explosive blast would suddenly explode and take out the entire wall with a thunderous force. She would take a deep breath as mad as she was this would not help the situation, Menza did all this to get under her skin, that piece of shit would get what was coming to him someday.

"Sorry... I am quite angry and it was welling up inside, I want that man and Society completely and utterly destroyed and will kill anyone that steps in my way. I don't care if you have a friend in it or a family member if they are part of the Society I will strike them down without mercy."

The burning desire for revenge was all over her face, considering what happened just now she was being calm. This was not really a calm it was more she was holding back the explosive well inside her body. She was like a raging volcano ready to blow at any moment, for Rin's sake however she had to be smart about this. Even if she died to save Rin she would throw her life away one hundred times, she loved him far too much to let him die. Tears came down her face in both sorrow and anger but she would wipe them clean and take a seat with one less wall now.

"You should be very wary of trusting Kiri two of their Kages worked with the Society but if they have a new Kage give them a chance and a warning. If they show any hint at supporting the Society they will be turned to ash, we cannot have a major nation supporting their cause if we are to win. If they refuse to help and cooperate make it clear they are an enemy to not just Kumo and Konoha but the entire world. I admit I made mistakes and made a deal with the devil, when a loved one is dead or about to die you make desperate choices to save their lives. I will face my punishment for those choices someday but now is not the time. We have to unite and crush them like a bug."

Shimiko could tell the moment that Yui stood that something was about to go down. She hesistated though knowing that the girl had a right to vent. Menza was disgusting and he was threatening someone whom she loved and cared for. Shimiko too would be extremely upset. However, when Yui walked to one of the nearby walls, Shimiko stood up and shouted:

"Yui No!"

She was too late.

The Kotoshura slammed her fist into the wall and loosed a wave of Blast Release chakra into the structure. The building was rocked by the blast and ANBU immediately converged on the scene. Yui had shown a fair amount of restraint in that she did not bring down the whole building. The wall was annihilated and on the other side of it were analysts hard at work tending to various aspects of national security. The analysts looked up from their desks and looked into the room, shocked. ANBU burst into the area and Shimiko raised a hand letting them know everything was okay. It was as if a terrorist attack had just happened. She wasn't going to chastize Yui though. What the girl had witnessed was downright evil and Shimiko probably would have done something similar if it had been the twins.

Yui apologized for losing her temper. She reiterated her resolve to destroy to which Shimiko nodded. Yui said it didn't matter if Shimiko had family in the organization. She'd kill them all the same.

"If I had any family in the Society, they ceased being my kin when they joined that terrorist organization. Its alright Yui...we're going to beat them. We're going to destroy them. I swear to Jashin we will"

She wasn't sure what Yui's feelings on Jashinist religion were but Shimiko had to say it. She needed to verbalize it and swear it on the God she served. It wouldn't mean anything otherwise. Shimiko called for her deputy and he entered the room to the exploded wall. She pulled him aside and the two spoke off on their own for a few minutes. Shimiko had quiet a bit of planning to do and he could help her get certain things in play so that the nations could strategize more efficiently. It would also give Yui a few minutes to calm down and compose herself.

The two would break and the Deputy ANBU Captain went off to draft a letter. Shimiko went back to Seigi and Yui. She placed a hand on Yui's back and did her best to console the girl. She could see that the girl had been crying and while she didn't comment on it, she reassured her as best as she could. The Deputy Captain moved all of the analysts off the floor and to another location. They'd keep working here for the time being. Shimiko didn't feel like moving to another room.

Yui recommended that if Kiri had a new Kage then he or she should be given a chance and a warning. Kyoji and Nikuyo had been compromised and there was no telling if the Mizukage was a double agent who would betray them. They needed assurances but more importantly they needed insurance. Shimiko wracked her brain thinking of a strategy on how to deal with this situation. Yui admitted that she had made a mistake in trusting Menza. She had done so out of desperation and Shimiko could understand that. What lengths wouldn't she go to to save her own brother? Her twins? Miyu-chan? Nariko? She'd do anything. Perhaps even align with the Society herself as evil as that sounded. Regardless, Yui may have to answer for her mistakes as would Kiri but now was not the time.

Shimiko voiced her plan:

"I have instructed my ANBU to send a letter through the Kiri mail system. Its a bit of a risk but its the fastest way to get word to a few people. We will need someone to make a tele-conference system so that we can discuss how best to handle this situation. While that is being worked on, I think all options need to be on the table. I hate all of them but we need to at least consider them...not because they are ideal but because as shinobi it is our job to explore every angle no matter how much we hate it"

Shimiko was an ANBU Captain, she had a personal reason to detest each option but seeing Yui lose focus made her realize that it was her job to be the voice of reason. To analyze, plan, and strategize. That meant looking at everything Menza had offered them.

"I know you haven't been to Konoha in awhile and when you last were there you were a genin....but I know you're close with Neko-sama...has she given you any reason to beleive that Konoha could pay this ransom? That they could afford it? To your knowledge are there any Ōtsutsuki in Konoha? What about Kirigakure?

It was a barrage of questions but time was short and Rin's life hung in the balance.

Yui saw Shimiko stand and shout no but it had been far too late, Yui had done the damage, the look of shock on the people's faces on the other side of the wall and the ANBU rushing in. Shimiko would raise her hand letting them know things were okay but it seemed Shimiko understood Yui's pain and frustrations, the anger she felt the vengeance she wanted was fueling her hatred. She also assured Yui if she had family in the group they were lost to her already as she seemed to hate the terrorists as much as Yui did.

She had left the room for a while letting Yui calm down as she was still clearly very angry and being watched like a hawk as it has become clear she was extremely volatile and dangerous. After several minutes Shimiko returned she stated she would listen to all the options as an ANBU captain Yui understood she couldn't ignore at all options. Her nation could be at risk so Yui, of course, understood this. When she asked about the money and Otsu Yui was unsure she did not remember any Otsu in Konoha they did have a large amount of money, however.

"We did not have an Otsu as far as I am aware, we did have a vast amount of money though, our village has been taking great care of its finances. I do not think we had fifteen million Ryo and I am sure Menz knows this that's why he set it so high. As for mailing Kiri, it certainly will be risky if Menza gets any of this information we will be in great trouble and he will likely kill Rin no matter what choice we make. He isn't the type of guy to let Rin go if he caused him injuries which I am sure he did."

She worried so much she just wanted Rin safe and if she could save him she was going to retire and raise kids with Rin. She was done with this life she risked so much and had done so much already with her bad heart it will be a risk using gates extensively for long periods of time.

"I do have one more thing to tell you, fighting nine tails and pushing myself so hard using my gates I caused damage to my heart. I tell you this so you understand if I have to fight him and I use higher gates I am going to fight knowing my life is forfeit I want you to promise me no matter what you will find a way to save Rins life."

It was good that Yui understood the importance of at least examining each option. She had given Shimiko some very helpful information. Information that could be used to form a strategy. Apparently Konoha was quite wealthy which was good for them. It explained why Tatsu was able to give her 2 million without batting an eye. Even if it came from her own personal stash, she guessed that their salary must have been exorbitantly higher than Kumo's. Shimiko had largely dismissed giving the Soceity the money as a possibility on the grounds that it would only make them more dangerous. It was bad enough they had the power and influence to corrupt two Kage. Nevertheless, if they couldn't come up with a way to counter Menza's teleportation ability it might be worth it to get the money together just in case. Strengthening the Society with a major cash influx was better than having the villages torn up by Bijuu and plague.

Yui said she wasn't aware of any Otsu in Konohagakure which was understandable. Shimiko foresaw three possibilities: 1. Yui was lying to her (unlikely). 2. Yui was telling the truth and Konoha simply had no Otsu to speak of (possible). 3. The existence of Otsu in Konoha was a closely guarded secret that no one except the Kage and the ANBU knew about (likely). When they got in touch with the Kage they'd need to square that issue away. Shimiko would speak to her own Otsu about this matter. The alien might have some insight into why Menza was fascinated with them. He might even have a few abilities that would be useful in the coming rescue attempt.

Yui also confessed to having damaged her heart during the battle against the Nine-Tails. She knew that the Gates were biological limiters that kept a person from unlocking their true potential. These limiters existed so that the body would not be exessively strained by the influx of power. If Yui had abused the technique it wasn't surprising that her body suffered. Any further abuse and she'd almost certainly die. However, the Kotoshura made it clear that she was willing to sacrifice her own life to save Rin.

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to bring him home safe Yui. You can trust me...you won't need to fight if we plan this correctly. I'll take him out myself if I have to before I put you in danger. You've done enough by escaping him and telling us the full story"

She was touched by the girl and she could see why Nariko had made it a priority to keep her safe. She was genuinely a good and selfless person. Menza had seen her good nature and had tried to take advantage of it. Now that it threatened to blow up in his face, he was holding Rin hostage.

"Yui I'm going to confer with my ANBU for a moment. We'll talk more in a bit. I expect the Kage will be meeting on this and we might be able to tele-conference in to give them our input. Until then, try to stay calm. I'll have a few more of my analysts ask you some questions about Menza. Everything bit of information we have, is something we can use against him."


Shimiko turned to Seigi who had been largely quiet for most of the meeting. That's how he got sometimes. He was probably in deep thought, mulling over strategies.

"Seigi, wait here with Yui. Keep an eye on her"

Shimiko would give Yui a big hug and leave to go meet with Seid.

Exit

Seigi watched the events unfold, never moving from his chair, even as the building shook around him, unphased by his "sister's" strength. On the inside, he must have muttered "holy shit" at least twice, but that seemed to be a common occurrence with Shimiko. As she left the building, she told Seigi to stay here with Yui, to which he would nod.
After Shimiko left, Seigi would sit, quiet for a moment as he thought, before looking to Yui.
"I don't trust Kirigakure. Something just doesn't feel right, but I can't tell what." He would mutter, going over options in his head. "But maybe I'm just biased." He would add, chuckling to himself. Taking a deep breath, he would stand up from his chair, beginning to pace the room.

"I wonder if..... No, no, that wouldn't work...."He would mumble to himself as he walked around the room, before his attention getting stuck on Yui once more.

"Why not lure them out and trap them?" Seigi would say. "If this guy can teleport, that's most likely a Space-time Jutsu. Depending on how it worked, maybe we could hijack one of his seals? Or perhaps a large-trap that inhibits teleportation use? I'll get to work on something like that right away..."He would mutter, the spark of inspiration in his eye once more. He used to pride himself on his fuuinjutsu abilities, but with his memory in shambles, he was but a shadow of his prior self. Perhaps now this gave him the opportunity to get back on track.

"Whatever the case, we've got your back."