Honor Among Thieves

Whaaaaaat an exhausting trip! Akihiro finally arrived at the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure no Sato's gates while carrying the twins and Miyu. Many times along the journey did he ask himself why he was doing this. This was, after all, neither Mockingbird nor Konoha's problem. But alas, he had a soft spot for kids it seemed.

Both Akihiro and a clone arrived at the village's gates. Standing at 30 meters tall, the gates were rather imposing even if they didstood open. But Akihiro would not enter. He was after all carrying Shimiko's little precious treasures, and it would be unwise to be seen walking around the village with these two unconscious bodies. There was a bit of rain falling down, and the weather was very cloudy. A hostile breeze blew from the south, which had made the journey by ship very quick but also super uncomfortable. Standing here was no more pleasant, especially since his cloak was now covering the children so they wouldn't get wet. Akihiro wasn't used to walking around without his cloak.

He would wave at one of the guards who gave him a curious look. "Yuuu-whooo! Can you please get the blondie who bosses everyone around these days?" Akihiro hadn't been living in Kumogakure in the past few years, but he took an educated guess that Shimiko had rose to a position of power and as usual he was not that far from the truth. By the guard's face he knew who Akihiro was talking about, but by the gods he couldn't fathom why would someone refer to Shimiko Chinoike like that. He was speechless for a moment. "Two blondie pigtails? Probably threatening a poor atheist as we speak? C'mon mate, it's urgent., get Shimiko before these two catch a cold and you lose your head for it...or worse, the world loses mine." He would lightly lift the cloak on what he was carrying to briefly reveal the twin's face.

At this point the guard was pale, nodded, and ran away to get the woman. Akihiro nodded himself, visibly satisfied. But considering what he was carrying he did want to know she was coming before she got there. He was frankly a bit afraid she would be light on the trigger. So he activated sensory and the Sharingan. Sensory to know she was coming, and the Sharingan not only because there might be information to share but also because Kumogakure had been rather secluded lately and Akihiro wasn't entirely sure of their intentions.


Active:
Sensory
Sharingan

The instant Shimiko had cleared the visible radius of the nearby tea shop, she considered activating the Lightning Release Armour jutsu. Her mind was flooded with rage and worry. Yui and Yua were her children and for some teenage boy (who suspiciously fit the description of a certain Uchiha she knew) to show up with their unconscious bodies at the gates, that was enough to make her go postal right then and there. She activated her Ketsurygan and could feel her blood boil with a desire for violence and vengeance. Fortunately, years in ANBU Black Ops had tempered her emotional state. She had yet to achieve perfect control over her emotions, but she could suppress them at least to the point where she could form coherent ANBU level strategies. If this stranger was in fact who she feared it might be, then he knew that the twins meant the world to her. Likewise, Miyu-chan was her little sister. Not even blood could make them closer. He couldn't have been so stupid and so bold as to bring them to Kumo and hold them hostage to her face. She knew he had abilities that were far beyond the comprehension of most of the ninja world, but Akihiro couldn't possibly believe himself to be that godlike.

No.

She reasoned that he wasn't here to provoke her. Although she figured that he would be more than willing to take advantage of any overreaction she might display. That included exposing the power of her arsenal. The man dealt in knowledge and information. The more he had, the more powerful he became. There was no reason to feed that vicious cycle unless she had proper cause, and given the facts that the guard had relayed to her, "combat on first contact" was not an option. Shimiko wasn't sure why he had taken the Twins and Miyu away from the Exams, but she decided that if he didn't have a damn good reason, she'd take him to a black site and extract the truth from him.

Shimiko would appear ten meters in front of Akihiro. The movement was a blinding flash to most, but to Akihiro he'd have sufficient notice. He would know that she did not intend to harm him in the first instance, although that state of affairs could change at the drop of a dime. Shimiko was wearing her full battle loadout (as found in her signature) with the addition of two jet black Sai which were gripped in each hand: The Badger's Claws. The blonde's eyes were an eerie red, with a dark black center, and a white horizontal bar for a pupil. She molded a sealless technique just in case the situation went awry. She knew that it was naive to pin her hopes on a peaceful resolution. She also knew better than to look directly into an Uchiha's eyes so instead she focused her attention on his body and his cargo. She could see Yui, Yua, and Miyu. They were unharmed.

Akihiro had bought himself time.

"Who taught you so little about me that you believed you could touch my children?"

Active:
Ketsurygan
Analyzing Akihiro for Precognitive Purposes

1 Technique Prepped

Annnnnd there she was! Lightning fast too, and no sign of the poor fellow who had the misfortune of having to bring her the news. Did she zap him for being too slow perhaps? Would Shimiko do something like that? Right now Akihiro could almost feel her willingness to zap him. People's severe insistence in not looking him in the eyes was getting rather tiresome too. He had pretty eyes, and he had worked very hard to get them. Must the entire world make a collective effort to ignore them? But unlike Shimiko, Akihiro wasn't rude at all and he did notice the Ketsuryugan active in her eyes. This was his first time seeing it live, it was very exciting!

"I should let you know that I'm not very strong or durable so if you beat me with those fancy sticks of yours, I might drop them. And neither of us wants that. Plus, it would be an awful welcome after I even went through the trouble of ridding you of Mr. Frog when he made a move against your church. Really woman, it's like you don't even want to be my friend." Akihiro would fake frustration, but making it obvious he was doing so.

Gently, both him and the clone would place their respective cargo on the floor. Both unconscious bodies would be standing still, leaning against the Sparrow and the clone and standing between them and Shimiko. She could still throw something, who knows? "I am once again the bearer of bad news, it seems your twins have failed the exams again. But hey, at least this time they found a friend to fail with! And they really outdid themselves too." Akihiro would unwrap the cloak from around the twins, but always keeping an eye on Shimiko. "These two blabbered about the bijuu inside them. During the exams. Not only that, but I hear they gave a phenomenal demonstration! Now, I don't want to be pointing fingers but since we're on the subject of poor teaching...well...you might want to revisit the class about the 'Importance of State Secrets', chapter 'How to keep your mouth shut'." He simply had to tease her a little. Shimiko was used to dealing with underlings and people constantly subject to her will at all times. But Akihiro was neither of those kinds of people. He was at the very least her equal, and if he was going to pursue any kind of friendship relation with Kumogakure or Shimiko, he needed to know whether she'd be able to take valid criticism or not, even if this was about the twins. A couple of years ago, she had taken it very poorly. But storming out of the coffee shop wasn't an option this time.

"Anyway, I'm sure you've received a copy of the missive that made me a missing ninja and an enemy of the Leaf. Maaan, that was unwise." Akihiro would shrug but at this point his expression would turn more serious and a lot darker. "The Hokage is dead, its body left to rot where the crows can have it. " You see, Shimiko's trigger points were her children. For Akihiro, it was his reputation within the Clan and the Clan itself. Some lines, one does not simply cross. But the moment passed with the breeze and soon Akihiro would be back to his relaxed, somewhat goofy mask. "Anyway, long live the kage and all that. Buuut the event did cause a lockdown in Kirigakure, understandably. No one in, no one out. Except me of course, I'm magic." he'd wink a Sharingan at Shimiko, something he would've never dared done if Kimiko was present. "And guess what I found inside Kirigakure! These two, all alone in a park after announcing and showing to everyone and their grandmas how they held the power of a Bijuu."

At this point Akihiro and his clone would place two fingers on the children's foreheads and use Kai, giving them a light tap on their backs. They would wake up and their balance sense would kick on, making them take steps forwards towards Shimiko.

"I brought them back to momma bear. No need to thank me, I didn't do this out of the kindness of my own heart. How could I? You did refuse my friendship, so I'll be taking payment this time. The Mockingbird doesn't run a charity, you know. There's a scroll in your child's pocket with what I consider to be fair payment for the task.

In hindsight, perhaps you'll now be better aware of the benefits of my friendship... I'd have the Hokage tell you the hardships of having me on the other end of the spectrum but...Oh well. "

He would clap his hands and gesture the kids onwards. Off you go children, uncle Aki is a busy man and we've played for too long already. Momma misses you.


Active:
Sensory
Sharingan

Used Kai

Shimiko found herself seething when he opened that trap of his. Like most gifted teenage boys, he had come to believe that his talent insulated him from social expectations. One does not show up to Kumo holding a pair of unconscious genin and start blabbing about "dropping them". He must have thought himself quite clever, but as far as Shimiko was concerned he was only reminding her of why she had curved him after their last meeting.

What does Kimiko see in this guy?

Then he said something that gave her momentary pause. He mentioned a "Mr. Frog". The name rang a distinct bell and Shimiko immediately knew who he was talking about. Seigi and her had uncovered and helped neutralize a terrorist plot connected to an ex-member of the Orthodoxy codenamed "Dart Frog". The man had conspired to destroy a significant part of the city's residential district in the hopes of riling up the Jashinists to disobey Lady Superior Mora. The aim was a complete takeover of the village with or without the Superior Sacristan's blessing. It was a heretical movement and Shimiko had come very close to killing him, although he managed to narrowly escape her Sai. Later, ANBU learned that he had died due to cancer of the tenketsu. Her own husband, Vik Chinoike, informed her that this was a carefully planned hit carried out by a third-party. The mystery assassin had managed to infilitrate the Dart Frog's inner circle, capture his DNA profile, engineer a bioweapon tailored specifically to him, and then kill him without blowing their cover. Professionals.... Shimiko put two and two together and realized that Akihiro and his intelligence agency were behind this.

Shimiko scoffed. The reaction communicated her thoughts. Are you still on about that friendship nonsense?. He was going out of his way to be helpful to her and that meant he wanted something in return. Akihiro then went on to inform her that they had failed the exams yet again, although this time with Miyu. Shimiko's face was neutral but internally she was a tad bit disappointed. After all this time, Yui, Yua, and Miyu still weren't ready to follow in her footsteps. The realization stung and it made her feel like a failure. The feeling was ultimately buried by the relief she felt knowing that they were still alive.  

Akihiro and his clone had set them down on the ground. Slowly. Gently. He knew how much she valued them and he demonstrated it in how he handled their unconscious forms. Apparently, the trio had not only failed but had disclosed the Twins' status as Jinchuriki. Akihiro was scarce on the details but at some point they had expressed those powers as well. Shimiko furrowed her brow in annoyance. Something told her Akihiro was not lying. He had to know that she was just as astute as he was when it came to sifting through memories. If he was doing her all these favors, it'd be foolish for him to tell easily discernible lies. That left one question:

What the hell were they thinking?!

Shimiko bracketed the thought and listened to the rest of Akihiro's speech. Blades still gripped, senses on high alert, and eyes  averted from the sort of contact that would place her under the influence of Genjutsu. Ever the ball-buster, Akihiro couldn't resist making a glib remark. Shimiko could take a good joke but Akihiro had needled the wrong area. She had sworn that she'd get the Twins prepared for the next Exams, that she'd impress upon them the importance of keeping their abilities secret and well hidden, yet at every turn she was hearing about their recklessness and ineffectual combat capabilities. Akihiro was having fun at her expense as many friends often do, but this cut to the heart of a deep insecurity that she held. A fear that nest in the core of her spirit. A fear that had defined her since she had adopted them.

The fear that she was a bad mother.

"If you make one more joke about how I raise the Twins...I'm going to kill you, Kimiko, and everyone in your Clan."

Shimiko had committed matricide because she was convinced that her own mother, Celestia Chinoike, had ruined her life. She had vowed that she would be a better mom in every single way. Unfortunately, Akihiro's joke had stripped away her pretensions and revealed the truth. She wasn't as perfect a guardian as she held herself out to be. This provoked a nasty and rather personal threat. It also revealed information that she would rather not share. But once again, Shimiko's emotions had gotten the better of her.

Assuming the response didn't lead to any immediate hostilities, Shimiko would allow Akihiro to finish. He all but confirmed that it was he who had assassinated the Hokage. Shimiko had liked that cat. He was generous, funny, hospitable, and a good cook. Plus, he was rather stupid and easily tricked which made him a delightful adversary to have. Of course, the last bit made his existence untenable for Konoha. She wasn't sure what politics were at play here. Why would Neko-sama designate one of her best shinobi as being a missing ninja? Shimiko had no clue and she was done trying to parse the former Hokage's thought process. The important thing was that Akihiro had serious'd up for a moment. He was the strongest shinobi in Konoha for a reason. Despite the goofy mask he wore, he was just like her. Neko-sama had tried to take everything from him. His good name, his family, his country. He responded by burying her within the same day.

This was the Akihiro she had been waiting to see.

Shimiko was pissed at him for joking about her twins but in that moment she could empathize and respect him. He'd notice her demeanor would adjust accordingly. He had earned a parcel of trust. Of course, he wouldn't be who he was if he didn't immediately revert back to his juvenile ways. The moment had passed just as quickly as it had come. She rolled her eyes at his lame joke, the action protecting her vision from the wink he had performed. He proudly declared that despite Kirigakure's lockdown, he had located the Twins and spirited them away. It all came into focus now. After revealing themselves to be the hosts for the Shukaku, Yui and Yua were in grave danger. With the lockdown it was only a matter of time before Kirigakure picked them off using the chaos and confusion as cover. They'd strip her twins of the Bijuu and dispose of their bodies. She'd have never seen them again if it wasn't for Akihiro's heroic actions. Shimiko's very next question was 'Why?' but that was soon answered by the self-styled Sparrow.

He had done so expecting a reward. Well, that and the possibility of future business. She had refused his friendship and so he saw fit to charge for this little excursion. She nodded in understanding. In truth, his request for payment had lessened her suspicions. If he had dropped them off and asked for nothing in return but her friendship, then she'd know he was full of manure.

He released them from their sleep using Genjutsu: Kai. The physical contact made Shimiko take a step forward but she relaxed once she saw what he was doing. Her babies were waking up and she could see it in their eyes that they were okay. He said something else about the benefits of being his friend verses his enemy. She had heard and comprehended his words but at this moment she only had eyes for the Twins and Miyu. He would urge them forward and assuming they walked to Shimiko, she'd run to meet them at the half-way point.

She holstered her Sai in the grooves of her Armour's lower pouch. With the Sai tucked into the small of her back, she fell to her knees and threw her arms around the twins. They were presumably merged which meant she'd get the benefit of coddling both. They were so tiny and small that she had to get on her knees to fully embrace them.  She hugged Yui & Yua closely and kissed them on the cheek, temporarily throwing caution to the wind. Given the circumstances of their stay in Kiri, Shimiko was beyond relieved that they had made it out okay. She wasn't about to cry in front of Akihiro but she could still feel the tears welling up inside of her. If anything had happened to them, no amount of rage, killing, and destruction would ever bring them back. They were the most important thing in her world right now and Akihiro had been there for them when she couldn't be. For this, he had her thanks.

"I'm so glad that you guys are okay!". Her voice was cracking despite her vow not to show emotion in front of Akihiro. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you..I-I" there was so much she wanted to say and ask. She was wroth that they could be so foolish as to reveal their abilities, she was curious as to where the other Kumo Jounin and Proctors were, she was determined to make Kiri pay for putting her children in such a precarious position. But the swirl of emotions were secondary to the joy that she felt holding them. She turned to Miyu and embraced her with the same tenacity and vigor. "Miyu-chan..." was all she could manage. Saying more would definitely start the water works.  The three would group hug for a moment and then she'd break the embrace. She'd check the twins over making sure there was no harm or visible scars. Akihiro knew about their status so she had no compunction about lifting their dress to see the state of their seal. Its worn...damaged in some places, indications of involuntary chakra release.... It was as he said. They had been put in dire straits. She'd need to talk to them in detail about what had transpired during the Chuunin Exams, but for now she needed to deal with Akihiro.

She fished into their pockets and found a scroll. She analyzed it using her prodigious intelligence and fuuinjutsu skills. She needed to ensure that there was not a trap within the scroll. Once she was satisfied, she read the contents and then swallowed.

I see....

It all made sense now. He had "ransomed" them in the gentlest way possible. But at the end of the day, it was still a ransom. Shimiko had thrown his offer of friendship back in his face and now she was paying for it. The attempted hit on Nozomi, successful assassination of Neko-sama, and the rescue of the Twins taught her what she should have known then. Akihiro Uchiha was a force to be reckoned with. A shinobi on par with her and Nozomi. The price he had written on the scroll was well worth his assistance. It pained her to pay it, but it was indeed a fair ask. Shimiko looked away from the scroll and back at Akihiro (his nose not his eyes). She gave a solemn nod indicating her assent to his terms. She stood up and tucked the scroll into a pouch on her Armour.

"...Thank you Akihiro..." A year ago she never would have thought she'd need to say those words. "I think...we have more in common than I initially realized. I appreciate your attempt on Nozomi's life. I wish I could have been there but..." she shrugged and smiled. It was the first time she had ever smiled in Akihiro's presence. "It wasn't Lord Jashin's will. I'm going to look after Miyu and the twins and get your payment ready, afterwards let's have a chat hm?" She took her family in each hand and would walk through Kumo's gates, gesturing for him to follow with her head.

Shimiko felt better. Miyu and the twins were safe, Akihiro had revealed himself to be a "friend" rather than a foe, and she didn't even need to reveal her new abilities. The Uchiha was beginning to see the more cheery side of the famed Honey Badger. It wouldn't last for long though. Soon, she'd need to prepare for war. Kirigakure had made its final and most fatal mistake. They had endangered her Twins.

Exit

Active:
Ketsurygan
Analyzing Akihiro for Precog Purposes

1 Technique Prepped

The twins and Miyu were now back inside Kumo but they had no idea, they were still in a deep sleep, inside their minds they did not have joyful dreams, no it was like always remembering the terrors of their stepfather and his actions against them. They had never told Shimiko but they rarely got sleep that was peaceful. The only difference was now they were not waking, they began to picture one cold night, they were once again being punished and were tied with their arms above the head overnight. The hook was in the ceiling as the stepfather would enter they prepared themselves.

He would walk over to the pair smiling and grinning as he had a hot brand in his hand, moving it close to their face but never touching it he would laugh. He would begin to move behind the twins as he would first start on Yui he would begin to roll the red hot rod down her back as she would begin to scream in pain, her skin being peeled up from his heat. However this was their life, they were saved by him, but in reality, they were just toys for his sick fetishes and desires.

"Yui you were a bad girl, I heard rumors you refused to pleasure someone I sent to you, you know the rules if you don't obey you get to play games with me. Remember if I don't get satisfied with you I will do this to Yua, so you better make sure I enjoy this."

He would continue for about an hour before finally leaving the room, he was satisfied with his results as Yui had been let down now bleeding on the floor. Yua was also cut down as he would move over to Yui and try to help her, the door would close as they were now put in the isolation room, another day another day of torture, this was their life. As Shimiko took them to safety from Aki they would feel warmth and kindness as their bad dream would finally come to an end. Unknown to them Shimiko had saved them and Miyu.

They would open their eyes and see Shimiko and Miyu both okay, they quickly got hugged by her as she pulled them all in for a hug. They wanted to cry but refused to cry, they had to be strong and would never cry in front of anyone that was their promise. They blushed some as Shimiko lifted the dress to check for scars, there was some minor scarring from the skin being burned off but it wasn't terrible and simply added to all the other scars they had.

The twins would turn toward Aki and give a light bow, they were very polite toward him but they could feel he was also like themselves, he had a monster inside of him. They listened to Shimiko and could tell she was happy but also mad, they had used a power they did not want to. Someone had viciously attacked them and left them no choice and in the end to save Miyu they choose to surrender. This was what Shimiko would have wanted, to protect the lives of others sometimes you had to sacrifice your own goals, this also included winning the exams.

"We... are sorry we failed you Shimiko but we felt saving Miyu life was more important than winning the exams. We... yes used something we should not have but a crazy man had explosive tags strapped to his chest and tried to kill us with them. It forced a reaction... something you know happens when we are threatened. We can say the shinobi that did this was from Konoha however, his partner was as well. We tried to negotiate a peace deal with him and he ambushed us with this attack instead."

The twins still felt unsafe pulling Shimiko harder for a hug, they wanted to be close to her but they also knew this meant they had to train more. This was a wake-up call to both and something they need to take much more seriously from now on.


-Exit with Shimiko and Miyu-

Sometimes Sharingan was a blessing, other times it was a curse. The three tomoes were capable enough to precognitively predict what Shimiko was about to say but for a moment there Akihiro didn't believe his own eyes. But as Shimiko's lips moved and and the words came out of her mouth, Akihiro's blood boiled and the Sharingan took a whole new shape as its tomoes furiously spinned in Akihiro's eyes, fusing together and taking in a new shape. How in the world did Shimiko know about Kimiko? What did she have on him, what was it that he wasn't seeing? Akihiro was not entirely used to finding himself with an exposed flank, but it seemed this time he had been caught off guard. He attempted to keep his mask on while analyzing the situation, but the skin under his eyes twitched a little and a drop of red blood would descend from the his left eye.

"Oh? Touched a soft spot did she? Amusing. I can give you the power to end her now, you know..."

But Akihiro didn't bother replying to the tailed beast, knowing fully well it was just looking for a reason to weaken the seal on his body. But the Sparrow's own chakra was running wild, focusing mostly on his eyes. For a moment there, as Shimiko moved to hug the twins he considered ending her there. It mattered little whether Akihiro actually had the power to finish her off or not. That hadn't been the case when he fought Nozomi, but he still engaged in battle nonetheless. And with Nozomi, it hadn't been personal.

But Shimiko had made it personal. In response to fair criticism in Akihiro's eyes, she had threatened not only Akihiro and his clan, but Kimiko personally as well. Once again I say, it mattered little who was stronger. If the two of them were to engage in a fight, Akihiro would raze the entire village to the ground in his fury. Mountains would fall, and the black flames of Amaterasu would consume everything and everyone leaving nothing but ashes to be washed away by rain. The Land of Lightning's storms could forever cry the loss of their village for all he cared. Shimiko wouldn't be stupid enough to assume she could defeat Akihiro without leaving a crater worthy of a meteor.


Akihiro was dead serious. He had never competed on the Shinobi World tournament so maybe that was why Shimiko was under the impression she could make an enemy out of him and not take heavy losses. In fact he had never really thrown his full weight at anyone, not even at Nozomi. But he would now.

There was thus a moment of tension after Shimiko hugged her family. But Akihiro wasn't Shimiko, and his emotional control seemed to be better than the woman's. So he'd take a deep breath.

Then he would use his sleeve to wipe the blood from his cheek. "I told you there was no need to thank me, look you're making me all teary now, it's embarrassing." His mask was back on. "Okay I'll go in for a bit of an afternoon tea, but I can't take too long to hurry back. I forgot to tell Kimiko I was leaving for a bit. Although I'm certainly curious to see what kind of tea can be bought with 2 million ryo and a jonin."


[Exit]
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Active:
Sensory
Mangekyou Sharingan