Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He wasn't doing his usual testing today. Sure he was in the lab but a few papers were arranged differently even though it seems he was finishing and putting them away. He was muttering something while he puts his left fingerless glove back on.
"....That should do it..."
He turns around either because you greeted him or because he just sees you.
"Oh. Senko your back. How was your trip? Was it successful in its goal?"

Kimiko:
She goes back to her home. Her mother, Mitsuko is no longer there as matriarch but just another ninja. Without her position she has grown a lax in her posture, slouching and lazing around. She turns to Kimiko, no longer so formal with her.
"Hey, how was your mission?"
"It technically succeeded I guess...."
"Hrngh. I'm sensing a 'but' here...." Weird usually her daughter was proud triumphant at a successful mission, what was up?
"Well....one of my teammates foolishly tried to sacrifice themselves for something....and I don't get it. Why do people sacrifice themselves for others?"
"....Your asking the wrong person, kid. In this selfless fools sacrifice themselves and leave the rest of us to figure out what to do after, wondering why, wondering if they were truly better people for dying like that. I myself wondered why ever since..."
"....Father died?"
"No. Ever since I graduated the academy. Let me tell about it, its a strange story, though your father is in it too....Before Yagura took over....before it all went wrong..."

Spoiler: Growin' Up Kiri: Graduation Day

Show

Mitsuko, Age 12:
Today was the day they graduated. Mitsuko could hardly wait, she was looked down on her clan for being average in Paper release and not having a single shred of talent for fuinjutsu. Despite how much she tried she just kept being found middling. The Ishikawa clan prides itself on excellence. She was already a failure by her clans standards and only good for being put into an arranged marriage, but she promised today that she would begin her journey prove them wrong and become a great ninja despite her clans dismissal. Of course she sees from a distance Ryota, a third cousin of hers and the one she was chosen to be wedded to, she knew. Despite the arrangement, they didn't interact with each other much. Ryota was off doing much more advanced training and when she did try speaking to him, his voice as cold as ice, seemingly not caring for her much. Beside him was Sowagi a warm excitable boy he had been assigned to be academy partners with for his time at the academy, talking excitedly
"I can't wait to be a ninja Ryota isn't it exciting!?"
"If you say so."
"We'll get to be ninja! Badasses going around to exciting new places, meeting new people and fighting to protect our village! I'll be great!"
"Sure."
"I'm looking forward to finally being able to explore beyond the village, and sail upon the waves! What do you look forward to, Ryota!?"
"....Weeding."
"Wha? Weeding?" Sowagi says confused.
"Weeding." He repeats in the same cold tone.
"You give the weirdest answers, my friend." Sowagi says, shrugging it off.
Mitsuko raises a hand and says
"Hi Ryota"
He doesn't respond back as they walk by, Sowagi continuing to babble on. She sighs. Yeah that was the usual response from Ryota in public.

She of course soon meets up with her own student partner throughout the academy: Akiyashi. She was a low caste, unlike Mitsuko, no family to her name, but unlike Mitsuko she was talented: more skilled in taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu than her, she succeeded at her book studies as well, Mitsuko knew she could never hope to beat her in anything-and she was also Mitsuko's best friend.
"Hey Mitsuko how you doing?"
"Fine..." she says "A little nervous. Today is the big day when we finally become ninja you know?"
"Yeah. I get that, need to be at your best. Don't worry, You'll pass I'll make sure of it." Akiyashi assures her
"Thanks Aki but we don't even know what the graduation will test for. You think they're going to make us test the academy three again?" Mitsuko asks
"Can't be. They already did that yesterday and sent home all duos that couldn't even manage that." Akiyashi says, knowing those duos would probably be back next year to try again.
"You think they're going to make us try and do Hidden Mist Jutsu?" Mitsuko speculates
"Makes no sense, we haven't gotten any water release training." Akiyashi says back.
"Weird. Well, whatever it is I just...I just hope I succeed. The clan talks up Ryota like he is the best thing ever while I'm....I'm just his accessory." she says sadly.
Akiyashi puts an arm over Mitsuko's shoulder
"Hey. Don't worry about it. Screw what your clan thinks, they don't know what they got, I bet with proper shining even you can shine like a diamond. You had my back when keeping away them clan bullies, and I'll have yours now. Okay?" Akiyashi says with a smile
"...Okay!" Mitsuko smiles back, feeling better.
"Alright, lets go in and face whatever awaits us." Akiyashi says. Beside her, Mitsuko felt like she could do anything.

The students are ushered into what is known at the Kirigakure Academy, as The Graduation Room. It is built from a hollowed out cavern behind a pounding waterfall where little sound could be heard over its rushing flow, they had to water-walk to get to it and the place has darker lighting. Amid it are row after row of little dueling areas drawn on the ground to indicate where people should stand. They are ushered into these rows and their instructor calls out
"Stand with your assigned partner! Make sure they are on the opposite side of the dueling area!"
When everyone is in order, the instructor then goes over to the doors of this room, takes out a key, and locks them.
"What?" Mitsuko says "Aki, why is he locking us inside?"
Akiyashi is silent, her face serious and firm.
The instructor walks to the front of the room where there is the most light, with a little stage, very spartan in appearance. He clears his throat and announces
"As you know students, we assign partners to each of you. With these partners you learn the value of cooperation, coordination, trust, loyalty, teamwork. Virtues that will serve you well throughout your career as a shinobi. But now you must learn something different. Virtues that will be just as valuable, but not as often spoken of. I will inform you now: half you will not be leaving this room alive. Your families will be notified of your failure to graduate, they were informed of the risk when they signed you up."
Misuko was confused. What was he talking about!? The instructor continues as if delivering any other speech. Sowagi yells
"Whaddya mean by that!? What the hell!?"
"The graduation test of Kirigakure Academy is as follows: You are to kill your assigned partner by any means necessary. Thi-"
SHLCKTT!
The instructor and the entire class stops and turns to stare in horror at the sound of a blade piercing a skull: Ryota had killed Sowagi without hesitation, a paper blade extended from his clutches. The blade retracts, red with blood and the corpse of Sowagi thumps to the ground.
"Weeding's done." is all Ryota says
"But..." the instructor says "...I didn't even finish my speech."
"So? You said by any means necessary. I don't recall you saying anything about a set time to start." Ryota says back
"Thats...a good point. Huh. Very well. Ryota Ishikawa, you pass. Please go collect your headband over there wait for the rest of the students."
He does so wordlessly. The instructor turns back to the rest of the class, all shocked by this.
"My students, once again Ryota has demonstrated why he is the top of his class. He has demonstrated perfectly the other virtues we are looking for: Ruthlessness. Discipline. Detachment. A shinobi must be prepared to kill anyone in service to his village- including his most trusted allies. Even if they aren't secretly trying to betray you, they might eventually be subverted by a genjutsu, being blackmailed or bribed or some other form of coercion. To allow such petty things to keep you from serving your village and country and thus lead to disloyalty is inexcusable. For shinobi are weapons that kill what poses the most danger to our survival. To be concerned about the life of your target is to fail. On this day you are no longer children, but adults and adults kill.....or be killed. Prove that you can be a real shinobi and kill your partner or die. You may begin."
It was at this moment that Mitsuko realized that this wasn't a graduation room. This was the room where they took children like her to be murdered by other children. This wasn't graduation, but a deadly hazing ritual to make sure you either get in too deep to ever get back out....or drown. Building the room within a cavern behind the waterfall was to make sure no one heard the sounds of combat and screaming that were erupting around her even now. The locked door was so that no one escaped before it was finished. The dim lightning was probably to make sure no one sees the bloodstains going in.
Akiyashi charges with a kunai, Mitsuko brings up her own paper blade to block, the two blades clashing.
"Mitsuko! Kill me." she whispers
"WHAT!?" she exclaims
Akiyashi breaks makes a few swings that seemed normal, but Mitsuko knew were holding back because she could block those as well. Akiyashi was normally far more skilled, far faster than this. They clash again.
"I said kill me!" she insists.
"No! I-I-I can't! Your my best friend!"
"don't worry, I'll be fine. Kill me"
"Dead is the exact opposite of fine!" Mitsuko hisses back
"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine, do it."
"Your not making sense!" Mitsuko points out
"Okay, Mitsuko? I planned for this. Kill me."
"No you should live! Your....your the talented one, the cool one, the person who was always there and helped me...I'm nothing but a worthless girl...."
"No. I planned for this." she leans in and whispers "Don't worry I'll live. Just kill me."
"No! I can't!"
"You need to. Your not worthless, Mitsuko. You can do this." Akiyashi says trying to reassure her.
"But whats your plan!?"
"Best you don't know. You probably won't see me for quite a while. I know I can't kill you Mitsuko so....either we are stuck here forever or you kill me so that least you live." She explains a little.
"But you...."
"Don't deserve to live more than anyone else. This my choice, Mitsuko. and I choose for you to live. Kill me, if I stab myself it wont allow you to graduate." She says with determination.
"....Dammit." Mitsuko says, a tearing rolls down her cheek then throws her into an offensive "Fine! Be that way! Baka!"
Akiyashi makes a show of putting up a defense, deflecting a few times then gets stabbed in the heart. They stop and she leans in to whisper into Mitsuko's ear
"Thank you Mitsuko. I am now free. Don't worry. We'll meet again someday...best friend."
Akiyashi then slumps off the paper blade and falls to the ground, still. The instructor calls out
"Mitsuko Ishikawa! You pass!"
Mitsuko her face frozen in terror numbly walks over to the side and takes a headband. It felt heavier than she thought it should and with trepidation, put it on. She sees Ryota standing there passively like a stone looking out at the rest of the class fighting each other, walks over to him and asks
"How? How you can just....kill Sowagi so easily and not care?"
"I was told to." he answers flatly.
"Okay but besides that."
"He was annoying." He answers in the same frigid tone.
"Thats really it? Thats why you killed him?"
"I am a weapon, a shinobi. Its what I do. That and I was told about the graduation ritual from the very beginning of the Academy by the clan head to prepare myself."
"How can you say that?"
"Easily. I just did. Were you not paying attention?"
"....How do I know you won't kill me?"
"Simple. I'm not allowed. Don't be traitor to the clan and I won't be allowed to kill you."
"....Fine. Okay." she decides to stop talking to him.
Soon the slaughter was over. They were taken out of the Graduation Room back out into the world, while the bodies were picked up by Chuunin to be carted off for funeral arrangements.

Kimiko patiently listening through the story, said
"Ooh.....thats horrifying....Just like my...."
"Yeah. Like your initiation...but not exactly. It was impractical to do it the way it was done in our position and we'd thought it be better if you just killed a random bandit instead as they're not as valuable as a shinobi and wouldn't be someone you know. Less hard on you, more realistic, less personal while still delivering the same message. Why make you our children kill a dear friend or comrade? We're shinobi. We kill, but....if we lose the people that are valuable to us, what is the point? Better to kill the person you don't know."
"That is what my father was like?"
"Yup. I swear on the Sage that it what he was like."
"He sounded....creepy. Terrifying. Yet you always said he was one of the best shinobi you've ever seen."
"Yeah. That isn't a contradiction. There is a vast difference between being a good shinobi, and being a good person. Shinobi are terrifying killers. Being the best shinobi? Is just being the best monster."
"and your friend? Akiyashi?"
"Never saw her again after she sacrificed her self for me. Didn't know what she was talking about and I never found out."
Kimiko suddenly hugs Mitsuko
"No one should have to lose a friend like that."
Mitsuko is just stunned. What!? What.....was this!? She is confused for a moment then says with a shark smile
"....Heh...your less like your father than I thought."

[Rater202]

"I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news..."

Senko rolls up her sleeve, both to show that her flesh is made of meat again and that she has the snake summoning contract tattooed to her arm.

"I succeeded in the trials and am now the Snake Sage, and the Power of the White Snake has allowed me to rapidly fully recover from the after-effects of the cell grafting procedure. In addition, I have managed to improve my chakra control enough to deliberately extract unprocessed natural energy from the bodies of other organisms and discovered that casting the mist generation Jutsu with senjutsu chakra is a more efficient way of expelling excess natural energy from my body than my previous methods."

"Furthermore: I am not the first member of my clan to go the Ryuchi Cave. If what the White Snake Sage has said is true, one of my relatives has traced our ancestry to a mutant splinter of the Senju clan, breaking away three generations before Hashirama's. She also said that my relative went to Lightning Country after leaving Ryuchi Cave, So... That's a discussion for another time."

"The bad news? The survivors of my home town have put a bounty on my head. We ran into a Ronin from the Land of Iron who seemed intent on collecting... Luckily, Tomoe Kurogane seems more interested in bringing justice than the money and elected not to take my head after speaking with me, but other bounty hunters will be less scrupulous..."

"The White Snake Sage has also suggested that I use Menko's cells once I perfect my technique, and asked me to keep her informed of the progress of my research... I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing."

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other. She won't actively betray you but... We're snakes. We don't operate on the same set of morals and ethics that you do."

Menko doesn't even poke a head out of the robe to say that.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He nods as he listens.
"So...it was successful? I am glad. I had my trepidation regarding this but it seems to have paid off. As for the bad news....well to be honest I already knew of the bounty for years. We're the hidden village of this nation after all, such a thing doesn't slip by us. Nozojo and I simply decided that it was unfair to hold a child responsible for what is essentially a genetic condition they could not control.

As for this Tomoe....what would have us do? She is a foreigner who knows of an important secret of our village, Senko. T&I (Torture and Interrogation) Departments can break anyone with enough time and effort. And she not long ago wanted to kill you. You may be fine with submitting yourself to whatever justice you want, but if you think I'm allowing that for a second Senko then your wrong. I am not deluding myself into thinking that justice is my trade, but I will fight for what I think is right regardless."
He went through a lot of work to get Senko a better life. He'd be dead or damned before he let her die so early after getting it.
"Depends on whether you trust the Sage to not share the information with others. If you don't, I recommend lying about the speed of your progress to be slower than it actually is. Its a subtle bit of misinformation but can be effective as travel times can make passing on the information even slower: if they are passing the information to someone else, the information has to go to the snakes first THEN to someone else, doubling the length of time they know what information, lying about the speed of your progress you can double the gap between what the third party knows and the truth that you know even further. At a certain point it'll be as simple as sending out last week's report while holding the current week's report ready for the next one."

Kimiko:
They suddenly break off the hug. They stand around awkwardly, not sure what to do after that. The display of affection fades and Kimiko remembers the years that Mitsuko was abusive. It had only been a short while since she stopped being that way. Senko's words echo in her ears and she wonders if she can trust her mother to truly change. If she deserves to be given a chance. But if Jirou who knows more about this is giving her a chance, why not Kimiko? Still it was awkward and difficult. Mitsuko on her part was not used to this kind of closeness. Kirigakure didn't permit much time for it. This continues until Mitsuko decides to break the ice.
"Hey kid. Want me to show you some new jutsu?"
"Sure!"
Yeah, training. That made sense to both of them.

Emi:
She calms down a little and takes a deep breath.
"....So. What do we do?"
"An interesting question my student. If this was wartime, options like killing the whole cave or holding hostages or some other threat or blackmail to force the snakes to break off the contract would be considered as options for resource denial..." Doctor Kaizen muses.
"Thats monstrous."
"...But during peace such things would only give Konohagakure a ruthless reputation among the summoning contract animals and ensure that no such groups would want to form contracts with us ever again. Thus they are discarded." he finishes as if she never spoke up.
"Leaving only one option: to figure out who this this Snake Sage is and do something about them."
"Indeed. Now think my student: Who in Sound Village would want to grab the title of Snake Sage from us?"
"All of them. The two villages hate each other."
"Ah, but who would act on that hatred in a way that denies us a valuable strategic resource and source of research?"
"....Then we're talking about someone smart. Ameoku?"
"No. she already has a summoning contract. While dual contracts are possible, they are unneeded most of the time as a single summoning contract is often enough for any needs summoning can give you. A second one in most cases is redundant and the original summoned beings might get jealous of others being called upon instead of them as a matter of pride. No. I highly doubt its Ameoku."
"Shinpi then."
"Possible. But why now? He is a bit of a wild card to be sure, but he has had more than enough time to do it earlier. Unless he is playing at some game no one has guessed which is possible but lets not get caught up in wild speculation. Let us assume it is not a mysterious figure whom we cannot possibly hope to figure out. And before you say it, let us eliminate Samayo Majutsu. I doubt a ninja of his reputation has any interest in the power of the White Snake. and the Otokage is too old. contracts are best signed at younger ages so you can get used to having them and developing a relationship with those you summon."
"So....none of the Three Thunders? or their current Otokage? We're talking about someone younger? Well that could be anyone from Sound. How do we figure that out?"
"Indeed, tell me."
Sigh. Of course he wouldn't tell her everything.
"Well if they're younger....they're going to be someone new. Someone who is smart, willing to take risks, and knows what they're after. If they were just after a summoning contract, going all the way to Ryuichi Cave would be unneeded- Ameoku is one of the Three Thunders if they just wanted to summon things they would just have to curry her favor. ...Maybe its a bit of leap of logic but I have a feeling that they might be a genin."
"Hoh? and what makes you think it isn't a Chuunin?"
"Genin would be an optimal time to sign a contract wouldn't you think?"
"There are teenage Chuunin that fall with the preferred age range."
"Sure but if they are Chuunin this gets harder....however if we assume a Genin that means they might show up during the next Chuunin Exams. A bold assumption to make I know, wouldn't you logically try to hide this advantage for as long as possible to surprise the enemy down the line? But no. The shinobi whoever they were either ordered or allowed the snakes to inform Konoha of the position being taken. Sure we were going there in a few more days and probably going to find out about this anyways but the fact that they allowed this to be revealed tells us they are not playing by the usual ninja playbook. No, they are intending to put on a show. And what better way to start than by participating in the Chuunin exams? Which means all we need to do is wait....and plan what to do with them when they come."
"Ah. I like they way you think, apprentice. Very well, I'll go with this assumption of yours, see if your Showoff Genin Theory holds true. But be careful. Any enemy that WANTS you to know their coming is either a fool or a legend in the making. Both are dangerous."
As Dr. Kaizen walks away Emi nods and begins walking to go heal more people, knowing that a fool stirs up chaos because they don't know what they're doing. A legend is worse, because they stir up chaos and know exactly they're doing. It matters not to Emi. If this person whoever they were was stopping her from bringing back her family, her village, then they were in the way-any ninja from Sound village was probably going to hate her just for wearing the Leaf headband after all, so it was no use reasoning with them in all probability.

Emi crushes those who are in her way.

[Rater202]

"The loyalty of the snakes is to Ryuchi Cave first and the current Snake Sage second. If her Royal Oldness is actually curious it's either to use your research for the Snake's benefits or for that of future snake sages. Or she just thinks it's neat."

"Yes, that... Travel Time is not an excuse. I have been instructed to use reverse summoning to travel to the Cave from now on... Which, to be fair, would be easier than coming up with an excuse to regularly travel to the Land of fire."

Senko is shaken all of a sudden. The idea of the Samurai from the Land of Iron being tortured doesn't set right with her... And Senko is realizing that maybe, just maybe, Senko made a mistake by saying as much as she did.

"A messenger was sent from the Cave to the Leaf Village. supposedly, my name was left out of it, but the Leaf Village was told that the position of Snake Sage was claimed by a Sound Ninja as a courtesy. We should have a plan to introduce myself formally as the Snake Sage to the village proper."

"My first thought was to go into a public park and summon a large snake in front of people... But as I thought about it, I realized that that could easily be misconstrued as an attack."

"I do not usually listen to the radio... My preferred genre of music is not exactly conducive to keeping calm..."

Honestly, if Senko did not have to keep herself as calm as possible as much as possible, she's probably fit right in among the Broken Record Club's regulars.

"But an... Interview on one or more radio shows where I introduce myself as your secret protege, announce myself as the Snake Sage, and make arrangements for a public appearance where I prominently feature my snake familiar might be the most efficient way of doing it."

"It will be some time before I can wield the full clout of the Snake Sage, but creating your tutelage for my ability to pass those tests so young would increase your standing and might swing the decisions of some people who are not in a specific faction in your favor--I do not know exactly how one becomes Otokage, but increasing your standing in the village can not possibly hurt and I would rather the homicidal kitty lady not be put in charge of the village if I can at all help it."

"...Though, if I am to become a more publically known figure... Oh... Oh crap."

"We are going to have to come up with a cover story for the bloodlines I have grafted to myself... I mean, it is not like I can claim to be the Sage of Six Paths reincarnated. Even if it was the literal truth, no one would beleive it excet for maybe some religious nutjobs."

[igordragonian]

After the great snake's speech/out of the cave, Odayama knelt and placed a gentle hand on Senko's shoulder.
"I understand, that you might still be bitter for me putting bugs on you... but I really try... to give you something many ninjas in our world lack- a support. Understanding. And understanding that... you are not alone. Self sacrfice is a noble thing, but best to be avoided- both Kimiko and Usagi devolped techniques to help you, and even if those would have failed-" he show sleeping pills.
"And I even had a second back up plan- a way for me to take on myself your burden... for at least a short while. I am just saying... you have people who care for you.' And Odayama would release her.
Usagi is cranky on their way back. Especialy when Kimiko and Senko discuss theory- when this happens, she scuff and decide to "scout ahead'
Yuyuyu might have accused her of being jealuse- an accusation that Usagi would deny and add some swears snd curses.

Back in the village mountains of laundary and dishes have waited for Odayama- alongside piles of ramen boxes.
"So much for a heroic welcome..." he rumbled.
But then a feminine predatory figure pounced him.

* * *

The first thing Usagi did, was resupply and then train.
Tsuru is probably waiting for her.

But... she never actually did seen where Senko live...
What so special about her that both Kimiko and her older brother doting om her like that?
Usagi decided to search and stalk Senko.
What could get wrong?

------

)I assume Ameoku's visit is before then)
This forced Ameoku to use academy level jutsu-
Few bone projectiles penerate Ameoku and she fall on her knees poofing in smoke.

And maybe something above- Ameoku has disguised herself as one of the bone projectiles, assuming this has confused Miho, she jumped reapering pouncing at Miho.

Ameoku has arsenal of jutsus but she enjoyed the basic techniques.

[Rater202]

Senko's apartment

It doesn't take much to find where Senko lives. It's not like it's unlisted, she just lives in a normal apartment in the residential district.

The first obstacle that Usagi faces when she gets inside the building is that Senko's door is locked.

[igordragonian]

Usagi first check if someone is home. Through the windows mostly
If it quite, she use her a bit above basic pick locking skills

[Rater202]

There's no window into the apartment from the hallway, but no one seems to be there.

Usagi's lockpicking skills get her past the door and...

The apartment is mostly barren. Very little furniture, the "living" room seems to have been repurposing as an office. There's a desk and chair, a bulletin board with a bunch of documents pinned to it and organized with strings and labels, and a few stacks of papers on the desk.

There's also a drum kit in a corner, but it doesn't look like it's been used recently.

The only sign of ornamentation in the room is a tanto hanging on a display on the wall.

[igordragonian]

Usagi waddle on her crothes take a peek at the documents.

[Rater202]

Usagi waddle on her crothes take a peek at the documents.

There is a dossier on the Yuki clan and theories about the Ice Release bloodline.

Senko also proposes several possible routes to "immortality" in a loose page from her research log.

There are also some comments of physiological kekei genkai and theories about Dead Bone Pulse--notably, it seems that Senko had previously theorized a connection to the Senju before the White Snake Sage confirmed it.

There's a note to check in on the Fuda, Fuinjutsu, and Formulaic Seal department of the research facility to see if they've come to any conclusions about her "DNA Tag" proposal... And maybe to talk about it with Kimiko, but no details on what the DNA tag is.

The most recent thing...

It seems like Senko has sketched out the body of a young boy with several body modifications... Including extra pairs of ears sewn to the head...

This is Futility San.

Senko refers to him as "Ottomaru" in the notes that come with the sketch, with notes that he has had the Dead Bone Pulse and Paper Release Bloodlines in addition to the ears...

Much of the writing accompanying the sketch is speculation on how exactly the boy was modified, and excerpts from what appears to be the boy himself talking about struggling with pain.

Interspaced in the speculation and excerpts are tear stains and talk about punishing "that bastard" but no mention of who "that bastard" is.

It seems as if Senko has reason to believe that Futility-san is the way he is becuase of experimentation--the transcriptions of the boy's own words to point to that--and is hoping to cure him of whatever drove him to this.

"You know, it's incredibly rude to come into someone's home without an invitation," comes Senko;s voice from behind Usagi.

Once Usagi has a chance to react, however... "Of course, I have less of a leg to stand on than you do on that front. Kimiko's voice continues where Senko's left off.

If Usagi turns around, she sees a figure concealed entirely in a black robe, their face hidden by a blank white mask.

She is being confronted by Shinpi of the Three Thunders.

[igordragonian]

"Damn. She is a real smartass. I guess, that why Kimiko enjoy talking to her...' Usagi rant.
She gasp, and spin in place on one crotch, raising a kunai as an instinct.
The girl face become as red as her hair.
She drop the kunai.
'...It doesn't what it looks like..." she grow pale.

Usagi lower her head. "...It was.. a stupid idea. I just...' she look away, shift the scarf which hidden the scar Kimiko gave her.
"....I am sorry." She almost barf the words.

However toward the Thunder she frown.
"Hey! You think you are better then me?huh?! Senko can patronize me-I have wronged HER. Who are you to scold me?!"

[Rater202]

"Damn. She is a real smartass. I guess, that why Kimiko enjoy talking to her...' Usagi rant.
She gasp, and spin in place on one crotch, raising a kunai as an instinct.
The girl face become as red as her hair.
She drop the kunai.
'...It doesn't what it looks like..." she grow pale.

Usagi lower her head. "...It was.. a stupid idea. I just...' she look away, shift the scarf which hidden the scar Kimiko gave her.
"....I am sorry." She almost barf the words.

However toward the Thunder she frown.
"Hey! You think you are better then me?huh?! Senko can patronize me-I have wronged HER. Who are you to scold me?!"

There's no think about it, the mysterious ninja says in Usagi's own voice. "I am the oldest ninja in this village by a wide margin and a jonin. You are a child who is maybe a few months out of the academy. I am better than you, objectively."

"Beyond that, I am both your elder and hold a much higher rank than you in the village hierarchy. It is my right to scold you for breaking into your teammate's apartment and snooping on her... That's my job, not yours."

"Admittedly, she does need to be more careful about security, but..."

Shinpi clasps their hidden hands together and crouches down, as though they are sitting on a chair that isn't there.

"So, tell me, what are you doing?"

Usagi doesn't recognize this voice.

[igordragonian]

"The Ottokage didn't made a scene when I bursted into his office..."
Usagi rant.
She blush, tagging at her scarf.
'....It's kind of personal... I am.. sure me and Senko can figure it out without a creepy old dude looking at us!"

[Rater202]

"It is my job to monitor shinobi activity in this village, and it is my interest to keep an eye on the rising stars of the Hope generation. The prodigy heir of the Ishikawa Clan, the Yin-user after my own heart, and you... The girl who equaled the heiress despite no one in their right mind thinking someone like you could be a ninja."

"You are all very impressive individuals... And then you get trusted with this child..."

"Before she was assigned to work with your team, Usagi-san, this child's very existence was a closely guarded secret. As far as the landlord of this building knows, little Senko is just some orphan in the ward of the village."

"Lord Otokage may not care about trespass in his own office, but..."

"My advice, Usagi-san, put everything back the way you found it, leave the apartment, lock the door behind you, and forget everything you just read. Whatever problem you and the girl have, work it out by talking with her instead of... I dare say that the child will never trust you again if she finds out about this... She's very concerned about people finding out what she's working on... Poor girl is paranoid about the clans of other villages having her assassinated to prevent her from undermining their monopoly on their Kekkei Genkai..."

"Or not. Continue snooping... But the consequences are on your head... You could undermine whatever relationship you hope to have with the girl... Or you could learn something you never wanted to know..."

Shinpi starts melting into the floor.

"It's just... In my interest that your team not implode so soon."

And they're gone.

[igordragonian]

Usagi creeped out and hurry to obey.
She finally think of going home to Tsuru.
But she will just crush and sleep.
Talks?
Maybe tommorow.
She felt terrible.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He thinks on this information
"Hmm...I guess we you couldn't do anything about that message being sent. The summoning animal clans have their own strange bit of politics attached to them. It does however continue a confrontational relationship with Konoha. No likes their resources being taken out from under their nose. Don't worry. I doubt they're respond immediately. If this kind of thing provoked an immediate attack every time it happened, we'd be back in the warring states era.

As for music...heh. Now that your healthy, I'm sure you'll be able to afford things from the money you take. your apartment could use some decorating, like a record player. Though I hear there is this promising engineering project the Komoro clan is doing to try and minimize them down a bit into smaller discs, a form of information storage that could hold a lot but be unable to be read by any other nation. so would theoretically be great for playing music as well.

As for the interview, that sounds like a great idea, if your playing it that way....as for cover story for the bloodlines hm....we could lie and say that your senjutsu mutations are a kind of "genetic chaos" that produces random mutations sometimes, and that every time you do so there is a chance for them to change and accidentally replicate some other bloodline? Maybe...

Or perhaps the lie is that its some sort of unconscious environmental-psychological response and it has a tendency to replicate things your aware of without you knowing how? No...

Or....we can pin the blame on Futility-san, given that it happened after he attacked you, we can reasonably claim that he inflicted the bloodlines on you in some attempt at psychological warfare which isn't outside his wheelhouse. Play up your involvement as a victim of his attack. I'd understand however if you do not want to unfairly blame him for something you did to yourself given your reaction to his story however. But the other two lies sound too much like bull, too vague. Anyone who isn't a dumbass will probably see right through them, because if they don't have biology knowledge they will see we're hiding something with vague uncertain explanations that wouldn't hold up under closer scrutiny...."

Kimiko:
Mitsuko stands in the courtyard.
"Okay. Its time perhaps for something a little more advanced. Up until now we've been polishing your usual things, making sure you got them down by heart, maybe using paper in a few new ways, but this this where your instruction is going to go down new avenues."
Kimiko is excited "Really? what are we doing?"
"Paper Clones."
Mitsuko forms her hand seals and a second Mitsuko poofs in in a cloud of smoke.
"Advanced clone techniques can be incredibly useful for what we do as shinobi. They can scout for us, take hits for us, assist in battle like delivering something, be a distraction all sorts of uses. Its a B-rank technique and one of the most flexible and useful techniques ever conceived of. Shinobi combat wouldn't be what is it today without it. Most ninja who don't specialize in something out of the ordinary inevitably learn at least one advanced clone technique."
The second Mitsuko flexes and poses a little throughout the explanation, then Mitsuko poofs her clone in punch, the clone vanishing with a look of surprise, exploding into literal confetti.
"However! They are fragile. Most dissipate under a single blow. This prevents them from some uses but it does mean they are disposable which is their greatest asset. That and I would NOT want to fight a clone that was more durable. And surely a durable clone would change the face of shinobi warfare forever. Best hope they remain disposable."
She turns to Kimiko
"You got the hand seals down?"
"Memorized on first glance as always. Tiger-Ram-Monkey-Horse-Ram-Dog"
"....Yeah....sure...Show me then. One clone only."
Kimiko then flashes her hands through the necessary seals thne in a poof of smoke a paper clone of kimiko appears right next to her. She turns and looks
"Haha! I did it! As expected of Kimiko Ishi-"
He boasting is cut off when her clone suddenly screams in existential horror and poofs into confetti all on her own.
"....Hyu? What just happened!?"
Mitsuko sighs scratching her head.
"Yeah, I was afraid of that, that problem is common with clones of geniuses."
"Hyu? What do you mean, Oka-san?"
Mitsuko folds her arms.
"Its called Existential Clone Shock. When a clone thinks too hard about their own existence they realize that they're copies of a person down to every last time as to be indistinguishable....while also realizing that their lifespan is at best measured in about a minute, maybe seconds. The resulting mental stress causes them to dissipate from the sheer fear of mortality they experience. It tends to happen in clones of geniuses and smarter shinobi who have no problem mastering the jutsu, but due to their own ability to figure things out make clones that think too deep too fast. More normal shinobi when they finally achieve don't have this problem because their don't think about the underlying implications of their existence."
"so they think they're people, and thus react like people who think they are seconds away form death?"
"Close. The react like that, because clones ARE technically people. By all measures of the word, they are just as sentient, sapient and so on as anyone else. Clones are even capable of diverging their thoughts patterns from your own due to their own knowledge of existence. there have been cases where clones argued with their own creator or have done crazy things of their own volition simply because they know they live their short lives without consequence, meaning they are capable of individuality to. But they remain disposable as ever."
Kimiko's eyes widen at this.
"So....wait...how do fix it so they don't poof themselves out of shock?"
"We discipline your mind and thus the clones minds, to ignore it. Just like how everyone else deals with death: by ignoring it for as long as they can."
"....That....thats...."
"Hard I know. But you need to stop thinking about it."
"But..."
Mitsuko warns her.
"Don't think about it! Its not something you can solve. If you want to make sure that clone technique is useful and more importantly make sure you can live your life well: Don't think about it."
Kimiko is silent for a few moments.
"Okay."
She replies.
"Good. Do it again when you feel your ready."

[Rater202]

"Maybe... Something something... Recessive genes? Your clan are distant cousins to the Senju, while, as I discover, my own is a branch family and I have speculated that there may be a common ancestor between my own clan and the Kaguya due to... Well, the most likely method for their bloodline to work is similar to a more-specialized version of my own bloodline's non-senjutsu elements..."

"Or... Or we could pass the buck?"

"Tell them the truth, tell everyone that my research is into chakra composition and it's interaction with biology, but and that I have been given permission to experiment with biological samples that are donated to me or collected from enemies, we tell them that the terrorist who attacked the labs left a sample of blood behind, that I collected and studied it, found it to be useful for a... procedure for my own health... But we tell them that I wasn't aware that the terrorist had actually be altered with the kekkei genka of our clan's ninja until afterward"

"Then the blame doesn't go to me, it goes to the person who performed those experiments on the child in the first place."

"No, no, never mind, that's too risky, that's... Even if the rest of the village bought it, that's still admitting that I'm experimenting with cell grafting and bloodline stacking, if it gets out of the village every major clan in the Five Great Nations will be sending assassins after my head."

"Maybe... Maybe...."

"Maybe I should meet privately with the leaders of the four clans and just tell them the truth and let them deal with it?"

"...Part of me wishes I could just say that there was cross-contamination between an experiment by the Otokage to combine the bloodlines of the Four Clans of this village and an experiment of my own to correct my chakra imbalance and let him deal with it. Throw the bastard under the bus, but... that would just be handing the village to the Killer Kitty."

"Do you think we could get away with just not explaining it?"

"Why are humans so obsessed with keeping their bloodlines pure and exclusive? why can't you be like snakes? You think I know who my parents are?"

"...Maybe... Honestly at this point claiming to be..."

"The White Snake Sage compared my clan's power to the transformations of the Ten-Tails and of the Sage of Six Paths after he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki... And she spoke as if the stories are literal. Maybe, maybe we blame it on a similarity to the originator of most bloodlines?"

"No, no, that... Kimiko knows, as do Usagi and Yuyuyu. I didn't tell them who Ottomaru's father was, but they know the gist of what happened and..."

"I really wish that I was one of those ninjas strong enough to just do whatever the Hell I want and as long as I am not hurting the village no one gives a damn. Things would be so much easier."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
"Well Two thoughts:
My first thought is that no one KNOWS about your bloodlines except me, Kikenna, Nozojo I think and Team 3. Possibly Ottomaru if he was smart enough to set things up to allow/make you discover the serum and guess that you'd take it yourself and if he only threatened to do it to Kimiko as a distraction when I fought him so that you'd become like this, it would make his actions make more sense. Not that we can discount him doing that anyways, but psychological warfare seems to be his M.O. Point is, few people know about it, and its not obvious you have them at first glance. The best thing for you might actually be to not tell anyone about it until you figure out some more plausible way or better time to reveal it. Keeping secrets is just apart of the shinobi world, and every shinobi has at least one.

And don't worry about Kimiko, I have people secretly guarding her."
He sighs folds his arms
"My second thought is that the only two people more experienced about how this will go down we can go to for the political advice we need on how to handle this are Nozojo or my mother. I'm sure your well-aware of why we'd both have trepidations about asking help from either. But if you truly don't want to disclose something you don't have to- I'd technically argue you don't have to disclose the Snake Sage thing either but thats neither here nor there- keeping secrets is just something we learn to live with. And if your bad at lying well...the best thing to do is not say anything at all. Better to be silent and unnoticed than to open one's mouth and look the fool, even if we sometimes must play the fool.

Though If you were better at acting like a normal kid your age, I'd suspect this would be much easier. Your usual way of speaking makes it obvious or a genius kid and everyone will automatically being expecting great things form you. Wait Menko is way better at acting and being silly and immature than you, maybe she can do something....or you can ask Yuyuyu, she is relatively normal."

(I assume Ameoku's visit is before then)
This forced Ameoku to use academy level jutsu-
Few bone projectiles penerate Ameoku and she fall on her knees poofing in smoke.

And maybe something above- Ameoku has disguised herself as one of the bone projectiles, assuming this has confused Miho, she jumped reapering pouncing at Miho.

Ameoku has arsenal of jutsus but she enjoyed the basic techniques.

Miho is indeed confused, not sure where she went. Then she gets pounced and tackled to the ground. But in response, her forms another bone helmet over her head and headbutts Ameoku back.

[Rater202]

"Sensei? My even, monotonous tone of voice and disuse of contractions is an affectation. I do that consciously as an exercise to keep myself calm."

"This is how I'd naturally talk. Being from a small village by the border, if ya didn't know of my smarts ya'd think I was some country bumpkin"

"Never do that again."

"As for advice... Kimiko-san warned me that if Madame Ishikawa were to learn that it had paper release, she would immediately try to either get me adopted into the clan or arrange a marriage contract. I would prefer not to do that."

"Announcing my status as the Snake Sage serves two purposes... One, I imagine that eventually, the LEaf Village is going to make inquiries. They've been told, we can't pretend I'm not here."

"The best-case scenario is that they offer the Sound Village and/or myself personally favorable deals or access to resources that we can exploit to put ourselves into a position where we are no longer constantly at the mercy... I would not put it past them to try and 'recruit me' or convince me to defect under the pretext of giving me more opportunities for in the name of an alliance, but..."

"The worst-case scenario is that they try to kill me to free up the position... Now, since I have dead bone pulse and the power of the White Snake, I should be harder to kill, but I am not immortal by any means... Though I do have some theories about... No, that's a thought for another time..."

"Though... Though..."

"The White Snake Sage suggested using Menko's cells, becuase, now that I have the Power of the White Snake, we have a high compatibility and Menko's yin-chakra nature will be enough to finish balancing my chakra... I really do not want to go through the pain of grating Ottomaru's cells again, but if I can get the procedure just a little better..."

"If I can get that taken care of, then I can start training to master my clan's sage mode. Once I get to an imperfect Sage Mode, not only will I be in full control of my transformations, but my raw power will increase many times over. In a village, this small, even limited use of such power would make me valuable enough..."

"Sorry, I am rambling. I will withhold the secret of my bloodlines to the best of my ability until at least I have achieved imperfect Sage Mode, but I believe transparency is for the best when it comes to my being the Snake Sage, if only to prevent people from being taken by surprise if the Leaf Village comes poking around."

"And, again, I would like to throw whatever clout I have due to my position and duties behind you publically. Short of taking over a clan or faction I believe that to be the best way to contribute to the psycho cat lady not taking over this village and leading us into a war we cannot win."

"And unless it turns out that one of our clans or factions ow a massive debt to Daisuke Senju that I can collect on, there's no feasible moral way of my taking over a clan or faction..."

"...Well, theoretically if we could find enough of my clansmen, convince them to come to Sound, consolidate into a proper clan, and agree to appoint me the head, but that would take long enough that Nozojo would be long dead or retired by the time we pulled it off"

[igordragonian]

This actually surprised- her mask crack, but she ednured worse- so she push her kneee to Miho's stomach and try to grab her wrists.
A wild mask appear on the mask.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
"....Heh, now I'm imagining your scientific papers in your country accent.

Anyways. You are right, the clans would see your state as an advantage to be gained. Though technically now that I'm in charge of Clan Ishikawa, I'm the one with the final say on the matter as far my clan is concerned. She could suggest and push for it, but I'd have to approve it. Kimiko I suspect was thinking more of other clans or has been thinking of her mother as in charge in her entire life, and so is still getting used to the change.

I think stealing a summoning pact from Konoha is a thing with clout, it logically seems like it. This village is young though, so who knows how much? Its not like we have a bunch of history and precedent to draw upon so, we might as well interview and hope that your correct.

Anyways then, what time to do this interview....well it would count as news I guess so either early in the morning or around dinner time when every gets back home so......which time?"

Kimiko:
After some training the work on discipling her mind not progressing very much, she says
"Okay.....clearly this is going to take a while....anyways time to start on another project, since I remembered that I have money of my own..."
"Project? What of?"
Mitsuko asks
"I'm going to buy a few parts needed to try and make an idea I have known as chakra goggles. Chakra can be seen by dojutsu and has colors in visible light, so there is no reason why a properly designed device cannot see chakra as well. There are after all, invisible waves like radio waves, ultra-violet, infrared, why not one for chakra?"
"Yeah, but most of the village's equipment is for sound not light."
"True! But sound and light are more related than you might think. They're both waves, vibrations and as we all know, light particles are both waves and particles. On some level, all of reality are waves, just with different lengths. Chakra, the way it behaves is no different. If we can sound into radio waves and back into sound I believe one can make anyone see chakra with goggles! I just have to figure out how to translate a chakra wave/particle impacting us into something we can visibly see. Watch! I'll create brilliance before your very eyes! Cya, Oka-san"
She will go off to search for her parts. Mitsuko changes into her Nezumi persona, and follows her, hidden and watchful. Nezumi wasn't going to let this Futility-San have any chance to harm her child.

Miho:
She feels the weight of Ameoku press down upon her, and while her wrists are grabbed, she does something weird: she tries to grow a blade of her elbow at a diagonal angle to try and touch Ameoku's neck.
"I can simply grow this bone blade to piece your neck right through and kill you. Feel like holding on?"
And if Ameoku lets go one of her arms to take care of it, Miho will make an attack with the one thats free to try and push her off so she can escape.

[Rater202]

Labs

"I think you know that I keep odd hours. I am more likely to be awake and functional in the evening."

There have been occasions that Jirou should be aware of where Senko has stayed awake in her laboratory for 24 hours straight. There have also been occasions where she's been found asleep at her desk and had to be forced to go home in the middle of the afternoon.

Her hours are more regular now that she's regularly socializing and has Menko to remind her to sleep and buy groceries, but...

Senko yawns. The kind of yawn that can get a whole room yawning.

"Though, probably not this evening. I think that I am getting spoiled, sensei. I used to be able to sleep on hard stone with nothing but a deer pelt to keep me warm in the winter, but on the road sleeping in tents my mind kept drifting back to the futon and blankets I have at home."

"Before I retire, I do have a few more things I wish to mention... First, since I was technically the client for this mission I feel that it is only appropriate that I state that team 3 performed more than adequately."

"Second... And this is a far off, half-insane... The White Snake Sage spoke of Kaguya Otsusuki and the Chakra Fruit and the Shinju and the Ten-Tails and the Sage of Six Paths as if the stories were literal, and she is allegedly old enough to have witnessed some of these events first hand..."

"I... I have my doubts, there's no possible way that a power like the Rinnegann could be real, but... but if this is the case, if the stories are literal, if exaggerated, description of events, then... Then all Chakra has a common origin. Yes, there are genetic variations from the energy of your cells, and the nature of your persona influences spiritual energy resulting in a unique chakra, but the stories suggest that the Sage of Six Path's shared his chakra with others when teaching them how to mold their own, and they passed chakra down to their children."

"There is a distinct possibility that if one could combine enough different signatures of chakra, particularly chakras from the descendants of the Otusuki clan, and... concentrate it, refine it, that one might be able to recreate the powers of the Sage of Six Paths, and..."

"This is insane, right? Please talk me out of trying to graft myself with the cells of scores of people so that I can try and recreate Ninshu and end all the pointless fighting. I am delusional, right? These thoughts are just the onset of exhaustion catching up with me, yes?"

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He stares at Senko for a moment, processing what she just said. Then says
"Of course its insane. Scientists have already come up with more reasonable explanations. After all, the feats they were said to do is absurd! It would require mastery of chakra to degrees unheard of. There is not a person alive that could replicate them today, and we have perhaps centuries until we get to the point where we could even attempt such things. If they prove to be possible at all.

No, what more likely happened is this from what historians can figure out:
Kaguya was an empress who was probably interested in internal alchemy and martial arts at the time to try and agian immortality and somehow discovered how to use chakra instead and in their first incompetent experiments stumbling about trying to work with chakra they somehow did things that mutated people that would eventually become kekkei genkai, which because all the records were burned later didn't survive or were never written down. She sought to use her newfound power to try and rule what she thought was the entire world at the time like any old conqueror. Her sons saw the suffering she was inflicting on people and rallied them in a rebellion becoming rebel leaders perhaps with their own unique one off mutations like the Rinnegan from her experiments that for some reason was just never genetically passed on, but Kaguya was uncommonly stubborn and spiteful and thus began to use the first fire release jutsus to begin burning things: people, buildings, books, having her armies basically wipe out civilization along with her own empire deciding that she if she can't rule it, no one will. Going mad again like many old rulers. Hagoromo and Hamura killed her and thus had to rebuild civilization from those fires.

Of course to us modern people, such a thing would be a disaster but relatively moderately recoverable, but to them such great infernoes would be an apocalypse at the time. There are many myths that speak of apocalypses, and that is because many old civilizations experienced what they would consider apocalypses: plagues, floods, famine even war itself could be considered a form of it during those days when all of civilization you know would be a few city, maybe some towns.

The wake of this destruction, the survivors considered Hagoromo a mythical hero. Him and Hamura decided to rebuild civilization from that, with Hamura deciding to go found a village somewhere else so that they could double their chances, the Moon being a metaphorical reference to some land that people at the time might've believed to be close to the moon and his descendants are probably the Hyuuga clan as an old sobriquet for them are "The Moon-Eyed Clan". Meanwhile Hagoromo had his sons who were probably placed high expectations on rebuilding civilization as the new leaders in his new religion of a more peaceful existence and the stress got to them both, Indra snapped first or perhaps thought he could do what his grandmother did more pragmatically with less death or perhaps he was just a legalist, and started his own faction, Asura fought back because Hagoromo was probably getting old at the time so he took over and both Asura and Indra started taking concubines from the more mutated people, recognizing their abilities. Over time those mutated people became the kekkei genkai bloodlines and thats how everyone can claim descent from the Sage of the six Paths despite having such strange and varied powers.

While the various burning of books, buildings and so on explain why no one has found any documents dating before 1000 years ago, and why the oldest books are either book of Ninshu or things written by his followers or the followers of Indra. Those were dark times after all, and archaeological evidence is scarce, as expected from such times.

As for how the stories ended up so inaccurate in the first place, perhaps Hagoromo sought to elevate himself by embellishing the story a bit for later generations, or maybe in the fighting between Indra and asura, Asura embellished it instead, taking liberties to keep his troops morale up against Indra, the story spread out of control and he died before he could correct the facts and everyone just kept passing on the embellishment. Over time the story grew more and more ridiculous, simplified Indra and Asura into simple hero and villain archetypes, added in the tailed beasts to explain why they were there and to make people keep to the ninshu faith in the face of tailed beast rampages and thus keep society going to a degree by making people think that the tailed beasts are punishment sent by Hagoromo for their sins of war or something, y'know superstitious nonsense like that. As for the tailed beast existence themselves.....who knows? they're a mystery. probably evolution, just always there, drawing upon energies we can't like any other animal. Why did evolution produce nine colossal beings like that? Who knows, why does evolution produce colossal snakes, frogs and whatever else we can summon? Perhaps they were once like those summon creatures but were altered in some way. Maybe Indra just found nine big beasts and turned them into his weapons but they couldn't be controlled, and somehow their existence was mistakenly attributed to Hagoromo.

while the snake lady who mentioned it literally, who knows, she is old, perhaps she is just gong through the talking snake version of senility. Even if she was there a thousand years ago, do you really think you can rely on such old memories? Evidence is what we rely on for a reason.

See? there is a perfectly logical realistic explanation for everything. I doubt you'll find any evidence that will say otherwise. There is no need to go chasing after fairy tales and myths. Any other theory would have to explain the ridiculous amounts of chakra wielded to make all those feats possible which there is no evidence for. Not even kages are capable of such things after all."
They were the usual arguments skeptics like him used to debunk the believers whenever this came up. It would often leave the average ninshuist sputtering with little more than faith to argue back with.

Kimiko:
She goes around buying this and that: goggles, a radio, a camera, things like that. If she can't make goggles she could at least try for a chakra camera. But what is most important is figuring out a staring array, a crystal that can be used to pick up the chakra spectra, holding a charge that can then be interpreted into an image. Of course such a crystal is hard to come by, she knew that much but she manages to find a shopkeep who dealt in raw parts and materials, asking him
"Well there is a rare crystal called Sanjunium chakride. A compound of the 32nd element on the periodic table formed in certain conditions where chakra reached solidification status and bonded with it. It could probably function as a semiconductor for what your thinking. Problem is, even a small amount will cost you an entire missions worth of pay, from what I can tell. Its not exactly easy to get, and unfortunately silicon can't pick up chakra unless its in high amounts as to be visible anyways. You don't have enough to order that, as it'll have to be imported."
"I see....Pleasure doing business you."
She will have to do another C-Rank mission to get that sanjunium chakride. To see chakra itself....she must! She must. Knowledge awaits.

[Rater202]

Menko hisses.

"Senility is the result of your brain breaking down under the strain of age and constant activity. The power of the White Snake, the pursuit of Apotheosis of the Serpent into the Dragon, begins by the use of natural energy to repair and rejuvenate the body. Our Kind already live for centuries, with this power of regeneration... The White Snake Sage might be an obnoxious old bat but to insinuate that she's senile is to spit on everything the Snakes have done for the last thousand years."

"...I thought you hated your home?"

"Yeah, but... Look, you get brought up hearing certain things... I mean, how would you feel if I insulted everything you were taught to believe in? You're healed, aren't you? That's proof of our power of reincarnation. Ergo, the bat's not senile. If she is, then not only do I have a bajillion expectations put on me just because I hatched white, but it's literally impossible for anyone to actually do that crap."

"...You are taking this very personally."

"Damn right I am! Now, let's go home, get some rest, then figure out how to put my cells inside you without the horrifying thing that happened with that other kid's cells happening, get you fixed up, and then you can master Snake Sage Mode, become a Dragon, and we can retire to a private resort in the Land of Beaches."

"I do not want to be a dragon. It would make it inconvenient to fit inside buildings."

"...I can't tell if you're doing that on purpose or not. Just, just... Sometimes you scare the hell out of me and other times you're adorable and I want to snuggle you."

"I aim to please. Sensei, I am going to go home and recuperate from the journey now. Unless something comes up I'll be in at my usual time..."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
His eyes widen. Whoops.
"Oh. Sorry. Hm. No insult was intended. That is a problem with that, isn't it? Still, it doesn't invalidate anything else I said. All it takes is one person coming up with a long-lasting genjutsu to mess with your memories. Just because senility is impossible doesn't mean I can rely on what she said as evidence. The shinobi world tends not to be a place where you can take people at their word. That and she is still a thousand year old being who has experienced more than me or you. You don't live that long in this world without being the cleverest most underhanded being you possibly can. Each word she says could be carefully chosen to subtly manipulate you without outright doing so. She could've gotten an accurate read on your curiosity, deliberately spoke of it in passing to pique it and thus make you go off in a new direction for years just from that one brief interaction without making it seem you were led. Don't assume its as simple as it seems."
He says in response.

[Rater202]

"Yes, of course... I suppose that makes sense. And, I suppose the only beings that are known for a fact to be old enough to have witnessed these events first hand are the tailed beasts and... If the Tailed Beasts are able to communicate what happened a thousand years ago then the entire status quo of the balance of power based on the distribution of Jinchuriki is based on the torture and enslavement of sapient beings and we would all be horrible, horrible people for even indirectly benefitting from it."

"As no one could possibly be evil enough to do that on purpose, let alone 'Saint Hashirama...'"

Senko shakes her head.

"I overthink things when I am tired. Good evening, Sensei, I will... *yawn* be back in the morning for my normal lab shift."

Unless Jirou stops her, Senko leaves.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He lets Senko leave. He was glad she didn't notice the differences in the lab today. The rats not killed. His other plan to take down Futility San was in place, though it was risky. She was perhaps the only one who could understand why at this point and he didn't want to cause her worry. This talk of ancient legends however....should he be concerned? Eh, What was he thinking. Its Senko he was thinking about, sensible and scientific as an electron microscope. There is no way she is going to pursue anything without a very good rational reason. As for Tailed Beasts being sapient....eh. He didn't agree with Senko. There are a lot of reasons someone can be your enemy while still be understandable, and who knew if mutual coexistence with such beings was even physically possible? He departs himself. He needed to keep making....preparations.

Kimiko:
She will go home for today, Jirou as well soon enough. They talk:
"so how was your mission?"
"It was good."
"Anything in particular happen? I heard some from Senko but want hear your thoughts on it."
"Well....the Senko for some reason wanted to sacrifice herself for the ronin's justice. But I don't see why and.....disagree with her on that. Okaa-san said she didn't really understand either but she experienced something similar, which helped. She said I was less like father than she thought and was happy about it."
That was new. As far as he knew, his mother never talked about this sort of thing.
"....Think of it as an obligation. She did a crime, therefore she felt obligated to pay with her life to make up for it. Like holding a debt."
Kimiko scrunched her face in thought.
"....Weird. I still don't get it."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out in time. Why didn't you go for the power of the Snake Sage yourself? You know what she was after, your technically the same thing."
"I didn't have a summoning pact with the Snakes, and I was contracted to do a mission. I always succeed in my missions. If Senko didn't get it and I interfered, that would be mission failure would it not? That and it would be disrespectful to my intellectual equal and friend. That and its best to see if her methods work before trying them myself. Her biology is unusual, unstable and subject to change. Science is founded upon results being reliable and consistent. Until she can produce consistent results that can be replicated in other bodies, there is no point in trying to get her power, no?"
"....Solid logic. can't argue with it. What do you think of the old snake speaking of the events of the Sage literally?"
"While an interesting thing to learn by itself and should be investigated if true, my goal is to obtain all jutsu. If it leads to completing that dream of mine, I'll investigate but otherwise chakra's origin isn't technically my primary concern, its future is. I'll be glad to learn it whenever possible, but no matter where it comes from I intend to see where its going."
"...I see...Very well. Night."
Kimiko will head up to bed. Going to sleep, she will dream....

Spoiler: Dream

Show

She sees Senko standing in front of a faceless ronin. The Senko turns around and grins manically then begins running towards the blade. Kimiko tries to call out, but no sound escapes from her lips and shadowy hands grab her limbs, restrain her from intervening. The Senko jumps on the blade, getting skewered through all the while grinning ceaselessly as she died. Kimiko's struggle stop as the body becomes a corpse. The ronin is revealed to be a grinning skeleton that embraces the corpse. A dark thought resounds:
IF SHE IS TRULY ON THE SAME PATH AS YOU, WHY DOES SHE KEEP STEPPING OFF?

She will bolt awake again, panting. It is morning. She will get up and go to the team meeting.

[Rater202]

Senko's apartment

Senko does not notice Usagi's intrusion into the apartment. Once Senko is home she more or less immediately prepares for bed.

Shortly after she collapses on her futon, Menko crawls into the bed a pulls Senko into a hug.

"Do you not normally coil up by the heater? And sleep as a snake?"

"I've been wanting to hug you ever since we met the inhuman-Ronin and then I figured you really needed it after everything that happened at the cave but I couldn't do anything because I couldn't break character so I'm just gonna sleep in human form and hold you and that'll cover the ten days or so of hug interest."

"I am not sure that math checks out."

Senko doesn't object to the hug though.

"So... Do you believe Jirou-san's explanation?"

"I do not know... Manipulation or deception did not seem to be her intent, but..."

"Comparing my transformation to the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, my powers to the God Tree... That is oddly specific. If she wanted to manipulate me, why not just say 'your chakra is highly similar to the Sage of Six Paths?'"

"With Daichi... I knew that I had a distant relative who was tracing the clan and its origins. That part is true... I need to find Daichi, learn what he knows. Compare it to the White Snake Sage's story, and..."

"And if, if what she said is true... If the Shinju, the Ten-Tails, my power, and the idea that it is a mutation of the same power that is behind Wood Release... What does that mean of me? Am I some sort of... Shinju-seedling?"

"Senko-sama I think you're overthinking things. Instead of thinking of that, think of convincing that Inhuman-ronin that she owes you a life debt for trying to kill you and then admitting that it would be wrong at the last second and having her spend the rest of her life as our maid."

"I am not allowed subletters or live-in-servants, Menko. Technically the only reason you are allowed to live here is becuase the 'pets' clause of my lease applies to familiars and ninja partner-animals."

Eventually, Senko gets to sleep, wakes up, gets ready, and goes to the team meaning.

[igordragonian]

Ameoku chuckle with a sport like spirit.
"Nyiance. Well done. I have understamited you."
She actually use her knee to block the sharp bone- even it injure her.

'I have seen enough. If you wish I will try to set some training sessions with you'

[Lord Raziere]

Miho:
She shall stop fighting then, retracting the bone.
"I shall be honored to train with you, Ameoku-Taichou for I am but a humble lowly genin of this village. I thank you for the battle, for I enjoyed it and know far I need to go to protect my comrades"
You can't believe it. You have found the humblest, sanest and most selfless clan genius in all of the shinobi nations. Whether this is like winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning twice is up to one's opinion but its highly improbable all the same. As everyone knows, most young clan geniuses are some degree of arrogant snot-nosed brat, you may have found the exception but it just proves the rule.

Kimiko:
Since Odayama and Usagi have not arrived yet, nor has Yuyuyu, Kimiko will ask Senko
"....So. We ever going to speak in private about our.....long term plans or not? We keep meeting but always in the company of others. Are we going to speak about them in detail? And don't launch into doing so now. Just confirm whether we will or not and arrange a time even if its now. We don't know who is watching or listening in. Whenever we do it, we check to make sure its truly private before saying anything important, like checking whether Odayama-sensei has planted bugs on us again."
Whatever her misgivings about Senko was, she was Senju so it made sense. She didn't have to understand it, what mattered was her goals. and if that fails well...she didn't trust most of the village to share her plans with them. If it comes to it, she can didn't have to trust Senko entirely, just enough for it work. If Senko decides to go off-plan she could just make contingencies in case it occurs. After all they supposedly both want immortality, but if Senko decides to self-sacrifice and it goes through Kimiko will need plans for how to deal with the fallout. For one she would need a replacement for Senko's role in whatever deal they work out.