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

[Lord Raziere]

Jiirou:
Jirou realizes that letting her talk this long may have been a mistake. What was she doing? That was boringly dry and informative, why was she stating it on a radio broadcast? Then here was she thought of the Chuunin Exams.
"Well thats certainly....speaks of your thoughtfulness and thoroughness. I think we'll take a break for a bit, please enjoy these chill tunes."
As the radio switches to some lofi mix Jirou put in he will turn and hiss to Senko
"What were you doing!? First, you should've just said something general and aspirational so as to reassure people the village has a bright future ahead of it, not give people a technical readout of where you are at your training! Sure most civvies would be bored and stop paying attention halfway through, but do you realize who could use that information against you? And that Chuunin Exam thing you stated, is one thing to state your belief about it on your personal time. This is a public broadcast and is entirely another. Most Genin your age aren't interested in the concept of networking, you state that belief about the Chuunin Exams too much and no Genin will want to go because it'll sound boring! Are you sure this is something you want to keep doing Senko, because I'm not sure if you grasp how public speaking works, especially when politics is involved."

[Rater202]

"You asked me what the village could expect of me in the future. I answered that question."

Senko seems genuinely confused by Jirou's response.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
"What, But you just were speaking like- nevermind, just summarize it more appropriately, this isn't an academic environment. I was more asking about your dreams for the future. If you want people to understand and accept your anything you research or learn you want to be able to communicate them without coming off like a jerk or delving too deep into things they don't know about. Its why I don't discuss fuinjutsu jargon with anybody but the rest of my clan and just say what the seals do without saying much about why unless someone asks- and even the response is probably simplified and generalized a bit so as to get off topic."
He says trying to explain what he means.

[Rater202]

"Oh... right, Sorry... I... I can salvage this."

Assuming that they return to air, Senko begins as follows

"I would like to apologize, dear listeners. I am... Used to more academic settings where long, technical explanations are preferable."

"What I meant was that, for now, I plan to work on improving myself so that I can more easily help others in the future, and to use what I have access to as the Snake Sage to further my research, because I genuinely believe that what I am working on could be a big help to a lot of people."

"And, if I make enough improvement, and there's a seat open, it might be worthwhile to go to the upcoming Chunin exams to show off what I... What we can do. The Sound village doesn't have a fraction of the respect it deserves, and if I can earn us a more fair share then that might be the best way to help people."

"I... There's a lot of badness in the world. I want to live in a world where people don't die for no good reason and where... If... If what I do, what I make, what I can protect with my own two arms, can bring us even a step closer to a world like that, then... Then that would be worthwhile."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He nods
"Yeah....I do to, Senko. I do to. I personally think that is a dream that many in the village share in some way or another, and we just have to find a way to achieve that together. That we can do it, even if its just a little bit a time, every day, adding just more brick to the foundation, shaving off one more bad thing so the good shines through so those after us can add a brick on top of the brick we put there and they will thank us for the opportunity of being able to place their brick a bit higher because of the brick we place. That you are not alone in your dream- you just have find the people who share it.

I for one hope we all live to see the world you speak of. Here is Jirou and Senko, signing off for today. We hope you enjoy more chill tunes to relax and eat dinner to you as we wind down into the evening."
Then he will go home.

At the Ishikawa Manor he will ask Mitsuko
"How was her training today?"
"Mastering the techniques quickly as usual. At this pace, she might reach Chuunin level Paper Release within the year. A lot of my training has been emphasizing consistency and making sure she actually gets it right rather than just letting her natural talent form bad habits with how she does things. But after we were done, she insists on experimenting with this new technique she wants to make- she calls it Rasengan, seems to be pure chakra and is just...forming a spinning ball in her hand. Says it has something to do with achieving perfect chakra control, seems to be having more trouble with it than most techniques."
He consider this as he watches Kimiko form and reform a chakra ball in her hand again and again sometimes cursing, or muttering....and considers on par with what her family expects of her.
"....Huh. Well we always wanted her to go beyond our expectations. You were too hard on her earlier training anyways, genius like hers sometimes need room to breathe so it can explore avenues you never thought possible."
"Yeah yeah I know...."

Kimiko:
That night Kimiko will go to bed tired from constantly trying to do the rasengan.
"...This...technique....is harder than I thought...haaah....how did Fuyuki do it so easily? He must have years of practice as a Jounin! But I can't let this stop me....if he can do it, so can I! And hey no one suspected a thing...except for Senko..."
Why did it bother her this much? Its not as if she didn't get away with it. And taking techniques so that they be archived and preserved is the entire point of her clan and her dream, there was nothing abnormal about that, was there? Perhaps she should let her in on the secret at some point- but not when around the ronin. Something tells her the samurai that was willing to defy her previous lord and wander the world to enforce justice wouldn't be cool with her goals or methods. It was stealing after all.

She goes to sleep. Her dreams as usual, are not good ones.

She will awake the next day, and go forth to Team 3. What will they be doing today?

[Rater202]

After the interview, Senko heads to her laboratory, being sure to lock the door behind her this time.

She paces for a moment, punches a wall, and then summons Menko.

"Okay, I know I agreed to serve you but what if I was... What's wrong?"

"I uh... The point of using the radio interview to introduce myself was so that I could throw the clout of the Snake Sage behind Ishikawa sensei's bid for Otokage, but... I misunderstood a question and may have shot myself in the foot. I... I think I was able to salvage it, but humiliating yourself in a public broadcast is not..."

"...Why is this so hard?"

Menko hugs Senko.

"Menko, you have been practicing your calligraphy, right?"

"Yes, but... No. It's oo soon, it's—"

"I've made adjustments to the formula, adjusted the concentration, removed some impurities, and... The sooner I get my powers under control, the sooner I can start working towards things that'll help people and... It is not like I have some genius to perfect the procedure for me and a well-stocked supply of samples to use to modify myself into a my perfect ideal state. I could go without your cells if I had the way to give myself access to ice, storm, wood, boil, lava, magnet, crystal, dark, radiant, mud, steel, swift, and plasma release and therefore possess high affinities for all natures and a balanced chakra, but I do not."

"...Okay."

Senko performs a slightly tweaked version of her cellular grafting modification procedure using Menko's cells. Due to a number of factors, it goes more smoothly than it did last time, but it still hurt and she spends the night n the lab, Menko doing her best to comfort her and feeling guilty about not trying harder to talk her out of it.

The Next Day

Senko shows up wearing her long robe again, though this time with the hood down.

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She is at the training ground, practicing the Rasengan, but every few seconds she does so, it bursts and she starts over. She will do this until noticing Senko and go over to whisper to her.
"Oh....hey Senko. Ah, sorry about yesterday but I didn't get the time to tell you...the reason I was acting strangely was because I kind of....was curious about how snow cones were made, decided to spy on Fuyuki to learn and....well...I found out something I really shouldn't be telling you, and is kind of secret: he is an Ice Release user. I'm not supposed to tell you, because he is a Kiri exile so telling you right then and there would be blowing his cover and be getting a Kiri missing-nin mad at me. I'm just telling you because I don't want you to distrust me."

Yuyuyu:
Meanwhile she is looking through the available C-rank missions, and finds one interesting:
"C-Rank: Investigators Wanted!
Okini Hiromaro, a farmer has been found violently murdered with a blade in the town of Touzaki. We, the Touzaki Police are investigating, but are numbers are small for a town like this and if its the work of a bandit gang with enough numbers, risking our lives could leave Touzaki unprotected or under the military's protection until replacements can be found if it comes to a fight and we lose. We'd rather that not happen, so we're sending this mission paid in advance out of our local precinct's budget. That and there is always the possibility its something worse, but shinobi are better trained in investigation than us. We hope this letter reaches you in time.
-Touzaki Police Officer Sumibu Goshiro
She turns to the Chuunin who hands out the missions.
"This one says paid in advance, what does that mean?"
"Means they sent money with the envelope. However its paid to the village, not to the team until the job is actually done and the money is set aside until we look into it. If its not responded to in a timely manner, the village loses it entirely to the government of Rice as a form of taxation or reparation. It just got here so if your team is volunteering to take the job, that is good for all of us."
"...I think I'll go for it. I think Odayama will be fine with a mission like this."

[Rater202]

"I see..." Senko says noncommittally.

Then she pulls up her hood.

---

Meanwhile...

Tomoe is honestly a little uncomfortable. Senko-sama was very clear that she had no need of a bodyguard under most circumstances, that letting an outsider into the laboratory without some kind of supernatural contract enforcing loyalty would be questionable at best, and that the Ishikawa had a point about too many bodies on a mission.

...And that she was on her own when it came to living arrangements unless Senko suddenly came into the means to buy or build a large home or compound.

The Ronin needed to be part of the community, needed a source of income as her stockpile of funds wouldn't last forever, and she really needed a place to live... A bulletin board in town was requesting someone to be an instructor for a children's kendo club, which would be right up her alley and something to look into, but housing... Her record for most consecutive nights sleeping in a tree before she started developing back problems was fifteen.

She checked another posting and... Well, that was almost too convenient. Someone about her age looking for a housemate, with a place for a meeting for people of interest.

[igordragonian]

Odayama is probably just sent away, his girls, Miko and Kimiko to the kinder garden and academy.
He seems to about to enter a grocery store when Yuyuyu find him.
'Oh? Am I late already? I thought, I had another hour before our training today...' he look at the clock,
He pick the mission.
'Ah. This is an ideal mission. Many shinobis, look down on logistics, but you are doing great. Getting the good stuff, is an art by itself. Well done.'



------

Usagi try to study books- but she had discovered, she needed some pressure.
So she has asked Yojimbo, to do buuken training on her, while she read Senko and Kimiko's notebooks which they have given her.
Dodge-
''Ah. So THAT is negative chakra.'

[Lord Raziere]

Yuyuyu
She says with a smile, beaming back at him
"Thanks, Odayama-Taichou!"
Then will go back to the rest of Team 3 with spring in her step

"Guess what! I've found us a mission! The Town of Touzaki wants us to solve a murder. Worried that it might be something worse."
"Where is it?"
Yuyuyu pulls out a map
"Its in the middle of the rice fields that give this country its name. Nothing really special about it, just a quiet little farming town, much like Debuita."
"Hm, we'll probably have to inspect a corpse. Senko, you think have the medical expertise to figure out things like mortician, or you think we need someone more experienced to do that?"

[Rater202]

"I'm a biological researcher, you need to be comfortable elbow deep in a corpse just to get my job."

"However, my expertise relates more to microbiology, cells and enzymes and the like. Actually gathering evidence from the body might require a more specialized touch or, at a minimum, someone with proper medical training. Until I see the body I am not sure I could do more than determine cause of death, and it seems like that is already determined."

Spoiler

Show

If this is about Ichika, since I think we talked about introducing her on this mission... Well, I managed to squeeze in a first appearance.

You wanna bring her, we can bring her. I can go either way. Might be fun to get her properly introduced instead of just a cameo.

[Lord Raziere]

Spoiler

Show

That was less decisive than I would've liked, since I can go either way myself so I flipped a coin which said "tails" for "don't bring her", so I'm not going to press it but if you want to regardless, thats your decision.

Yuyuyu:
"Yeah I would like to think that the police aren't incompetent enough not to know the cause of death. Seems like they do. So I'm going to go ahead with the assumption we don't need the extra help and that this Officer Goshiro can fill us in on the details when we get there. Its best we get going within the day, so I'll go and prepare and meet you all at the gate to leave, we leave as soon as we're all ready."
She will walk away to do that.

[igordragonian]

Odayama smile.
"Of course. I trust the policemen would the very least able to point us to the right direction. They are good people. They are simply ill equipped for actual threats."


Usagi this time arrive, riding Yojimbo while reading a book.
(Which she were supposed to read at the academy...)
but seemed so eager about it as for her it was new and fresh.

[Lord Raziere]

Yuyuyu
A bead of sweat forms on the back of her head at Odayama's state as she smiles nervously
"I'm....pretty sure that bandits wielding crossbows and swords are actual threats to most people just.....not us.... but whatever you say heheheh..."
She will say before she walks away.

Mission: Small Town Tag Shock
Sooner or later you get going. The journey to Touzaki takes a couple days as you walk through the green fields of Rice Country. Along the way you see innumerable rice farms looking like intricately designed ponds with lines of green separating them out and various little canals for irrigation crossing the landscape like blue veins of blood from some distant river, before you ever see Touzaki these rice farms dotting the landscape here and there off the beaten path you travel have farmhands tending to these fields, living slow and uneventful lives- but ones full of hard, constant work and the eternal worry that a bad enough winter or drought will bring about hunger and economic ruin. Rice is a high maintenance crop at the best of times and thrives under very certain conditions.

Soon however you arrive in the small town, of Touzaki. It is the picture of a normal village in this world, at least for Rice country: a bunch of small buildings with shingled roofs in the middle of various rice fields. Most of the buildings are simple houses for the farmers that live here, but some are small local businesses such as Sowai's Rice And Tea House that advertises its locally made dishes, Touzaki Hardware Store for various farming tools, Rai's Sake Bar, Hanato's Groceries and Imports advertising its more diverse selection of food from distant lands, and over there is the Ninshuuist Shrine humble in tis construction. A Touzaki police officer, sporting a blue ashigaru-like uniform on patrol spots you
"Oh hey your the shinobi the chief sent for us to solve the case? Thank the kami, he's waiting for you inside the Police Station."
He will point you to where it is.

The Police station isn't large, being a small town one with a few holding cells and such. Inside the Touzaki Police Station, you will hear a conversation.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M OFF THE CASE!?" Odayama recognizes the type of the voice this is. Not the person specifically but the type of voice: young, hotheaded, passionate, like a newly minted Chuunin thinking he knows everything but displays his ignorance with every sentence. The type of voice that sounds like it belongs to late teenager, about 18.
"I mean that you've done what you could. We've brought shinobi to investigate deeper into this matter. You can take it easy patrolling." A more measured voice responds, more about your age Odayama, sounding a bit tired, but calmer and reasonable.
"Easy? EASY!? I don't want to take it easy, I didn't go through the police academy in Port Sake to take it easy! Chief, I'm an officer of the law, I need to find the perpetrator and arrest them and your sitting here telling me that your handing it off to three kids and their babysitter with made up powers?"
Port Sake was the political and economic capital of the Land of Rice, on the northern coast. They did trade with the Lands of Earth and Lightning but was taxed for it by Fire's treaty and thus wasn't as profitable as it should be.
"Officer Yasutoki, you don't know what your talking about. What chakra can do is terrifying and very real."
"Well I've never seen it! I bet its just propaganda the Daimyo wants us to buy into so we can feel safe and criminals can be scared of the elusive shinobi bogeyman. If even half the legends about shinobi are to be believed, then some apparently shoot laser beams out of their eyes, or turn into demons to eat your soul, or the most ridiculous story yet turn not real for a few seconds then become real again, like what do they think I am stupid? None of that could ever happen!"
Good to see the misinformation efforts are still successful as you walk in from the side.
"Sigh. Officer Yasutoki, I will forgive your youth and ignorance because its not often shinobi get sent here. Ideally we try to make sure they don't need to be sent. But trust me, this is situation that I believe calls for them. I've been in the war. I know what they're capable of." he sees the shinobi out of the corner of his eye.
"And they've arrived. I repeat: your off the case. Go on patrol around the town to clear your head. The investigation is in their hands now. That is an order."
".....Fine." Tokuda Yasutoki says, seething as he walks past with a dark look at Team 3 but saying nothing to them.
the older officer introduces himself
"Welcome to our humble town, I'm Chief of Police Sumibu Goshiro. Sorry you had to hear that. Lads only a few months into the career and he got assigned this remote precinct, not exactly the most exciting position for someone like him, nothing really happens in a sleepy town like this. This is the first serious case he's ever gotten and I think he was hoping to prove himself. What do you want to know?"

[Rater202]

Prepping

Senko just sort of turns up to the meeting without saying anything, just this time with supplies for the trip, and says nothing as the team gets going.

On the trip.

Senko mostly keeps to herself, continuing to practice mist generation as often as possible...

You may or may not notice that you've never seen Menko on the trip.

At the Police Station.

"As much information about the case as possible would be the obvious first step, yes? Particularly the autopsy report. I might not look old enough, but I am actually a biological researcher first and a shinobi second. In fact, if it is possible... I am far from an expert but I am comfortable with my arms elbow deep into a cadaver. It is not my specialty, but if it would be possible to examine the body I could cross-reference it with the autopsy report and I might uncover something that you may have corners missed. worst-case scenario, differing perspectives and methods overlapped might provide a more complete picture."

[Lord Raziere]

Touzaki:
He hands you the autopsy report remarking:
"Normally wouldn't give something like to a child, but your the shinobi. Somehow the methods get results and it ain't crazy if works right? Just be warned: what is in there is screwed up."
You open the autopsy report:

Spoiler: Autopsy Report: Okini Hiromaro

Show

Name: Okini Hiromaro
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Occupation: Rice Farmer, Formerly an Ashigaru serving in the Land of Rice Military
Known Medical Record Pre-Mortem: alcoholism, Tagshocked, various old scars and injuries from serving in the Third Shinobi War
Cause of Death: Victim was found in an A-pose with his chest cut open as if by a blade, the cut shaped like an upside down triangle inside a circle, bleeding out from the geometric shapes cut, over the same symbol drawn on the ground inside his own home
Description: Body was dressed down to its underwear, shows clear signs of being knocked out and being adjusted into the position by someone else.
Reported by: Kuga Shigetoki, rice farmer, known friend of the victim, at about 6 o'clock in the evening [a few days ago]
(There are photos of the crime showing Okini's corpse at the crime scene matching up with the description, he looks like a normal middle aged man. The triangle-within-circle was cut right on his ribcage, not his stomach.)

Chief Sumibu will say as you read it:
"Yeah its real bloody. As for examining the body itself we got it preserved in the morgue, you can check it yourself there if you want Officer Yasutoki's theory was that it was the work of a serial killer, has all the marks of someone with a certain method of killing people regardless of how illogical it is and that we would see the next one soon. However the symbol makes me think this is something like fuinjutsu, but its not a symbol I've ever seen before, most fuinjutsu I've seen in the war were from a distance and more flowing with kanji, katakana and hiragana and such, not two simple geometric shapes, so I can't be sure if its really something ninja related. It could just be a guy just obsessed with the two shapes in that configuration and I'm just wasting your time with paranoia. I hope I'm not."
"Well if a jutsu is involved, it had to have done something right? Did anything strange happen before it was reported?"
"Thats the thing, none of the usual stuff ninja do with jutsu like that happened- no animals appearing out of nowhere, no fires or earth or water or wind or lightning, and if was a jutsu, then it clearly wasn't used to kill him. Can't wrap my head around why."
"Wait doesn't this mean the mission should be higher rank since it involves a chakra user like a ninja?"
"Eh, I'm a police chief in a small town, your a Genin in a minor nation. Lets be honest we're both underqualified to deal with this."
"Says you. Do we have a list of suspects?"
"Well we do have a list, yes, but while everyone has big knifes in this town for cooking despite weapons being outlawed to any civilian without a mercenary license, the cuts of these blades are precise, steady. As if by someone trained. Aside from police members who are vets and all have alibis because we were all at the station when this was called in, the only ones who would even have the training that we know of are the victim himself, Kuga who is also a war vet, two mercenary bodyguards for the merchant that supplies the local grocers and imports shop who are being kept within the town until the case is solved, and two strange monks staying the Ninshuu shrine who claim to be vets themselves also from out of town. With five suspects, we need some kind of narrowing down."
"Could there be other war veterans in town?"
"Possibly." he says with a shrug "its not like the war is something most people want to talk about or focus on. Its the kind of past that people come to peaceful little places like this to escape. If a war veteran wanted to settle here, forget about their time in the army and not tell anyone about it....well I wouldn't blame them. It would complicate the case if we found more though, and I'm not about to interrogate every person over a certain age to find out. Towns already afraid enough of the killer, don't need the police overreacting on top of it."

[Rater202]

"Fuinjutsu... No. I am not an expert, but not every fuinjutsu requires symbols or formulas and all jutsu that do, fuinjutsu or otherwise, usually require either a drawn formula or manifest the formula from chakra... This is carved into the victim's body... If it was a fuinjutsu it would be more like a tattoo..."

"Kimiko, you're the formula expert, does this pattern look familiar?"

Meanwhile

Menko was bored. Senko-sama had left her behind in the village to run an errand but it had been surprisingly easy.

Senko had said she'd summon her later, but...

Menko had tried to spy on the Ronin to pass the time... But all the ronin did for the last few days was teach a bunch of kids about swords and talk with that red head from the hospital.

Menko had considered taking a nap, or a bath, but knowing her track record with summons Senko-sama would call her the second she tarted to relax.

[Lord Raziere]

Touzaki:
She looks at it:
"Oh I see the confusion. Its colloquially called fuinjutsu because some of more the common sealing jutsu use it, but the technical term is "glyphic sealing". its basically any jutsu that involves drawing or carving glyphs of symbols to hold chakra in them that you then activate later for various effects. The jutsu is literally held within the symbol itself, it involves a certain trick of yin manipulation to make it work. Things other than fuinjutsu use Glyphic Sealing formulas, but fuinjutsu itself is not Glyphic Sealing."
"But can you tell whether that one is a glyphic seal, specifically?"
"....Hm. I don't know. I've never seen a glyphic seal like this for any purpose. Not Konoha style, not Kumo, not even Iwa or Suna. Glyphic seals are often designed in the context of a wider "language" of what glyph does what jutsu when a fuinjutsu clan uses them. Basically every clan interested in this sort of thing makes its own code and system so that its members who use it know which jutsu is which while denying the information to the enemy, its a form of communication and encryption. But over time such glyph seal languages spread no matter how good you are at keeping them secret, and when you get knowledge of something they can do that you can't, people find it easier to use the glyph seals that already work for that jutsu than come up with new glyphs to re-encrypt it all over again and thus some glyph seals are more common than others, its why storage scrolls and explosive tags are universal throughout the nations, people just kept copying the same glyph from others who copied the glyph before them.

Also at this point some glyph seal languages are so old and large they've become traditions so no one wants to update them so that others don't know what they do because it'd be too much of a hassle, also because its just as much of a hassle for the enemy to learn something so complicated and foreign. It was easier to re-encrypt this stuff when there was less information around. Most people who do still do this kind of new seal thing are rare dedicated individual ninja who make and keep their own little glyph seal language to themselves. If this is a glyphic seal, its a new one made up for the purposes of someone's private use. But good news its probably not a ninja from a powerful nation, people will default to using what they know over reinventing the wheel for this sort of thing."

[igordragonian]

Usagi tried to keep reading, but at certain point, the journey was stronger then her.
----

'This guy seems shady' Usagi wishper, and decide to follow the cranky young officer.
Odayama decide to let her do that. Usagi seemed to be more the kind to stumble on things, rather then investigate them. And maybe with her brush attitude she could calm the officer, which might have shared few character traits with her.

'It's quite alright Sir. I can relate to those feelings. My father sold flowers for living... don't be too harsh on the boy.'
He listen and look at the evidence.
'Where is the corpse right now? And Did anyone touched the crime scene?'

[Lord Raziere]

Officer Yasutoki:
As Usagi follows him, his walk is angry and he is clearly muttering to himself now that his superior is out of earshot:
".....What do a bunch of kids have that a legitimate officer of the law doesn't? They should be in school like I was at that age, not solving a murder! If thats what shinobi really are like, they're screwed up. Probably all brainwashed by the military or something. But thats an injustice for later. I'm solving this murder case no matter what. Like that radio show about that loose cannon cop who doesn't play by the rules and says lines like "Did I fire six bolts or five? In all the excitement I kind of lost track myself. I may have one more bolt in this hand crossbow, I might not. You feeling lucky punk?". I've got to do the right thing, I've got to protect this town, I've investigated too much to not do something about this now! Think Tokuda. Who is the most likely suspect? Out of the five suspects we have, Kuga Shigetoki is the only one with a personal connection to the victim, only one who lives locally, and has no one to vouch for them. The other four are two pairs with no personal connection to the case at all. In all likelihood its Kuga. So that is who we're going to confront."
He will walk to Kuga's house, knock on his door and say to Kuga, who looks more about Odayama's age, maybe a bit older.
"Kuga-san. I'm an Officer investigating the murder of Okini Hiromaro? May I ask you a few questions?"
"Sure. I'll help the investigation any way I can."
They will go inside and sit down.
"What exactly is your relationship with Okini-san?"
"We met up during the Third Shinobi War. We were in the same regiment together fighting against the Flamies err... Fire soldiers. Sorry. old habit. We went through hell together, pulled ourselves more than one sticky situation and got back home to celebrate our victory. But after that we didn't feel like fighting anymore. Wanted to settle down, give back to the world. Everyone loves food so we became farmers out here where its nice and peaceful most of the time. City life's a bit too fast, reminds you of the days sitting behind cover and walls and marching about cause some samurai said so. Start families, be more than just a tagshock statistic."
"I see, but others say you used to constantly argue with Okini-san at the local bar when you got drunk on sake, yes? Over the war?"
"Yes well....that was one thing we differed on when it ended. See we disagreed about whether the war was justified or not. He took the position that it was, that it was something that through which we earned Rice's independence from the Land of Fire, that many brave men and women sacrificed nobly and honorably for us to live here by our own rules and laws. A popular sentiment in our nation of course. I took the position...that it wasn't. That no war is truly justified or necessary. That maybe we could've gotten our independence through more peaceful means like secession. That the only reason we earned independence was because the First Otokage was an opportunist taking advantage of a Fire country war, and that the horrors and deaths I saw....no one deserves to go through those. No one."
"Did those arguments get heated?"
"We were drunk and talking about politics, of course they got heated."
"Heated enough to maybe.....one day murder him? To get so tired of his views that you one day snapped and decided to off him? You were the one who reported the body an hour ater he stormed out after one of your arguments at the bar."
Kuga glares at him darkly
"Boy. Thats a dangerous line of talk there. First, He and I may have argued but we were thick as thieves. By the time we woke up in the morning we always apologized to each other while we here hung over. Second, I may have the skills but I assure you....I can't even wield a weapon no more. I have to stop my hands from shaking whenever I pick a knife because I remember all the men I've killed with a wakizaishi in battle. I can't even imagine myself wielding a crossbow again. I'm just.....too broken for that. Too worn out to fight, like an old blade rusted and brittle. I ain't got the will to fight anymore. Third, I was just going over to apologize for what I said earlier and found his body there. I was shocked as anyone else, and if I was the killer, wouldn't I turn myself in or not report it at all? Why go halfway?"
"Or are they shaking because you murdered him a few days ago, and leaning your veteran status to be above suspicion?"
"Your young boy so I'll forgive your ignorance. When war comes, hope your too old for them to consider fighting fit by the time it happens 'cause a small town like this? Ain't gonna be defended. Not defensible enough. Samurai will see your one of the few men who has prior training pulling the trigger, recruit you, evac the rest and leave it for the shinobi to booby trap it and scorch its earth while they find a fort or hill for you to wait at until its time for them to send you into the meat grinder. You spend days waiting, dreading the day you risk your luck and when it finally comes in a frenzy you won't fight your nation or for what is right but just to stay alive amid a rain of arrows while avoiding seas of fire, and swords sprouting up around you like grass. If you live through all that, you'll come back to find this place shattered and you'll spend years perhaps even the rest of your life picking up the pieces in more ways than one. I didn't kill him- because I've seen too much to ever go back to being a killer again."
"Yeah okay, I feel for you thats.....rough...but that doesn't get me evidence or any closer to catching the killer."
"Then look somewhere else. All I've got here is old scars and crops from trying to grow more than things than rice."
"....Thank you for your time, Kuga-san."

Touzaki Police Station:
Chief Sumibu says
"Well thats the thing, Kuga Shigetoki was the one who reported the crime scene, and he is a close friend of the victim. Problem is, he was seen arguing with the victim just an hour before that in the bar, so circumstances don't make him look good, but we can't convict him on that alone. If the crime scene was tampered with, he is the only one who can say for sure."
He gets up
"As for the corpse, I can show you- its in the morgue, preserved cold ready to be examined."
He will lead to you to the morgue, and signal for the mortician to prepare Okini's corpse for examination. Do you examine anything specifically, or is just a general check over the whole body?

[Rater202]

A thorough examination would be best. Senko starts by double-checking everything specifically mentioned in the autopsy report, paying special attention to the wounds to make sure that the suspected cause of death is accurate.

Other than that... Senko isn't convinced that the symbol carved to the victim is actually a formula. A closer second look at those wounds might not reveal anything new, but Senko would feel remiss not looking it over.

[Lord Raziere]

Senko:
Investigating the wound, you find that whatever blade cut through the flesh? also cut through all the ribs. As in, they're clean cut through as if someone with knowledge of taijutsu did this, this isn't sawed apart these bones are cut as if just passed a blade through it, thats impossible without some form of chakra control. They didn't mention it in the report, like even a common mortician would probably notice this sign but since this is a C-rank mission and this probably not the richest town in the world, so they probably left the detail out to lower the mission ranking and figured you know the truth when you got here and endure whatever lecture about lying later.

But thats not all, checking the rest of the body you find the chakra coils very......shriveled. Normally when someone dies the chakra coils just decay like everything else and chakra within lingers and slowly starts seeping out over a long period of time, suffusing the bones and retaining memories of this and that which includes techniques, chakra types, kekkei genkai, things like that. Its why hunter nin are tasked to destroy the body when they find a shinobi, because even their corpses contain secrets that you don't want getting out. But here....the chakra coils look like they've been sucked dry. There is no chakra left in this corpse, where usually there is some left over, even a skeleton will have some leftover chakra suffusing their bones. Whoever did this ripped the physical and mental energies out of Okini. Violently. and signs point it flowing out through the wound made on his chest. That is something no non-chakra mortician would be able to tell you. Whoever did this wanted his energies for some reason, badly.

[Rater202]

"Vital... obvious information is missing from the official records, indicating either incompetence on the part of the coroner or a deliberate attempt at misinformation to reduce the price of the mission. Only a taijutsu technique or chakra enhanced blade could but the bones this cleanly..."

"Furthermore, the chakra was violently drained from the victim via the wound carved into his chest... Ritualistic killing, by a chakra user, o collect the victim's chakra... Not only are we dealing with a ninja, but we are also dealing with a Kinjutsu user."

"The fact that the subject was completly drained of all chakra in such a violent manner suggests that the killer wanted or needed his chakra desperately... But a retired civilian would not have much chakra to give..."

"The killer, or killers, will most likely strike again. And soon..."

[igordragonian]

Usagi

Usagi frown.
'Whiny weakling old man. But this guy is alright.' she keep following.
If this guy was anything like her, he would be bound to get into troubles, and then he will need her support.

Letting him do all the talks and questionings was sort of a cheat- but wasn't stealing intel part of a shinobi's skills?
----

Odayama ponder. 'Hmm. Well...' he bite his thumb and summon Matamune-
A house cat sized two tailed ginger house cat in kimono and smoking a pipe.

Spoiler: refrence

Show

'Odayama-kun, it's better be important. Your wife of late summon me too much to my likings. And I was almost winning a bet. Nya.' the cat complain.
He frown.
'No beautiful ladies? Just an old citizen and a dead human? Oh please, stop spoiling me.' he say sarcastcly.

'Oi, oi. Come on. Just a small favor. But if you think you can't help us with tracking, I guess I'll have to make a pact with a dog...' Odayama say with a straight face but teasing.

'Fine fine. You win this round.' he get up.
The cat put away his pipe, and smell the wound.
'Take me to the place where he was killed, and I will follow any drop of blood- even if it was just
a little one, dropping on the murderder.'

[Lord Raziere]

With Chief Sumibu
He takes you to the crime scene to sniff out the blood. The cat quickly finds the scent of blood, just like the corpse they just examined. Following it, the cat notices that there are technically two scents of this blood but they both go the same direction as they take a this roundabout route around the town, as the perpetrators were trying to avoid going near the town's center then unfortunately it stops when they reach a stream. The two perpetrators had washed off the blood.

But then an officer comes running up to Sumibu
"Chief! I just saw Yasutoki, he was questioning the two merc suspects at Hatano's house when he was supposed to be off the case!"
"Rrrrgh, that insubordinate little....sorry, I got to go punish the newbie..."
Chief Sumibu will get running to Hatano's.

With Officer Yasutoki
Next he heads to this house near the grocery store.
"Okay next we check the two mercenaries then, the ones bodyguarding the trader who imports stuff, Nakanishi Seiji I believe his name was? If I recall he was staying at Hatanos' house for now to unload all the stuff he has for them while the case gets settled. I'll find them there."
Sure enough he comes gets to Hatano, the grocery store owners house and sees the two mercenaries standing in front of the door looking intimidating. Their armor was grey and where it wasn't it had symbols of the paramilitary company that paid them. Otherwise they were just like any other ashigaru.
"Yabe Koki and Ueki Totoya, I presume?"
"Yes, thats us. Two bodyguards, on watch. What do you need officer?" Yabe says
"What is your relationship with Okini Hiromaro?"
"They guy who died? Well, we regularly come here to protect Nakanishi you see. Can't be too careful on the road y'know. When we arrive we take breaks in the evening at the bar while Nakanishi does his thing to load up on rice so he can sell it back to people in Fire Country, and then he goes gets a bunch of fruit and vegetables that Fire has that Rice doesn't comes back and sells it to Hatano, and we y'know get drunk take the edge off of being alert on the road, cut loose a little and of course we sometimes get involved in the arguments between Okini and Kuga with our own viewpoints, since we're from Fire country and all and served on the other side of the war." Ueki responds
"Really? what did you talk about?"
"Well, it was a bit heated, y'know? He at times talked about us as "Flamies" we responded with calling him a "Noisy"-no offense-and talk about how Fire country just saw things as defending their people against terrorists. But Kuga kept us all from fighting when we were around. Was wise of him, don't want to be known as mercs who gets into pointless brawls, have to be professional if we're going to protect our client." Yabe says back
"Yeah about that, your war vets right? Why did you decide to keep fighting as mercenaries after something so horrible?"
"Well personally we didn't see it as decision- we'd been fighting for so long, that well...we don't really know anything else. When your in the army, its a different social thing y'know? It changes you, because training, its all about being broken down and rebuilt entirely into a willing soldier for others to boss around. All discipline, all muscle, all obedience, no brains. When you live that life for a while....you look back and realize you don't remember anything else and now that life has become what you are, as if your trapped and you can't really get out. So we decided to split the difference and be mercenaries, and ones that make sure to keep themselves to low-paying assignments in boring places like this. Trust me, you don't want excitement in the mercenary profession, excitement means fighting in some minor war for some minor nation far from home as apart of the wider cold war between the five great shinobi nations. This way, we get to live a semi-normal life protecting a guy from bandits, the guy brings food to people to have more variety to eat and such, its a modest living but I like to think we're doing our part in something better at least, like upholding the peace."
"Ah I see, but considering all this, you still have a motive don't you? Okini reminded you of the old days, was disturbing your newfound peace by bringing up old politics when we are all supposed to be at peace no? Or did you simply want to shut him up because he was a "Noisy"?"
"Hey! We didn't kill him. He was a jerk sure, but no more than any other angry drunk. All soldiers have been there, you don't hold against a guy what he says after he's had a few too many shots of sake. Guy was more reasonable when sober. He still didn't like us and we didn't like him but we all knew the same pain and respected that, agreed that no one should have to go through it again even if we didn't exactly know we could ever prevent it."
"....Fine. I'll believe you for now. Can I go in to see Nakanishi? He might've seen something and I just want to be thorough."
"Sure." They open the door and all step into the house to find....

....Nakanishi's corpse, killed in the exact same manner as Okini was, the two mercs standing stock still, horrified and taken aback. They had failed.
Officer Yasutoki pulls out his crossbow filled with tranq bolts
"Yabe Koki and Ueki Totoya, your under arrest for the murder of Nakanishi Seiji! Resist arrest and I WILL tranquilize!"

[Rater202]

Senko:

...Has a bad feeling about this.

"I am going after him. There are only so many reasons why someone would be stealing chakra from civilians but... I do not feel comfortable leaving our current employer without shinobi support while an unknown kinjutsu user is in the middle of a killing spree."

Senko runs off after the chief, diamond pattern marks spreading out across her body as she begins to use Senjutsu to enhance her body.

Tomoe

Is going for a walk around the village. Maybe heading to an empty field to practice sword forms.

Now would be a good chance for someone to meet her.

[igordragonian]

Yoroi Yaraju
(It was long time since I have used him, aoparently his name is actually Yoroi)
https://pm1.narvii.com/6952/78fa29473fb8e2eec2a460c7e75a313b6f1dd6afr1-275-315v2_hq.jpg
Muscular and thin, with a ronin pony tail, and grumpy expression.
He carry his father's cursed sword, Akabodu with pride, on his back alongside a normal katana.


Many shady stuff have happened of late. He was also attacked by the Nightmare hag, forcing him to live his nightmares.
One would be expect him to relive the death of his father. But as tragic it was, it was HONORABLE. He dreamed of having sich a death himself, inspiring someone.
No. His nightmare was of shame. People point of laugh, some shady figure hold his cutted top knot.
And worst of all.
Odokuro, simply shake his head with dissapointment.
The next part was even more horrifying.

Even on his best days, Yoroi was bad at expressing his feelings. And those days, he was insufferable, to the point his Sensei sent him away to figure himself out.
Yoroi went to his usual alone training spot.
"Nani?" He hissed, and face palmed.
"Who the hell are you? What are you doing in MY training spot?"
he ask accusingly. From his body launguage and demeanor Tomoe might guess he is also a Ronin. Or at least has origins from The Land Of Iron.
-------

At this point Usagi jump from her hideout, leaning om her crotches streching few arrows on her harp bow.

"You better listen to this guy! He is surprisngly good at what he does- and so am I!"


----

"Stay, put Matamune." he command the cat.
"I will try reach there as fast as I can, but I want you two come there from a diffrent angle, so if things go bad,you can sirprize the enemy"
And then Odayama do his usual gig, of cloning himself, then the clone sealing his usual body into a scroll and sending it flying in very exact manner to open and release himself as quick as possiblem

[Lord Raziere]

Touzaki: Convergence:
Yuyuyu and Kimiko take off with Senko.

Officer Yasutoki says
"Yeah! Wait....who are you, where did you come from and what do you mean by surprisingly?"

You all arrive to see the two mercs holding their hands up in surrender looking distraught as now both Yasutoki and Usagi were holding them at bowpoint. Chief Sumibu arrives and he is angry.
"Yasutoki! What is the meaning of this!?"
"Chief! I've arrested these two mercs for the murder of Nakanishi Seiji. The killer has struck again."
"So not only you defied my orders when I said your off the case, you then make this kneejerk arrest out of nowhere instead of reporting the body!? You better have a good explanation for this!"
"Look, these two were just guarding the front of the house while his body was within. They were the only ones around here the entire day! They have to be the killers!"
"Why would we kill our own client!?" says Yabe "We've protected him for years! He was practically our friend!"
"Then why were you lax now huh?"
"Because we're in town!" says Ueki "When we're in town we relax more because there are people like you around to protect everyone, and bandits are generally cowards, they stay from towns because even if weapons are outlawed, they still know that faming tools can hurt. The most danger you get from them is on the road. We're innocent! Why would we go inside, kill him like this with strange shaped wounds, then leave the body out there in the room for anyone to discover then go back out and guard the door as if nothing happened? That makes no sense."
"Maybe you killed your own client to make yourselves look innocent after killing Okini, make yourselves look like the victims..."
Chief Sumibu clutches head in frustration "Boy, don't attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. They're vets who've become paramilitary, companies always have laxer standards than the actual army. Just because they failed to protect their client doesn't mean they're secretly the murderers."
"yup, merc ashigaru are pretty much the cheapest protection on the market. You get what you pay for."
"Look unless you got something to prove that they aren't the killers, we've got to take them in." Yasutoki replies "They've been in the same spot for hours, while no one else was around, they could've done it at any time and they have the training. They were already suspects before doesn't this just add more suspicion?"

[Rater202]

"Unless the mercenaries are secretly highly powerful shinobi, they cannot have performed the homicide. An examination of the cadaver indicated that the wounds placed on the first victim cleanly cut not only his flesh, but his bones, such cuts cannot be able with normal weaponry but require specialized chakra-enhanced weapons and techniques. Furthermore, the first victim was completely drained of chakra."

"These are not base murders, office, nor is it a serial killing. There is a kinjutsu user going around performing ritualized homicides in order to collect chakra for some nefarious purpose. This is above your paygrade."

"Since the killers must be shinobi, that would easily explain how they would have gotten past two base mercenaries. No offense is intended, but sneaking past non-chakra using guards is something that even a ninja academy dropout could do. It would be as simple as a basic genjutsu."

"...Oh, wait... You are the moron who does not believe in chakra. One moment."

Senko takes off her robes, leaving her standing in shorts and an undershirt that it would simply be impossible to hide anything substantial with.

"As you can see, there is nothing up my sleeves."

The marks across Senko's body received until all that remains are the tattoos containing her contract with the makes and her contract with Menko specifically.

Senko bites her thumb, smears the blood across Menko's tattoo, and goes through the hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke and

"Finally!"

Menko appears, in human form, and hugs Senko.

"It's been days! I'm pretty sure I finished that errand you wanted me to do before you left. I can't be alone and stay in the same place that long, especially when I'm still banned from half the noodle shops in town."

"Menko, this is a moron, moron, Menko. While the moron tries to figure out how I did that if chakra does not exist, I am going to perform a cursory inspection of the second cadaver and prepare to take it back to the morgue for an in-depth examination. Menko, if the moron does something stupid, eat him. Everyone else who is not a suspect or a moron, now would be the time to start investigating."

"...Senko-sama, I'm starting to think you take me for granted."

"... Yes. I am sorry... When we get back to the village, I will buy you a nice big bowl of miso ramen."

Menko narrows her eyes. "Spicy miso ramen. With pork. And eggs. And kelp, and fish cakes."

"Of course, Menko".

That done, Senko retrieves her corpse storage scroll and a handful of tools.

The first step, try to estimate how long ago the second victim died based on the appearance of the body. If the murder happened a while ago, that's one thing, but if the body is still warm that's something else entirely.

Tomoe

Back in the village, Tomoe eyes the genin.

"I am Tomoe Kruogane, Samurai trained in the Land of Iron and retainer of the Hebesennin. I was not aware that this was a private training ground, and I am here to practice my form."

[Lord Raziere]

Touzaki: The time
It is currently four in the afternoon, and according to what you can find Senko, it has been four hours since they were killed, at around twelve. It was within the day. You were right about them needing to kill soon, this definitely occurred today.

Meanwhile Yasutoki jumps a little at the summoning, looking on it blinking and say
"Its....its real! I thought it was all just propaganda to scare me or something. But its real......can shinobi really shoot lasers from their eyes? And hey I'm not an idiot!"
"Well not all of them but technically there is this obscure bloodline known as the Rezagan that could do that. No one has seen someone with it for centuries after Clan Saikuro was defeated though. But you are an idiot if you didn't know that, idiot."
"Thats not idiocy, thats just being ignorant. I've never seen chakra in my life before, now I know its real."
"You didn't seek out to confirm whether its true or not and assumed it wasn't real, that idiocy leading to your ignorance. Idiot."
"So what I was just supposed to drop everything to confirm whether a legendary seemingly magical art used only by the top agents of our government and the samurai was real or not that no one else is allowed to wield?"
"Yes, idiot, at least listen to your professors, history teachers, elders and betters when they say it exists and your being an idiot. Idiot."
"I think you just like calling people idiots."
"Yes, took you that long to figure it out, idiot? I'm Kimiko Ishikawa, rising genius of Otogakure, and Senko and I are both intelligent than you so let us do the thinking since clearly you unable to think properly, idiot."
Yes it is truly sad that others have underperforming brains. Maybe she should figure out some manner of improving brains so no one is an idiot ever again. Just imagine the progress humanity could make if their all their brains were performing optimally!
Yasutoki just says
"Yeah I see a psyche profile with "narcissism" in it for your future."
"If thats all you see, then you are truly blind, Idiot!"