[HHD] Asking The Wrong Questions

[ThatGuy]

“Look, kid. Even if I did have that information, it would be so heavily classified that I couldn’t even pretend to know about it. A word of advice? Stop asking the wrong questions; the Head Hunter Division is not a group you want to draw the attention of.”

“That’s… frustrating. I’m only trying to help my village."

"Well, I'm a member of your village, and it would really help if you quit being a headache."

"Fair enough. Sorry to bother you, sir."

Abari grumbled as he left the main desk and made his way back to the bookshelves of the library. For a couple of years now, the red-haired swordsman had been developing a poison, but due to a lack of proper equipment, he was hitting roadblocks at every turn. So his only choice was to further his knowledge of chemistry, biology, and everything in between. Knowing that the Head Hunter Division had a research and development branch, he was hoping that he could use some of their findings as a springboard. It was a stupid idea at the end of the day, but the boy was willing to try anything if it culminated in his contribution to the village. 

Nearly eight hours had passed in the library, and the young man’s body was telling him it was time to stop staring at paper. After returning the books to their proper place, Abari looked over his work one more time. The poison had the rather simple effect of creating the biological fear response within the subject. The young man had drafted multiple stages of the poison that compounded the fear effect. It was infuriating. Not only did he need better equipment, he’d need better test subjects than just rats if he wanted to fully develop this poison. He had written thirty pages of notes containing the chemical recipe, theoretical effects on the body, various methods of application, and even a brief outline of how to mass produce it. But even with all that work, there was nothing he could do. With a groan, the boy walked out into the mist, trying to keep himself from dropping the project.

[Valkier]

No sooner had Abari been engulfed by the mist than he gained a shadow. A small figure, solitary, black-clad and moving in utter silence, slipped from shadow to shadow some distance behind him, watching and waiting. The librarian's report had come swiftly, and the Hunter was its answer.

A threat, is he? The shadow, a young woman with dark eyes and ashen skin, showed little emotion at her orders. Or at much else, for that matter. She simply obeyed. Recognising the street the young man ahead was taking, she cut suddenly to the side and scaled the wall of an adjacent building, then used the apex of its roof as cover to peer down across the next intersection. The streets were conveniently empty at this hour. Not that witnesses tended to put give much pause to Operators at work, of course, but Tomoe in particular liked a job done cleanly.

She darted ahead to catch up to the Chuunin she stalked, still moving in such silence that only a true Hunter could achieve. As she grew closer she pulled off her cloak, wrapping the fabric around one arm and folding it just so. Three more steps, and—

She threw the cloak over Abari's head from behind, and with her other hand pulled taut the woven length of robe within. If she was fast enough, and strong enough, he'd find himself trapped inside like it were a sack atop his head and torso, pinning his arms to his sides. Then she kicked him in the lump that would be his head, just for good measure. And another, for luck.

"Hush now, hush..." She whispered, stepping forward and catching the bundle to stop it falling too hard. She didn't want the lad to hurt himself on the hard cobbles. Not when she could do it so much more effectively. She sunk another fist into his gut—this one just because he'd made her job just too easy—and then finally threw the bundle over her shoulder and leapt away, back to the rooftops...

---

Some time later—minutes, hours, perhaps days—Abari would wake to find himself sitting on a hard chair in a cold place. The makeshift sack was torn away from his head suddenly, revealing a dark room furnished only by himself, a table, his chair, and the ropes that bound him to it. A soft whistling noise, a tearing sensation, and the ropes fell free.

"Somebody," a voice spoke from behind in a tone even colder than the room, "has been asking entirely the wrong sorts of questions..."

[ThatGuy]

Abari got an eerie feeling as he walked through the village. It was as if the mist itself had eyes. He chuckled to himself and shook his head as he tried to brush off the nerves. Clearly, the librarian’s words about the headhunter department were getting to him. Ridiculous. The only purpose a shinobi had for fear was to wield it against others, so he ignored the feeling. As usual, the red-haired swordsman was only half right. Evidenced by the fact that he soon found himself blind as a sack was pulled over his head. Whoever his attacker was didn’t have much of an issue knocking him out. What exactly could Abari have done in that situation? He was just lucky that they weren’t trying to kill him.

When he regained consciousness, Abari cursed his own weakness. Just how many times was he going to get a second chance? By all accounts, his carelessness should have led to his death on multiple occasions, but here he was, spared again by his attackers. When the hood came off, the red-haired swordsman took a quick look at his surroundings but stopped suddenly as his interrogator spoke.

Abari… You really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut.

Of all the things he could have expected, coming face-to-face with Naohiro Aisu was not even on the list. To say that he made a mistake would be a massive understatement. Trying to keep the panic at bay, Abari did his best to explain himself.

”I know it looks bad, but please trust me when I say that everything I do is for my village. You must have gone through my things when capturing me. I promise that my notes explain everything."

Abari was not one to beg for his life, and he wasn’t going to start now. He legitimately meant what he said. Nothing was more important to him than Kirigakure. If they were planning to kill him, he at least hoped that his research could be put to good use. If not, well, what a pitiful way to die.

[Valkier]

Naohiro walked slowly around the table until he stood opposite the chuunin, staring at him all the while. He thought the poor man might be shaking, just a little, for all that he otherwise kept a tight rein on his fear. It bode well for him that he could still speak clearly. Reluctantly, Naohiro reached up and removed the plain white porcelain mask covering his face and dropped it onto the table. A recognisable face nowadays, to any in Kirigakure with eyes to see or ears to listen, though select few knew of his connection to the Division. One way or another, it soon wouldn't be a concern that this young man learned of it.

Part of Naohiro was loathe to involve himself in the business of the Inquisition. Their work had a habit of twisting the mouth, and was usually best left uninterrupted, but the report on Itotsuki Abari had piqued his interest for different reasons. Where they saw threats and concerns, he—as one of those who worked closely with the R&D Branch—saw potential. He continued to pace, circling his bound and seated audience, and pulled a small notebook from his pocket. Abari's notebook.

"Three point one miligrams," he read without a hint of emotion, "applied directly to the skin. Onset of fever in two hours. Convulsions and hallucinations in four. Death within six." He scanned down the page and turned to another. "Distill compound four for potency. Separate the pure stereoisomer with liquid chromatography and organic solvent Epsilon..." Another page. "Potential for airborne contagion. No known antidote. Exponential growth of infection possibilities in sufficiently dense population. Expected casualty rate: Catastrophic." He finally stopped pacing and looked up, meeting Abari's eyes for a long moment. Eventually, as the moment stretched to minutes, he pulled out a chair opposite the chuunin and sat down, closed the book, and pointedly slid it back over the table towards its owner.

Another pause, letting him stew, before Naohiro finally addressed the captive. "I must say, your efforts show promise, and your analytical method is commendable. I have staff with decades of experience who keep worse lab notes." He cocked his head ever so slightly, trying to get a read on Abari. "You understand, of course, the concerns of the Inquisitorial Branch that brought you here. But, strange as it may sound, I would like to believe you. In your motives, at least, if not your... particular approach. You may have the village's best interests at heart after all—we will see—but even so, this knowledge is dangerous. Seeking it can be dangerous, not to mention practicising it.

"Tell me, what would you have done if someone else, less virtuous than you or I, had found this journal? Had dabbled with its methods and secrets?" He left a page open, turned towards Abari, which explained in some detail how the caustic properties of a common flower could theoretically be processed into a potent poison, clear and tasteless.

[ThatGuy]

Abari was honestly surprised that Naohiro had read through his notes. He shouldn’t have been, but he was. But not only had the man read them, he went so far as to compliment Abari’s analytical skills. If he wasn’t likely about to be tortured by the man, he would take more pride in that. He understood why he had the target on his back, he just hoped that people could see it his way. But how could they know that Abari wasn’t secretly planning on releasing this mixture on the populace? Somehow, he felt that explaining to them that he lacked the proper equipment would do little to ease their suspicions.

When Naohiro asked what he would do if someone with ill intentions would do if they got ahold of the notes, the red-haired swordsman thought carefully. A brief moment of silence hung over the two for the moment. It wasn’t that Abari was at a loss for words or avoiding the question, he was legitimately thinking it through to the best of his ability. He was not going to let the silence linger for too long however, as he really did not want to give Naohiro the wrong idea.

“I guess it depends. I don’t really care about their character so long as they’re still loyal to the village. So long as Kiri benefits from it, they can unleash this on whoever they want. But I assume you were talking about someone who meant harm to the village. In that case I would have to look around the local shops to see if anyone had purchased any of the ingredients. Most of them are pretty common, but purchasing them together would definitely be suspicious to those who knew. I imagine they would do so in the slums to make it more difficult to trace, but even with the ingredients it would take some level of know-how to mix the solution. That’s not to mention the equipment required either, which would be a bit harder to track down as I’m sure no one would be stupid enough to buy it after stealing the notes. It would be something to look out for at least. Then I suppose I’d try and keep a tab on any recently missing persons in the slums. That’s the easiest place to collect human test subjects. Other than that I suppose they could use animals but if I were planning on unleashing it on a populace, I definitely would want to make sure it worked on people first…”

Abari’s voice trailed off as he continued to think. He made everything sound so matter of fact and simple, but the investigation would be far from easy. There was no promise that he would find anything in the places he looked. Cursing himself for not being able to think of a more surefire way to track down the imaginary culprit, he finished his thought.

“Then if I found them, it goes without saying that I would kill him. Though I’d prefer to test the poison on him if I got the chance. I haven’t been able to observe the effect on humans yet, just mice.”

[Valkier]

Naohiro listened impassively at first, inclining his head just slightly as Abari explained his logic. He was a good thinker, laying out a sensible and methodical approach to the hyopthetical problem. It was more thorough than he'd expected, honestly, though his apprehensiveness grew right up until the final sentence. That was what he had wanted to hear. He released his grip on a kunai beneath the table and gave Abari a flicker of a smile.

"Good." A weighted pause. "Elaborate, if you would—how would you kill them? Tell me of your skills. What of the body, and the retrieved notes?" This time he had no answer already in mind, but was curious about the chuunin's approach to the question. He'd already proved his intelligence and drive, and a willingness to act with force when necessary. "Assume, for the purposes of this scenario, that your victim is familiar with your poisons and their typical applications."

In truth, Naohiro had more or less already decided that he would enlist Abari before he'd even entered the room—the reports about him were promising enough—but the more he could gauge his thought processes and suitability for the different branches, the better. Right now he seemed most suited for the Research and Development branch, assuming he had the mission experience and strength to avoid any Administration training programmes. But there was still potential for a Containment or Inquisitorial asset, and Naohiro prided himself on being thorough about a task. Once Abari had taken the time to answer, Naohiro would continue on:

"Let's switch angle. Let's say that, unbeknownst to you, details of your poisons were leaked across the village before you could catch the man, and anyone from slum children to the noble councils could potentially learn of the dangerous secrets. What would you do, if anything, in response?"

This would be interesting. Given the open opportunity, what approach would Abari take? He could, theoretically, try and slow or stop the spread of information through the same methods as finding the initial thief, but it would not be a guaranteed approach. Would he cover the village with spies to listen and ruthlessly silence any who spread the knowledge? Would he spread other, incorrect data to blend with the first, reducing the risk and making it seem mere rumor and gossip? Monitoring communications across the village was not beyond the reach of the Inquisitorial Branch. Or, perhaps more intelligently, would he allow the knowledge to spread, and turn it to an advantage? Positive propaganda, boasting about the lethality of Kirigakure innovation while also educating and informing the population about the uses and risks of poisons? Or simply leave the fire unstoked and let the knowledge fade, only addressing the occasional high-risk result as needed? Perhaps there were more angles he hadn't himself considered, too.

He sat back and waited, trying to analyse Abari's reactions and emotions, then raised a hand and motioned to the room behind the chuunin. A senbon flew from the shadows and sliced through the ropes around the man's wrists, finally letting him move freely.

[ThatGuy]

Abari didn’t want to get too hopeful, but it seemed like he was starting to get on Naohiro’s good side. When the man asked how he would go about killing the imaginary perpetrator, the red-haired swordsman tilted his head quizzically. Would cutting their throat be too bland of an answer? Thinking that maybe he was looking for a more in-depth explanation, Abari once again thought carefully before speaking.

“As far as the conflict goes, I’d use a ninjutsu in an attempt to incapacitate them. If that didn’t work, there’s also my taijutsu. As I said earlier, I’d rather capture them, but my method of killing them would otherwise be pretty straightforward. If they were an obvious threat and knew of my poisons, then I’d prefer to find backup and ambush them. If not, then I’d use Mist Style to my advantage and try to hunt them. If they weren’t a threat, I’d simply remove their head from their body. Now, if I could capture them, then I’d love to use the poison that they attempted to steal from me on them. Not for the poetic irony or to fulfill a vengeful fantasy, but because I am admittedly not finished studying it. I’m currently afraid that the composition might deteriorate more rapidly in the human body, making the poison less potent. Someone with the resiliency of a shinobi might barely feel the effects, and if that is the case, then I’ll need to adjust accordingly. On the off chance that they had information I still needed, I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to the human body. While my healing skills are limited, I know exactly where to cut to ensure the slowest and most painful death. As far as the body goes, fire is a reliable way of destroying all the organic tissue. Then I could grind the skeleton down into bone meal and use it to fertilize the plants used in my research. Why let a good opportunity go to waste? If for whatever reason people were going to be looking for this criminal, I’d likely have to mix some acid and dissolve it so that the smell and sight of the smoke didn’t give me away.”

The follow-up question caught Abari off-guard. Honestly, the information about his poison spreading was something that he had not accounted for. That would certainly be problematic, and he didn’t have the kind of resources to completely contain an incident like that. The sudden cutting of his ropes snapped Abari out of his thoughts. Being able to move around gave him a minor sense of safety, but he knew it was an illusion. He was no safer having been released from his bondage. Whether he was restrained or not, Abari would be dead if Naohiro wished it.

“There is no way I would be able to completely conceal the event. I might be able to slow the spread of information or try to eliminate those spreading gossip, but it wouldn’t exactly solve the problem. So I figure I might as well try to use it to my advantage if I were in the situation. Why not add a bit of fuel to the fire? I’d encourage more gossip about the potent poison that Kirigakure had developed and how it could be used against our enemies. Considering that most people don’t know much about the craft, I’d mix in some false information about how complex the poison is. That way, the civilians can relax a bit, thinking that it can’t be easily replicated. It doesn’t really matter if they bought it or not. Just the thought of the formula being expanded upon and repurposed into a full-scale bioweapon would help keep people in check. This would serve the additional purpose of outing the weak and disloyal as they speak and act against the poison’s development. The more visible they are, the easier they are to monitor, and with luck, they will lead us to more rebels. I don’t have much patience for those who doubt the village.”

Abari grew increasingly cold as he spoke, surprising himself. All he wanted to do was serve his village, but what would he do if the village turned on itself? Which side would he take? From the sounds of it, he’d be more inclined to defend those currently in power. The red-haired swordsman had not put much thought into it and found himself feeling conflicted. Given the tension currently building between the families, he would need to figure this out quickly. Before that, however, he would need to get out of his current predicament. Suddenly losing the confidence he had up until this point, Abari avoided Naohiro’s gaze, hoping his false confidence would not be perceived as arrogance.

[Valkier]

Naohiro nodded slowly. Once again Abari answered in greater detail than expected, and his words were pragmatic. Practical. Yes, this man was destined for the Research and Development branch of the Head Hunter Division. He would do well there, with such dedication to his craft and a such dose of curiosity, healthy or otherwise. And not controlled by base emotions, either; he mentioned 'fire' as nothing more than a simple means to an end, and not a source of passion or mere entertainment. He was no sword-tossing brute like those hopefuls of the Seven. Naohiro was beginning to like him.

He let out a low whistle at the second answer, and his eyebrows quirked upwards. Using the spread of knowledge itself as a means to root out dissent? He hadn't considered that, and there was a simple beauty to the scheme. There were many who would desire such knowledge. The plan was something that an Inquisitor might cook up, and that branch would surely approve. But at this point—with the interview so far going as well as it had, despite his initial heavy-handedness—Naohiro was not about to recommend Abari to that branch of the organisation and lose out on his own chance to recruit the man.

"Very interesting, Itotsuki-san. Fortunately, the Division does have the resources to take care of such events should they actually occur—indeed, it is why we are here at all—but I am glad to hear your approach nonetheless. Although I suspect our other resources—and facilities—may be of more immediate interest to you." He let the implication hang for a moment, fixing the other man with a weighing look. "You stand now at a crossroad. I am convinced of the depth of your talent and faculty, and also of the dangers of your research. I seek, one way or another, to ensure the safety and security of our village. With that knowledge, or from it." He rested both hands on the tabletop and opened each, palm upwards. On his right was drawn a fuuinjutsu seal, inactive, but finely drawn for demonstrative effect. On his left was a kunai, its razor's edge glinting in the dim light of the room.

"I would like very much for your potential to be nurtured and directed towards, as you say, the good of Kirigakure no Sato. You may find the alternative to be less to your liking, but the choice is ultimately yours. Will you work with us?"

[ThatGuy]

Abari was happy to see that his answer seemed to be acceptable to the man. As Naohiro spoke, Abari had to make a concerted effort not to show the complete shock he was feeling. Despite his efforts, however, the red-haired swordsman’s eyebrows raised at the implication of being able to use the Head Hunter Division’s resources. Out of all the outcomes Abari had expected, this was not one of them. He found himself even more surprised as the man went on to praise his abilities. Abari always fell behind his peers, so to hear from someone this powerful say that he had potential... It was hard to process.

As Naohiro revealed the items in his palms and presented Abari with his choices, the red-haired swordsman couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t a matter of pride in his accomplishment or even eagerness to impress, he was simply excited at all the possibilities that lay before him. The things he could do in the Head Hunter Division! Abari had so many ideas that were always held back by his limited resources. Now he finally had the chance to test them out.

“It would be an honor! I don’t know what you see in me, but I promise that I’ll do what I can for the village. If I had access to your labs, I could have the poison stabilized and ready for the battlefield within a week—two tops! I have other ideas, not just poisons, but weapons, equipment, body modifications... Oh, if, uh, if you’d have me… sir.”

The almost psychotic look in his eyes while he considered the possibilities of his research faded as he realized that he was being far too presumptuous. Sure, Naohiro had just offered him a position, but who was to say that a lowly recruit would even be allowed near the labs? Plus, there were definitely people much more talented than him in there. His ideas would be nothing next to their own, but he still wanted to try.

[Valkier]

Naohiro nodded and allowed himself a smile. He quietly resheathed the kunai and clasped his hands together again.

"Excellent. I'll be your direct supervisor in the Research and Development Branch of the Division. From this moment onwards, you report to me. Before all others," he clarified with a raised eyebrow, sternly though not unkindly. "Remind me, to whom are the Itotsuki bled? If you are to work with us, I would know your connections to your great house.

"And as for the labs? You shall have them, and more. Not only well-stocked laboratories, but also, effectively, open-ended funding and the freedom to pursue whatever research and projects you see fit, so long as they are in the interests of the Division. We can arrange quick and convenient access to pretty much any materials or substances you could wish for, though you are of course free to procure your own, as well. Subjects can be arranged, if necessary, and from now on they no longer have to be half-starved wretches hauled in from the untouchable district. If the cause is worthy, healthy bodies can be provided.

"But, and this probably goes without saying: Your results go through the Division first and foremost. Your research and findings will be property of the organisation—though not withheld from you—to do with as we see fit. I have no doubts that those interests will align with your own, of course. We serve Kirigakure together, and better for our co-operation. Do you have any final questions?"

Speech complete, he held out a hand to Abari, and rose from the table.

"Welcome to the Head Hunter Division, Operator Itotsuki. Induction begins tomorrow morning at five A.M. Report to the offices beneath the ground floor of the Mizukage's building. I advise you not to be late." With a last nod, Naohiro stepped back and left the room, rather happy with the outcome. He did not pause to reveal to Abari where he was or how to get home again.