Darker Still The Night

[Valkier]

The mist lay thick and heavy across the island of Kirigakure in the fading half-light of a late evening as Aisu Naohiro strode around the engawa walkway around his estate, head buried in a small ledger. He stopped and looked up, frowning, as a flicker of shadowed movement and rapid footsteps broke through the haze. A moment later a hooded figure skidded to a halt on the wet boards beside him and bowed hastily.

"My apologies, Lord Aisu. Still no sign of him, Sir."

Naohiro swore under his breath and shook his head, turning to scowl out into the mists as if the swirling eddies would reveal his absent recruit. "What is he about? A worthless layabout after all..." He muttered then fell quiet, thinking but coming up with few answers. After a minute or so of silence his aide shuffled and stepped up beside him.

"Surely there are others, Sir? Kurogane hardly has the best record. Perhaps Nanase? Or Hats—" He cut off as Naohiro waved a dismissive hand.

"No. Too distracted. Too young. I need someone I know, someone I can trust. Perhaps Kurogane was not perfect, but at least his ambitious were clear, and that made him predictable. I will not leave the future of our clan to the chance of poor judgement." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, then turned abruptly. "I'll do it myself," he decided, already striding away back the way he'd come.

"Y-you, Sir? What about—"

"Handle it, would you?" Naohiro shot back over his shoulder, already sliding open a door and disappearing inside. "We'll debrief in the morning!"

---

—
A few hours later, when full darkness had added a further smothering depth to the mists, accented now with the gentle hiss of drizzle, Naohiro waited in the shadows of a courtyard near to the entrance of the Aisu compound. He'd sent mission orders ahead to one of his kin a day earlier—well, to two of them, of which one could not be found—and now stood in anticipation of meeting Aisu Namie, a talented young kunoichi who showed remarkable promise. While the mission itself was an important one, he'd been equally keen to get a reading on this young woman whose tutors once suggested could live up to the legacy of her forebear, the Rokudaime Mizukage Aisu Shira.

The other ninja he'd chosen, Aisu Kurogane, had been one of his agents for some time, and the boy's motivations had made him easy for Naohiro to control and rely upon. In his absence, there had been nothing for it but to accompany Namie himself; finding and briefing someone else he trusted at short notice, both with the mission and to report on Namie, had not been practical. Of course Namie was not the only young prodigy of the Aisu that he was curious about—she was just one of many—but, at least on paper, her potential sung to him.

He needed that potential, because the Clan needed it. Times were changing in Kirigakure, and soon enough the Aisu would need a younger, more ambitious, more capable leader. Aisu Haruka was not as young as she used to be, and while she had served the Clan exceptionally well during her tenure as its head, there were growing concerns about her softness for what seemed to be coming. Once upon a time, Naohiro had seen himself taking her place, but now... Now, times were changing in Kirigakure. The skies over the village grew darker still with each passing night, and his old ambitions dimmed with them, replaced perhaps by those yet greater...

—

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—
TO: Aisu Namie, Aisu Kurogane
HIGHLY CLASSIFIED
DESTROY UPON RECEIPT
—
Tensions are rising quickly within Kirigakure no Sato. The Great Houses vie for every opportunity and plan for every eventuality. The Aisu and the Hirohito must not be blind to such plans. You are tasked with observing the home of Shiimu Yuka, an undersecretary to Lord Shiimu Otome, to monitor and gather intelligence on the dealings of House Shiimu.

You are instructed to avoid discovery at all costs. It is paramount that no evidence of your mission or suspicion of your presence remains.
Report at midnight tomorrow to the Rokudaime Court in the Aisu district to rendezvous and begin your assignment. Watch your backs for any tails of your own throughout. Trust to your judgement and avoid undue risks.

Signed,
Aisu Naohiro

[Kao]

In the dimly lit space of her bedroom, Namie had been pacing for what seemed like hours. Her eyes occasionally glanced over to the opened scroll on her bureau, but they mostly remained glued to the pristine floor. The scroll had arrived in the dark of night, tied neatly and stamped with the Kirigakure seal. The young Aisu had at first assumed it was just another mission scroll, but as soon as she’d read the first few lines she knew it was anything but ordinary. She hadn’t told her overly ambitious mother that a letter from such an important man had arrived. The woman would have been thrilled, but she’d have also immediately begun her scheming and planning, not giving Namie any chance to breathe and consider her own options.

Aisu Naohiro. If the rumors had any ounce of truth to them - and she believed they did - he was on the path to greatness. He was important both within the clan and within the village as a whole, and Namie was sure he had dozens under his beck and call. But he had chosen her, trusted her with a task that could alter so much for so many. The chuunin ran her tongue across her teeth as she contemplated. She felt wholly unprepared and unqualified for what he wanted of her. But if Naohiro asked for her - if he needed her - she would oblige. So said nothing to no one and left her home, deciding as soon as she stepped over the threshold to keep her actions secret from her parents, especially her overbearing mother.

Each footfall felt leaden. She made her way through the mist feeling as though she was walking into an ocean churning from an approaching tempest. It scared her. It excited her. It made her heart thump so resoundingly in her chest that that she had to hold the hilt of her blade to steady and ground herself. The light rain cooled her flush skin, and by the time she completed the rather short walk to their designated meeting place she felt calmer - but only slightly so.

He stood with his back facing her, and although he couldn’t see her she bowed fully and deeply at the waist. “My Lord. Aisu Namie, at your humble service.” The chuunin held her bow, and would only raise her head to look at him when he acknowledged her.

[Valkier]

Naohiro heard the approaching footfalls before his accomplice for the night turned into the courtyard, and waited quietly with his back turned, counting her steps. His training with the Division made it relatively simple to pinpoint her position from the sound alone, and he often made a little game of doing so to keep his senses sharp. Sharpness always paid dividends in Kirigakure, and tonight would certainly be no different.

Her introduction, though, did catch him a little unexpectedly. He half turned and glanced across at her, taking in her formal bow—pristinely executed, and clearly aimed for someone of higher station—and mannerisms all in the same moment. The mission scroll had been addressed to another man as her comrade, the waylaid Aisu Kurogane, and Naohiro himself had held a vain hope that she would not know him. But Namie's bow and introduction put paid to any such notion; she was well informed, or else deduced the situation somehow. Or, perhaps, she'd just recognised him on arrival. He was still growing accustomed to the fact that he was becoming a recognisable face across the village, and here most of all. His reputation was spreading even faster than he expected, even considering recent events.

"My Lady Namie, you do me an honour," he replied cordially, hoping to smooth over any uncomfort and put her at ease. "Please, just call me Naohiro. Treat me like you would any other, I insist." He bowed in return, holding it just for a moment before rising again. "I confess we had a change of plans at the eleventh hour; my man Kurogane is... indisposed. I'll be accompanying you in his place. I hope you'll forgive the sudden intrusion."

He began checking over his equipment one more time, tightening his kunai holster, straightening his overcoat—he'd left the legendary cloak Desire at home for this mission, replacing it with a plain but well-made cloak—and, most importantly, ensuring his hair flowed just so before tucking it down inside the collar of the coat. From within the folds of fabric he pulled out two plain grey masks, similar to those worn by the Head Hunter Division, but without their signature emblem. He handed one to Namie and began fixing the other around his own face.
"We'll have to move quickly and anonymously tonight. Is there anything you'd like to ask before we head out?" He'd query as he fussed with his mask, then gave her a moment to ask or say anything she'd like. If there was nothing, he'd give a decisive nod and indicate up towards a nearby rooftop.

"We'll avoid the main gates and busier roads, and move by roof and alley. After you, my Lady." He waved her onward and fell into step, departing in silence and shadow with thoughts to the Shiimu stronghold of Kirigakure.

[Kao]

Namie lifted her head, but her eyes lingered on the glistening ground. She was completely uncomfortable with the idea of addressing him so casually. His increasing importance meant he commanded respect, especially from someone like her who he doubly outranked. But, perhaps after this mission, she would try to humor him. When the girl finally lifted her gaze and let it settle on his face, her heart skipped. Fluttered, even. He was beautiful and handsome all at once, and his striking looks was so distracting that, for a moment, she heard absolutely nothing he said. The spell broke only when he began checking his equipment. The kunoichi awkwardly mirrored him, quietly hoping he didn't notice that he hadn't exactly been paying attention.

She took the mask and started to place it on her face, but when he started to do the same the young woman became alarmed and she paused. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. "Sir?" We. He said we. "Oh, um...." Namie stood there, wide eyed, with the mask in her hands and she suddenly felt incredibly self conscious. She had expected to work with a high level shinobi as her partner, sure, but not Naohiro himself. At a loss for words she simply shook her head and finally put the mask on. Heart pounding, she fell into step next to him and tried to focus on the task at hand. Her thoughts were racing wildly, each one tumbling over and crashing into another so that her mind resembled a tangle of fears and emotions that was quickly cascading into one giant lump interwoven anxieties. Luckily for her, Naohiro wasn't able to see it written all over her face.

She stayed a step behind Naohiro followed him through the alleys and over the rooftops. The part of the village they were to scout was wholly unfamiliar to her. There had never been much reason for her to seek out the Shiimu. For her entire life and career she had been exclusively involved with the Aisu clan and the Hirohito family. She had her mother to thank for that; the woman had wanted her daughter groomed to be the tool for the clan and their principle family and focus on little else. When they reached their location she kept to the shadows and stayed close, anticipating his direction. "It's quiet," she muttered, careful to keep her voice low. "Where should we start?"

[Valkier]

Naohiro remained quiet as the pair made their way across the village at an unrelenting pace, and pretended to be focused entirely on the dark streets beneath and the slick rooftops ahead. The truth, though, was that beneath the mask his eyes edged sideways to follow Namie on more than one occasion, and his ears were attuned just as much towards her steps as to the environment around them. His purpose tonight was twofold, after all; getting a reliable read on Aisu Namie was just as important to him, and perhaps to the future of the clan, as the mission itself. He told himself that this was the only reason that he watched her figure slip in and out of the mists, listened to the stirring whispers of her nearby breath. He even believed it, despite the way their journey over Kirigakure felt like it was over a little too soon.

Shiimu Yuka’s home was more manor than house, and not nearly the largest estate in this part of town. Naohiro was well acquainted with wealth, but the upper echelons of the Shiimu took such familiarity to another level entirely. A tall perimeter wall, sturdy and spike-topped, ringed the central buildings of Yuka’s home. A large pair of gates, exactly like those one might find on an actual temple, seemed to be the only direct path inside, and a small set of carefully manicured gardens ringed the buildings within. “Mm. Quieter than I expected…” Naohiro stopped on a rooftop across the street and ducked down to press into the shadows beneath the parapet. He listened and watched for a minute longer, then ducked back into cover and began a set of seals, fingers a rapid blur in the darkness. “I see just the one guard at the gates, but few lights on in the estate. Probably just slaves, servants, else the place would be better lit. Watch my back a moment, would you? I’ll try and get a better read…” Then he closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath, leaning back against the cold stonework of the roof. It took only a moment to adjust and open his mind’s eye, opening his senses to a whole new type of vision in their immediate area.

He found himself immediately basking in the glow of Namie’s chakra signature, resting so close by that it outshone everything else nearby with an invigorating warmth. Her strength did indeed suggest some level of potential; she was stronger than most chuunin already, and with plenty of room yet to grow more powerful still. It took a moment for him to shake himself, frown, and remember that she hadn’t been the intended target of his sensory at all. Just circumstance, that’s all. He focused his mind’s eye outwards and across the street, searching for the tell-tale blue glows of people within the buildings or behind the walls. He found a handful more guards—one more hidden within the gatehouse, and three others hiding within or patrolling around the grounds and walls, but most weren’t particularly strong. Only the gatekeeper stood out in terms of strength, somewhere between Namie and Naohiro’s strengths. He stretched further and scanned through the main manor building itself. A half dozen or so very weak signatures, some underground, some moving along hallways or moving up what he guessed must be stairs at the rear of the building. Servants, most likely. Certainly not trained ninja, with those weak chakra levels. Some rooms of the estate were opaque to him, despite him pushing his mind even harder up against them, suggesting some barrier or anti-sensory techniques, but no other activity was apparent through the minutes of his scan.

Eventually he abandoned the technique and opened his eyes again, then rose to a kneel where he could watch the building with his own eyes again. “Better to avoid the gatekeeper. He or she is among the strongest. There’s a few more guards in the grounds, but not powerful ones. The real danger is that they’ll see us at all and raise an alarm, rather than them being a physical threat.” He hesitated, then quickly added “Not that we want to do any fighting, of course.”

He stayed motionless for a while longer, considering options ahead and watching for any movement in the streets below. He found himself frowning, unsatisfied. “I only intended to sit and watch, to see who came and went in the night, see who might be meeting who… And we should do that, but… I also want to go in and look around.” he glanced sideways at Namie, curious how she’d react to a dangerous change to their mission, and became aware again of how close she was beside him. He quickly continued. “Let’s observe a while longer and make sure there’s truly no one about to surprise us. But it’d be advantageous to slip in and out while nobody’s home, nice and easy, rather than spending night after night out here watching and maybe seeing nothing…”

Jutsu usedShow

[Sensory Style • Broad Sense]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: [Sensory Style • Beyond Senses], 20 Control
This technique is an extension of [Beyond Senses], and allows the sensor to focus on individual chakra signatures to get a precise idea of where their opponents are within a radius of up to 60 meters. A general sense of the direction, size, and number of chakra sources can be determined within a radius of up to 120 meters. It should be noted that this jutsu requires intense concentration, often making the user shut their eyes for focus. This technique can be mentally taxing even for experienced users, requiring the sensor to sort through the individual chakra sources within range.

[Sensory Style • Evaluation]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: [Sensory Style • Beyond Senses]
The sensor will activate a this supplementary technique in addition to a sensory jutsu. By doing so, the user will be able to compare the relative strength of each source of chakra they are able to sense. The “strength” of the individual is determined by the average of each person’s Chakra Pool, Control and Endurance stats. The user can determine who has more relative strength than others, allowing them to pick out possible risks.

[Kao]

The estate looming over them made Namie’s opulent family home look almost humble in comparison. The kunoichi took in the architectural details of the Shiimu residence with her lips turned downward into a scowl. For just a moment her irritation toward the rival family eclipsed her restlessness. But the moment Naohiro began to speak again the young woman’s cheeks flushed a light pink. This man was important. Powerful. Handsome. Crouched next to him she felt uncharacteristically self-conscious, but eventually Namie found herself able to focus on their mission.

She nodded at his instructions, heart suddenly thrumming, and her slender fingers moved to wrap around the hilt of her sword. The familiar sensation grounded her, allowing Namie to turn her attention fully to their surroundings. There were no sounds that were out of the ordinary - no approaching footsteps, no metallic schlink of a weapon being drawn, and no whistle in the air from a projectile hurtling their way. The pair seemed to sit in silence for several minutes before Naohiro spoke up again, and what he had to say made the chuunin balk.

Namie had only a very rudimentary skill set when it came to stealth and infiltration. As much as she wanted to impress and support this man, the last thing the woman wanted to do was become a hindrance. So instead of immediately agreeing to the change in plans, she was honest. “My Lo- Naohiro-san,” she began, struggling somewhat to keep her words casual as he had requested, “my skills are nowhere near your level. If we infiltrate I’ll only slow you down - or worse.” Namie paused when the sound of something dropping within the Shiimu household reached her ears. it was close, almost too close for comfort. But after a few moments passed it seemed the noise was caused by a clumsy servant or something similar. With her ears still perked she continued, “However, if that’s what you wish to do, I’l follow and support you.” She’d fall on her own blade if he asked. Needless to say, she hoped things wouldn’t come to that.