Karumo stood at his desk, a map spread across it with several markings and identifiers on it. A true high definition of the earth, showing the landmarks such as mountains, there wasn't a bit of detail missing as far as the landscape was concerned. The lines and contour points marking mountains all began to blend in together as he hardly was able to keep his attention devoted to any one part of it for very long. The strain on his eyes were growing by the second and he merely wanted it to be over with, honestly, he wasn't even sure why he was looking at it any longer. No amount of re-examination would change anything, he'd memorized every detail in the short amount of time he stared at it and there was nothing that would escape his vision. No, he just didn't like what he saw and wanted to find more. Desperation if anything.

The map itself, marked territory outside of Iwagakure no Sato. There were actually three maps in itself, all stacked on one another and each one marking different parts of the Wilderness. The first map at the bottom of the pile was a small mining operation in the Valley of Mountains, its importance could be highlighted upon, but there was a chance that it was being used for more nefarious purposes and under the supervision of the company in charge. Well, perhaps the company knew nothing of it yet, but the on-site crew was on the wrong side of some nasty rumors.

The second map, showed Rockhenge, a place Karumo had never actually visited in his time in the village but knew about. Legends of foreboding chakra and evil rituals being performed there, but allegedly, there was an access point to get underneath it, an evil organization performing tests and such down there. The truth to which was probably far skewed, but given a recent slurry of disappearances in the area, mostly children and such, it was worth investigating. And why not start with the legends of old?

The third and most concerning map lay atop the others, this one was marked and had time-lapse changes. This map was not of any specific location but of a small town out in the wilderness of Iwagakure. It was famous for its production and manufacturing of certain medical supplies and antidotes, being a huge economic point for the country and providing Tsuchi no Kuni with one of the largest per capita GNP of anywhere else, next to the village itself. This town though, had recently been under surge, corruption in industry and corporate greed. Things of that nature that turned many of the rarer medicines into great upturns in prices, and at the same time, a large number of deaths growing within the city and the disparity between the poor and rich growing at an extreme rate. That situation in itself had him concerned, organized crime and things of that nature always bred in areas where goods were made and people were to extort, but the sheer number in increase and lack of communication, it was like the town had shut itself off from the outside world.

Karumo sat down at his desk, a bit of a heavy thud and a sigh as he crossed his arms and folded his hands across his stomach. He couldn't be sure, but in each case, the reports of events all seem connected, like it was the same MO each time. And that was also concerning, a group acting at such a large range and almost unnoticed until now. That gives them time to infiltrate infrastructure, it's the level of corruption and crime that the village had all but eradicated years ago. A deep seeded hatred for such, and as this group was burying their roots into the ground, it would only mean that they would have to tear up more dirt to remove this plant. As he thought to himself, his thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks on the door, a call out from a somewhat familiar voice claiming a familiar name.

Karumo sat up and placed his hands on his desk, sliding his chair forward to sit more under it and called out, "Oh..." at first barely audible, but he might be able to hear it if he were trying, "Come in! Come in!" the second bit he was almost yelling, exclaiming it so that it would audible from a few feet away from the door. Giving it a moment for the door to swing open and let him enter, an old face he wouldn't have seen since a mission such a long time ago.

Once Nanashi would enter he would motion him to the desk, "Come, take a seat, relax a little. After such a long journey you must be tired, but I trust it went well? And that you got my note?" he would say with an inquisitive glance to him. The formalities of the situation would be of little annoyance, it's not like he was in a rush but he did hope to get straight to business soon. This was after all why Karumo had asked for the Sannin to come visit him, and why he needed his help as well.

[886 words]

Nanashi sat down in the chair, Karumo leaned back some and kept his eyes trained on him, listening in on his bit about travel. Realistically, as good as anyone could ask for on a long journey away from home. A self proclaimed successful journey and nothing major to worry himself; at the end of the day, that was all anyone could really ask for. Along with that he was well rested, an even better sign, thought the journey from the land of lightning back to Iwagakure no Sato was certainly no easy trek. He couldn't hold him taking a break against him in the slightest, a three day journey with rest and a two day journey without rest. The difference was negligible and Karumo was in no rush, at least not yet.

Karumo smiled a bit with a chuckle at his comment about being headmaster, it hadn't occurred to him until that very moment but, Nanashi had been away since he had received the job. "Lots has changed. Or maybe nothing major, but there are certainly lots of moving parts from my point of view at the very least." he paused and let his attention briefly roll around the room while he gathered his thoughts. Leaning back into the chair slightly before continuing on, "Well, we all left the village around the same time. Me, you, Jet, Fukai, Harichimo. Most of you headed to Kumo but Harichimo and I to Sunagakure no Sato, as you're probably already aware. When I returned back to the village I was met with a coup attempt from the clan. It resulted in the death of two of the clans elders, and my remission of the clan leader spot." he would take a quick pause and let Nanashi briefly intake that new information while he would grab the white coffee mug and take a sip. Nothing but water, but he wanted to clear his throat and find where to go on from there.

"Since then, I turned my attention to the village, I don't even stay in the clan compound anymore. I've been put in charge of the university for the last few months and I joined the ANBU as the Captain of the Oracles." he would pause and look around. "On another note, did you happen to meet an ANBU agent at the gate? He was one of my rookie trainees. Now that I think about it, he never showed up?" he looked for a brief moment, whether Nanashi knew or not didn't much matter. He just chuckled briefly at the thought of him running around the village trying to find the gate. A bit of an exaggeration at how useless rookies were, but he found a bit of humor in it.

Then the next bit came, the part he was partially reluctant to want to get into purely on the basis of how little he actually knew. His ANBU squad acted as the information center, the database of all the village, and yet he had no idea where to begin or how to truly put the pieces together. "No, we should get to business. That's why we're both here after all." he would pause and stand up, pushing the maps closer towards Nanashi in case he wanted a closer look. "There are two parts to my problem. Neither part has been to publicized so I'll go over them both. First, I've been working with Fukai on and it's part of the problem. But Lord Akira is away from the village, headed to the land of Water for some international politics of some kind. That's all I really know about that, but in the time I've been serving in interim, I've been having problems with the other ANBU divisions. Fukai is helping restore balance in some manners but in the meantime, I can't rely on them to handle this stuff."

He would pause briefly before going on, "The second part is an old problem you're probably aware of. Old corruption under a new name and spread like a wildfire right under our noses. I've marked a few facilities and things on those maps if you'd care to look. But even with that, we know almost nothing as a whole. If you don't mind me asking, how involved were you in Lord Akira's clean up of the country when he first entered office? I know that he made great strides in ending corruption and cleaning up crime, but I'm worried that this new grou may be a familiar face rising from the grave. And, rising with a bit of a grudge..." he would trail off and leave to Nanashi to respond.

[797 words, 1683 words total]

"You mentioned two of the elders are dead. But, what happened to the other two? Did they have any involvement in the coupe? And is it safe to assume that all other parties that were involved were handled appropriately?" Karumo mused over the thoughts in his head as he thought about how to best answer it. It was an event that had been put to rest, drudging up old problems would never be for the best but closure would also only be able to put an end to a lot of worries and... well close up anything to do with it. Nanashi continued on though, "So, who is the clan head now?", he would add in. Karumo sighed a bit, relieving a bit of pressure from his chest, or would it be his mind in this case? His thoughts rolled over as he began to respond, "Of the other two only one had any involvement although it wasn't a severe amount, he retreated from being involved in the true bloodshed. He was dealt with... in our own manner. So yes, everyone involved is now aware of the consequences of their actions. And Ezra Fantomusodo is the current Clan Head, though I have a feeling he shares the same isolationist ideology that the others did as well..."

His bit was only a half truth in the regard that the full story wasn't fleshed out. It wasn't that he didn't trust Nanashi, but they had bigger matters to tend to and going back to write over the wrongs of a clan bent out of shape were pointless. That could be dealt with later once all else was taken care of and restored to balance, or at least stabilized. The conversation continued on, congratulating him for joining the ANBU and such and retelling the tale of his alleged ANBU escort. Karumo would chuckle along and scratch his neck briefly, "Thanks, they definitely do need more training. Or maybe you just move too quickly for them." he would taunt, giving a tone that he was joking around. He knew that the rookie ANBU were no easy thing to train, but hopefully by the time he was done with them and his division more organized, there wouldn't be a single shinobi they couldn't keep up with.

With pleasantries out of the way their conversation moved to business, where things would begin to grow and the plot would thicken. Karumo gave his rant, all of it from Fukai and the ANBU to the potential return of old enemies or surfacing of new threats. It was all a bit ambiguous for the time, even with all their recon and intelligence not much would be discovered until they started their operations and could get men on the inside of their system. Nanashi started by inquiring about the ANBU, a problem that he had entrusted to Fukai but there was no reason that Nanashi also couldn't be aware, given their position and what they would be setting out to accomplish.

"Fukai is acting as eyes and ears on the inside of the operation, and assumedly taking the lead. The problem isn't so much open subordination or a lack of training leading to failure. The missions assigned to them are going tremendously and without backlash. However, I have a slight sneaking suspicion that certain groups and tasks aren't being fully fleshed out. Details of missions left vague and gaps in the timeline. Not that it has to be a problem of course. But when working in the darkness, any goals second to the mission being sought out and completed or other tasks being prioritized against the village is problematic in itself. And that proves a problem in itself and I think you understand why." he paused for positioning and to move onto the next point.

"As far as I know, it's not outside the Crimson Elite, which leads me to believe that if it is a growing problem then there's a central focus for said problem as well. Which is what Fukai is working under, through whatever means necessary." he took his cup up and took another sip of water. "As for helping, I intend to focus our time on the external and existential threat looming outside our walls."

The conversation moved on again, this time to the history of the village and admittance of the Daimyo's court as well as a connection that Nanashi had. It was news to Karumo, but not a surprise, the fact that those in power with money tended to do whatever to expand upon it. There were those that involved themselves in economics, making money off the simple transfer of money and corrupting themselves in non existent fields and driving inflation. The ethical wrong. Then there were those that would invest their money into darker territories, of course with higher risk but with a far greater return than normal. The moral wrong. But no matter what involvement in the darker affairs of the world would lead to a response in the darkness that they so policed.

Karumo wouldn't press into details of the Daimyo's court, not until it was absolutely necessary, god forbid he find out that they were a greater evil and he would throw himself into fighting his own country. What a troublesome endeavor this was all turning out to be. His questions then turned to the group itself and the apparent lack of information itself. Karumo mused over his thoughts, there was certainly a lot to go over and very little for him to actually say that wasn't almost pure conjecture. "Well, it could be an old group which would explain its size but not its slow upbringing. The territorial expansion we've seen was slow and methodical, everything was built up in firm roots and tough to fight against. It was like they were coming back not with a vengeance but with the intent to survive." Karumo paused for a moment and cracked his neck, "If it were an old group then we would anticipate a fast and loose approach to infrastructural changes and some sort of repeated MO from the last time. Now, maybe they got smarter or new leadership is changing things up, but we honestly don't have the intel to hardly make anything greater than grand standing around the identity."

"This bit of corruption I found out about after Lord Akira had left for Kirigakure no Sato. I've been working heavily against organized crime in Iwagakure no Sato for some time, this was just the next case that was brought up I suppose. Perhaps too late to truly be effective though..." he would pause and sigh, scratching at his temple a bit. His eyes rolled away and over the maps before he spoke up again, "As for Rockhenge, we have no idea. The passage under doesn't reveal much outside the disappearances and such, never in daylight or when multiple people are around. Often times it's kids of families alone and wandering around, but it probably is a good place to start the investigation. Laying a trap is extremely risky but not addressing one of these situations is worse." Hopefully this much would at least get the conversation going here, they would need to act soon and with some haste.

"If we're going to start with Rockhenge, the two current plans we have would be to either invade the facility directly, perhaps a stealth or covert operation? Or we lay a trap and find out what's truly happening to these disappearing persons, though that contains an extreme bit of inherent risk... " another pause. "What do you think about it all?" Karumo would ask him, leaving time for an answer. It would certainly be a lot to digest and formulate on, given the scenario and how little was really being shared at this meeting.

[1326 words, 3009 words total]

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Karumo continued on after he started his response, "I didn't mean to cause any misunderstanding. When I said that they were taken care of in our own manner, they both fell and are dead. The one of the three left alive is in charge, but he wouldn't be so bold as to try anything, he wasn't at half their xenophobia either. On top of that, he sees reason from time to time and can be controlled. Consider it more my own delegation to the position. If anything big arises, he can be controlled with ease...." Karumo smirked a bit into a laugh and continued on.

---

Afterwards their conversation moved onto the criminal elements that Karumo had been looking into, his piece already given for the most part. He was right, this village used to be quite the conundrum in the types of personalities it attracted and let in. Karumo was a firm believer in second chances and never judging a book by its cover but the history of some can far out weigh any potential future for them all the same.

Karumo would give off a bit of a smile already as he ended, Nanashi was thinking ahead though Karumo was already one step ahead of him on that much. "Of course I've already set up a couple ANBU agents in that town, though, I wouldn't worry about their paperwork or anything." he chuckled a bit.

"It's all part of a clever ruse really, I used some contacts at the university, set up an independent research facility in the mountains of the terrain and all, it's rather top secret and all. Basically we're granting their geological research for the time, while they hired an 'independent' security group to protect their facility." Karumo would add air quotes around independent to give some light to the idea.

"It's like a 10 man research team with 2 to 3 bodyguards on rotation already, to the criminals it will look fairly routine and negligible unless they want to try and invade that facility... but I doubt so. There's no money to steal there, not for some simple bandits at least. They should all be set up within the week and will start feeding us information as time goes on and their investigation continues, my hope is that the extra security will be ignored and on top of that, those agents aren't allowed to engage with them unless absolutely critical so everyone will mind their own business for the time being..." he continued on. The conversation shifting towards Rockhenge, a far more uncertain topic on the whole,

"As for laying a trap, I would normally like the idea, strike first and ask questions later is a decent enough tactic. These are mostly simple bandits after all and not a trained fighting force from another nation, but there is still too much I don't know about all the circumstances around it. But you're right, there is a lot of information to gather and seemingly random attacks could shed light to some new information or leads. Investigation aside for the time being, I really don't like waiting long for information while anything could happen unchecked..."

He continued on, glancing up from the paper before them, "I'm very tempted to go out myself and deal with this once and for all, maybe take a squad of ANBU with me all the same... or maybe some old friends with skills that exceed even my own?" he gave with a sly smirk. He didn't know if any bit of temptation would convince Nanashi here or the challenge of such, but at the very least, he felt a heavier response from the village was needed in some form. Covert operations wouldn't mend the worry and minds of the citizens of the country, and the Daimyo would not allow inaction in the name of secrecy. It was a tricky precipice that these problems sat on, where the village and people want action and results but the ninja aren't prepared to move in. Not to mention any mistakes or forgetting part of the scab that these infectious bandits were meant that problems could arise later on, just as an old group returning to power when the job wasn't complete.

For now though, Karumo would wait and see where this went and what Nanashi thought about the rest of the plan and his idea to go after them himself. If he cared in the slightest that is, maybe he would just humor for the time being until something more concrete and certain came about.


[783 words, 3792 words total]

Wrong. Nanashi's assumption about Karumo was proven wrong with the temporary kage's admission of deposing the other two elder clan members instead of letting them walk free, as his earlier statement might have suggested. Thinking back to their prior conversation, he should've realized the hidden meaning behind those words then, but instead, he quickly jumped to a conclusion based on his own personal opinions of the man before him. Admittedly, his assessment of Karumo is base on a handful of encounters, with none being nearly long enough to mentally pick him apart,hearsay from gossiping shinobi, and other factors. And through that, Nanashi formed his own opinion of Karumo.


Is it wrong? Yes. But, he didn't see any reason to concede to a point only known by him. Was it judgmental on his part? He didn't believe so. Considering how many in his generation appeared to be soft, talking the same old rhetoric like those before them, but lacking the guts, the balls to do what is needed when the situation calls for it. An ever increasing annoyance to him, especially when most of these shinobis have the potential for something greater than what they were, yet, many prefer to follow the same ideology and mentality predecessors, never learning from their mistakes. Disheartening really, but there's nothing he could do, they will do what they believed what is right, even when history proves them wrong. While he might not like it, he would still deal with them in a cordial manner . . . in most cases. But, Karumo surprised him greatly, apparently having no problem with getting his hands dirty when the situation calls for it; and for that, the temporary kage garners Nanashi's respect, a little.


As the conversation shifted into more serious matters, Nanashi giving his opinion on the situations at large, and was now waiting for a response from Karumo, he waited patiently.


While he had thought, Karumo would need more time to come up with a response for his comments and suggestions, it seemed like the kage was a few steps ahead of him. Good. If this is the man who Akira placed as his substitute while he went gallivanting in Mizu no Kuni then he, Karumo, much have a sharp mind like the former. Having a sharp and quick mind is one of the reasons why he followed and respected Akira, him having strength matter not for even an idiot can become strong. And, if Karumo wanted the same respect, he must show similar traits. Nanashi would never follow someone lacking an  intellectual mind lesser than his - Tsuchikage or not.


"Impressive.", Nanashi thought, having found out his earlier suggestion of sending uncover agents in the town had already been deployed ahead of this conversation. Karumo having the smarts enough   to be proactive against the unknown force, instead of, waiting to console him for advice. This did bring up the question why was his thoughts on the subject was asked? Was it more out of curiosity? To see their plans of action aligned up with one another, or least have some similarities? Or was it just to get validation for the plan in motion? Nanashi did not know.


"Well done.", Nanashi said, complementing Karumo, "Our ideas seem to have been similar, although, I would admit, yours was better planned out than mine. The use of using contract through the university to set up an independent research facility is smart. It's not something we probably haven't done before. Therefore, no one suspicion should be aroused from the maneuver. " It's a good idea, Nanashi didn't have any problems with it. Karumo was showing the former Tsuchikage that he had the mind to handle this job if he attains it permanently in the future.


Although, a spark of curiosity aroused in him at Karumo's insistence of calling the group bandits "You keep saying they are bandits. How sure are you about this? Do we have any proof of them being simple bandits? I'm not trying to question your judgment. I just don't want to be overlooking something by believing this group is simply bandits." He spoke his concerns about the matter, hoping to get confirmation on the type of people they are dealing with. Moreso, if there wasn't any concrete evidence supporting Karumo's claim, Nanashi believed that would change within the following week or two.


Rockhenge. With the conversation having shifted back to the more concerning of the topics, Nanashi listened to what Karumo proposed after his own plan was made known. "Something that slipped my mind till now.  Is we could make use of the Kamizuru and Kuma clan respectively. It's not uncommo to find their type of summons or seijutsu pets around the area. Surely, we have members from those clans who specialize in information gathering, or am I mistaken?". Nanashi stated, giving Karumo a possible way to gather the information he sought.


At Karumo's not-so-subtle suggestion, Nanashi chuckle, calming down to give his response, mirth being evident "Flattery. But, you are mistaken. I'm just a humble medic who is in charge of saving lives, not taking them." Of course, everything he said wasa lie, Nanashi was a farcry from the typical medic of the olds. The oaths taken to not kill till everyone was saved didn't apply to him. Furthermore, the man is a reaper first and a guardian angel second. "Lets be honest here. I haven't had a decent mission in awhile, and my skills might just be a bit rusty due to the burden of running the hospital and a division. But, I'm positive I could provide some assistance in this endeavor." How serious was Karumo? Did he really want Nanashi's help in handling Rockhenge? He should know about the silver haired male and his reputation. So, the question is,


Did Karumo really want to unleash pestilence?

---

996

Praised by Nanashi for being at least a few steps ahead but Karumo didn't necessarily see it that way or feel like he'd done anything spectacular of that sort. But then again, they weren't throwing any parties yet either. However, Nanashi was right in some regards, he didn't know that they were bandits. They were little more than ghosts and in the case of Rockhenge, they may have to be literal ghosts. He would speak up calmly in response, "You're right, we really don't have the recon or awareness of what or who they actually are, so it could be anyone or anything in the long run. But historically, the village has been affected heavily by independent missing shinobi from other villages who, as far as I know, acted by themselves too. Other than that, various bandit and mercenary groups are most prominent, so even if they're not in charge, profiling-wise, it makes the most sense that the man power is coming out of those groups, and that's where we'll probably get the most answers early on too."

Though the prospect of crashing into known bandit groups and starting their interrogation was a rather loud way of going about it. Not to mention that if they wanted word of their progress to spread quickly, that was a guaranteed way of letting the underground hear their stomping feet from a distance. He continued onto another good idea though, Karumo hadn't thought much of the summoning and sensory clans native to the village. He didn't know of any prominent members off the top of his head in the ANBU black ops, but certainly substitutes could be made if any could be found, that wouldn't be a problem in the slightest. Karumo would nod along and offer a small bit in response, "Of course, would also be good to get the clans more active in the village too. I'll see what I can dig up..."

Their conversation would move on though, Nanashi denying the bravado that was rightfully due to him. Compared to Karumo, he actually had the physical skill and experience to be the Tsuchikage, even if those skills were rusty or however he would choose to go about describing them. Karumo would smirk and laugh a bit at him after he offered his assistance, almost going as far to scoff, not to be rude or anything, but he found it funny. "Power and instinct don't rust like bones and joints do my friend..." he would offer with a smile as he almost couldn't help but find the thought funny, "And for a Sannin of the village, we can definitely make use of your skills in many varieties, even if you've forgotten that nickname of yours that seems to float around the village so often..." his smile held to a smirk. Of course, he was talking about the Pestilence of Iwagakure no Sato, but that would be up for Nanashi to connect the dots. Karumo wouldn't waste any time in pretending to build up the confidence of his ally, that would be done on his own and with his own prowess.

Karumo would exhale and sigh a bit shortly after, "But yes, if you have the time, I could certainly use some help and expertise on the sting operations and investigations I'll have set up in time..." Karumo thought briefly on it. It wasn't something he would do for most other ninja, offer them a mission and all. He wondered if Nanashi had the same sense of duty that many other ninja held and that pushed them to action, if he didn't and refused his request, maybe Karumo could make some plea to him to reconsider or rethink it.

If he accepted though and understood the task before them, Karumo would leave off with this in return, "In the meantime, you can relax, train or whatever it is that might help clean some of that rust up. Otherwise I will probably be contacting you personally when we learn more and the time comes..."


[692 words, 4484 words total]

[Exiting Thread and stuff! ;-;]

-4484 words to use

-3586 words Fuinjutsu to S rank (partial training)
-Training 1 D rank jutsu (750 words, 80 ryo)

-148 words discarded