Reborn in the Mist

Owl mask…no, Reina Yuki stood alert at my desk shamelessly asking for a change to her mission parameters. I couldn’t deny it was odd hearing Reina speak with the voice I’ve affixed to Owl.

Her dressing was another matter, she wore a slate grey vest with two scroll pouches and two pockets on the chest. It provided a measure of protection with light padding at the front and back. Her sleeves were almost baggy as were her trousers, she stuffed the excess down with wraps of bandage at her ankles and wrists.

Rather than her usual twin braids, she had a high ponytail extended by blue band. I’ve never seen her with makeup but I glimpsed a glint of lipstick, not to mention the purple stud earrings accentuating the appeal of her cheeks and bare neck.

Kisame stood behind her with a half-grin that told me he was not concerned what his mission was as long as it led to what his clan head promised. He was geared in a similar fashion except his height made his trousers jump at the ankle and I didn’t feel weird look at him.

“You have quite the gall, Jounin Reina Yuki.” I sneered, honestly taken aback by her request. I’d given her the order to follow up on her own intelligence reports and meet with the Kaguya nomads after I wrapped up the infiltrators main clutch of madmen.

There was still some clean up left to do but sensing their annihilation draw closer many of the stragglers escaped into the forests and swamps around Kiri. Hunter-nin were dispatched alongside ANBU and select teams of Jounin.

We also captured a good pair of them as some Jounin quickly realized genjutsu was the best way to deal with the Kaguya. Their physical prowess and lethal Kekkei Genkai set at bay with some of the simplest mind tricks.

“Elite Jounin, sir.” She cheekily corrected and I felt assaulted, Owl wasn’t one to drop even the lightest joke. She still wore a strict visage, one that matched well with my image of her but there was just the sliver of mirth and mischief caught in her eyes and the twitch of her lip.

“Funny.”

“Mizukage-sama, if there are only the old, infirm and infants in these camps as the clan leader said, then there is no need to open diplomatic relations with them. The only choice they have is to answer Mizukage-sama’s will and return to Kiri with us or they die, either to brigands or to the Yuki clan’s blade of retribution.”

It felt like she had never said so many words but I quickly realize the key difference. She’s never said so many words with emotion. Everything she’s said is clearly tied to her own personal feelings even though she’s thinly disguising it as a professional and practical matter.

“It would be prudent not to waste resource and time negotiating their inevitable surrender and annexation, they should ask for nothing and be grateful Mizuakge-sama is so forgiving.”

Scratch that, she’s not being subtle at all. I narrowed my gaze at her unflinching critique, “Is that Owl or Reina Yuki speaking?”

“There is no distinction.” She answered without pausing to think.

I breathed and glanced at Kisame withholding a snort. In truth, that was exactly how this is meant to be done. In a few nights Kiri has wiped out whatever force of men the Kaguya had and should they have any leftover they’d be wiped out too if they rejected my offer.

There was no leaving them alone in this situation. Either they lived with curse seals under my boot or they die under the will and bleeding wishes of Kiri’s powerful clans.

“Do as I tell you, Jounin. Go, meet them and relay your conversation, their attitude and state of being back to me. Investigate if there’s any reasoning to the Kaguya’s attack as well, you are my liaison to whatever remains of the clan, if you’re incapable of the task let me know now and I’ll assign someone else.”

She said nothing for a moment, her hands clasped behind her back and her lips forming a thin, frustrated line. Frankly, I don’t know what she was so cross about, she’s the one that failed to intercept the Kaguya, taking out your anger on a relations of a criminal you failed to catch isn’t justice as much as she and Yagura want it to be.

“Understood, sir.” She straightened and avoided my eyes as she said this.

“Good, dismissed. Send whoever’s out there waiting on your way out.” I waved the two on with their mission but Kisame was hesitant in his step, then I remembered, “Ah, Kisame, I’ll let Fuguki know, you’ve mastered the Blade haven’t you?”

“Mastered no, but I am one of the few permitted with wield it.” He said, relief spreading through his shoulders.

“I’ll speak with him before you leave then or actually…” I snatched a piece of paper and scribbled a little note detailing my wish for Kisame to wield the Shark Skin Blade on this mission and stamped it with the Mizukage’s seal. “Here, go give him that, if he has a problem he knows his way here.”

At the moment I was swamped with paperwork, especially concerning the deaths, destruction and many, many complaints from the Caste District. Usually these would go through some assistant downstairs, sorted by importance before arriving at my desk, usually with a representative from the area.

But since the security failure I asked to have first look on requests and complaints coming through from the Caste District, I couldn’t trust those downstairs to be fair even in the aftermath of their failure.

Owl couldn’t even truly see the error of her ways. I’ve got my work cut out for me changing this village.

Reina and Kisame left once I gave the note and a moment later the door swung open to the Chuunin Hoshigaki I’d gotten from the clan head, Junichi. He was soft cheeked and bright-eyed, not a trait I saw often in Kiri shinobi so I accepted him. Junichi bowed quickly and announced, “Sir, the council members have gathered and await your presence.”

I nodded and waved him away. Yet another council meeting, our discussions have rolled over days with little progress and I was getting tired of being told the same thing. Today would bring another round of banter I wasn’t in the mood for but I had to deal with these needless struggles or I’d have no gain.

What I was asking for was hard for anyone of them, Uncle included, to swallow and I understood that. However, I am the Mizukage and if I say the Kaguya remnants will have a place in my village then best be sure they will.

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