[x] Talk to the man as a nun.
"Mr. Daichi," you interject, voice melodic in a way that makes one of your genin - Yuma, you think - startle. Something to work on. "What seems to be the matter?"
Daichi, to his credit, says nothing in his confusion. His eyes jump to Ikkyu, then back to you, and then he seems to understand what's going on. He smiles charmingly. "Ah, just a disagreement on a toll," he says. His confidence swells. "I was just telling this gentleman that they aren't set on this road."
"Ahh," you reply, turning to the maybe-tax-collector. "Well this one is sure he will be able to provide proof of his legitimacy."
His face twitches. "Of course," he says. He has a contingent of men behind him, with a handful more flanking through the trees. The ones you can see have cheap plate armor; you can see the rivets. But it looks proper enough.
"Under whose authority is this tax being collected?" you ask. "A wise merchant must ask to see proof of this being their order, properly carried out."
He straightens himself and pulls out a fairly ornate scroll, unrolling it for you and Daichi to see. "Under the lawful authority of the new leader of Rain," he says. The calligraphy in the scroll is fine enough, and the legal jargon seems correct. Beside you, Daichi grimaces. If it's a forgery, then, it's a very good one.
"And if this one were to ask about the duties of… 'Suzuki Yoshiro', would Rain agree?"
The man - Yoshiro, you suppose, for lack of any other - grimaces, but quickly scoffs. "Of course! Though, I cannot say how pleased she would be, to have a scroll from her own hand doubted so." His face becomes forbidding, and he intones, "The Shikigami is not patient. Here," he gestures to one of the men behind him. "If it truly bothers you so, I will leave you a receipt, and you can challenge it in the courts as you like."
Daichi scowls. "I think we will, sir. Write up your receipt."
You keep your own face smooth. Yoshiro, if that's truly his name, doesn't realize what he's claimed. You're not an expert in forgery, but in this case you don't have to be: just closer to the center of power than the man would have reason to expect. The calligraphy is fine - but it's not fine in the uncannily perfect way your scroll detailing genin assignments is fine, nor is it Heiji's familiar scrawl.
"Ah." You clasp your hands. "Is that the lady's own handwriting then? How precise."
Yoshiro puffs up. You wonder if it's his handwriting you've complimented. "Yes, as a matter of fact," he claims. Technically, he's committed a crime by just saying that. But you suppose it's still possible his writ came from some other official and he's putting on airs out of pride. Or to intimidate recalcitrant merchants.
But two can play that game. "How interesting," you say lightly, "because this one has met the Lady Konan, Sir Yoshiro. And her writing looks nothing like that." Your shoulders straighten and you look down your nose at the man. "Write your receipt, but Mr. Daichi will not be paying here. This caravan is headed for Rain to give respects - if your writ is true, it can be paid there. Mr. Daichi can even sign one for you, to prove his word is good."
Tension floods the air. It's only somewhat metaphorical. Killing intent is half in the anticipation of violence, but it's half what your teacher liked to call 'the pristine genjutsu'. It's too unsubtle and too honest to be a real illusion, in your opinion, but the mechanism is similar enough. Your chakra brushes over the men and warns them that they are about to die. You're certainly ready to kill; it's been that kind of month.
Yoshiro looks at Daichi with a grimace, shoulders stiffly set. "Does this nun speak for you then, sir?"
Daichi crosses his arms nonchalantly - of course he does, knowing what you are. "Eh. I haven't met the lady," he replies. "If she says there's something fishy, I'll take her word on it."
The man in the fine robes' grimace deepens. You can almost trick yourself into thinking you can see the calculations going on behind Yoshiro's eyes. If he's the crook you think he is, he's weighing the value of backing down against escalating to force - the nun and the merchant do seem confident, for a caravan guarded by fewer, less equipped men than he has, you imagine him thinking, but maybe it's a bluff. If he's honest, he might be weighing the odds Daichi doesn't pay later against whatever he's expected to deliver.
You ease off the killing intent, and all but see the gears in his mind shift.
"Unfortunately, ma'am, I have a job to do," he says, coming to a decision and bringing a hand up to his mouth. A sharp whistle, and the flanking chakra signatures step forward. Blades and bows only - thankfully. Hand cannons are more difficult to dodge, let alone intercept, but for how fine the man's robes are his mens' kit isn't quite up to par.
You're confident in letting your genin handle this. "Suzuki Yoshiro," you warn, dropping most of the humble, melodic affect. "I would recommend that you order your men to stand down and accompany us to the old capital. If you are not a bandit, then act accordingly."
Yoshiro's expression is incredulous. "Take three days to confirm a toll?" he asks. "No. This is ridiculous." He reaches for his sword and looks to his men. "Seach 'em. Double it, for their cheek. And make sure," he emphasizes, "nobody gets any ideas."
The transformation around you falls away like mist, and your killing intent blankets the road like fog. "Belay that," you order, eyes fixed forward. All your attention on your chakra sense. A lot of people to keep track of… "Drop your weapons! Hands up! You're all under arrest for banditry and falsifying official documents. Surrender, or face summary justice!"
Unfortunately, sudden shocks aren't conducive to making good decisions. You think the men you're staring down might have been on the verge of breaking, but the ones in the forest were tense and ready to fire. A few arrows are loosed, though only one draws blood.
Your genin are much more accurate. A chakra signature to your left flickers out with a scream, and the main body in front are seized by a choice: fight, or flight?
Yoshiro chooses fight. You can't fault his bravery, you suppose, as you dislocate his sword arm and pin his robes to the ground with his blade. He's gasping underneath your foot, face ground into the hard-packed dirt of the road. Yuma's already pushed towards the flank, which is good initiative, but Akira and Takashi are still with you, ending a handful of men who thought to take a shot while you pinned their leader. Unnecessary, but appreciated. You consider where to send them… the group in front has by far the most people, while the flank might be more dangerous, without you in view.
It's an easy choice. "You two, take down the runners." Best to deal with as many as possible. They dash forward, just as Yuma reappears.
"You left one," you comment to the boy, keeping your eyes on your other genin. They seem fine - routing men aren't the hardest targets.
"Didn't want to go too far," he huffs out. Breathing heavier than the exertion warrants. Adrenaline: nothing like it.
You nod. His decision making's been sound enough. "Now do the right side," you order. "Mr. Daichi!"
The big man, who'd strayed just far enough back to start rallying his caravan, looks towards you with wide eyes.
"Could you please prevent Mr. Yoshiro from moving?" you ask. He looks at the man by your feet like he's never seen him before, hurriedly nods and approaches, then stops. You roll your eyes. "Just kneel on him or something. Hold the arm - that works."
His hold is amateurish, but it'll do. You move to the right flank, Ikkyu trailing behind you. There's been a bit more fighting on this side. They couldn't quite see the front, you think, so when shouting started they rushed in, and only the normal guards were there to meet them. Yuma's further off the road, dealing with their retreat but there's one still caught up in a duel, too tunnel-visioned to know he should be fleeing. He's about to kill one of Daichi's guards. You consider your options. You could step in now. Or you could let him be injured. You aren't his guard, beyond the vague duty Amegakure ninja have to uphold the laws of Rain-
The bandit freezes, and the choice is taken out of your hands as Ikkyu runs past you. He's muttering something - a mantra? - but that's irrelevant next to the genjutsu you feel holding the bandit in place.
A few moments later, the bandit is on the ground by your feet.
"So," you begin, as your genin return to the caravan, largely unharmed. Ikkyu meets your gaze evenly. "I think we need to talk."
You are so, so tired.
"Of course, captain," he replies. Fantastic. You shift your focus to your team.
"Alright," you gesture to the man at your feet. "Which of you wants to show me you remember how to secure a prisoner?"
~
Once the living are bound - a fraction of the original group - you deal with the dead. There's too many for the spare body scrolls you carry, so instead you show your genin how to take prints from the dead. There's no guarantee these men are on record, but criminals or not, their deaths should be known and tallied.
Ikkyu, however, chooses this moment to strain your fraying patience, and insists on performing rites over every one of them.
"Why," you ask flatly. "We've been delayed enough as it is."
"A death has occurred," he replies just as tonelessly, as he arranges another corpse. A kunai took this one through the spine. Neat work. You nod approvingly at Takashi, who glows. "There are tasks which must be done. Things which must be said."
"They've been accounted for, and I'm going to burn them." Your fingers itch in anticipation of the volume of fire chakra you're going to need to channel. Without good kindling or a kiln, it'll be a pain. This month has definitely shown you the error of not carrying cremation tags, even on genin missions.
The monk pauses, and looks at you with genuine disbelief.
"What?"
"Nothing," he says, "just reflecting on how even a learned ninja is still a ninja."
"I only enjoy circuitous talk when there's no serious intent in it," you warn lightly. "If you have some issue with how I've conducted this mission, you can of course raise it with the mission office."
"Then I'll be blunt. Your practices regarding death are responsible for the battlefields we are not yet permitted to repair." He mutters something underneath his breath, hand waving back and forth over the corpse. You're not the only one missing equipment: you're fairly sure this rite needs incense. You smell nothing but blood and soil. "It's better to untangle the karma early, rather than to let it knot itself with darker currents."
"Full rites aren't practical on the battlefield-" you change tack when he glares at you. Yeah, yeah, this stretch of road doesn't count. "-but I'm sure you know that. Just like I'm sure you know what arts monks are, and aren't, allowed to know."
"I am aware."
"So you admit it?"
He smiles thinly. "Admit to what? You haven't accused me of anything."
Despite yourself, you smirk at his cheek. He's a good choice for an ambassador, if he's so willing to speak to a jonin like that. "You used chakra. Twice," you specify. "First to move faster-"
"That's no crime," he points out. "Hanzo's decree did not forbid chakra circulation, the practice of ninshu, or arts only useful against creatures from other worlds."
"And second, you used chakra to stop a bandit from striking a serious blow. Which is certainly not an art only useful against hungry ghosts." You hold a finger up to your rebreather - a parody of a thoughtful pose - and continue lightly. "I'm struggling to see why I shouldn't arrest you. Whatever changes Lady Konan might implement, Hanzo's laws still stand."
He smiles again, more broadly. "No, certainly. That technique is useless against hungry ghosts. What it is, is ninshu."
You give him a skeptical look. "Ninshu isn't a war art." The sutras were very clear on that point.
Ikkyu nods. "Correct." Under your continued stare, he rolls his shoulders. "It's not a tool for killing. I could not kill that man, using it. It's useless in war." He looks at the body. "If you would?"
You frown, going through the hand seals for Volcanic Ash Cloud. Again. "I could have," you point out. "There are plenty of ninjutsu and genjutsu most useful with a team member."
Ikkyu grimaces as the burning ash settles over the corpse and begins breaking down the flesh. "I am glad you didn't. It would have harmed me greatly. Ninshu is the art of sharing spiritual energies openly and honestly. Without pretense… or defense."
"Ah." You grimace. Jutsu backlash is bad, but if ninshu has no safeties at all… ow.
"So, you see, it is not an art for war. And I am permitted its use."
You move on to the next corpse. It'll still have to go into the mission report, of course, but frankly you're kind of glad you don't have to arrest your client. It's a messy thing to do, when you've been paid to protect them.
~
You wake up early during the morning watch. The wagon groans gently as the caravan approaches the old capital - soon enough you'll leave Daichi, his men and your prisoners behind. But the creaking of wood and the clopping of hooves isn't the only thing you hear.
Ikkyu's speaking, quietly, and there's only one person he could be speaking to. You might have decided too soon about the 'not arresting him' thing. But which of your genin is it, and about what?
[ ] Yuma, on ninshu.
[ ] Akira, on karma.
[ ] Takashi, on desire.
