Chapter 271.1: Payback
The storm struck when they least expected it, when it was far too late to take cover or deploy protection. Looking back, Hazō was stunned by their lack of preparations, by the sheer folly of failing to prepare contingency measures. They'd known it was coming. They'd known it was only a matter of time. In fact, they'd half-welcomed it as something that they could survive and move on. Instead… they turned their attention to other, lesser, crises, allowing themselves to believe that this dark tomorrow would never come.
"Ooh, is that breakfast?" Mori asked, sweeping up Hazō's spoon and taking a mouthful of his porridge. "Mmm, bittersweet."
Kagome leapt up, hands full of immediate destruction, but Mari waved him away.
"Oh, don't mind me," Mori said, handing the spoon back to a stunned Hazō. "I've already had mine. That was just for the symbolism. What's up, Mari-sensei, kids, scary explosive guy?"
"Every jōnin on the continent strolls right past my defences," Kagome-sensei muttered. "Don't know why I even bother."
"Pfft," Mori said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm sure your defences are state-of-the-art, I just don't care. You know I can just watch the path you people take on your way in, right?"
Kagome-sensei glared at her as if trying to set her on fire with petulance alone. "Is it so hard to wait for someone to let you in? That's just proper manners, that is."
"I don't need proper manners," Mori said off-handedly. "I'm family. I'm Keiko's sister. You two are Keiko's brothers. That makes me your big sister by the transitive property. If anything, you're the ones who should have invited me. What happened to our long-awaited family reunion?"
Hazō resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Also, Shikamaru has yet to process the fact that I'm his sister-in-law," Mori added. "I can't wait."
"So," Hazō said, "assuming you
aren't out to eat my breakfast, why are you here?"
"What?" Mori shrugged. "Can't a woman visit her beloved little brothers on a whim?"
"No," Hazō said flatly.
A happy thought occurred to him. "You know, if we're siblings, that means we can't go on any more dates."
"Ooh, well played." Mori grinned. "But! I can still invite you to instances of two people spending a day together to promote mutual knowledge and familiarity, in support of a platonic long-term relationship. Did I mention that I love my Keiko?"
Hazō resisted the urge to facepalm
hard.
"Back on topic," he said. "Are you here for any specific reason?"
"All sorts of reasons, but mainly because I figured you might want to call in that favour, and I haven't been making myself easy to find. So. Strike while the kunoichi's hot?"
Oh, right. She'd addressed Mari as "sensei". Much was explained. Hazō would have to get to the bottom of that later, but right now his mental resources were sufficiently tied up.
"Yes, actually," Hazō said. "We've talked it over, and we've decided on a simple favour: 'maximise the Gōketsu's political power'."
The words echoed powerfully in his head, as if they marked a turning point in his destiny.
"Sure, why not," Mori said lightly with no hesitation whatsoever. "I figured it was either that or another request to marry into the family, which I guess would have to be to Kagome—can I call you Kagome?—since he's a cousin as many times removed as you like. Or Mari-sensei, but I don't think Leaf is quite ready for that yet." She frowned. "I'll have to change that at some point. Anything that makes Keiko unhappy must be eliminated."
"Does that mean you're up for it?" Mari asked.
Mori nodded. "Sounds like fun. But I have three requirements."
She raised the index finger of her right hand. "Don't try to get me involved with the elections. I'm not touching those with a ten-foot pole. It'll interfere with Stage Four of the Master Plan, it has a poor risk-reward ratio, and it's a conflict of interest since I want the Hyūga to win."
Hazō's mouth dropped open. "You… do?"
"Mmm. I've run the numbers, and a Hyūga victory would make the rest of my stay in Leaf much more enjoyable. Also, the chaos. The sheer chaos. Just the thing to keep me going now I've taken over Mist."
"You've taken over Mist," Noburi said. "In the what, two weeks since we left?"
"There was some existing groundwork," Mori admitted. "And some of the clans might see it differently, though they'd be wrong. And everything about Yagura, from his policies to his death, was a diabolical plotter's dream come true. Obviously, Leaf doesn't have that tradition of tyranny and repression, at least on the surface, which means I get to explore all-new tactics. Isn't that great?
"Anyway, you can have that clusterfuck all to yourselves. Requirement two."
She raised her middle finger. "As soon as the election's over, no matter who wins, I need you to call for a council vote on a topic of my choice, and I need you to
lose."
"You can't be serious," Hazō said.
"If I make things go according to plan, you'll benefit. Like, a lot. My word that it won't
hurt you, and I never give my word, so you should feel all special and give me nice things.
"You need this," Mori went on. "I won't be able to stick around for long after the funeral, and that means I have to get as much done as I can while I'm here. Half-ass it, and you'll undo all my hard work."
"And you're not going to tell us what you're planning in advance."
"Nuh-uh. First off, I'm keeping my options open. If a plan as complicated as mine doesn't get derailed at some point, there's something wrong with the universe, so I'm going to need plenty of flexibility to get back on track. Besides, you can always decide to call off the vote at the last second, assuming you're OK with wasting a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in favour of becoming increasingly marginalised actors in a rapidly shifting political environment.
"Second off, that brings us to requirement three. Mari-sensei can give you this one."
She raised her ring finger.
"Don't interfere," Mari said.
Mori nodded. "A seduction specialist acts independently," she said coolly, "because any form of exposure, any form of interference, results in certain death. To manipulate someone whose initial position is that of suspicion, and who of necessity possesses greater knowledge and power within the given environment, it is essential to maintain a perfect balance of thought, feeling, and action. External influence on any of those three elements, however well-intentioned, risks catastrophe.
"Besides, I know what I'm doing. Did I, or did I not, successfully go on multiple dates with Leaf's most eligible young bachelor and the son of the most powerful man in the world? Did I, or did I not, make multiple Kage miserable with nothing more than a couple of friendly letters and a welcome party? Have I, or have I not, remained entirely inscrutable despite baring my very heart and soul to you?"
"You have?" Hazō asked sceptically.
"No," Mori admitted. "But I made you wonder for a second."
The family members present exchanged glances.
"Would you excuse us for a second?" Hazō asked.
"Sure thing. But I make no guarantee of the safety of your breakfast."
"I'm staying with her," Kagome-sensei growled. "Not letting the likes of her out of my sight for a second."
"Finally, somebody
gets me! Now shoo, the rest of you."
-o-
"All right," Hazō said. "Thoughts? Mari-
sensei, you apparently know her best."
"Oh, that? She was my cute little junior. I gave her sage advice whenever I felt like it, and she paid me back in favours. Surprisingly skilled favours for her age. The rest of the time, we stayed out of each other's way.
"If she says she'll maximise our power, she'll maximise our power. She'll also further a dozen of her own schemes, and if the whole thing leaves Leaf in ashes, that'll be an acceptable side effect. Not that I expect
too much of that—she knows what's at stake in geopolitical terms, and there's only so much she can do on foreign ground in less than a month."
A cold breeze washed over the room, despite the fact that there were no windows and the door was closed.
"Seriously, Mari?" Noburi demanded. "Did you actually just go and say that out loud? What, did you decide taking a bath in fresh blood and then diving headfirst into the ocean while shouting blasphemies against the Hoshigaki ancestors would be playing it too safe?"
Mari blinked at the form of address. "Fair enough. But I think we can use her. If she's working to promote Gōketsu interests instead of catching us in the crossfire, I'm prepared to accept a certain amount of collateral damage."
"Couldn't you shut her down?" Hazō asked. "If you were master and student, you must have some influence over her."
"Bad idea," Mari said with a wry smile. "We never had a relationship of trust as such, and if I tried to do it by force… well,
that collateral damage would be off the charts. Division of labour's better. We focus on the stuff we were already doing, and she focuses on the stuff I bet she was already doing. I can't tell you why she's happy to maximise Gōketsu's power, but I'm sure she'd find a way to weasel out of it if she wasn't."
"Good." Hazō nodded appreciatively. "Noburi?"
"This is the kind of terrible idea we regularly sign up to," Noburi said. "Hazō, I get now why you looked half-dead coming back from your dates with her."
"She was the only one who called them that," Hazō muttered rebelliously, even as he recognised a lost cause. This was Noburi faced with a teasing opportunity. It was already far too late.
"What does maximising our political power actually mean, anyway?" Noburi asked. "It's the vaguest thing I've heard since Kagome gave us his views on Leaf politics."
"That's half the point. Ami's better at politics than any of us—"
Mari coughed meaningfully.
"All right, she's more
experienced than any of us at politics
specifically. We've got a lot of great stuff in the works, but it's going to take time to set up, and we don't have the bird's eye view to tell what's going to be most efficient here and now. If we go for the Uchiha thing, we'll be feeling the full impact of that over a decade from now, when we start getting waves of Gōketsu genin. Whereas if she has ideas for how to get us as strong as possible within a narrower timeframe, like while the Hyūga are chomping at the bit to wipe our clan from the face of the earth, and if she's dealing in good faith…"
"Good faith," Noburi repeated. "You do realise that she's crazy, right?"
"Right. But apart from that whole marriage business, and undermining my sense of reality, and hurting Keiko, and possibly using me as an experimental subject, and alternately being terrifying and kind to me for her own twisted amusement, and devastating my gaming night, and threatening to eat my breakfast, she's never actually done anything hostile as such. Besides, she's a devastating loose cannon. Let's try to have her pointed away from us."
"Actually, Hazō, that's not what a loose cannon—"
"Glad we're in agreement," Hazō said firmly. "Let's go bring her the ominous news."
-o-
"Hooray!" Mori bounced up and down with all the poise of an insane eighteen-year-old jōnin. "I promise that you probably maybe potentially conceivably won't regret this! Can I get started now?"
"Started how?" Hazō asked warily.
"I want to talk to the refugees you've taken in. Lead me there and then stay out of sight. You can listen all you like, but it won't work if they know you're there."
Why was it that every time Hazō was involved in anything involving Mori in any way, he felt a sense of impending doom which invariably turned out to be right?
-o-
"My name is Mori Ami," Mori said to the tightly-packed crowd of civilians stirring after a cold and largely sleepless night, "and I want you to know that I've been where you are.
"Even though I'm a ninja," she said bitterly, "and I'm supposed to be ever so powerful, I failed to protect my sister, the only person I loved in the world. She was taken from me and I wasn't strong enough to save her."
She placed her right hand over her heart. "Houses can be rebuilt. Livelihoods can be restored. But, nobody, not even the Sage, has the power to bring back a lost loved one."
"I am a visitor from the Village Hidden in the Mist. I have no right to speak to you about what the Leaf clans have or haven't done, or what they should or shouldn't do. But as a clan ninja in my own land, as one responsible for the civilians in my own land, I would like to say this:"
She let her hand fall back to her side. She did not bow, but she lowered her head. Before civilians.
For a moment, she closed her eyes.
"We have failed in our duty to protect you. In return for your labour, we, the clans, are responsible for the safety and well-being of our subjects. Yet we have allowed so many of you to suffer and die because of a clan ninja's failure."
She stopped short of verbal apology, but the tension in her stance made it clear that she was restraining herself. After a few seconds, she raised her head to look up at the stunned listeners.
"But in the midst of despair there is still a reason to hope." Her voice rose. "You can see it for yourself, here and now. There is one clan that hasn't abandoned the people in its care. One clan prepared to call on otherworldly powers to protect strangers in harm's way. One clan that makes no distinction between the strong and the weak. Today, as never before, I am proud to be an ally of the Gōketsu!"
She half-turned to face the main compound, and began to clap. At first there was hesitation, but on seeing her beaming, encouraging smile, others began to gradually join in. Hazō, lurking around the corner, couldn't help but smile himself.
Eventually, the applause died down.
"Finally, one more piece of good news," Mori said. "There is another out there who understands your plight and is working to help. Lady Tsunade, a woman who lost her family at a young age, and spent decades building a new one, only to lose it in one fell swoop mere days ago, knows your pain like no one else. I have spoken with her and convinced her of the gravity of the situation, and she will be sending you every medic-nin she can spare. The world's greatest healer," her voice strengthened, "will not stand by and watch two hundred people suffer before her eyes.
"Until then, Gōketsu Noburi, himself a powerful medic-nin, has finally recovered enough from last night's labours to begin seeing to your wounds. He will be coming
any minute now. As for me, the day has barely begun, and there is so much still to be done. The Will of Fire be with you, my friends."
She ducked quickly out of the enclosure and headed back for the compound.
"What was that?" Hazō asked.
"Half-truths, misdirection, fake sincerity, and all the emotional whiplash I could scrounge up at this time of day. Oh, but the Tsunade thing is true. Getting in that woman's good books is like trying to get a Wakahisa to quit drinking, but showing that your ulterior motives are compatible with her outward ones goes a long way. Oh, and when I said 'convince', it was more a case of 'inform'. No medic's got time to run around taking care of fragile little civilians day by day, but a woman like her wouldn't be able to live with herself if she chose to ignore a humanitarian crisis."
"You're trying to manipulate
Tsunade," Hazō said in horrified awe.
"Yeah, right. Do I look suicidal? More than the next traumatised jōnin, anyway? You can't talk to someone like her without putting all your cards on the table up front. You have to stack the deck in advance, since you only get one roll of the dice, and you don't know which side the coin will land on until the ball stops rolling. In short, you have to hit the bullseye before she can checkmate you."
Hazō gave her a look. "There is not one part of what you just said that makes sense."
"I know, right? Nobody
ever wants to play by my house rules. But wrangling Tsunade isn't something you need to worry about, assuming you've already got her vote for the election.
You should be figuring out what to do about all those incoming medic-nin who'll be blaming you for insulting them and making them waste their time on a crowd of filthy civvies."
With that, she began to skip cheerfully towards destinations best left unknown.
"Ami!"
She turned.
"Do you actually
care about civilians?"
She gave him a thoughtful look. "What does it mean, in the end, to care about another human being?"
Before Hazō could begin to figure out an answer, she resumed skipping until she was out of sight, leaving him with nothing but a familiar sense of building headache.