Necessary Corruption 20 (Patreon)

Commissioned by Kejmur

Necessary Corruption
Chapter 20

-VB-

Sandai Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen hummed as he met with Jounin Hatake Kakashi. His eyes and hands, however, moved with the current poem he was writing.

The latter’s genins had been dismissed earlier, leaving only them and the ANBU bodyguards hidden in the crooks and crannies of his office.

“So you have information on Takanori Clan,” he said before blowing out a stream of smoke from the corner of his lips.

“Yes. My team and I have personally met with the head of the Takanori Clan, Takanori Jin, in the Land of Waves,” he acknowledged.

“The so-called ‘Lord of Southern Rivers.’ Tell me, what kind of a man was he?”

The Lord of Southern Rivers was a title that had been circulating for some time in the courts of Elemental Nations for said lord’s explosive growth in power and prestige.

“He is a shrewd man,” Kakashi replied seriously. His lone uncovered eye held none of the laziness or forlorn nostalgia he was infamous for. No, it calculated and answered honestly to his superior. “A preliminary analysis of his retinue came back with at least half a dozen jounin-level fighters with unique and odd abilities, but the lord himself told me that he kept a retinue of a hundred.”

Hiruzen paused in his calligraphy and slowly and gently set the brush down.

“Bloodline limits?” he asked.

“I have been unable to confirm it,” the grey haired jounin replied. “... I have failed in one instance to conceal the presence of a shadow clone, and it was removed from it noticing how it was detected and removed.”

A shadow clone was equal to its creator.

Hatake’s shadow clone being detected was the same as saying that Hatake himself had been detected.

“You are certain.”

“Hai. They may have a ninja specifically hired to detect other ninjas, even those who suppress their chakra. If that is the case…”

“Then it explains how the Lord of Southern Rivers have foiled so many assassination attempts, yes,” Hiruzen harrumphed. Konohagakure didn’t take any of those jobs because they had no reason to; there were more lucrative jobs elsewhere that had less political consequences. It was also his policy to not interfere in other nations’ political infighting if he could help it. However, the infighting in the Land of Rivers had been brutal and violent in the past few years. Assassination after assasination. Lord being burned to death in their castle. Armies and ninjas clashing out in the open to determine political hegemony.

The young clan head Takanori Jin came out recently as that political struggle’s victor, but for some reason, he kept his hands off of punishing his rivals.

Not that his rivals didn’t suffer.

Hiruzen was a kage at the end of the day. It was his job to keep an eye out for his enemies and neighbors, and what he heard about Northern Land of Rivers, it was horrible. What was worse was that any and all trails of evidence stopped at the border of Ame.

So far, none of the River lords had noticed the flow of narcotics, but they would sooner or later, because Hiruzen had been getting requests for Konohagakure to investigate.

Once Ame was involved, there was a good chance that the two lands would go to war over this.

But when war broke out, what would the Takanori Clan do?

Then something happened.

Hatake gulped in anticipation.

Hiruzen froze before looking at one of the most dangerous man in Konohagakure fidgetting.

“Kakashi?” he asked slowly. “What else is there?”

“... The shadows.”

“The shadows?”

“I only noticed it towards the end of my stay,” the war veteran replied, but it was getting low enough to be a murmur. “The shadows around Takanori Jin moved on their own.”

“Like a Nara’s technique?”

“No. The shadows moved as if they were living and breathing creatures, Hokage-sama. All of the shadows in the lord’s line of sight were.”

Hiruzen felt his eyes widen minutely before narrowing. “A bloodline limit in a civilian nobility, is it?”

“Hai!”

“... It seems there is a reason why we must bring ourselves closer to Takanori Clan.” He snapped his fingers, and three ANBU dropped down. “Tiger, go and gather information about the Takanori Clan. Fish, find out the Takanori Clan’s objective in the Land of Rivers. Raccoon, find someone in our ranks who is up for honeypot scheme.”

“Hai!!!”

“Dismissed.”

-VB-

“Haah? Seduce a civvy?” Anko asked incredulously.

“I know you’re not up for it. You’re as likely to kill him as you are to seduce someone-” Raccoon dismissed her.

“Woah, are you dissing me?”

“Anko, you have the highest near failure rate when civilians are involved.”

She clicked her tongue in irritation. “It’s not my fault that they can’t take a hit or know how to roll away from danger!”

“That’s why they’re called civilians, Anko.”

“So what? You’re here to just diss me in my face and leave?”

“No. I was hoping you knew anyone who might be up for it.”

“... Well, Yurika over in cryptology might…”

-VB-

Danzo remained quiet after his Root ANBU finished her verbal report.

“Tsuchinoe.”

Another of his Root ANBU appeared at his side. “Hai.”

“What was your last seduction examination result?”

“Exceptional.”

“Hmm. Go and bring the Lord of Southern Rivers to Konohagakure’s side by any and all means.”

“Hai.”

-VB-

A/N: in which Konohagakure finds out about Yina (shadow) and mistakes her ability to live and move shadows as Jin’s ability.