INTERLUDE 2
"Sir? Sir, we're ready to move on your command."
The clipped voice pulled Kenji- no, he was on duty now, pulled Tiger from his thoughts as he silently stood in a massive circular room, concentric patterns across the floor mirroring the frescoes and skylights against the ceiling. Around him stood five torture crosses, with two of them occupied by long-dead corpses.
Bear's voice made him realize he had been staring at those corpses for some time now, his form ramrod straight.
These weren't the only corpses they had found in Hiruko's palace. Hell, several torture/prison/medical wings in the palace were practically filled with dead humans and animals (and occasionally something that seemed to almost be a fusion of the two). However, this central… altar, it seemed, nevertheless was the one room in the massive structure that filled Tiger with the most unease.
'I don't know what Hiruko was planning here… but I get the distinct feeling that the results would've been nothing short of world-ending…'
Not that they had much to go on to determine just what exactly Hiruko had needed all these bodies and experiments for. The complex was massive, to the point that Tiger had already been forced to assign two men on a temporary mission to stay behind and secure the palace for Konoha until a more long-term team could be assigned to it. The sheer size of the palace, not to mention the traces of a previous civilization spread across the massive mountain top, meant that they had inevitably overlooked some key piece of evidence to finally start making some sense of this whole mess.
'Though going by Mizuki's words, that might be a fool's errand, considering Hiruko was insane. Nothing that man did would 'make sense' to us…' Tiger turned away from the corpses still fastened to the crosses, giving a nod to Bear as the ANBU operative fell into step at his shoulder.
Even at a glance they had been able to tell that not even combing through the massive structure top to bottom would yield all of Hiruko's many twisted secrets. Partly because of the clear signs of damage that had destroyed much of the man's research from when Mizuki's party had finally confronted the madman, partly because even with the battledamage, Tiger could still instantly recognize a tampered crime scene when he saw one.
Someone had stolen much of Hiruko's research.
Stepping onto the large stairs leading to the marble-white doors at the entrance of the palace, Tiger's eyes fell onto the motley group surrounded at the bottom of the staircase.
'And I have a good idea as to who squirreled it away…' Tiger's eyes narrowed as inmate 99, Oniyuri Mizuki, lay reclined on the lower steps, cool as can be and by his gestures apparently trying to regale his ANBU escort with a comedy routine.
"… and so I said, 'I barely know her!'… hehe… get it? Because…" Mizuki's voice petered out and his shoulder slumped as he was faced with a wall of silent blank-faced porcelain masks and one heavily sedated Taki missing nin slung over the shoulder of what was clearly a blatantly disguised Akimichi.
"Tough crowd." He said sullenly, Tsubaki seated at his side gently patting him on the back with a consoling look on her face.
The two giant men at their side who managed to dwarf even the Akimichi ANBU with their bulk (a rare feat indeed), prisoners 12 and 13, glanced at each other with confused faces, before simultaneously shrugging.
"Captain? What do we do about… well, him?" Bear pressed, voice low and for a long moment Tiger didn't react, his mind still partially on those two men chained to the crosses in the large altar room.
"Sir, he's an escaped convict." His second in command continued, some heat slipping into his voice.
"So what would you have me do? Accept the boons that he has delivered Konoha and clasp him in irons in thanks?" Tiger finally responded, though there wasn't any heat in his voice, his question almost sounding genuine.
Truly, he was struggling with what to do much the same as Bear was.
His response gave the other man a moment's pause.
"I will acknowledge the good taking down Hiruko and especially Suien has done Konoha as a whole. But a good deed does not erase a bad one!"
"What bad deed, Bear? Grasping freedom, just as the Hokage was ready to hand it to him?"
"Mizuki didn't know that! He unlawfully escaped the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility without proper clearance!"
"Yet by the Hokage's own word, the acts that had landed the original Mizuki in there aren't enough to keep the current Mizuki confined as well. The man's amnesia was confirmed, Bear, in my own presence I'll remind you."
"Even so, you cannot tell me that you actually believe he acted in Konoha's interests! You saw the ransacked files and maps as well as I did, I know it. Clearly Mizuki sought out this Hiruko to study under him for his own gains!"
"Then why kill the man, less than a month in? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to remain here and quietly grow stronger under Hiruko's tutelage? I don't doubt our abilities, Bear, but you know as well as I do, that if it weren't for that village leader alerting us that Mizuki had moved through their hamlet towards the Land of Waterfalls, it would've taken us much longer to pick up his trail all the way to this far-off mountain. And it was that same village leader that alerted us to the fact that those parts of Waterfall had become unsafe these past few months, for Konoha traders as well."
"You're not seriously suggesting that Mizuki left a deliberate trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow as he traveled from one missing nin to the next?"
"I'm not suggesting anything, not yet. Merely speculating. Too many unknowns, and what little we do know seems to contradict itself. Why betray Suien like that when the man was instrumental in taking down Hiruko? Why not take him out sooner if the original goal was strengthening our alliance with Taki?"
Bear was silent for a long moment as both ANBU looked at the silver-haired man below them.
"Mizuki's just a chūnin. Both Hiruko and Suien were at the top end of jōnin. And those summons of Hiruko's henchmen were no joke. Mizuki was aware that he needed outside aid if he wanted to claim Hiruko's power for himself." Bear stated confidently after a moment and Tiger hummed in consideration.
"Could be. Could be that what we're really looking at is one long con, a theft, and Suien is just Mizuki's fall guy. But I'm not convinced. Not entirely. It doesn't… fit."
"Well, why not?" Bear pressed, sounding lightly annoyed now, though taking care to not lash out at his superior officer.
'Why not? A damn good question. Why bother coming to the defense of someone who has been nothing but a headache, and who, barring all else, did in fact escape during a prison riot?'
"During his first interrogation, I questioned him on why he wished no harm against Konoha or its people. He said he didn't blame us for his current position. He remained cooperative, even when we failed to guarantee his safety within the prison. You're my second, I know you read the report on the prison riot as well as I did. Multiple confirmations that Mizuki was targeted by another of Orochimaru's men, slipped within the guard detail, and that the man was forced to fight for his life. And yet, despite this, when we track him down we find he's taken out not one, but two threats to Konoha on his own. There's still a bounty on Hiruko, old but still valid, and a more recent one for Suien. Enough money and influence to take a man far. Instead, he handed both of them over without any fuss, willingly giving up the benefits of his victory for Konoha. If he had been one of my men, if he had been any Konoha shinobi, I would've taken that as a sign of extraordinary loyalty to the Village."
"That's certainly one way of looking at it. … permission to speak freely, Captain?"
Tiger's eyebrow raised at the question and he glanced over his shoulder at the tense man at his side. Thinking it over for a moment, Tiger inclined his head, though his posture clearly indicated Bear should take care not to speak too freely.
"With all due respect, sir, but I think your view of prisoner 99 has been compromised by your past interactions with him. Please understand that I do recognize your position. You met the man at his lowest, at his most vulnerable, which was only compounded by the dangers that have befallen him afterwards. But don't you think you're giving him too much credit? Projecting too much goodwill onto his deeds?"
Tiger thought on the words for a moment, Bear tense besides him as he awaited his reaction.
"Perhaps you're not wrong, Bear. Perhaps I think too kindly of the man. I look at Mizuki and I see more than just his actions, confusing as they may be sometimes. I look at him and I can't help but see the things that he has suffered, while Konoha has gained. Genda's attack on him at the prison, wounding him, threatening his life even, but exposing another agent of Orochimaru's to us. And now, delivering us Hiruko and Suien at a cost that I can only guess at." Tiger said darkly and he could feel Bear's confusion at his words.
"Sir?"
"Look at Mizuki, Bear. Truly look. You must have noticed it too, right?"
Bear remained quiet for a long moment, but when he spoke, his voice was certain.
"… Henge. Though I do not understand the purpose of it. He looks like himself. You did not confront him on it, so I instructed the men to do the same." The man concluded and Tiger inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"We may not have brought an Inuzuka with us, but I trust your skills as much as I trust my own, Bear. We both know the limits of the Henge."
"… it's purely visual. It cannot alter smell."
"So you did notice."
"Mizuki… he's injured. I could smell cooked flesh."
"Electrical burns, I reckon. I recognized the distinct hint of ozone typical of lightning jutsu. And Mizuki's scent lingered most strongly on that shattered medical gurney we found, before the tracks follow Hiruko to the area where they battled and killed him." Tiger said with a considering hum, before tearing his eyes away from the lounging Mizuki, gaze heavy as it rested on the now quiet Bear.
"They tore the man's head off, Bear. That's not the way a chūnin makes a kill. That's a sign of desperate rage. Between the burns, the destroyed medical bed, the brutal murder…"
"What did Hiruko do to the man?" Bear questioned softly, looking at the silver-haired man with new eyes.
Tiger shook his head as he slowly began descending the staircase.
"I don't know, though I can guess, though I'd rather not. It's not a pretty picture. Whatever the reason for it, be it an ingrained sense of loyalty to Konoha, be it self-interest, the man has suffered while the Village has gained. For now, at least, I am content with letting the scales balance themselves while we keep him under guard. Some stolen scrolls hardly make up for doing more for the village in a few months than the original Mizuki managed to do during his entire career. And who knows? Whatever knowledge Mizuki managed to pry from Hiruko's cold dead hands, I have the feeling that it too might benefit Konoha in the end." Tiger said with a tone of finality.
"So we wait and see?" Bear concluded, not really pushing against his captain's words, recognizing that the debate had been settled, at least for now, and Tiger nodded.
"We wait and see." Tiger confirmed, before both men fell silent as they closed in on Mizuki's group and the remaining ANBU.
The operatives all snapped at attention (the Akimichi jostling a groaning Suien with the sharp movement) and Tsubaki at least scrambled to her feet, giving the typical Konoha salute as well. The Legendary Idiot Brothers seemed more interested in taking turns poking each other's bruises and giggling like children. Mizuki was slower to his feet and from behind his mask, Tiger's eyes roved over the silver-haired man's form, expertly cataloguing every twitch and tremble, every grimace that the chūnin tried (and failed) to hide.
"Oniyuri Mizuki." Tiger's voice came out clipped on the muted square, sound being absorbed by the thick cloud layer clinging to the top of the mountain.
"Captain Tiger, sir!" Mizuki easily responded, sloppily copying Tsubaki's crisp salute, staring dead ahead, his expression, altered by the Henge as it was, barely showing a tremble underneath his left eye.
A sign of suppressed pain? Or hidden nerves? Or an expert manipulation included in the Henge itself to show them only what he wanted them to think they saw?
'We should put this guy in T with how much of a headache he causes unintentionally causes people.' Tiger briefly groused, before allowing a cool professional mask to slip over his face.
Underneath the actual porcelain mask, that is.
"You shall accompany us to Taki. Once there, you shall elaborate on the capture of Suien. You will not mention the death of Hiruko, or Mount Shumisen or the civilization that apparently existed here. Your story is that you were gathering intel in the outlying fields and farming communities alongside the main road leading north from the Land of Fire into the Land of Waterfalls. You found actionable intel and moved to investigate, while calling in back-up. You came across Suien, or rather, he managed to ambush you instead. You managed to hold out and retreat until we arrived to secure the missing nin."
Tiger stepped closer to Mizuki, his presence unyielding and demanding and the former inmate instinctively straightened his posture even further.
"That is all that you will do. I shall negotiate with Taki's council over the pay-out of Suien's bounty to Konoha, which may then be leveraged for a strengthening of the existing alliance between our villages." Tiger said coolly, hidden eyes intently studying Mizuki's expression.
The man frowned, but only briefly, seemingly not that bothered with implicitly being denied his rewards as Konoha claimed it for itself, something that would be easy for Tiger to push for, considering Mizuki wasn't an active duty shinobi when he took down Suien. Independent contractors and unaffiliated bounty hunters did exist, but those mostly did their dirty dealings with bounty stations instead of villages directly.
Mostly because many of them were missing nin themselves and in their line of work, the line between getting paid and being the payment was unhealthily thin. After all, it was easier for a Village to cash in rather than pay out.
Tiger was only somewhat surprised that Mizuki didn't push back against the idea of losing out on a fat paycheck, not in the least because he was currently surrounded by a large combat-ready group ANBU, and again he had to wonder where the man's loyalties truly lied.
"Permission to speak, sir?" Mizuki asked instead and Tiger tilted his head, briefly amused as he saw Bear tense at his side, a fleeting sense of déjà vu overcoming him.
"Granted, though speak carefully." Tiger allowed and Mizuki swallowed at the subtle warning.
"What happens after your negotiations with Taki? Sir?" the former prisoner 99 asked and Tiger was silent for a long moment.
'That… is an annoyingly good question.'
"That depends in part on the results of those negotiations. For now, it is no concern of yours." Tiger easily lied and he could see Mizuki bristle at the words, even if he tried to suppress his reaction.
His hearing didn't miss the oddly resonant growl rumbling somewhere (surprisingly) deep in Mizuki's chest, nor did his eyes miss how it came to a halt as Tsubaki's slim hand slipped into Mizuki's larger one, his skin flickering briefly as the shell of the Henge was lightly disturbed.
'Were those… claws?'
"While I disagree, sir, I understand. Does that mean that I am your prisoner then?" Mizuki pressed in clipped tones and Tiger allowed his head to slowly tilt from the silver-haired man in front of him to the unconscious Taki nin still slung over Panda's broad shoulder.
"Do you feel like a prisoner?" Tiger challenged, his tone light and Mizuki merely pressed his lips together.
Having decided he had prodded the man for a reaction enough (for now at least), Tiger backed off, stepping away from Mizuki, his voice considering.
"For now, you can consider us… traveling companions. Traveling companions going in the exact same direction, along the exact same route, following an exact same resting schedule. What a coincidence." He said flatly, though he caught some of the ANBU snickering at Mizuki's downcast expression.
"I'm shocked." The man said unamused and Tiger stilled completely.
He hadn't missed how Mizuki's gaze had lingered on him from the corner of the man's eye as he said that.
"Move out." He said sharply instead, eyes never leaving Mizuki's back as the man easily fell in line next to Tsubaki with the Brothers following in his footsteps, the squad of ANBU forming a loose formation around the group, effortlessly moving in sync.
Save for Bear, who came up besides Tiger, likewise having caught Mizuki's parting shot. Tiger didn't outwardly acknowledge him, simply staring at the retreating group in silence for a long moment.
"Spread the word. Always a minimum of three sets of eyes on Mizuki. Perimeter seals around our campsite. Make sure that there's a tracking seal on every item of his clothing as well. I suspect we won't be able to slip one on his person without him knowing. We do not lose sight of him. Not until we're in front of the Taki council and have handed Suien off for his execution."
"Seems… somewhat excessive, no? After all, he's just a chūnin-" Bear asked, not really disagreeing, merely surprised, but Tiger cut him off, his tone firm.
"No. The original Mizuki was a chūnin, a fairly mediocre one by all accounts."
Tiger turned to face Bear fully, pinning the man in place.
"That Mizuki would've taken a year to escape from the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. This Mizuki? He managed it in under one month."
The silence was thick between them for a heavy moment, before Bear dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"I'll make sure to triple the guard."
And in a blur, the man was gone, leaving one very contemplative ANBU captain on the bottom of the stairs to an ancient palace that had seen far too much horror for such a serene location. But Tiger's thoughts weren't on his hauntingly beautiful surroundings, but one man who seemed to be far more adept in covering himself in mysteries than a mere Henge.
'Oniyuri Mizuki… you are hiding something and mark my words, before we leave Taki… I will figure out what it is.'
With a whisper of displaced air, the ANBU captain was gone in a flicker of motion, leaving the mists to coil over the broken palace as if the world itself wished to bury the tragic remains in a deathly shroud.
Hidden far away deep within the Land of Waterfalls, for better or for ill, Takigakure no Sato awaited them.
//
AN: A lil' interlude chapter so I can time-skip with Mizuki's POV so we pick up in Taki next chapter. The goal of this chapter was to elaborate on the dilemma Konoha authorities are faced with when it comes to Mizuki. I deliberately tried to avoid falling into the trap most SI fics fall into with outside POV chapters and that is that the MC gets glazed, so I hope I managed to avoid that at least. Let me know what you think!
(Also reminder that, as long as you don't mind MASSIVE spoilers, the full order of steps that I want Mizuki to take in the fic is available over on my Patreon, which also gives access to my Discord if you wanna discuss it over there)