“Who knows about this?”

Raiga stiffened and answered, “Fang Squad, Chuunin Takeda Karatachi, perhaps Kosuke the weapons smith and now you, Mizukage-sama.”

My fingers drummed atop my desk as I leaned into my swivel chair in thought. When I first began to suspect the Yuki clan I didn’t know what to do about them, Lord Funato and Lady Megumi learning about this would surely bring everything to a boil. They’d force my hand to their own skewed will of justice and with the kind of proof that’s been unearth…any sort of compromise I think of would surely be shut down.

And if I stubbornly used my powers as Mizukage to protect the Yuki clan in the face of all this…I can kiss goodbye to any chance of having a smooth reign. Lord Funato would ensure he and his clan are a thorn in my side for as long as he breathes and perhaps even after.

I briefly entertained the thought of marrying Rina just so Lady Megumi would be forced to side with me in all things but it still wasn’t worth it, it didn’t feel worth it. I’d rather not indebt myself to the Hozuki clan just pit heads against the Funato who arguably has more influence than them. This was a mess.

“Why do you think the Yuki sponsored this? Why take a petty, useless shot at the biggest family in all of Kirigakure?”

Raiga was silent for a moment but he shifted his weight and said, “We’ve yet to interrogated or detained Hisako Yuki but if I had to guess, I would say they did it because it was petty and hateful. Relations with the Yuki clan among the five clans have been strained since they joined Kirigakure.

“They’ve declined in size as well and have very little in the way of prestigious members, save Reina Yuki and the clan head himself, very few are exceptional shinobi or capable of wielding their Kekkei Genkai. They are weak and they’ve been bullied for it under the reign of Sandaime-sama who was publicly a friend to Funato and Hozuki.”

I looked up at my ANBU Commander and smiled, “That was well thought out and entirely plausible. It would explain why they stopped as well, after the Kaguya attack it would have been very unwise to continue with petty provocations when they could be pinned for orchestrating the attack…wait…could they have? Orchestrated the attack?”

Raiga was masked but his body language told me he was as startled as I at the implication of that thought. “That…I do not know I’m afraid. We’ll have to begin interrogation to get anything conclusive beyond the proofs of their threats.”

“Bring her to me then.” I ordered immediately and he made to leave as I added, “And Raiga, make sure no one else finds out, do you understand?”

“Sir!” I gave a satisfied nod and he vanished.

I was left with my thoughts and many of them were anxious and borderline fearful. In truth, I didn’t understand the consequences of such a plot being revealed but I knew it couldn’t be anything good. Especially since this was born out of hatred, a long existing hatred that my sentiments towards Kekkei Genkai wielders would not quench so easily.

A part of Jason expected this, his knowledge told me that like the Kaguya, the Yuki were not destined to be a prevalent clan. This may well be what brought their downfall. Interrogating the Yuki girl at the centre of all this will bring me some clarity on how fucked their situation truly is.

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I needed to give Lord Funato a scapegoat to appease his inflamed ego and keep the peace. Doing so will be easier if this turns out to be something I can brush off as a child’s poor choice of games, even if that child was actually over eighteen and an experienced Genin with a Kekkei Genkai from a clan that’s barely tolerated among the big five.

If it turns out to be something else, something larger than even my office as Mizukage…well, Yagura’s whispers are unusually silent.

Raiga didn’t leave me for long and soon there was a knock at the door. I gave permission and Raiga walked in with the Genin I’d read so much about in the past day. She was as short as I but was sensually feminine in her features; perky rose lips, a cute jawline with pinchable cheeks and a curved figure accentuated by the shorts and crop top she wore over her bandaged torso.

“Mizukage-sama.” Shoulder length onyx hair fell by her temples as she bowed and I could tell she was skittish to be in my presence by the way her eyes darted around the room and at Raiga beside her. She didn’t seem surprised to be summoned at all, just nervous.

I beckoned her to come closer, away from the distance set by my new furniture before I asked, “Who are you?”

Confused but sensible enough not to question my question she introduced herself, “Genin Hisako Yuki reporting, sir.”

I nodded, she still couldn’t look at me straight even as she answered, though she was doing her best to, “Why are you here?”

“You summoned me, sir?”

“Why?”

Her lips pursed together and she gazed past me to the village beyond my windows. I wondered what was going through her mind as her eyes glazed over with a wistful light before turning steely.

“You already know, sir…”

“I am your Mizukage, I know many things but what do you know, Hisako Yuki? Tell me now, why are you here?”

She sniffed and a smile poked at the corner of her lip, “The entire class took an exam suddenly but the weird part was the venue, I thought it didn’t mean anything but…I was wrong. I’m here because of…because I threatened the Hozuki clan.”

I leaned forward, “The Sandaime’s family to be precise. Do you understand what this means? Did you understand before becoming involved?”

She hesitated, eyes darting everywhere to escape my gaze. She stood stiff as a statue and cheeked the insides of her cheek as her thoughts scrambled in her head. All that came to a halt as she breathed in, straightened her posture and met my eyes with a defiant and ready gaze, “I did.”

I let her words sink in as I held her stare, she’s clearly resolved to stand by whatever motive birthed the entire incident but that didn’t mean she would be unflinching.

Without looking away Yagura materialized a water clone behind her, she sensed the presence far too late and its hand grasped her the back of her throat like a mutinous dog, squeezing hard as it buckled the back of her knees so she fell to one as she choked.

Raiga stood unmoved, watching in silence as my clone kept her head straight, she couldn’t look away from me now, there was no escape no refuge. I took a deep breath and my clone’s grip strengthened as I spoke, “Since you are ready to die, what will be your last words, Hisako?”

At this point she couldn’t cough much less utter last words but I demanded them anyway, “Speak up! You asked for this, you did this so you must have prepared then! Tell me now what I should tell Yuki-dono your last words were.”

Just as her eyes began to roll back my clone eased its grip and she could breathe again, taking greedy gasps of precious air as she hacked and drooled all over my floor.

“I…I am not sorry, Mizukage-sama, I am not…sorry.”

This fucking…

“They deserved it, for what they’ve done, for abandoning us, for prosecuting us behind closed doors, for isolating us! We are not…sorry.”

Incensed, Yagura stood and glared, “And who is we?”

Her head fell but I glimpsed the smirk she tried to hide, “We…will survive, Mizukage-sama, with or without your help.”

“So that’s how it is then, the entire Yuki clan are traitors…” She flinched at those words and I knew not all the clan was aware of whatever this was, perhaps not even the clan head or her response would be of continued defiance, “I will exterminate any threat to Kirigakure, Hisako but I like to be precise…surgical if you will. Tell me who your friends are and perhaps your family will live.”

My clone yanked her head up and there, in the soul behind her eyes, was terror. I smiled charitably and nodded, “Go ahead, you can trust me.”