Debriefing. [Gaku, Molokai]

[Yoshi [Lynx!]]

It had been a good handful of hours out and about in the dark. There had been quite a ruckus, as several search teams had been sent out in the hopes of finding whoever had broken into the Elder's home. In the end, they had come up empty handed, and had returned to the Crimson Prison to report their failure to whoever was currently in charge there. It was a relief to the young shinobi, as she stepped into the Kage Tower and found herself entering the briefing room where they had all initially met. Sitting down at the far end of the table on the same chair she had been on a earlier this midday, she was once again wearing her ANBU mask, if nothing else to hide the fact that her identity had been compromised secret from everyone else within the tower. 

Gaku had mentioned that things might've been more desperate than she had first imagined. It was hard to even begin considering the possibilities, and she was rather sure that the Elder wasn't dumb enough to leave incriminating evidence behind within his residence without the other elders somehow managing to remove it if it had ever even been there. They were likely only going to find smaller hints that something was going on. Perhaps even hints that could lead in the correct direction. The more time passed, the more worried she got that something could've happened. This was a dangerous mission, and if a single one of the others had been caught red handed, then they were all likely going to prison before they could do anything to unravel the corruption that so many Kage's had experienced and none had been able to deal with.

Placing her hands onto the table, she started idly twiddling her thumbs around themselves in a circle. Worried, this wasn't going to be the end of it, that much was certain.

[Molokai]

Turin had made a point to stop and change into dry clothing before heading to the debriefing. He was now dressed in his standard light-colored clothing, but his hair was still flattened from the weight of the moisture. His crossbow was folded and tucked in its standard hiding spot on the small of his back, and he walked through the rain with his hands in his pockets.

The mission was still on his mind. Aside from being bothered that Naoki had abandoned it, he was also extremely curious as to exactly what it had been all for. Naoki could potentially be a serious problem. He knew about the mission, knew the identities of those involved, but hadn't actually participated in a way that incriminated him. He was what people in Turin's line of work referred to as a "loose end", and there was usually only one way those were dealt with. Turin had already crossed the line of attacking his fellow shinobi, and if it came down to Naoki's life or Turin's freedom, the choice would be easy.

As for the mission itself, he had been busy getting soaked while Yoshi and Gaku had been scouring for information. Whatever they had found, Turin was completely in the dark to. He suspected even Gaku wouldn't fully appreciate the significance of whatever he found. They both would rely on Yoshi to put the pieces together for them, which she wouldn't be directly obligated to do. It had been seriously out of Turin's norm to put himself at risk without promise of financial compensation, so if Yoshi expected more help she would have to give him some sort of incentive beyond mere faith.

He took his hood down as he stepped into the tower, heading toward the briefing room at a quick pace. The trick was to hurry without looking like he was in a hurry, which he felt he pulled off well. Entering the room, he saw the masked Cat ANBU sitting with her hands on the table, waiting for him. Turin was aware that he took a long time to get back, but that had been on purpose to ensure he wasn't accidentally ran into on his way back into the village. Without saying anything right away, he sat in front of her and tousled his hair to get some of the water out.

"Whatever we found," he said after taking a moment to let the silence weigh in, "I certainly hope it was worth it. I took a huge risk for you in there, and from here on in I'm going to need a lot of transparency if you expect it to continue." Again, he specifically avoided using her name or mentioning specifics, in case anyone was listening. After delivering his ultimatum, he sat back, laced his fingers, and waited.

[Hon]

Gaku Had made his way through the various streets, his cloak pulled mostly around him allowing most of his clothes to keep dry though the bottoms of his trousers were wet. This couldn't really be helped though in this land... you sort of got used to it raining 24 /7. Having ducked through all the different alley ways and even hopped into and out of some gardens just to make sure he hadn't been followed, Gaku began to make his way to the tower.

Upon arrival he would enter within and shake off some of the water from his cloak and politely smile towards anyone in the tower. He made his way up and towards the library depositing his wet cloak in the area he normally worked within, from here he grabbed a spare pair of trousers and quickly changed those and his shoes into a dry pair before putting all the notes within the book he took from the house. To make it less suspicious he picked up a small stack of books from his library or differing topics and put the new book in the middle before making his way to the Meeting room.

Entering in he looked at the AnBu mask and the other shinobi, he knew he was late but he didn't care.. he wanted to make sure what he had was right. He took his seat and put down the stack of books he bought with him. With a couple of clicks the marmoset monkey that was on his shoulder quickly hopped down and began walking around the table casually. This allowed him to move his body without worrying about causing her to fall off. Quickly he sorted through the books and put the dummy ones with him on the floor leaving the one he stole with the notes inside on the table.

The notes of paper, the text book and the little leather bound book he had with him were marked with what he had found. He wasn't happy with what he thinks he is putting together but Yoshi's suspicions were probably correct. Once he opened the books to where he marked, Gaku slid them along the table to yoshi making sure they landed neatly in front of her. He didn't open his mouth once, what he had learned was obviously weighing on him.

[Yoshi [Lynx!]]

The first of her two partners to enter the room was Turin. To her knowledge, and from what she could gather from the files, he was the same type of shinobi that she was. Loyal, yet dedicated towards his own well being aswell. One of the people who could get things done when they needed to. In many ways he was a soldier. This soldier however, wanted more than merely payment. Turin was here for information, and considering that what they done went straight against regular village policy, it probably wasn't too much to ask for. Just as she was about to begin explaining that they were waiting for Gaku to return with the files that he said he had identified as problematic, the room was once again entered, this time by none other than Gaku himself. 

There was a complete silence in the room, as Gaku made his preparations, the tiny monkey hopping around doing its thing, and the books that he had brought being sorted. Still without saying a word, the other placed the information that they had all risked their lives for onto the table, sliding it across so that Yoshi herself could open it and study the contents. Flipping the book open in a gentle movement so that she could read the notes, she just sat there in complete silence, reading ever so casually over the pages. If they could've seen her expression, it would be quite obvious that she had been in shock. What she had expected to learn more of, was the attempted coup d'etat where Ryosuke had been dethroned as Kage. Instead, this seemed far more serious, dangerous...!

"This information confirms my suspicions, in that the elders intentionally removed Ryosuke from the Kage seat, and also that they're deliberately being slow choosing one to follow in his footsteps. There are names mentioned in this information that are among the people who have vanished from the village. A mention of the Crimson Prison.."

Rubbing her own temples as she was trying to think logically, she was just going to share whatever information she had with the two others at this point. Chances were that she were going to need their assistance again in the near future, so having them on her side was definitely going to be important.

"Without being ANBU, the two of you probably wouldn't know, but the Crimson Prison is not only grounds for dangerous prisoners, but also the headquarters of the ANBU divisions. Although, without a Kage, currently only the Crow ANBU have their base of operations there. The rest of us have all been temporarily relieved of duty. Coincidentally, this is where they plan to send the elder for confinement. What a load of bull.."

Re-reading the last bit of the information provided by Gaku, this was potentially the most worrysome aspect of it all. An ancient summoning that had taken decades to prepare for. An ancient summoning that most in the village would disapprove of.
"There's notes here about a summoning being prepared. A summoning that, according to these notes, has been ongoing for several years. I do not know what the elders are planning, nor where this summoning is to take place, but if it is being kept from even the village ANBU, I doubt it can be anything positive."

Sliding the book across the table so that Turin could freely read through it all aswell, Yoshi let out a soft sigh. "I've personally paid you for your services tonight, as it was not a village authorised mission." The girl noted softly, just to make them aware that she appreciated and paid for their assistance. There however, was more. "The information we've gathered isn't much, and certainly not enough to win over the village to our side. It may look hopeless, but there is one thing continously mentioned in all the clues I have been able to gather. The Crimson Prison... If we are to uncover the whole truth, we need to get in there. Please, speak to those you can trust. Gather as many as you can, and prepare yourselves. We may have to raid the Crimson Prison to get to the bottom of it all..."


Both Molokai and Kochou have been paid for the following misssion, an equal amount is to be subtracted from my own account: (19,500 to be removed from me, please.)

SPOILER: Click to show

Infiltrate and excavate. [Mod Light] - (Open for 48 hours after acceptance. Anyone who wish to go on the mission wil go as a team. The IIC is strict!)
Rank: C
IIC Length: Two days
Difficulty: Medium
Objective: The interrogation of the elder that was caught during the procession of Hikaru's Kageship has thus far been fruitless, and attempts to break into his mind have failed. Now the elders are pressing for his release, and the opposition is running out of time. Though, there is certainty that this particular elder knows something of what is going on. Infiltrate his home, and find any information that can aid the cause in moving forward!
Description: Infiltrate the Elder's home. Avoid being spotted at all costs, and retrieve any relevant information regarding Amegakure's situation.
Reward: 9,750 Ryo.

[Molokai]

Yoshi seemed as if she was about to speak, but the door behind him clicked open before she said anything. Reflexively, Turin's head snapped to the sound. Looking up at Gaku, he watched a monkey jump from his shoulder and skitter around as the tall man laid the books and papers on the table. Watching in silence, and wondering where the monkey came from, he tried to see through Yoshi's mask to figure out what she was thinking. The only thing he got from the porcelain visage was a growing sense of dread. It seemed to him like a lot of risk went into that relatively small stack of paper. While he hadn't seen exactly what happened on the inside, their hasty retreat implied it had probably been a close call.

At long last, Yoshi began to speak, and Turin kept his face a mask as he processed what she said. Ryosuke had been removed as kage, which partially answered what had happened to him. What exactly was meant by "removed", and whether or not he was still alive, was unclear. What was clear is that Amegakure now had a power vacuum, and nobody left to stand in the elder's way. The Crimson Prison, a reputedly hellish place where people were sent to suffer before they died. Turin had himself considered sneaking in to investigate Yoshi back when he first found out about the execution, but had thought better of it. Now, it seemed like he might have to revisit his old plans.

The repeated mention of the Crow ANBU was also a cause for concern. Turin had never heard of the Crows, but it was fairly obvious that they were directly connected to whatever was happening. ANBU were notoriously secretive, as was expected of them, so a whole special division would be tough to crack. Especially with the rest of the ANBU temporarily relieved of duty. It struck Turin that the Crows were probably the select ANBU who had demonstrated they would follow any order, no matter how cruel, while the rest had been removed as liabilities. Ideally, this would mean that non-Crow ANBU would be more likely to take their side if it came down to it. It was no coincidence that the imprisoned elder was going to be transferred to the custody of the Crows. If he got into their hands, the rebels would likely never see him again.

All of this paled in comparison to the spectre of the summoning. Yoshi was right, anything that took years of preparation and very careful hiding could only be catastrophic. Even the largest, most powerful combat summons didn't take years to create, so what kind of horror could the elders be planning that would take so long to prepare? What else would they be summoning if not some sort of nightmare monster? Their best bet would be to find and stop this summoning before it happened, lest it be too powerful to stop once it came into the world. If Turin had to choose where to start, he knew right away that that would be it.

He took the book from Yoshi and skimmed it. It contained mostly what she had paraphrased, proving that she had been forthright and thorough. Turin didn't know of anybody he could truly trust with something of this magnitude, but he agreed that they would definitely need help.

Taking his payment and returning the book to the desk, he said, "If a raid on the prison is what we need, then I'm there." He swept up out of his chair and put his hood up before heading again out the door. As much as he wanted to stick around and ask more questions, it was important that he minimize the time spent in Yoshi's presence to prevent suspicion. The longer he stuck around to talk, the greater the chance of unwanted ears hearing the conversation. Determined to both be helpful and avoid being executed in the process, Turin silently slipped from the room.

(exit)

[Hon]

// exit