The 5th Hokage

Mission Codename: Lost Spirits

Usually these missions are reserved for the lower ranked shinobi. The ones fresh out of training, yearning to help. But among the massive amounts of requests, the words “lost ancestors“ seem to repeat an odd amount of times.

Each case is simple at heart, but something about the repetition of the lost ancestors puts her off.

This case seems to be deeper than it appears. A case with this many ends needs at least two hands, and for a case like this, the second pair was obvious.

Outside a small tea shop, one that is squished between several other buildings, the two shinobi stand, preparing themselves.

“What are your initial thoughts, Hinata? Do you believe these could be mere illusions, mass hallucinations, or could someone be taking advantage of these folk with ninjutsu?"

“Sai”, she says, her voice covered by the rustling of the leaves. “She is not one we can take lightly, though, if we are smart about this, I believe we should be able to take her down.“ Tsunade keeps eyeing the proctor, “something about the way she carries herself makes me wanna hit her.“

The moments before a battle are always scariest. It is the only time where you can truly contextualize the situation in front of you. There will be blood spilt. That is a fact. Something unavoidable in combat. A lump still hangs in Tsunade’s throat. Her stomach knots, a force tugging at her very core. Though, despite this, her hands move in well practiced motion, preparing her jutsu. Perhaps she will always feel this aversion, perhaps there will always be this lump in her throat. Yet, her hands will always move, her feet will always stride.

Finishing her Bunshin, a clone of her apperates, and with the completion of hand signs, she seemless looses three senbons, sailing towards the proctor. “Sai, now!“

Or, at least, he can think of no other better partner in the task of staying alive than her— as long as her performance in their first test was not indicative of what was to come. But his task remained simple and simple it was to keep an eye on her when they both participated in the test they did not need to put stock in.

(The mission remained the same, after all.)

Practically ignoring the pointed jab of the jounin, Sai nods towards the summit.

"The faster we get there, the better."

Deftly, he leaps onto a branch, scanning the area for traps. Some, scattered about, and more that he didn't catch, he guesses, but finding a path forward was all that mattered.

From a cat that skirts by your feet you hear an almost impressed giggle. "Aww, as expected of Hound's student~"

There are many jutsu that make use of animals, or the shape of them. Sai uses some of his own, and so he doesn't startle at the cat's voice, but rather the fact that it had come upon him unawares.

(... But, he isn't anyone's student. Perhaps the cat has him mixed with someone else.)

It sounds like the proctor's voice, though, and if this test was anything like the previous two, then she certainly had more control over the terrain around him than he would like. Better to not get on her bad side, then. He crouches slightly and scratches the top of the cat's head.

The Cat purrs in satisfaction, scratching it's head against your hand before disappearing in a poof of smoke, yet you noticed nothing unusual about it.

Oh. That's too bad.

Lost in thought, a sudden weight presses on her shoulder, and a playful tail hitting against the back of her head. The smug smirk on the cat's face taunted her, challenging her to try remove it from its perch. Tsunade was never one to back down from a challenge.

With what supposed to be a gentle push, turned into a forceful shove, sending the cat sailing through the air, impacting Sai at his center mass. A look of horror with a hint of guilt stains her face, "Ah... My bad, I didn't think the cat was that light..."

Before she can apologize further, her vision blurs, melding the colors of green and light, and shifting them to tones of red and darkness. Hearing the voices chatter and laugh, Tsunade takes a position of readiness, putting up her fists in front of her.

"Be prepared now Sai, their tricks are bound to become more malicious."

He'd thought, given the distance, that Lady Tsunade would surely arrive and enter the trapdoor long before the proctor, but her form slows down inexplicably, even as the proctor continues her steady path.

At this rate, they would enter the hallway at around the same time, and the Hokage would surely be discovered. Neji pauses for just a moment before reaching for the scroll, the string of chakra visible even through its holder. The face of the spider-nin, locked into the grotesque curse seal form, comes to mind again.

He is different now, though. This is no longer the last-ditch act of desperation from a dying genin, but a well-calculated attack, aiming to incapacitate. Just as the chakra string between them glows the brightest, with Komorebi about to set foot back into the hallway, Neji grabs hold of the connection, sending a pulse of his own chakra surging down the line.

The proctor's footsteps cease. At the same time, the outline of her chakra explodes with light, before gradually tapering down. Neji breathes a sigh of relief, just as the Hokage finally steps into the hallway.

"Lady Tsunade, through here," he urges, mindful that the proctor could begin moving again at any moment.

Suddenly dragged back to the mission, the Hokage's eyes widen, just before narrowing again in focus. I can't believe I let me self zone out... I really must be losing my edge. Seeing the residue of chakra in the direction of the proctor, Tsunade assumes that Neji must have done something to the proctor, and by the sever lack of rushing footsteps, she imagines he was successful.

"Thank you, Neji. Good work today." Her lips raise slightly into a soft smile, before quickly lowering once more into a focused expression. She sends herself down the trapdoor, following in Tenten's footsteps.

Tenten smirks at Neji's words and she takes the pencils with a laugh. "My most mighty weapon yet," she jests as she takes the pencils. She crouches down to use them to work on the trapdoor, but instead of heeding Neji's advice she's standing right on top of it. Her feet spread pretty far apart. She eventually figures it out and manuevers the pencils to gracefully unlock the door, and just as Neji said the door slid open under Tenten. However Tenten had one of her feet placed on the wall, and was channeling chakra into it to stop herself from having a rather ungraceful plumet.

She gives Neji a cheeky grin.

"I'll go first, make sure the path is fine and that there are no traps." She says before she drops down. Pulling out a kunai just in case something shoots at her or something while using the light to navigate her way. Eventually she feels a breeze and smiles before speaking into her ear piece. "It leads to an exit. I'm getting out of here. Try not to have to much fun, you two."

There's a gate at the end that is locked, but using those same pencils Tenten is able to navigate the rather cheap and rusted looking lock and make her escape.

Tsunade looks around, filled with a sense of off-putting nostalgia. These hallways usually filled with energy and life feel desolate and empty, yet in the silence there is a sense of peace. It has been too long since she has truly thought back to her school days.

In the back of her mind, a voice near by is filtered, their words swept away in the torrent of old memories. No matter what the voice says, no matter how close the exit is, something compels the Hokage to stay. Something tugging at her heart.

She shook her head and reminded herself to maintain focus. And she ended up finding three scroll holders. She smiles fondly as she looks at them. Gosh, how she wished she had her scrolls right now. This would be the perfect place for them. But she bets a jonin like Neji probably would find some use for them.

This is not her room. Not in the truest of senses.

She searches the room with careful disregard. Scanning desks and files for any useful information. A loose piece of paper catches her eye. It lies slightly protruding from a folder on a shelf. She scans it, "Jackpot."

Into the microphone, she quietly commands, "I found the floor plans. There seems to be a false bottom in the trapdoor Neji found earlier. We should rendezvous there."

"I believe she just passed my room," she told the others after she took a moment to wait for the footsteps to get further away to where she could barely hear them. "She didn't peek inside of the room. I think as long as we're not being too obvious, there's some leeway being given." Kind of like the second exam, Tenten thought back and remembered last eyars exams fondly. The wording had been very specific, and Tenten had been able to take advantage.

Slow is steady. Steady is smooth. Smooth is fast.

The shadow illuminated of the proctor steadily surveying, paints the floor, it;s form intimidating. Yet the Hokage pays it no mind, dead set on making it towards her office.

"I swear, if anyone touched anything in there..." she whispers to herself, barely loud enough for the mic to pic it up. She traces the wall, making sure to keep to the shadows beneath under the windows.

Soon, she finds herself in front of a familiar door.

"Copy. I'll try my best," she quietly whispered, not quite sure how good the woman's hearing was. And she figured that there was really no need to risk it after all. Tenten took a deep breath as she looked around before deciding to go to the window and investigate it. Looking for any clues or signs. This would be easier if she knew just what exactly she was looking for.

She supposed that escaping from the window would be the obvious choice, and she was tempted to do it. But then she thought about it. This test, she represented her nation in a sensitive mission. What if a neighbor spotted the leaf symbol on her headband? Or someone was walking by? Best not to use the window unless it was a last resort.

The open air on the roof is hopeful, but unfortunately, Tsunade doesn't have the skills to capitalize on this vulnerability. She light pushes the mic closer to her mouth, "The fence is sturdy, as we are now, we have no way of breaking through. Once the hallway is clear, I'll make my way to my office. I know that place better than anyone."

Her eyes drift off to the distance, inky blackness drapes the edges of her vision, the landscape past the roof rejecting the moons light. Beyond the fence, nothing illuminates clearly. Just how vast is this world to let such fascinating and ninjitsu exists. All the youngins chasing their dreams, each striving as if they are sure the ground will catch them. Truly, what a joy it is to watch a tree grow.

Standing, her posture fills out her form, commanding and ready. Look at me, getting lost in thought. I can't let these kids outdo me. She lingers around the stair's edge, primed, focused, ready.

Yes, this group is much better.

"Swears are quite alright with me. They were very frequently thrown around in the war."

Seeing the two get right to work, seamlessly transitioning from rest to action, a sense of country pride swells in her heart. Guy truly has taught you both well. I should get moving as well

Tsunade moves swiftly, testing each floorboard for creaks before shifting her weight onto her leading foot. Quietly clambering up to the rooftop, she steadies her breathing, waiting with baited breath, hearing the distant steps of the proctor.

The woman was struggling.

For all her legend and prowess, the Lady Hokage faltered, stumbled, dripped with the putrefaction that had spewed forth, drenching herself in it as though it were perfume to put herself to market. His eyes narrowed fractionally, watching the droop of her shoulders, the sag of her weight as she doubled over and panted, the life beginning to drain from her body although no blood had been drawn.

Sasori's lip curled, and he shifted his weight, dismissing Itachi's prodding with his pointed silence to turn his back on the Uchiha fully, making his way over with delicate movements - avoiding the spill of muck and the tremors on the ground with graceful hops, deceptively light - until he stood by her side.

"And this is the legendary Sannin, princess of slugs?" He considered her, the lifeless pallor of her skin, no longer the vibrant youth of someone how had all but mastered eternal life. Eyes focused briefly on the mark on her forehead, and a part of him scanned her face, looked for the telltale signs of aging.

It made him all the more furious. What a fucking waste.

Quick as a flash a hand balled in her hair, tugged her a bit closer to him - and before she could retaliate with that monstrous strength, the hypodermic needle was in her jugular.

"You know the damage you'll do if you speak. You should practice silence more anyway, don't you think?" She would be smart enough to know that moving now would destroy her vocal chords, if not her esophagus entirely.

Sasori leaned in slightly, watching the way her skin color changed, the way her pulse fluttered, the way that rage kindled in her eyes.

And just as quickly as he had started it, he shoved her away and skipped back, coming to crouch once more beside Itachi.

He cocked his head, then nodded, as though satisfied.

Battered, bruised, and thrown. The Hokage lies limp on the side of the battle field, rot and stink pooling at her base, like scavengers ready for a feast. Her worn body struggles to respond. Maybe the years are finally catching up to her. Maybe, just maybe, it is finally time to rest.

Yet still, a cruel savior looms.

With the plunge of the needle, her body stills, saliva pooling, understanding that any minute movement could cause irreversible damage. Her eyes dart to the Akatsuki, coldly looking at her in disgust. Looking down at her. The revulsion. The gall. The disrespect. All of it became fuel. Fuel that lit her gaze ablaze.

It was wise a choice to retreat, because in his wake, three senbons graze his cloak, striking the golden streaks on the dragon. Yet still, her chilling gaze remains trained on the Akatsuki, her expression unresponsive to the anger her eyes displayed.

"If you ever touch me again, I will shatter you. You hear me?" her voice, echoing across the cavern.

Finally shifting her gaze towards the dragon, she stands, straightening her back.

The rumble of the earth around them succeeded merely in knocking the boy to the ground, but the others kept their feet without struggle. As he lifted himself, cleaned himself, Sasori noticed the little vial he fed himself, and the taut expression on his face wrinkled in fury and distaste.

His hand jerked back from the moss, lest it seep into him, find a way into his joints and the nooks and crannies that helped him function so perfectly, and his steps slid him more into the open light of the cavern, casting a disdainful glance about them, flicking about from stone to plant, to the bodies in here with him, and finally to the tree.

There was a beat of silence, watchful, almost resentful, as the boy who had fallen strode forth to the tree, as foolish as the stupid woman with him, and his eyes narrowed.

"It's a tree, fool. You don't have them, in the Village Hidden in Leaves?" Scorn dripped from him at the thought, hands coming to work at the ball joints of his knuckles. He wanted Hiruko back, the weight of his shell to cover him from whatever nonsense this was.

As the tree rise higher, filling up the cavern, the pungent fumes fall from its vines, clinging to every piece of loose skin, every bead of sweat. Its eerie blue branches crackle and groan, ravaging and twisting the image of a tree, molting into a perverted form. Tsunade's instincts scream. Her chakra and connection to life rage. That thing is no tree.

She surges forth, each stride building momentum, each step gathering her anger. Though her abilities may be considerably weaker, her spirit has yet to wane.

BOOM.

Chips of stone and ore splinter from its base, the impact shaking the very walls of the cavern. Her fist rests in the crater on the side of the tree, her breathing labored and heavy, the stink clinging to her throat. All but muffled silence left in her wake.

Yet it is never that easy.

With cursed fervor the tree grows, molding itself into wings and maw. Her face met with the personification of dread. Thoughts and emotions constantly swirl in her mind. The complicated cognitive storm manifests itself into a simple sentiment. "Shit."

Tsunade is flung, the impact of the tail crushing a rib instantly. Luckily, the wall was there to catch her. Unluckily, the wall was there to catch her, leaving the Hokage splattered against the rock, doused in rot.

Security had been lax, he had known it from the start- otherwise how had so many non-genin snuck into the exam not as a proctor but an examinee? Proof of haste or incompetence, Sai couldn't say yet.

And one such culprit, or so he would guess, was the Lady Hokage herself. But out in the open like this, Sai neither wanted to reveal his missing abilities nor show what they were to the two nukenin, so instead he relies on the baser but no less important senses.

The cloying musk and the scent of something sweet promises that he will find it difficult to recognize anything else through smell, and sight was naturally obscured by the strange darkness that broke the scenery. Not particularly eager to disturb the lichen more than necessary, Sai slows until he finds himself further away from the rest, listening carefully for the customary disturbance of small animals- the fluttering wings of birds or the buzz of insects… and finds nothing.

This place was dead, then. Good thing he bought that antidote last week.

The heavy air weighs on her lungs, slowly sapping away bits of strength with every breath. She glances around, eyes scanning details in the terrain, soon landing her gaze on her... regrettable associates.

First to meet her scrutiny is the youngest out of the four. His black hair contrasting his sheet white skin made Tsunade question if the boy has seen the sun before or not. Upon further recognition, she realizes that this boy is from ROOT. Instantly, her face drops, examination turning to suspicion. I'll need to keep an eye on this one... as for the other two....

Her eyes dart over towards the two clad in Akatsuki robes. Why the hell are these two here. Spying on the future of Konohagakure so openly? How dare they underestimate us. Regardless... they don't seem to be the cause of this. The red haired one looks quite confused.

"Bold of you two to show your faces here so brazenly, I know the exam is open to all, but you are really pushing it. Come back here to relive your glory days or do you all at the Akatsuki really have nothing better to do?"