77: A Leading Thread

"How much do you know about what this mask truly is?"" Lady Mito repeated, gesturing lightly to the mask upon her lap. She blinked, adding as if to herself, "Yes... let us start there. It appears that would be for the best."

Responding to her solemn tone, Sumika's demeanor grew even more grave and she relayed what she'd heard from Kaoru back when she'd first received the relic mask,

"I was told that it is a tool and a test, one which is unique to each person once completed. I was also told that its purpose is for communication... through a network maintained by Uzushiogakure."

Recalling along those lines brought up more questions, in retrospect, but those were particulars and details which could wait.

"Mmm, that is a standard answer," the elder affirmed, before pausing to breathe out, "...but one lacking in nuance."

Sumika must have shown her curiosity through her expression, for when the woman looked up, she shook her head and pointed to the whirlpool sigil on the mask's forehead.

"Hmmmm. Completing this... test, as you say, opens many doors within the confines of Uzushio. It grants entry to the village core and does demonstrate the level of an individual's certain... qualifications. Presenting this would allow you to pursue... let us say advanced academic studies in the field of fūinjutsu, its theory and its craft. Particularly advanced topics, indeed."

The older woman seemed to recount as much almost nostalgically — if not for the ever-growing furrow in her eyebrows and tautness of her expression. And then her mostly-closed eyes which glanced to and searched Sumika's own.

Sumika however, facing such scrutiny, paused to review this new information internally, recalling her prior interest and fascination with the seals and barriers she had encountered thus far. Some, even, in an aesthetic sense. But the power and utility presented by such techniques was attractive in many respects, as she and Tsunade had discussed earlier that day. As well, access to Uzushio, the supposed homeland of her parents? The idea of visiting such a place had been in the back of her mind for a while, but admittedly low on her list of priorities. One thing at a time...

"Well," the matriarch added in a glance aside, apparently taking note of the girl's interest, "Building upon your apparent affinity, you could potentially pursue a mastery in the arts of fūinjutsu. I would imagine only a decade or two would see you reaching that level." After that, however, she added in a murmur, "Though I would like to encourage it... I must also emphasize how now is a... troublesome time for that kind of process. With the war and the political situation, hmmph..." she trailed off into a hum, as if lost in thought.

Sumika heard all and made note of it. In particular, the mention of training which lasted decades... made an impression, "I, er... would like to look into the possibility, but..." She blinked, searching for a way to phrase her feelings, "But starting on such a... an immense commitment right now feels a bit... overwhelming."

And that was no lie. Sumika's sense of apprehension mingled with her uncertainty, especially given the latter half of the elder's murmurs.

Lady Mito paused whatever she was thinking about enough to turn and respond, waving one graceful hand in a placating motion, "Ah, but of course. I agree, you should certainly take things at your own pace right now. I simply feel... that given the state of this mask and your... well, I felt I should provide a more complete idea of what options are available to you. That is, after all, what you asked of me."

Sumika nodded to that with some measure of relief, but the bedridden matriarch seemed to delve even deeper into her own thoughts, as even her responses were borderline absentminded.

Considering how Lady Mito expressed such a serious attitude earlier, their conversation thus far did not seem all that concerning...

Was it a political thing? Sumika mused that, from what she'd heard, a primary goal should be to avoid getting involved in the politics here as much a possible. Or anywhere, for that matter. Tsunade, Dan, Kaoru, and Lady Mito all reinforced that notion.

The elder in question just kept holding the cracked mask, peering closer at the engraved whirlpool sigil. Her attention on it deepened and the corners of her lips pulled into a slight frown.

"A few days...? To this degree?" her whispers questioned under her breath. But moments after, the bedridden woman bowed her head and lifted a hand to her chin,

"Certainly... this behavior you described is unexpected. We will need to address this with equal urgency. Truly, with this..."

These words caused Sumika to narrow her eyes, for she knew not what the elder was thinking. Her focus, however, rapidly flew to the table across the room, as an abrupt gesture from Lady Mito caused the assortment of bloodstained items to vanish in a puff of smoke — stored away somewhere all at once!?

The sudden outburst left a few muscles in Sumika's forehead twitching and her shoulders tense, but removing the subject of her prolonged distraction all this time was also helpful in its own way. But why? Why now? The girl could not help feeling perplexed in addition to her relief.

Had the elder noticed anything? Something about this whole conversation left a tingling sense of unease down the girl's spine...

Back and forth, her attention swung from one concern to another.

Equally as abruptly, Lady Mito shifted to a seemingly unrelated topic,

"Dear child, do you... have you ever had a hard time using your chakra, or any jutsu? Any jutsu in particular stand out in your memory?"

Bemused, Sumika considered how to respond. It took her a moment just to even consider the scope of that question, given the extent of her abilities. Her chakra felt quite strongly receptive to her control ever since she'd first awakened, and that extended to forming her chakra into nature transformations for the elements as well. Indeed, most of the elemental jutsu she tried before had come to her almost instinctively... almost preternaturally so.

Realizing this, a nagging irritation grew in the back of her mind, though Sumika failed to pin down the reason why.

"Mmmm? Er, please let me think..." was all she managed, buying herself some time.

Aside from her kekkei genkai, whose jutsu complexities were substantially higher by default, there was not much else. Really, the only difficulty she could recall was when she practiced Henge no Jutsu1Transformation Technique to try and disguise herself. Trying to transform into looking like someone else had given her quite the struggle, and even when she'd succeeded, she only managed to barely alter her form with different hair and eye color. Furthermore, wearing the Henge disguise for a long period had caused persistent discomfort to the point where using it required considerable restraint and willpower.

Before, Sumika figured her difficulty might plausibly be explained by the fact that she had only observed someone else using the technique, or well, witnessed it being dispelled after she killed the user, as a source of inspiration to learn it. The fact that that hostile encounter had made enough of an impression on her to attempt the Henge no Jutsu... and with some limited success, was a tad surreal to think about in retrospect.

By now, well... it should be safe to talk about that. Er, except maybe for the killing part.

With her eyes darting from side to side, Sumika threw together a few words to summarize her thoughts,

"I- I used to disguise myself with the Henge no Jutsu, but... it took a lot of effort. And it always felt uncomfortable."

"Really now...? I see." the matriarch continued pensively, "Would you briefly show me?"

"Er, I... don't really understand, but, as long as it is brief...?"

"If you please, then, that would be plenty."

Well, that much was doable. Though whatever for... that was beyond Sumika. But if it was Lady Mito asking, chances were that it would be productive to follow along... Just when exactly did that sentiment make its way into her thoughts?

Placing her hands together, Sumika attempted to perform the same transformation she'd used when traveling with the Yuka Group. To her surprise, she had to struggle quite a bit longer than before to get it working. She had to funnel and gather her chakra around more aggressively, as well as intensify the flow through her core chakra points. Was she out of practice? Or was it because her body had changed somewhat since then? She would have to look into this... later?

The lingering irritation in the back of her mind flared again, accompanied by a small pulse around her heart, before both quickly receded.

But she completed the technique anyway, which took her mind back to the present. With a small plume of smoke, Sumika reappeared in the room with a more angular face, glossy black hair, and bright green eyes. Quite similar to her previous disguise.

She stood somewhat stiffly as a sense of discomfort immediately pricked at her skin. Lady Mito observed silently for only around half a minute before signaling the girl to release her disguise. It felt longer to Sumika though, who had struggled to maintain her focus.

Releasing the jutsu produced another brief puff of smoke and an accompanying sensation of relief. There was no obvious reaction from the patiently waiting elder, though, much to Sumika's continued confusion.

"So... what was that for? Is this related to the mask?"

"In a way, yes... just some stray thoughts on my part. But I believe this has helped me understand... the situation." the woman's musing tone paused again, "Tell me, you are... your physical condition feels well, yes?"

"Err, yes?" This line of questioning was only getting stranger, and Sumika was not tracking the overall goal here.

"Right, yes. Of course. It is good to hear that you are feeling well. How about when using that jutsu, then?"

"There's... an immense feeling of discomfort around my body," Sumika searched for a way to describe it, "and also a sensation... a sense of dissonance?"

The girl still had no idea where the elder was going with this, but the questions were basic enough that she felt confident in answering. Was this how Tsunade felt when talking to Lady Mito all the time? A short wave of sympathy and newfound understanding colored Sumika's memories of the Sannin's muttering and complaints along those lines.

Lady Mito herself merely removed the hand resting on her chin, her palm silently waving aside in a smooth and offhanded gesture. An impactful gesture, to be sure, and one that captured Sumika's notice. It somehow conveyed a strong sense of spontaneity and furtherance. Times like this reminded the girl of the subtler gaps in her recently broadening range of experiences.

But still, just like that, with one gesture the elder moved on with her calm words and measured tone,

"Well, it is beside the point for now. Just know that I will look into how to help remove... or prevent that discomfort or difficulty you were feeling."

Sumika thought to respond, however that was interrupted by a faint but cool shifting of air flowing through the room, which was strange, given that no windows or doors were open.

Lady Mito glanced up into the rafters before shifting to face Sumika, extending the cracked mask back towards the girl,

"Here. This will need to be repaired as soon as possible. To know for certain how to proceed, I would ask that you attempt to use it again soon, in a controlled environment, once a replacement is secured. You have done well not to speak of this to anyone but me, and I must ask that you continue your silence on the specifics of what happened when you used this mask."

Sumika took hold of it from the elder's hands, placing it atop the packet of documents held aloft in her other arm.

"Err, Kaoru-san also said that I could send her messages once this matter was brought to your attention. Is that... would that still possible?"

Lady Mito's eyes closed fully once more, her expression and thoughts again inscrutable, "That administrator already knows, does she not? Her advice was correct, and... indeed, that temple is not the kind of place where one can simply send a letter. So yes-"

The elder's eyes snapped open and widened for but a second, and she placed a finger to her pursed lips, before continuing with calculative tone, "Yes... clearing up this matter and having you able to communicate would be good. Yes, quite a good option."

Sumika was relieved again to hear that, since thoughts of Fuzō and Kaoru stayed with her all this time. She'd even gained further appreciation for those two after reclaiming her sense of identity here, since she'd gotten more of the answers she craved. It... would be nice to contact them again.

Observing Sumika's relief, the tiniest puff of a sigh escaped Lady Mito's lips, and her hands slowly ran down her robes to smoothen out any wrinkles,

"I suppose I should mention this first then. I had hoped to proceed here along a more measured pace, but it seems this would all work out better if the order is adjusted. It is said that first impressions are everything, after all, so perhaps this way will determine whether or not some options were meant to be from the beginning."

The elder's lips slanted contemplatively, but she stared at Sumika with a level gaze, lifting a hand to point to the items in the girl's arms,

"Now... the task I have for you is to head towards the Uzumaki Clan's mask temple on the outskirts of the village. Its location will be clearly marked on those maps I have given you. Fortunately, the core of your mask is intact, so it is possible to socket it into a suitable replacement relatively easily. Someone there will assist you with this process, and then we can further investigate what happened. This is a priority, and I very much want for you to be able to use communication relics normally should any need arise."

Sumika nodded, processing the decisive solemnity of those words.Apparently this would cause some minor change in plans, but since Sumika herself wasn't yet aware of them, it might as well have been the original plan as far as she need be concerned. Regardless, this task marked a key step on the trail to deeper answers, so the idea of possibly resolving the mask's mysteries right away had Sumika internally all but salivating with anticipation. Then perhaps she would know enough to know what she should ask next.

Yes, yes! This was like compounding progress on multiple goals of hers at once. There was no reason to object. In fact, quite the contrary. Thinking as much, the girl grew eager to set out and return, glancing towards the door behind her. In her fervor, unpleasant thoughts of cultists and irritating feelings of discomfort faded, lingering tolerably far from notice. Her focus found a new target to prey upon, and it looked promising.

But Lady Mito had more to say, her tone again distracted and absentminded as she gazed off in another direction,

"Those whom you will meet at our clan's temple will also be central contacts and associates here for you, so it would be convenient if you just go and meet them at the same time while handling this matter." she paused, before adding cryptically, "Though, if you wish not to hurry, it might do well for you to read key segments of those outlines I gave you in advance, and then go to the temple."

Sumika, in her excited state, nodded vigorously despite controlling her expression with a practiced neutrality. A silence persisted, so she muttered a distracted request to be excused. The only response was a vague nod, as the greying matriarch still faced another direction.

But just as the girl turned to leave, practically trotting to the door, the elder seemed to catch herself and spoke up,

"Ah, wait..." her hands opened a drawer on her bedside table, extracting a single small envelope, "Take this as well. But... only open this after reading through all the rest. Then... then please come talk to me about it. When you are ready."

Sumika sped a few steps back to grasp the outstretched letter, mentally queuing up this task after all her other plans for the day.

"Thank you, Mito-sama. I will keep your words in mind. Then, I...I have much to do, so..."

"Yes, of course. Be on your way and follow the maps I gave; it is quite isolated, so you should reach there without issue."

From the doorway, the child nodded hastily over her shoulder, gently closing the door behind her as her footsteps rapidly retreated.

In this silence left by the absence of more youthful energy, Mito lifted her gaze to the rafters once more, before folding her face into her hands.

This... this was difficult. The child knew hardly anything, which made it even harder to begin.

That poor girl most often wore such a calm and brave face, even when recounting horrors that would break lesser spirits. And yet Sumika's spirit seemed as strong as ever despite, or perhaps because of, all that she must have suffered through.

Hunching over her lap, Mito extended a tired hand into a seal, ignoring the slight burning sensation that accompanied her use of chakra. With the sign, she released her storage and the table full of investigative evidence reappeared in the room.

All pieces of the puzzle, all clues into the grim reality. Bloodstained items tracing an untold tale and suggestive of savage secrets.

After all, Taboos were not to be broken lightly. As Uzumaki Mito, former jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast, would know well.

But all signs were pointing to the depths of just such heretical practices. Forbidden techniques, kinjutsu. Dark rites and rituals. The culprits, it became increasingly more clear, being the fragmented Cult of Jashin. Those who surrendered their sanity in worship to that demonic entity of brutality and bloodshed.

Mito's cold rage washed through her senses. Ice cold, always, yet flaring with the sparks of her weary heart. She had harbored her suspicions and suppositions over the years, but the absence of further evidence left the investigation unresolved.

Yet Sumika had appeared now, long after the bodies were buried and the trails ran cold. And her circumstances, too...

The child's temperate and neutral behavior. Her heart-achingly innocent and affectionate wishes.Her lack of common sensibilities. Her return from what ought to have been a near certain fate, her kidnapping having left no other survivors.Her strange relationship with jutsu. The mismatch between her skill and understanding.Her anomalous physiology and vitality.Tsuna's reports and observations.The testimonies from Hatake Sakumo and his unit by the western border.And Sumika's own reaction just before to the items recovered by Mito's ANBU...

It would all have to be addressed or accounted for.

Mito bit at the inside of her cheek, glancing aside to the aforementioned items on the table beside her.

From the reports Mito received, Sumika ought to have survived an ambush on the roads of the Land of Hotsprings, these items being the leftover remnants. The corpses and wreckage recovered in the area suggested that she'd been involved, at least.

The elder had hoped to use that matter as a catalyst for easing into a discussion about the girl's past and relation with the Cult of Jashin. Dan and Tsuna's reports both confirmed the child's immediate hostility towards the cultists, as well as her successful neutralization of at least eight Chūnin-level combatants.

And sure enough, as soon as Sumika had entered this room, the girl displayed a moment of intense hostility merely setting eyes upon the cultists' recovered robes. She furthermore visibly restrained herself, and showed prolonged physical distraction and discomfort.

This was supposed to be an opportunity to see what Sumika would say. To show the girl that Mito was willing to hear and listen if the conversation went that way. But that was not what the child herself had come to discuss. Oh no indeed, for as it turned out, Sumika had another bombshell to drop, forcing Mito to dismiss her previous agenda and focus on something entirely unexpected...

Still hunched over on her bed, the elder rubbed at her forehead as her mind whirled with consternation.

At first, Mito thought the matter of the mask was merely a pretext to speak of the demonic aspects Sumika had witnessed, or to mention what she might have gone through involving such things in the past.

But now, by the child's own account, she had directly interacted with the demonic entity sealed within a relic, and accessed a functionality beyond even the originally classified abilities.

Demonic relics, used in ways even Mito was not privy to? Space-time ninjutsu, kinjutsu? That level of development had not been completed a decade ago, when Mito was still a Grandmaster on Uzushio's research councils. It had been too long since the matriarch was an active member of those circles, to the point where she was likely perceived as a sort of emeritus. And that would pose a problem to future inquiries...

What were the elders of Uzushio up to, with the centuries of secrets they kept? Deeper secrets within secrets? Just how had they developed something like that — short-range point-to-point teleportation? What Taboos did they meddle in to achieve something on that scale? And tied to preexisting relics? The formulaic complexities must have been unimaginable. What were their risk assessments, their countermeasure protocols? Or had they at all? How was a girl like Sumika able to not only unlock her mask's core, but be able to breach a functionality like that?

The academic within Mito was enthralled by such thoughts, but the pragmatist within her wondered what kind of danger or justification Uzushio's experts and leaders had in mind for that kind of investment. Was this what they had done with the reparation funds Mito organized?

But all of those considerations could be put aside for now, save for one key aspect of the girl's story.

For it was not just that Sumika interacted with a demonic entity, but also suppressed it using her unique kekkei genkai chains. The chains of Uzumaki Masumi's bloodline. And Heavens knew just how familiar Mito was with their potency.

Such enormous binding capacity... had struck Mito with several ideas, and a deep sense of concern. It could provide a compelling argument to keep Sarutobi Hiruzen and his ilk from meddling. One that few could object to and even fewer could disprove. One that Mito was uniquely suited to orchestrate.

That had inspired her to again shift the order of her plans. And the words she told Sumika were nothing less than the truth. It could bring great benefits to everyone Mito still held dear in her heart. But, only if it was meant to be. Only if all parties would agree to it naturally...

Which hopefully... would be ascertained quite soon. The rest, well, would have to be revisited once Sumika opened her envelope.

Having reorganized her thoughts for a few moments, Mito sighed. She was going to have even more to deal with now. For the moment though, she resumed her focus on the other visitor she had arranged for. The one who had arrived not long before the child departed.

"I apologize for the wait, my dear. I appreciate your prompt response." the elder nodded upwards slightly, raising her chin and her gaze, "Well then, how... what did she look like to you?"

Floating down from the rafters, a loose swarm of butterflies coalesced around Mito, comprised of chakra and in shades spanning a gradient of blues and purples.

A face made of shadows formed among the fluttering wings, indistinct save for the glow of a red eye.

"Bright. Bright enough that it hurt to look at closely." a voice somehow both firm and feminine intoned, "But... complex kinjutsu is involved for certain. Even so, most eyes would not see too clearly."

In some ways, that was a relief. In others, only further complication.

But with this level of confirmation, combined with all the circumstantial evidence collected...?At this rate, just what would a test of the child's blood reveal?