The Heat

Murata listens intently to his words, nodding along. In the next room, she hears the quiet pencil scratching of her companions taking notes. Sakata's account of events seems to line up cleanly with the murder of Tsukimi Hozuki. It is curious how much he assumes that his captors know, and Murata wonders how accurate that is. She had not been told much, but if this was a test and they were recording her results against those of more experienced interrogators, that would create some metric to judge her by.

A local shinobi who had grown dissatisfied with government's preference for the villages for work, then. Perhaps an explanation for a single murder of revenge, but not one for a continuing pattern of behavior. However, she cannot yet move into her next line of inquiry, as she owes Sakata a story. What will he ask of her? Surely, to preserve the integrity of their deal, she will have to delve just as deep.

"Is that your question?" she responds to his query as to whether that had been what she was expecting, smiling wryly.

---

183
TWC: 1839

Sakata took his time coming up with a question worth asking. Perhaps he could try and mess with Murata some more, but where's the fun in that? If anything, the silver haired liked to change things up. Meaning there would be no use going around in circles. Sure, the flirting wasn't all bad, it even made him look forward to when he'd be able to hold a woman in his arms again. But chances of that taking place were very little, unless his plan of getting out would actually work. Anyway, a question for the lady. "How do you think it feels, taking a life? Assuming you haven't already of course.." Perhaps the woman in front of him was more cold blooded than he originally thought. It's always the ones you don't expect.

His question wasn't one of arrogance, although he didn't have any regrets Sakata didn't want them to think it was just a sport. On the other hand, they were shinobi. One could hardly expect never having to get their hands dirty. "We're not so different after all". Some kill to protect their village while others do it for their own safety. The first is considered righteous, even heroic while the other is called a crime. At the end of the day both had the same result, taking a life. Now that he thought about it, how funny would it be if they offered him his freedom in return for his loyalty. Perhaps the Bloody Mist saw value in his set of skills, it wasn't like any of their current and previous leaders were any better than him, let alone more honorable.

(WC: 274, TWC: 2378)

Murata considers this for a long few moments, quiet. It is not a manner of whether she will speak - moreso, she must be thoughtful about how she frames her words... and she would not like to put him to sleep with her entire life story.

"From about the age of nine, I was raised in a Ninshū temple in Onbinjuku." She sips her water. "It wasn't quite like the temples or monasteries here in Island." She will not bore him with the exact differences of ideology between Ninshū and its cousin faiths, either, let alone the differences between sects of the philosophy itself.

"That was where I was taught how to recognize Chakra. The way Ninshū teaches the practice, the heart remains open, and the energy running through you is a vector to the soul. The barriers between living things are eroded." She leans back in her chair, looking faintly contemplative, speaking a little slowly and deliberately. It is clear that she is still working on the best way to present the explanation of this to strangers with no context. "It is the teaching of Ninshū that all beings are capable of understanding one another, and capable of the same suffering. It is only once you understand this, have seen this for yourself, that the temple would allow you help with preparing food." She offers that same, wry smile, with a little bit of wistfulness to it. "We are not so unlike pigs or chickens."

She agrees that she is not much different from him, but she keeps that to herself. Juxtaposed with her previous sentence, he may find that unflattering. She offers no denial. That will have to do.

"In a literal sense, then? For me? It feels like dying," she says, offering a shrug. "That sensation was generally foremost on their minds, and thus foremost on mine. I am sure that is not quite what you meant, though." she searches his expression, checking to make sure he is still following. "I would often tend to the gardens as well. The leaves do not appreciate being trimmed, even if it is what is best for the plant. Still, it is my duty to do what is best for the whole."

She does not have a question for him immediately. His response may in of itself be useful, so there is no need to rush.

---

396
TWC: 2235

Sakata allowed the woman to finish her story. He asked for one so that's what the silver haired was getting. "Interesting". Listening attentively to Murata all the while wondering what the others in the room next to theirs would think about the person sitting in front of him sharing a certain amount of information with the criminal. Not that any of it would be classified nor would it hurt the Bloody Mist since everything that was being said only pertained to her past, let alone something directly involving Kirigakure. Regardless, the man figured they weren't so happy with the interrogation taking its time. Well, it was the least of his problems. He was simply enjoying the company.

"Recognizing chakra, opening your heart, understanding one another, able to share one's pain and suffering. I'm sure it sounds more beautiful than it actually is" he tried to smile as he replied. If things were as simple as that Sakata figured there wouldn't be any need for shinobi, let alone war. But, this Ninshū as Murata called it, was her belief and the way she was raised, meaning it was real, at least to her. "Raised by wolves" the silver haired softly said. If the woman was paying attention she'd be able to catch what he said, if not they were simply lost into the void, as were many of his thoughts. Sakata then fixed his posture, adjusting himself in his chair before speaking up once more.

First taking another sip of his water he bombarded the woman with another couple of questions. "Did you find yourself opening your heart? Able to understand others and suffer with them? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for opening your heart to me, it would mean this relationship is going somewhere but part of me finds it hard to believe you're capable of understanding me or the things I've done. And if you are I'm not so sure what they would think about that" he answered while looking into the direction of the room next to them. After all, she was there to get as much information out of him as possible, not relate to him or his crimes let alone try and understand his reasons for doing the things he did.

With a final sip Sakata emptied his glass. "Those gardens sound lovely. Perhaps you can take me there someday". A smile appeared on his face. “A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, unfortunately it might take some time before I'm able to leave this place". The silver haired then took another look at his dossier on the table, still closed and untouched. A deep sigh as he started thinking if that would be the only thing he'd leave behind. If that would be it, his legacy.

(WC: 461, TWC: 2839)

"The world is more beautiful for its difficulties," she says. A philosophy so deeply informed by war and pain must account for despair.

Her story has awakened a cautious curiosity in him. He has straightened up, grown attentive, tone more serious and sincere than his previous flippancy. A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth at his little aside. Yes, perhaps. Some wolves she know may dispute that comparison. Sakata shows some slight interest in opening up further, betrayed by his voiced trepidation, his request for reassurance.

"There is no need for you to worry about my peers. They are my responsibility." There is no indication to Sakata what the other staff of the facility may be thinking - only the occasional, distant scratching of pencil against paper. Murata sips her water, still half full. "You know why I asked you specifically about the boundaries of the law when I asked about the first time you took a life. The difference between a convicted murderer and a celebrated warrior lies only in the monopoly of violence held by the state. Might I have acted differently if I were in your shoes? Perhaps. Does that make it impossible for me to understand? I do not think so."

Kirigakure is not a spiritual place. If Sakata, on some level, seeks some advice or absolution beyond the physical realm, Murata may be the only chance he will ever have.

"Is there anything you regret?" Murata asks - one question in return for his barrage.

---

251
TWC: 2486

The silver haired individual took a small moment to reflect. Regret. What exactly does it mean to regret something? Does it mean you feel sorry, that you wished you did things differently or wanted something didn't happen but it did? "When I look back at my past there isn't anything I would change. Would I still be sitting here with you if I made the choice not to kill that man who set me up back then? Perhaps not. Would something else have happened anyway? Most likely". Just because he could have decided not to act the way he did wouldn't mean his entire fate would have changed. Sakata didn't believe in such things. "It doesn't matter. I am who I am today, regardless of the past. There's no use living in the past". Or how he decided to stay on the philosophical side of things.

It was far too late for Sakata to start and feel sorry for his deeds. The man was past redemption regardless of what he'd try to change or what others would try and tell him. "However, I don't believe I'm the monster that people depict me as. Sure, I've killed. Hell, I even liked it but if you take a look at my so called victims you'll be able to see it from a different side. I've never hurt children, women or innocent people. Each and every single one of them were bastards who had done fare more evil crimes than I could ever imagine to commit". Yes, Sakata admitted. He was guilty. Without a question. But that didn't mean he was planning on taking all the credit either.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm no Robin Hood who gets rid of the bad guys. Well, maybe a bit. And I bet I look great with a bow and arrow" he smiled. So no, the silver haired didn't regret nor would he want to change anything. "What about you? Do you regret being where you are now? Was this the path you always wanted to take, is this what you always saw yourself doing?" Well, Sakata already knew the answer. Not a lot of girls dream of becoming an interrogator, or at least so he hoped. What did he wanted to become again? Business owner, yeah something like that. Oh how things can change, have changed ..

(WC: 391, TWC: 3230)

The pencil pauses, and then continues again rapidly at Sakata's insistence that he had never harmed women or children. Is... do they consider his word trustworthy in this regard? Is that a point being outlined for future follow-up? At present, Murata considers herself to be largely demonstrating a talent in rapport building, and getting anything truly juicy would likely require multiple sessions. The need for the intense, torturous interrogation that Sakata may have been expecting is completely obviated by Murata's ability to simply scrub his mind clean, so she feels it best to demonstrate soft skills. The slight, obvious shift in the room's atmosphere puts her off-balance.

"Ask him why he killed Pero Hozuki."

The Yamanaka jonin's telepathic voice rings clearly in Murata's head. Sakata may see her eyes lose focus for a moment, but there is otherwise zero indication for him of what is happening. The pencil continues scratching in the other room.

Murata's eyes trail to the dossier for a moment. Was this not a test? The dossier is a prop. Perhaps the interrogation center itself has a much lengthier file, but the one Murata was provided with is largely full of blank pages. She has no idea who Pero Hozuki is, although she can assume that it is a different person than the one Sakata described earlier.

"I would have liked to be a teacher," she hums. "Or a historian."

Murata pulls the dossier into her hands, looking thoughtful.

"Why did you kill Pero Hozuki?"

---

248
TWC: 2734

Sakata watched as the woman took his dossier after sharing her dream job with him. "I wonder if I'll make it in any of the history books" he smiled before leaning back in his chair while putting both hands behind his head. "¿Por qué no los dos?" Using his best Spanish, he used to date this latina chick, Sakata asked why Murata didn't simply combine both. "Teach history, two birds with one stone. But then again, we probably wouldn't have met". The silver haired figured there's a thing or two he could learn from her and the other way around. The man couldn't help but laugh at the thought of him being a teacher, let alone help young kids with their development. And he sincerely doubted there were any parents willing to leave their children with a killer like him.

He took a deep breath, only to hear the sudden mention of a name. Pero Hozuki. "Who said I did?" Sakata rubbed his chin, repeating the man's name over and over as a sign he was thinking and trying to come up with something. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Does this Pero Hozuki come with a picture? You know, to freshen up my memory". He didn't plan on giving Murata what she wanted just yet. The entire time their conversation felt natural, until now. So why the sudden change of pace? Perhaps she hoped Sakata got a little bit too comfortable which would cause him to lower his guard. Oh well, not that he minded. The best was yet to come.

(WC: 261, TWC: 3491)

"To teach history, first I would need a confident understanding of it," she says. "Shinobi have a terrible habit of not writing anything down. It has been an utter pain to familiarize myself with this world."

Murata snickers at his obvious deflection. Contrary to Sakata's assumptions, she does not believe that she has done much to frustrate the jonin in the other room as of yet, but this may be a snag. Somehow, her superior manages to telepathically communicate annoyed silence... or perhaps that is just her imagination. At the very least, if this sinks the entire questioning, she can very confidently argue it was not her fault. She will do her best to salvage it, anyways - it feels more like he is less straightforwardly unwilling and moreso simply doesn't want to make things too easy.

"Only the preponderance of evidence," she says with an easy shrug. There is not much she can do to strong-arm him in this regard, so the ball must return to his court - if he wishes to, he may simply stay mum as long as he likes. It would be best to return to what has tempted him to come out of his shell in the first place. "Have I misunderstood our bargain? If you would like more information from me in exchange for your side of the story, I am happy to provide."

---

229
TWC: 2961

Sakata noticed how Murata almost emphasized those two words. "This world? You still don't feel or see yourself like one of them, a shinobi?" It was interesting to listen and hear how she talked about all sort of things, but perhaps what interested the silver haired the most would be finding out the looks on the others' faces from growing more annoyed by each minute that the interrogation was taking. After all, so far the only thing they witnessed was the chemistry between the two of them. Not that it would surprise Sakata, he was quite the charmer. It would exactly be why the inmate decided to humor the woman some more and comply with her request, albeit partially.

He couldn't help but smile upon hearing Murata mention his side of the story. "Tell me, does that even matter? It's not like it would get me out of here, right?" If they really cared, why did he end up robbed of his freedom? If his side of the story was so important, why did it take them so long to finally send someone to hear him out? Perhaps his case wasn't that high on the list of priorities, surprise. "Alright, how about this? What's in it for you? Are you simply here trying to understand others or is there something else you haven't told me yet? If you're honest then I wouldn't mind telling you more about this Hozuki. Although, he'd be nothing more than a footnote in that so called history you mentioned earlier".

(WC: 255, TWC: 3746)