Embers [Ban]

It has been three days since Murata and Ban's meeting with the Mizukage. Their team has been selected, and while the pair's teammates have not yet gained personal clearance to the trove of secrets hidden under the Academy, Murata has decided that it's best to get the main research out of the way quickly.

Murata waits outside the Academy for Ban. It's a cold and clear morning, thin snowflakes occasionally falling. The twin marble statues of their target, Xyxer Gyojin, loom on either side of the gates. Really, two? Right next to one another?

"Good morning," Murata says to Ban upon her presumed arrival. "Ready for some reading?"

The depth of the Under-Vault is rivalled only by the world's most ambitious mines. Once one steps on to the seal array beyond the clearance point and is transported down to the vault, it is like stepping into another world. Though it is a tidy and well-lit space, like that of any other reference library, the deathly silence and oppressive feeling of the walls and ceiling makes one feel entirely entombed. Everything echoes.

"Mm," Murata says, "I already hate it here."

Where to start?

Murata consults one of the vault's clerk for a directory of the Vault's contents, providing the details of what access the Mizukage has provided them. The collection of secret techniques will be worth a visit, surely, but there are other matters to attend to first. Murata's eyes wander over the list of collections, before falling on two that surprise her.

Tengakure Archives
Konohagakure Archives

Murata moves first to the trove of documents that are older than Kirigakure itself - those inherited from Tengakure that must have been shepherded to Kirigakure before the other village's destruction. Curious. Why are they here, if that village fell to ruin? Recovered after the fact? They are remarkably intact. Dated to six years ago, with the latest hand to sign them being of one Xyxer Gyojin.

What did Takeo Tadashi's book have to say on the topic? Not much. It had been... remarkably vague on the fall of the village he had once lead. Conflicting rumours placed responsibility of the village's destruction on either his shoulders or those of some unknown adversary... but if it had been another, why the mystery? They would have had enough warning for this mysterious assailant they were able to perfectly evacuate the village and save all of its documents... then to for the man to never mention it again in his otherwise lovingly detailed memoir...

"Not relevant," she says to herself, moving on.

Of practical interest are a number of documents dating from Tengakure's brief alliance with Old Kirigakure. Murata takes several letters and files archived from the original alliance between the Mizukage Suzaku and the Tenkage Zachariah - that will be more than enough information for them to locate the village itself. Mission accomplished.

Even with this part of their mission accomplished, she is still drawn towards the copies of Konohagakure's files, looking towards what may be relevant.
Murata unrolls a scroll written in the hand of Viper Uchiha. She scans it briefly... and then does a double take, squinting in focus. It is a detailed account of several transgressions Kirigakure had made towards Konohagakure.

Murata looks back to the files taken from the Tengakure section, cross-referencing the dates. After this point, all communication between Kirigakure and Tengakure ceased. Presumably because Kirigakure had then been underwater, and unable to receive mail.

Though she has already located her objective, curiosity fuels her, and she delves into the copied documents from Konohagakure. They tell her of a devastating war between the Fire and Sky nations that had consumed Old Kirigakure in its flame, with Konohagakure coming out on top, ruling the world. A master of five nations, with the village of Funkagakure curiously holding a close tie to Konohagakure... and rising to take Kirigakure's place in most communications that mentioned the five great nations immediately after the destruction of Old Kirigakure. Murata clicks her tongue in thought and brings her collection of files to the clerk to have copied for the investigation's file, so she may peruse them without having to come back to this godforsaken tomb.

"Look at this," she murmurs to Ban, showing her the results of her digging.

---

711

how all these docs made it to kiri's vault wrote:https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t37177-mr-calcium-and-ser-h2o-kots
xyxer specifically going through Konoha's documents

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t38275-what-lurks-in-silence-p
'On the last table was a myriad of copied documents from Konohagakure to add to their own collection.'

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t25376-hail-to-the-lord-of-the-flies-p
scroll detailed below established to still be in tengakure

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t11492-a-topic-psuzaku-zee
tenga assigns kirigakure new mizukage

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t26416-bedtime-hymns
tengakure docs going to kiri

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t13280-the-fate-of-sky-pten-hokage-only#107193
"Kirigakure no Sato has made a move against not only Konohagakure no Sato, but my family as well.

After requesting admittance into my borders one known as Mangetsu Hozuki proceeded to lure a member of my family across the border, assault them, and take them into Kirigakure no Sato."

Viper's eyes narrow as he looks towards the man speaking his next words, "The man was executed personally for his attempt at my family members life and bloodline."

Viper extends his right arm placing the scroll upon that of the Tenkage's desk, "I ran into some interesting information after dealing with some traitors in my own land, the leader of the Tornado village seemed to have deep roots in Kirigakure no Sato, and Tengakure no Sato, the exacts are in that scroll there.

Hopefully you will handle these issues to the utmost of your abilities, as I said before I came to you first because I respect you as a fellow leader of nations."'

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t10717-osore-s-returnp
official volcano + konoha alliance established

exact contents of copied konoha documents is somewhat vague, but going to make an argument that it would cover enough snippets of Viper's reign to get a bit of a vague picture of it and the Fire Nation in general, since stuff on Viper was what Xyxer was specifically looking for

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t22574-takeo-tadashi
'public knowledge' section of takeo's statpage, stating that he is suspected by the general public of being behind tengakure's destruction

Ban, appearing to be busy with her own choices of study, has little to say. Murata collects her research and has it copied, and then goes to take a look at the various technique scrolls available. Most of them she will not be able to use to her full potential - but she does take a closer look at a frightening weaponry technique and a simple way to protect herself from the influence of the village's storm barrier. After a long day of study, Murata picking out a few more interesting-looking historical files from the Konoha and Tenga collections as well as memorizing the important parts of her selected techniques for later practice, she departs the archive and returns to the surface.


TWC: 832
Training:
Storm Veil (125 words at 50% discount from academy)
14AP (700 words)

discarding remaining WC

Approved