"What's this meeting for this early in the morning?" Takeru grumbled, clearly hung over as the squad assembles in a conference room Ruka requested on Shin's orders.
"Shin has an announcement," Ruka replied as she sat at the right hand side of the head of the table.
Takeru left an empty seat beside him and Ruka as Ryu rubbed his back. Shou and Anna sat on the other side of the table.
"Any idea about what it is, Ruka-nee?" Anna asked.
Ruka nodded, "I'm not allowed to divulge the details though, Shin's orders. What I can say is that it's about our next assignment."
"Where is Sanada-taicho?" Shou asked.
"Reporting to Shimazu-sama. He said he'd be back in a few minutes."
"Where did you both go yesterday, Ruka-chan?" Ryu asked. "I know you both went to Shimazu-sama's estate in the morning. But after that — well, we got back here at around 3am — don't know if you're both already back by then."
"Ruka-nee was already fast asleep when I got in our room though," Anna provided.
"Yeah. Got one too many encounters with hatamotos yesterday," Ruka sighed as she leaned back on her seat. "We got back at around 1am, collapsed immediately when my bed swallowed me."
"I thought you were only meeting with Shimazu-sama?" Shou perked.
"Well," Ruka shrugged her shoulders. "We were supposed to also meet Date-sama at midnight, but we chanced upon Takeda-sama fishing by the matsuri at Osaka Bay."
"Takeda Benimaru?!" Ryu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Fishing?!" Anna gasped.
"At Osaka Bay?" Shou asked in disbelief.
"Urrrgggh..." Takeru groaned like he was about to throw up.
"Want me to one up that encounter?" Ruka chuckled dryly.
"There's more?" All three exclaimed, Takeru laid his head on the table, looking pale and grey.
Ruka nodded, "Enami Asa joined us in talking with the Entei," Ruka dropped like it was the normal thing in the world. The jaws that dropped was the indication that it wasn't.
"You're telling us," Ryu began, "that Shin, Takeda Benimaru, and Enami Asa were in the same place at the same time... and the place didn't burn down?"
"She held the entire matsuri hostage," Ruka answered flatly.
"That was bold of her," Takeru added weakly, "a kunoichi exposing herself like that. Of course she'll have contingencies."
"But why expose herself though?" Anna queried and Ruka raised an eyebrow at her. "It just seems... weird," the Corporal continued, "the shinobi of Iga have always been mysterious, and now, their best assassin just... revealed herself in the open, and in the presence of a hatamoto no less."
"Good question, Anna-chan. Unfortunately, we can only speculate," Ruka sighed in frustration.
"Any ideas?" Shou asked.
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