IX - 01.09

The feeling of the wind rushing against his face was very pleasant, especially since he wasn't dangling from a vulture's talons this time. Kyofu's large wings beat at the air nearby, propelling them forward.

Katsuo could see why the Land of Rivers had gotten its name. Rushing rivers wider than even Kyofu painted the lands. Smaller creeks and streams split and conjoined between the rivers, creating a web of wavering blue.

Luscious green hills decorated the lands unclaimed by water, the larger ones sporting waterfalls that joined the rivers underneath. Small towns were built atop the hills, their inhabitants reduced to small dots from Katsuo's high vantage point.

The hills grew in size as they flew north, combining with their nearby brethren to form a faux mountain range. One central river split the two sides in half, its current flowing south towards the ocean.

With a few extra beats of her wings, Kyofu crescented over one the larger hills, peering down on the landscape beneath. Katsuo smiled at the sight of the larger buildings, signaling he'd reached his destination.

Like the hills surrounding it, the village of Tanigakure was split in half from the river. Various buildings filled in the open land around the river, multiple bridges hover above the rushing water, connecting the two sides.

In the center of the village stood the largest, widest bridge. Two decently sized towers paralleled from both sides, painting an image akin to a doorway. Although not as big as one of the Great Villages, Tanigakure held its own in terms of size, its length stretching miles along the rushing river.

Roads of stone stretched through the village, extending outward into the hills nearby. Large gates sprouted near the base of the hills, serving as both entrances and exits.

Kyofu made her descent onto the right hill, stopping a decent walk away from the village's gates. The grass underneath spiraled as her large wings beat at the air above them, her large body flattening the plants underneath.

"Thank you, Kyofu," Katsuo said, a particularly long spear emerging from his palm. Kyofu snapped the weapon of bone in two, its length quickly disappearing into her black beak. Her black eyes shut, muffled coos echoing from her.

"I expect a similar meal the next time you summon me," the gold-feathered bird squawked before erupting into a cloud of smoke. 

The walk up to Tanigakure's gates was brisk, a few caravans fallin in line behind him as he traversed the hilly terrain. The gate was bigger than he'd thought before, his high vantage point playing a key role in that assumption. 

Two shinobi guards stood before the tall gate, a plate of metal encased in cloth wrapped tight around their forehead. The Tanigakure symbol was simple, two parallel diagonal lines with a wavering line splitting them. 

Nothing about the guards screamed notability, both sporting long, dark-brown hair. The one on the left's hair was split into two braids while the right guard's hair fell straight down. The left guard rhythmically groomed his curly beard as he half-searched through one of the caravans ahead. The right guard stood a few steps away, his eyes briskly scanning over the merchant's ID before handing it back.

Atop the walls surrounding the gate stood two more shinobi. A ginger-haired kunoichi slowly paced along the wall's perimeter, counting the caravans lining up behind the wall. The other shinobi, a seemingly younger version of the left guard below, silently juggled a few kunai, paying little attention to the ground level.

The village entrance didn't seem hard to infiltrate, the lack of anything notable happening along its walls creating a sense of apathy that'd festered for who knows how long. Katsuo had dressed himself in rags, dirt prominent in his gray hair and face. He'd be playing the role of a child refugee whose family was killed by bandits.

Whether due to the lack of diligence within the guards or sense of tranquility amongst the merchants, Katsuo found himself at the front of the line quicker than he'd expected. The left guard's eyes traced over him before turning toward the right guard.

"What is it you need, kid?" His voice was deep and smooth, easing the few nerves Katsuo had surrounding the situation. He paused for a second to get his story straight, looking up at the guard with as much emotion as he could foster.

"I-I need somewhere to go! My parents… They were attacked by bandits. I ran away, but I don't know if they followed me. Please let me in, I'll do anything! My mom said I'm strong for my age, I'll even become a Shinobi!"

Sympathy flashed across the right guard's face as he processed Katsuo's words. He looked up towards the pacing kunoichi above before returning his gaze on Katsuo. With a sigh he answered.

"There's an orphanage near the left gate. It's a bit of a walk, but if you ask around someone would surely lead you to it. Once you get there tell Asa that Shōgo sent you, she'd hear you out after that."

Katsuo frantically nodded, bowing his head to the guard. It wasn't until he was a ways away from the gates that he abandoned the skittish attitude he'd dawned, replaced by one of curiosity. 

Brick buildings decorated the interior of the village, a plethora of colors from the usual red to muted grays and browns. The buildings stretched across the foot of the hills, a few larger ones built into them until they reached the wall encasing the village.

Katsuo's view atop of Kyofu hadn't displayed him the numerous smaller creeks of the village, which branched off of the main river before rejoining the larger body further downstream. Along those creeks sprouted skinny wooden docks, a few people fishing from them.

Along the border of the village's walls stood the compounds of its clans. The center heart of the village filled with businesses, and the civilian population filled in everywhere else. The Kawakage resided inside the tower stationed on the western side of the bridge, the eastern tower serving as his office and general administrative building.

A little asking around gave Katsuo at least an overview of the village's politics. The four clans of Tanigakure held a monopoly on the power within the village, making up the entirety of the village's leadership throughout its history.

The current Kawakage belonged to the 'Tanataki' clan, serving as both the leader of the village and as his clan's patriarch. He'd been the first Kawakage of the clan since the village's inception, having risen to power through his supposed great strength. He'd ruled for about a decade-and-a-half at this point. 

Despite the Tanataki currently possessing leadership of the village, the 'Fuhan' clan was widely viewed as the greatest power between its peers. Three out of the village's eight Kawakage had reigned from the Fuhan clan, with the most prominent being the village's founder.

Even without holding the central power of the village since the second Kawakage, the 'Gurueru' clan still had great power to contest its peers. They had the greatest amount of Shinobi between the four, their signature Genjutsus playing a big part in the village's efforts in the Third Shinobi World War.

Lastly were the 'Yosai' clan, who'd maintained their position through their amassed wealth. The clan owned or backed a good percentage of the businesses within the village, as well as a mine built into a hill a little ways away from Tanigakure.

The four clans had maintained a sort of inert balance within the village, one which remained even through the one clans constant attempts to subdue and surpass the other. It was a balance enforced with time, its nature unaffected by the constant chipping it suffered.

As it stood, these clans would be the biggest challenge for the Kaguya. Upsetting the balance the village had maintained for so long could end in its downfall, even if they succeeded in their conquest. Katsuo didn't have the best mind for politics, nor did he know the ins and outs of running an economy, so he'd be relying on the established foundation to hold the village strong even in the case of their success.

Even if he had the know-how of how to single handedly run the village, he'd spend a great deal of time constantly watching his back. If the four clans united in response to the newer, bigger threat, he doubted the Kaguya would even last a year. 

At the same time, the Kaguya were already determined to conquer the valley-hidden village, which meant the slim chance they had of a diplomatic victory had become completely non-existent. Another 'false conquest' like Kirigakure would tear the clan in two, with Katsuo's side being significantly smaller. He'd have to soothe his clan's bloodlust while simultaneously maintaining the structure Tanigakure stood on.

Luckily for him, his scouting trip to the village had occurred at the most opportune time. Rumors of a conflict bubbling with the Fuhan clan had grown beyond their enclosed compound, reaching the ears of even the gossipping civilians. 

Prior to the current Kawakage, Sōgen Fuhan had been the leader of the valley-hidden village, as well as his clan's patriarch. He'd been a dutiful, diligent man who'd ensured the village's prosperity through the tail end of the Second Shinobi World War, as well as the times of peace afterwards.

Beyond just being a good leader, Sōgen had been a very family oriented man. He wanted to ensure his clan's prosperity alongside that of the village, ending the fixed balance the clans had created. It was a mindset that all of the previous Kawakage had shared, but Sōgen approached it in a different manner.

He wanted to tie the title of Kawakage into a hereditary succession, ending the power struggle that ensued whenever a Kawakage passed. He couldn't risk the other clans revolting, however, so he couldn't just pass the title down to his first-born son as planned.

A solution fell upon his lap when his wife gave birth for the first time; birthing two males. Kiku, the elder brother by seven minutes, was raised the traditional way of a clan heir, learning the ins and outs of the Fuhan clan as well as how to further push their clan towards prosperity.

The younger brother, Aki, was raised completely different, however. Sōgen was fully intent on Aki succeeding him as Kawakage, instructing the boy on how to live in the world of politics and manage the wellbeing of the village. By creating two branches of the clan, he could ensure a hereditary succession while also maintaining the balance of the village long enough for the process to solidify itself.

Unluckily, Sōgen Fuhan was slain on the battlefield towards the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War. Kawatsuyo Tanataki, a general at the time, would use the goodwill built within the village from his war efforts as a way to implant himself as Kawakage, shattering the late Sōgen's plans.

To worsen the situation, his death had split the Fuhan clan in two. Aji, being the elder, had naturally become the clan's patriarch. Kiku, however, had lost the position he'd been promised since youth, causing him to turn his eye inward.

Aji believed he could foster the growth of the Fuhan clan without permanently tying them to the position of Kawakage, arguing that a wide foundation was better than a tall peak. Kiku shared the ambitions of his father and detested his twin for forsaking the man's desires. He believed that under himself, the Fuhan clan could see the late patriarch's dreams through.

Tensions had been growing within the two sides since the end of the Third Shinobi World War six years prior, and was finally starting to evolve beyond differentiating opinions. Kiku was starting to amass followers to usurp his brother, forcing the rivaling sides into an unmendable situation.

Katsuo saw the conflict as a gateway for the Kaguya's entrance and integration into the village. Masquerading as outside help for the Fuhan's internal situation would without a doubt draw eyes, but shouldn't evolve beyond that.

Getting past the village's fortified walls would be the most difficult part of the Kaguya's conquest, and would without a doubt cause the greatest amount of casualties. Circumventing those losses would grant the Kaguya greater manpower to use in the battles within the village.

The Fuhan's internal struggle would prevent them from interfering with the Kaguya's invasion, but Katsuo would still have to plan for the other clans. 

War against the Tanataki was inevitable since they'd be usurping their patriarch, but the Gurueru and the Yosai were still unknown variables. If they could avoid involving either clan their chances of victory would increase tenfold, but Katsuo didn't know enough about the two clans to bank on their inactivity.

He'd have to find a way to ensure the clans' neutrality before he returned to the Kaguya. It seemed his simple scouting mission had evolved into something greater. 

The sun had finally finished its descent, replaced by the blinding white of the moon. The street that was bustling with movement just a few hours ago bore nothing besides the dark, gray path stretching to and from different shops. 

Katsuo had chosen to stick to the shadows. Despite the rather lackluster effort they'd shown before, there were still active Shinobi out and about. He didn't know the level of skill they had, and would like to avoid detection either way.

Navigating through the winding alleyways had been easy. He'd used the narrow halls to travel during the day just so that he'd been familiarized with them. A dark green dumpster with a turquoise top placed along the left side of a building signaled he'd reached his destination. 

His fingers blurred as he went through hand signs. The familiar sinking that accompanied the usage of 'Moguragakure no Jutsu' struck at him until he was buried deep beneath the earth. The chakra-dug tunnel expanded as he moved forward. The flooring of the buildings clouded the vision usually granted with the use of the Jutsu, so he'd have to hope that he wasn't blindly jumping into a bad situation.

Katsuo shot out from the ground, his body easily tearing through the wooden floor overhead. His head frantically turned as he scouted his surroundings. A sigh of relief escaped his throat at the sight of the aging books before him.

He'd eyed the two-storied library earlier in the day, but decided to pass on it in favor of more gossip-sparking stores nearby. He didn't know what he'd find within the archive of books, but didn't have much to lose in searching.

A good deal of the first floor was geared towards the civilians; entire sections dedicated to works of fiction, a few general education books sprinkled in here and there. Katsuo had made sure to take as many medical books as he could. Although they were geared towards civilians and didn't include any Iryojutsu, the extra knowledge on anatomy and how the body works could serve as inspiration towards his usage of Shikotsumyaku.

The second floor was more directed to Shinobi, but even then there wasn't much to work with. Most of the books were instructions meant to aid children still studying in the academy. Scrolls detailed how to better access the chakra within the pathways, as well as a few basic chakra control exercises. Although Katsuo already knew how to use chakra he'd still taken the scrolls, for the exercises if nothing else.

Beyond a few more in depth explanations regarding the Jutsu that were required to graduate from the academy, the library stood bare of any notable Jutsu. Katsuo hadn't been dumb to expect to find S-Rank scrolls within a public library, but he'd at least expected something.

He guessed it made sense, though. For the four clans to have an almost absolute monopoly over the village's Shinobi, they'd have to have a similar monopoly over the village's Jutsu as well. 

Raiding the clans' archive would be infinitely harder than the library had been, so he'd just have to stick to the cards he'd been dealt with.

Beyond the basic Jutsu and the medical textbooks, Katsuo made sure to grab a few history books. He'd hoped they contained at least a little regarding the history of the four clans, which he could use to his advantage.

Katsuo made sure to remove any traces that he'd been in the library, besides the gaping hole left in the center of the bottom floor by his entrance. As far as he could tell, there wasn't any way of connecting him to the damage, so he'd leave it be.

Retracing the tunnel from before, Katsuo found himself back in the alleyway he'd started in. The orphanage was only a little ways away, where he was promptly accepted. It seemed the matron, Asa, was the sister of the guard, Shōgo. The guard had let his sister know about him beforehand, and explained the late appearance as simply getting lost.

The other children were already asleep, which left Katsuo alone with his new findings— particularly the medical books. His memories had shown that Kimimaro was capable of sprouting a tail with the Shikotsumyaku. Although he was aided by the boost in chakra the curse mark gave him, Katsuo wondered if he could recreate something similar.

A tail served little use to him, but the prospect of an additional set of arms or legs was something he'd at least have to attempt. 

He hadn't gotten much rest that night, between the study of the history of Tanigakure, as well as the complicated figure of the human body. The long night only reinforced that he'd be here longer than he'd expected. 

He hoped Kimimaro could properly lead the Kaguya to the valley-hidden village without his assistance.