Chapter 27 - Dealing with the Aftermath

Mikumo finally breathed a sigh of relief after she saw the second masked Anbu wearing a Kirigakura headband draw his last breath.

Mikumo gripped her kunai tightly as she stared down at the blood in her hands and the dead bodies on the floor.

'I really did it, I killed them.'

Mikumo shook away the feeling of guilt in her mind as she picked up one of the bodies and carried it into the forest. Placing it down next to a large tree, she returned to the training ground and brought the other body over as well. After moving both bodies out of clear view of the training ground, Mikumo used her Water Bullet Jutsu to clean the field of blood.

Finally, she returned to where she placed the dead bodies.

'What do I do now? I killed them because I didn't want them to discover that my body was a fake and that I had the skill to fool two Anbu assassins. Damn it. I can't deal with this on my own, I have no choice, I need help.'

Mikumo reached into her bag and pulled out a small scroll. Unrolling the scroll revealed a complicated seal. Mikumo bit her thumb and then smeared her own blood on the scroll. She then performed a few hand signs and slammed her bloodied hand on the scroll. A 'poof' appeared from the scroll but nothing happened, however, Mikumo expected this as she placed the scroll down.

'The signal is sent. She should be here soon.'

Mikumo slumped down next to a tree as she stared at the two dead bodies in front of her.

'It had to happen eventually, but I never thought my first kill would be against my own village. That damned Danzo, can't even keep his hands off a seven-year-old kid?'

Mikumo's hand shook, she could not tell if it was from guilt or anger.

'You made the first move, Danzo. So don't blame me for what comes your way later.'

Finally, Mikumo's hand stopped shaking, as she planned on how to make the most of this encounter.

A few minutes later, a figure shunshin'd right next to the scroll in front of Mikumo.

"Wh-!! Mikumo-sama, are you alright!?"

The figure revealed itself to be Ayane, as she hurriedly kneeled down to check on Mikumo.

Mikumo had a wry smile on her face as she nodded.

"I'm fine, Ayane. It's not my blood."

Ayane breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to examine the two dead bodies on the ground. As she rolled them over to reveal their Kirigakure headbands, Ayane flashed with bloodlust.

"Mikumo-sama, is this...?"

"Yes, they were assassins. I killed them."

Ayane looked back down at the two corpses, each with one puncture wound to the heart. Ayane gasped lightly at the clean kill.

"As expected of Mikumo-sama. How would you like me to handle this?"

Ayane had reverence in her eyes as she turned back and kneeled in front of Mikumo.

Mikumo stood up and gave her commands.

"First, find out for me what you can about these two."

Ayane turned back to the two corpses and started performing a preliminary autopsy. A few minutes later, Ayane was ready to give her report.

"Mikumo-sama, these two came prepared. They had a seal on the back of their heads to destroy their brains after death, most likely to protect against our village's Yamanaka clan. Other than that, there was nothing notable about their possessions, I've seen their attire before, it's a standard Kirigakura Anbu uniform. However, it's quite odd that two Kirigakure Anbu could infiltrate so deep into our village without being discovered by the barrier team before reaching this point."

Mikumo nodded.

'As expected of the pot stirring master Danzo, he knows how to imitate other villages' ninja well.'

"Any other seals on their body?"

"None, Mikumo-sama."

'I guess the cursed seal on their tongue disappears after death.'

"Alright, I want you to make it seem like you killed these two. I erased whatever traces I could on the training ground, but make sure their deaths can't be linked to me. They were Kirigakure infiltrators trying to kidnap a Konoha native for information and targeted me after seeing that I was training alone. You found them trying to kidnap me and killed them, is that clear?"

"Yes, Mikumo-sama. Anything else?"

Mikumo thought for a moment and then looked Ayane straight in her eyes.

"Ayane, do you trust me?"

"With my life, Mikumo-sama."

"If you do, then don't report the truth to my grandmother. Provide her the doctored report and then request her permission to become my full-time escort from now on. Let the Senju clan claim some benefits for protecting the village against foreign intruders. This incident isn't what it seems, but for now, we cannot act. I will reveal to you the truth in time."

Ayane seemed to gleam some insight between the lines of Mikumo's words but didn't press for answers.

"Yes, Mikumo-sama. I will work hard to earn your trust."

Mikumo nodded and then took out a kunai to inflict a slash wound on her own arm. Ayane saw this but didn't stop her, instead, she showed even more reverence in her eyes compared to before.

"Just to be safe I want you to knock me out. Once you're done with your preparations, take me to the Senju estate to report the incident as I instructed you."

Ayane nodded and then stood up and walked behind Mikumo.

"Please forgive my transgressions, Mikumo-sama."

That was the last thing Mikumo heard before feeling a chop on her neck, knocking her out.

***

Senju Estate, Later that day.

Mikumo's sleeping body was laid on a bed in her grandmother Towa's residence. In front of her was Ayane, kneeling as she gave her report to Tsunade and Towa Senju.

"That concludes my report, Tsunade-sama, Towa-sama."

Tsunade squeezed her fist tightly with an angry scowl on her face, the only thing stopping her from destroying the nearest wall was her respect for the woman next to her.

Towa knelt down and shakingly examined Mikumo's bloodied clothes and bandaged arm. She bit her lip and then turned to look at Ayane.

"Do you swear that everything you said was true, Ayane?"

"Yes, Towa-sama."

Towa's gaze lingered a few seconds on Ayane, before sighing and nodding. She stood back up and turned toward Tsunade.

"Tsunade-hime. Please calm yourself, my granddaughter will be fine, her injuries are light. Let's not let our emotions waste this opportunity Ayane and my granddaughter have given us. I'll write a request to Hiruzen for additional resources to protect the clan's grounds, as this break-in happened close to our territory."

Tsunade took a deep breath and then nodded.

"Towa-sama, you don't think this incident has anything to do with what happened before, do you?"

Towa glanced for an instant at Ayane, who stayed still as a statue, before answering Tsunade.

"No, it doesn't."

Tsunade nodded and then turned to exit the room.

"I'll deliver that letter to Sarutobi-sensei myself when you're ready, Towa-sama. In the meantime, I'm going to see how two Kirigakure Anbu infiltrated our village without anyone knowing."

"Yes, Tsunade-hime."

After Tsunade left, Towa turned to Ayane, who stayed kneeling next to Mikumo's unconscious body.

"Now, tell me what really happened."

Ayane bit her lip and then slowly turned her head to Towa with a guilty expression.

"I can't do that, Towa-sama."

Towa's chakra started expelling from her body, cracking the Tatami mat beneath her as the pressure started weighing down on Ayane.

"Ayane, I'll ask you again, what happened?"

However, Ayane kept her silence and simply raised her head, looking Towa directly in the eyes.

Towa saw Ayane's resolve clearly behind her sharp red eyes and released the pressure with an understanding nod.

"So it was my granddaughter, was it?"

Ayane bit her lip and didn't say more, all but confirming Towa's guess.

Towa sighed and knelt down to stroke Mikumo's hair.

"I've always known that there was more to her than she let on. I don't know why she doesn't want to ask for my help, but I leave her in your care, Ayane. You don't have to feel guilty about lying to me, I never once doubted your loyalty."

Ayane let out a small breath of relief hearing what Towa said.

"Thank you, Towa-sama. Mikumo-sama is wise beyond her years. It will be an honor for me to serve her."

Towa nodded and then stood up to go write her letter to the Hokage.

"Take her home, make sure you tell my daughter that everything is okay. Don't let her parents worry. From now on, serve her well. Thank you for your service to me all these years, Ayane."

"It has been an honor, Towa-sama. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

Towa nodded and patted Ayane lightly on the head before leaving the room. Ayane brushed her hair where Towa patted her with a smile, before picking up Mikumo and taking her home.