Chapter Three

Not far from where Lee was moving from meditation to some light exercise, there was a heated discussion taking place about the details of his future.

"We need to move the boy into a secluded retreat!" a voice rang out through the chamber, coupled with a fist slamming down onto a table, rattling dishes and sending ripples through cups of tea.

Grandmother was there, of course, both as the one who called the meeting to draw everyone's attention to the matter at hand and as the one who would be making the final decision. Everyone would have their chance to be heard, and a sound enough argument could sway her decision, but in the end she was the one who would decide.

Lee's parents were there, of course. As his parents, they could not be said to be uninvolved in the matter. Some other notable figures in the clan had a presence, considering the matter from one angle or another... the benefits that could result in various ways, as well as the risk.

"It is vital that young Lee's Senjutsu talent remain confidential. Not only as a hidden blade for the clan to draw at need, but for his own safety!" The man continued. "We all know that as an infamous clan with a long and rich history, eyes are upon us. The reincarnation of Kato Danzo in this era is already a pressing concern, and to add a natural Senjutsu talent to this generation? It represents a target that others will respond to!"

"That's true." a sideline person on the fringe of the discussion noted. "When a potential enemy sees the seed of strength beginning to sprout in a vulnerable body, the temptation exists to cut it down before its time."

"Worse than that, there's those who'll see it as an opportunity for poaching talent." another side-liner followed up grimly. "Stealing away a promising youth from-"

"We all know the worst case scenario!" the rabble-rouser agitated, cutting off the conversation without notice. "Those who take a special interest in truly noteworthy candidates. Who will not accept refusal, and who cannot be escaped even in death. This is a discussion that has been held before, for the reincarnation of Danzo! Who here would deny that such a talent in young Lee would make him of great interest to their ilk? Who would deny that they would think nothing of stealing such talent for their own, by way of guile trickery or brutal force? For his safety, and not only to secure him for the Clan, Lee must be moved to a secret safe-house!"

Mutterings filled the room as the argument was considered. Then it was answered with a scoff.

"Your fear spurs you to counsel rash action, cousin." the clansman began, voice cool in tone and eyes steely.

"You take the issues before us too lightly, cousin." the hothead barked.

"Not so. I do not deny that I, also, possess some trepidation as to what may come of this revelation... and for this generation. I merely do not leap to immediate action." the steely-eyed clansman replied, raising his hands. "Consider that we may already be under observation, though the very best of our efforts have gone into preserving the secrecy of Danzo's reincarnation. If so, what does hastily moving another youth into seclusion mean for such observers? It will be an enticing curiosity, drawing attention where none might have been warranted before."

"These children are still weak and vulnerable!" The hothead snapped, pounding the table again.

"I won't argue that, cousin. What I am arguing is the assumption that hiding either of them away will make them safer." the steely-eyed man objected. "What it does is show that we are afraid of the possibility that they might be stolen from us... Can that be considered anything but encouraging for those who would try? That we fear the possibility suggests that we consider it likely to happen, after all."

"And what would you have us do, then? You've said a lot, but I've yet to hear a plan of action. What do you intend to do?" the hothead growled.

"I suggest... we do nothing. Merely continue as before."

The hothead's slap to the table carried the implication that he was imagining it as the other man's face, droplets of tea flying up into the air before splashing down in the cups of people drinking it.

"Abject fatalistic defeatist cowardice. You would not even try to protect our clan's children?" the hothead barked.

"I am saying that there is not yet any need for protection... at least not in the case of young Lee." came the answering argument. "Tell me, all of you... what is the difference between someone who can make use of Senjutsu and someone who cannot? Hm? Not the obvious, but from the perspective of an outside observer. What shows that a person uses Senjutsu? Is there such a clue to take heed of?"

The steely-eyed man waved his hands in one direction and then the other, calling out for anyone to provide him with an answer, if they had one.

In the end, Lee's parents shook their heads and his mother spoke.

"There's nothing... He's a quiet boy, but that's not unusual. Likes to ask questions when he doesn't understand something, so it's not shyness. Enjoys his naps." she said. "If you'd told me that he was some kind of prodigy in martial arts, never mind Senjutsu, I wouldn't have believed it unless you could show me proof. I... Might have laughed, if I thought you were joking."

"Obedient kid. Doesn't get himself out into trouble or mischief, does his chores without complaint." Lee's father chimed in without much to say. "Likes to watch people do things, doesn't try to butt into it and be the center of attention so far as I'm aware, or at least nobody's come to complain about him getting into trouble yet."

The steely-eyed man nodded at the confirmation of his expectations.

"What of that says 'Senjutsu' to any of you?" he began. "An intelligent, quiet, and dutiful child. There's little of interest there, and little danger beyond what every member of the clan can expect to face. There is, as such, nothing in particular to draw attention to young Lee unless we draw attention to him ourselves. Rather than demonstrating our fear for all to see, should we not attempt to appear strong where we suspect that we may be weak?"

"You and your Sun Tzu..." someone muttered.

All the same, both of these two louder voices had their backers and those who were put off by their arguments. The hothead's passionate arguments drew support as much as his temperamental vehemence drove it away, and the steely-eyed man's rational arguments brought as much traction as his faintly oily demeanor repelled those who leaned toward swift and decisive action.

There was no clear majority on the position, and Grandmother clapped her hands sharply, the sound breaking the muttering of conversations.

"I have heard your positions. Much has been said on the benefit to the clan, and the risks to the clan." she said. "I have heard little on the matter of young Lee directly, and what best benefits him. Take a sparrow in hand... with a grip too loose, it shall writhe free and fly away. Too tight and its small bones will be crushed."

There was a long moment of silent contemplation as Grandmother drained her cup of tea to the dregs, then set it down with a click.

"For the time being, we will focus on safety through obscurity, rather than through seclusion." she declared. "He does not seem the sort to give away his secrets in idle boasting, or carelessly display them where they might be observed by those with ill intentions. Do not forget that he first indication we had of young Lee's ability was when he demonstrated it directly to myself. Absent that, we would be treating him the same as any other child of the clan, and so that is what we should do."

And with that judgement cast, the argument was settled. Not everyone was satisfied with the decision, but then no decision ever truly satisfied all parties. For the time being, though, they would be content with it.

"This brings us to the next point. Tutelage." Grandmother continued. "Will we arrange for private tutoring  as is not uncommon for our clan members, or will we send Lee to school with peers not of our clan? If so, then to where? There are benefits and complications to come of any chosen option."

The argument quickly began again, as Grandmother settled down into her seat, listening closely as she waved for more tea.

"Our boy..." Lee's father began. "Is he in much danger?"

Grandmother contemplated the question, continuing to listen to the debate with one ear as she glanced over the man. Dark skinned and clearly foreign as he was, he had had a difficult time finding acceptance in the clan after he had married in. How he had come to meet Lee's mother was its own convoluted tale... but it seemed as though the boy's talent was going to do its own part in integrating his father into the clan's proceedings.

That was for the best. The era of total exclusion of everything beyond Japan's borders had ended long ago... it was far past time for the clan to follow suit, and a demonstration of unusual and valuable talent coming from a match such as theirs might be just what was needed for the slow change in the clan's policies to pick up speed. Final authority or not, she was too well aware that her authority only remained as long as the rest of the clan accepted it as valid. If she began picking favorites too often, or elected to consistently rule in favor of a particular stance, then the rest would chafe under her decisions... And there was a history of such elders being deposed from their positions, or passing naturally albeit unexpectedly.

Grandmother hummed to herself.

"Senjutsu is not quite like martial arts proficiency, or magic." she began to explain. "It is a process of drawing in energy from the world, to make use of at your direction. It is a dangerous art, for the world has its own consciousness and any user must typically take great care to guard themselves against it, lest the wrath and bloodthirst of the world corrupt them beyond recognition."

"... Pollution and so on." Lee's father muttered in consideration, prompting a chuckle from Grandmother.

"Oh child... do not be deceived by the modern portrayal of mother goddesses with warm and gentle demeanors and great soft bosoms to nestle her resting children within." Grandmother said with a wry smile. "The consciousness of the world is a consensus of natural law. The weak are food for the strong. A horse that will normally subsist on grain and fruits will not hesitate to swallow a mouse or baby chick that wanders foolishly near to its mouth. All that lives is obliged to struggle and to fight to continue living, to kill everything that threatens them, lest they become so much more meat for hungry jaws. The world has never been kind or nurturing. Is it a surprise that this violence so taints its consciousness, and threatens to poison those who draw from it? States of berserk madness where the user cannot discern friend from foe are not uncommon."

Lee's father let out a grunting 'hrm' as he considered that.

"Your son has an astonishing natural talent. Not in using Senjutsu. Anyone with sufficient basic precepts and a good enough idea that the option exists could in time work out a way to make use of the natural energy. What is remarkable is that he shows no indication of being poisoned by the world's unquenchable thirst for more blood... Not so much as the slightest indication of murderous impulse, or that he at all needed to suppress such a response." Grandmother remarked. "That brings its own dangers, from those who would collect such talents as prized objects to display and boast about. How much do you know of their ilk?"

"Some." Lee's father answered. "The basics. It occasionally came up for work purposes. Probably not enough." he continued, as Grandmother nodded.

"Then to be clear... they come in many forms, and from weak to impossibly strong. It is not the weak ones that concern us. Not directly. Even in the worst case of situations, they can be dealt with easily enough. They are the servants and the deserters of their kind, and comparatively weak. This does not mean they are not threatening... if nothing else, as servants, they will speak and carry word of what they see to their masters." Grandmother outlined. "It is those, the Kings of their kind, which are something to worry about, for they always gaze with avarice upon the interesting and the powerful, eager to take them for their own or deny them to any other."

Grandmother sipped her tea.

"Understandable, that you know little of them. They prize their secrecy almost as much as we do, and operate in this world mostly on a basis of twisted trade... tempting a target further and further with things that they make sure to imply that they and they alone can provide, taking a little more and a little more with every transaction until there is no further chance of escape for their target... a tool and a puppet to further the aims of their insidious benefactor. There is some overlap in client base, so great care must be taken in choosing those who will not betray our existence. Difficult, as they have means to strip the memory of encounters entirely from the minds of the unwary, where we must rely mostly on preventing undesired encounters from happening at all." Grandmother continued. "Though it is not quite correct to say that there is no escape. Some of these so-called Kings in search of new servants will accept a refusal. If it is only a passing whim in the first place. So long as you are not interesting. Provided that it is not a long-term scheme preparing for their later return, wondering if in the change of your situation you are really, truly, sure. But those are in the minority. Even with the majority... they are quite good at convincing potential recruits that they are the best option available for those who seek power, or to fulfill their own desires over anything else."

Lee's father grimaced.

"Your boy, I think, is relatively safe. As has been mentioned, there is little to give away a user of Senjutsu so long as he does not himself draw attention to it." Grandmother assessed. "And while those with ninja training are popular... it is unlikely that gazes will fix upon him for long when there is less to be done to conceal the nature of Danzo's reincarnation to those who know the ways to discern it. And that is far more interesting to those creatures than one more trainee."

She finished her cup of tea and set it down once more.

"It could be worse." Grandmother said, with the air of someone who had become accustomed and resigned to living under what could easily be described as the secret rule of a foreign power through the course of her life.