Chapter Text
The Ritsuki clan was a relic from the past. In what's remaining of the records from the warring states, a clan of dark haired Shinobi could be seen flitting here and there in multiple battlefronts. Legends wrote about the long lost clan with intellect that rivalled the Nara, eccentricity that surpasses the Uzumaki, and a survival rate that leaves much to be desired.
So, when the clan eventually faded from History textbooks after the second Shinobi war, no one was really surprised, because the clan were either fainting in ditches, clinically depressed, or both. (Apparently using yin chakra has more side effects than chronic laziness)
Imagine everyone's surprise, when a family of Ritsuki appeared at Konoha's gates one spring afternoon, declaring cheerfully.
"Good morning gentlemen! If my deductions do not fail me, this is the great village hidden in the leaves!"
The chuunin manning the gate blinked.
"I am Ritsuki Touji, we are here to pick a fight with Konoha!" The first of the trio punched a fist into the air, a comfortable air of victory around him.
The chuunin didn't react, until Touji fumbled with a kunai not very threateningly. They were promptly thrown face flat into the ground, chakra suppressing cuffs snapped on their hands, and charted away deep into the T&I basement, thrown into a —
"Wet and yucky cell." Ritsuki Hitoshi complained. "This is your so called grand plan? Maybe it's time for you to retire, I'll be the clan head instead." He stalked around the cell and settled for leaning against the metal poles caging them in.
Ritsuki Akane flopped onto the ground and yawned, picking at her cuffs. "I need my chakra back soon."
Touji hummed contentedly in response to Hitoshi "Don't worry your little brain, they will be here soon."
He joined Akane on the floor, "I told you to eat more of that candy and sleep early last night, but you had to follow your idiotic brother to the stream. I had to fish the both of you out of the currents, now we're both tired."
"S'okay, i'll nap now."
"Okay for you sure," Touji grumbled. "You don't need to be responsible for anything. Think about how I feel as the sole responsible adult." He poked Akane's cheeks unhappily, but she flipped to the opposite side and ignored the man.
Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Stop bothering Akane-chan, shouldn't something be happening soon?"
"Yup," Touji popped his P, "Very soon in fact,"
"3"
"2"
Footsteps echoed through the dreary, bloodied walk way.
"1!"
"Here they come!"
Masked shinobi unlocked their cell, blindfolded them, and dragged them onto stairs leading upwards.
(One of the shinobi tried to wake Akane up with a kick, Hitoshi chuckled "Don't bother, she's passed out." The masked guy tried for a while, but settled for carrying her like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder when Hitoshi was proven right, he grinned amused at the man before a blindfold covered his eyes and he could only see black)
They were led around in confusing circles, Hitoshi counted almost 7 minutes and 13 flights of stairs before they were deposited on a chair, cuffs locked onto the table.
The blindfold was pried off from his eyes, bright light blinded Hitoshi for a moment, before his vision adjusted. The 3 of them were in a boring boring room, nothing but the table between them and what looks to be their interrogator. Hitoshi hummed curiously, the interrogator is a bald guy that looks high ranked enough from his worn out grey uniform, the age old blood splatters that stained the sleeves spoke of experience. Now, why were they seated so politely on these cold chairs instead of being chained in an interrogation room is a curious mystery.
Does his clan still have contacts with the Nara? The interrogator doesn't seem to know what to make of them, so what's going on is different from the standard procedure then.
'Again, not many people walks up to Konoha's gates and asks for a fight', Hitoshi muses.
He glanced at Touji who was locked in a staring contest with the bald guy, and Akane who has her head on the table, still passed out.
Touji obviously knows something he doesn't, and it's making Hitoshi slightly impatient, but he will find out soon. Just 1 more puzzle piece and half the picture will be complete.
The little information trading business his mother was running underground was a useful source for him to hear the gossip from across the elemental countries, there were whispers of powers shifting and missing-nin gathering. He could smell something happening on the ground, something involving Konoha and maybe the rest of the countries. But the lack of concrete evidence prevented him from seeing the full picture. Hitoshi was sure that Touji didn't have it either, but he sure had more pieces than Hitoshi did.
Hitoshi knew this moment will show him a crucial part of the puzzle. He started swinging his dangling feet impatiently.
The metal door creaked open, the Hokage stepped in. The interrogator stood up and bowed deeply.
"Ibiki." The Hokage acknowledged.
The the bald guy is called Ibiki, someone the Hokage knows by name, definitely has some sway then. Hitoshi files this information away for later.
Touji's expression brightened. "Sarutobi-sama! It sure is good to see you!"
Behind Hiruzen trailed the current head of the Nara, Nara Shikaku. Touji's grin split impossibly wider at the sight of the man. "Nara-san!" He exclaimed, "My distant cousin!"
"You—", Shikaku frowned. "Never mind." He could feel the pounding behind his eyes getting worse at the sight of the man.
There were rumours of a Shinobi who declared he was here for a fight with the village earlier in the afternoon, but Shikaku filed it away as just a prank from bored Chuunin. When a report on the 3 new prisoners locked deep in the T&I cells was delivered to his desk, his interest was piqued. The more he read, the more dumbfounded he became. A man, picking a fight with 2 children in tow, is he mentally unsound?
Introducing himself as Ritsuki. Nara Shikaku paused.
The Nara clan went way back with the Ritsuki clan. In fact, the Nara had extended an invitation for the Ritsuki to join Konoha during it's founding despite the so-called rivalry everyone seemed to believe they had, but they were rejected. Years later, the clan disappeared from the shinobi scene in the middle of the second shinobi world war. There was no sighting of any Ritsuki whatsoever since then, so no one could fault Shikaku for having doubts about the integrity of the report, because really? A living Ritsuki in this day and age? Most of them are probably dead in a ditch somewhere.
But here he is, staring into the green eyes that he remembered from when he was still a Genin. It was a trait that marked every Ritsuki, the catlike green eyes and razor sharp grin that gave him chills.
Shikaku remembered a few times in a year during the second war, a few people with these green eyes would visit his house to see his father. He would hear them yelling at each other from the front porch he spent his free days at, Nara Shikai would storm out of the house, looking less put together than he usually is, and the Ritsuki would follow behind him laughing.
There was a saying in the Nara clan since the old days, "When a ritsuki appears, the tide of the battle changes." True enough, after those visits, his father would look happier, his stress lines will ease, so Shikaku remembered liking their visits.
Alas they don't appear often.
‘They were not supposed to appear anymore,’ Shikaku corrected himself.
So. How is there 3 Ritsuki happily seating in his questioning room?
Hiruzen moves to the chair opposite of the 3 detained prisoners, Ibiki and Shikaku followed after him and sat to his left and right respectively.
The Hokage cleared his throat. "Ritsuki-san, I understand that you were allies with the Nara, does that still stand true today?"
"I suppose that depends on what Nara-sama thinks." Touji deflects.
Hiruzen turned to Shikaku, content to let things play out without his interference.
"You show up out of the blue, after disappearing for decades. What the Nara thinks doesn't seem to be important to the Ritsuki." Shikaku crosses his arms.
"Well, as the Ritsuki clan head, I'm here to fulfil the promise my previous clan head made to your clan." Touji paused, smiling at Shikaku, observing his reaction.
'Did dad mention anything about a promise?' Shikaku stilled minutely.
'No.'
"A promise that took almost 19 years?" He probed with a mask of indifference, hiding that he's uncomfortable with the disparity of information.
"Yes. We were waiting, and listening. Of course, we hoped the conditions will never be met, but unfortunately my sister deems that it is time." Touji picked at his cuffs and tilted his head at Shikaku like a curious feline does when their prey is amusing them.
He was the one in chains, sitting opposite of the strongest shinobi in Konoha. Ritsuki was the one at a disadvantage, Shikaku had to remind himself.
He had been trying to read the man, but other than his flippant attitude, and annoying know-it-all tone, Shikaku saw none of the signs prisoners showed when they faked a mask of confidence or indifference in the face of a power difference. The worst the was the man was actually expressive.
Either the Ritsuki was just that good at hiding his tells, or he truly believed that he had the upper hand.
Suddenly, Ibiki interjects gruffly, impatience lacing his voice. "Stop leading us around in circles, Ritsuki, tell us why are you here?And I haven't forgotten the fight you declared earlier in the day."
"All you Leaf Shinobi are so impatient." Touji pouted.
"Spill, or even Shikaku-sama will not be able to protect you from the interrogation cell." He gestured meaningfully at the 2 children.
All throughout the conversation, Touji might have sounded rude, but his body language was portraying a type of playfulness unsuited for this situation.
So when the air around the Ritsuki head went still, it was a minute change, but all 3 shinobi present tensed. Gone was the playful energy his actions carried, his eyes sharpened. Shikaku recognised that look, Hitoshi sighed, Akane remained asleep on the table.
"You wouldn't like that." Touji's grin turned manic.
A pause.
"Alright, i'll put it out for you."
A glint in his eye that promises chaos.
"I know something is brewing. Unrest, dissatisfaction," Touji said, choosing his next words very carefully, hoping that the guess work he did with his patchy information will hold true. He observed the Hokage very carefully.
"Rebellion. Doesn't that sound familiar? I'm sure Sarutobi-sama will know all about it."
The room suddenly felt cold, goosebumps pricked at Ibiki’s skin. It felt like they were hearing something they were not supposed to.
Akane opens her eyes groggily.
The Hokage's reaction explained nothing and everything all at once. With the Ritsuki's uncanny way of predicting everything, the Hokage didn't dare to doubt what Touji knew.
Touji himself wasn't gonna let up this chance presented to him either, his gamble paid off, Konoha was very likely at the risk of a civil war. He has just been handed very important information, and this fragile balance could be broken depending on how he pitches himself to the Hokage.
"Ibiki, Shikaku-san, I'll like to have a private conversation with them, please give us some space." Hiruzen says, grim and matches the chaos Ritsuki promised with his personal brand of violence. "Secure the perimeter." He calls out to his ANBU.
Soon there was only 4 left in the room.
"Now, I recall you called yourself Touji. I can execute all 3 of you right now, but for your age old alliance with the Nara, I'll give you one chance to convince me otherwise."
"The previous Ritsuki head said to stay out of Konoha's business, unless another war breaks out. I'm not pointing at anything specific, Hokage-sama," Touji says mockingly. His finger drums the table considering. "We have information, our network is vast. This is only a portion of what we can do, we had years to prepare for this."
"Where does your alliance lie?"
"The Ritsuki care only for balance."
"That is not inspiring much confidence in me, Touji-san."
"It doesn't have to. You can't kill us, Sarutobi-sama."
"What are you getting at?" Hiruzen frowns.
Hitoshi pipes up from the side, finally shifting through all the puzzle pieces and presenting an incomplete but comprehensible picture. "We're exchanging information for an alliance, and resources!"
"And candy." Akane drawled.
"There will be a war soon, everything points towards that. The nine tails 7 years ago is the beginning. Is it hard to accept that we are looking for the safety of an alliance in the face of war?" Touji concluded.
Hiruzen itched for his tobacco pipe he left in the office.
Ritsuki Touji stares into the Hokage's eyes challengingly with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "You won't kill us." His words echoing in the silent room.
The moment passed, and the door opens to reveal a Yamanka.
Hiruzen gets up and walks towards the door, "Release them and follow the protocol to grant foreign Shinobi citizenship."
"The kids need education too!" Touji calls out after him. "Thanks Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen holds his head tiredly, a headache threatening to resurface. He needs a drink, damn it. “See to it, Inoichi.”