Keiko let out a quiet sigh as she stared at the chakra-based mechanism hidden behind the bookshelf.
She switched off the lights once again for a moment before turning the UV light back on, this time directing the faint purple light towards the seal itself.
Nine small circles were arranged in a square, with a larger circle beneath them. Thin chakra pathways connected each point together, disappearing beneath the paper seal before reappearing somewhere else.
Keiko leaned closer. 'It's a keypad...'
The engravings around four of the circles were noticeably more worn than the others.
She traced the pattern with her eyes.
'Repeated chakra contact.' She thought, 'Kudo has opened this many times.'
It wasn't something ordinary people would leave behind. Chakra had to be focused into a fingertip before touching the correct point. Years of opening and closing the seal had left behind subtle signs.
Keiko took out a pen from her pouch and quietly marked the four worn points onto the inside of her forearm. 'Four points.'
She looked at the larger circle beneath them. 'And this is probably the confirmation key.'
Knowing which points were used was only half the problem. The order—that was the other half.
She turned away from the bookshelf and scanned the office again. 'If Kudo uses this often, there has to be something.' Keiko thought, 'Some people hid passwords in plain sight. Could it be favourite number? Or a memorable date...it is an object that only made sense to him.'
She searched the desk again only to be disappointed.
She opened books one after another, checking for folded pages, annotations or anything that resembled a pattern.
She even checked beneath the desk. Every drawer was removed completely. She held the framed awards against the light.
Every passing minute made her chest tighten. Something could come back to check, report her.
If her shadow clone disappeared... But Keiko searched anyway. Twenty minutes passed before she finally stopped.
She slammed her hands at the desk, "FUCK!"
Keiko grit her teeth in anger, before taking a slow, deep breath. Then another.
She lowered herself onto the cold wooden floor beside the desk, resting her back against it as she closed her eyes.
"...Calm down, Keiko. Anger isn't useful here." Keiko said to herself.
Her pulse was still racing. Every second she spent inside the office increased the chance of someone discovering the bodyguards were missing.
Her thoughts drifted to the shadow clone she had left behind with Kudo. 'Has it already dispersed?' she wondered.
If it had, Kudo would immediately realize something was wrong. The bar would erupt into confusion, security would be alerted, and every guard in the headquarters would begin searching the building.
Keiko exhaled slowly, forcing herself to think. There had to be something she was overlooking.
Her eyes slowly opened. "...Right."
She almost laughed at herself.
Although she had never learned the Yin-infused variant of the Shadow Clone Technique that allowed battle experience to be shared more efficiently, the ordinary Shadow Clone Technique still transferred memories when a clone dispersed.
She formed a hand seal.
A puff of smoke filled the office as another shadow clone appeared beside her. The clone immediately understood what was expected of it.
Pop.
The clone disappeared into smoke. Its memories flowed back into Keiko's mind...and the clone's mind that was with Kudo.
---
Keiko's shadow clone remained seated beside Kudo, quietly observing the conversations around the table.
The loud laughter had died down somewhat. Most of the men were now speaking in smaller groups, their words slurred by alcohol while empty bottles continued piling across the table.
Kudo had drifted away from their conversation.
Instead, he sat reading through a few documents one of his associates had brought earlier, occasionally making short notes in the margins before turning another page.
Without looking away from the papers, he spoke.
"...Pass me that magazine." Kudo said, Keiko followed his gaze and picked up the magazine resting on the table.
The cover displayed a politician shaking hands with a wealthy merchant beneath a large headline. Flipping through it for a brief moment, Most of it consisted of local news, business reports, entertainment columns and advertisements.
She handed it to him.
Kudo placed the documents aside and began reading instead. Keiko quietly picked up another bottle of wine and reached toward his glass.
"That's enough for the day." Kudo stopped Keiko, pausing her for a second.
"...You don't want another drink?" she asked, unable to hide a little surprise. Kudo didn't even look up from the magazine.
"No."
"But why? This is your favourite, isn't it?" He turned another page. "You don't need to concern yourself with it."
Keiko slowly lowered the bottle. "...Alright."
At that exact moment—A sharp pain exploded inside her head. She stiffened up for a second as all the memories arrive all at once. Thousands of tiny details flooded into her mind in an instant.
"..."
She instinctively lowered her head, one hand gripping the side of it beneath the table.
It lasted only a moment. By the time the pain faded, no one around the table had noticed.
The conversations among those rich folks continued, their laughters never stopped.
Keiko slowly exhaled before forcing her expression back into place. 'So that's what happened...'
The keypad needed a four digit code. 'Shit!'
She looked back at Kudo. "...You must be under a lot of stress."
Kudo glanced at her. "Hm?"
"If you're refusing a drink..." she said with a small smile, "...then work must be exhausting." She moved behind the sofa. "I could massage your shoulders if you'd like."
Kudo chuckled. "That's thoughtful." He changed the page of the magazine. "But I'll pass."
"Ok. But let me know if you need anything else." Keiko said with soft smile but she was internally frowning as she backed away without insisting.
'He isn't interested in talking.' She quietly left for a while, taking the drinks with her and returning them to the counter, and then returned back to Kudo.
Without saying anything further, she leaned gently against his shoulder and wrapped both hands around his free arm, resting her head against it as though simply enjoying his company.
Kudo looked down at her for a brief moment but didn't tell her to move. Keiko internally sighed in relief remaining perfectly still, silently—like a good maid.
After a while, Kudo spoke again. "Your hands, why are they so cold...and clammy?" Kudo said with a frown.
She looked down at her palms before giving a small, embarrassed smile. "I've been carrying cold bottles around all night. The condensation gets everywhere."
Kudo looked at her for another moment before giving a dismissive shrug.
"Okay then. Wipe them off, my clothes are delicate to moisture." Kudo said before returning to reading.
---
[FLASHBACK]
Keiko sat quietly inside the academy classroom, surrounded by the other girls who had been assigned to the special kunoichi curriculum.
The instructor walked to a wooden cabinet at the front of the room and removed two tiny glass bottles. She placed them carefully on the desk where everyone could see them.
"Who can tell me what's inside these?" she asked looking around at the students.
The girls leaned forward to get a better look of it. One of them tried to read the label from far away, just for the instructor to rotate it away. With no clue of what it was the girls exchanged uncertain glances and tried to guess.
One student finally raised her hand. "Sensei, is it ...Poison?"
The instructor smiled and tossed a small piece of candy toward her. "Correct. Here!" The girl caught it with both hands, looking rather pleased with herself.
Another student immediately raised her hand. "What kind of poison is it?" The students' attention was now back on the poison. Several girls straightened in their seats, waiting for the answer.
The instructor picked up one of the bottles. "This poison is extracted from a rare flowering plant. The plant survives by manipulating insects that pollinate it."
She slowly turned the bottle between her fingers."It produces two different toxins."
She raised one finger. "The first imitates hormones associated with attachment." A second finger followed. "The second induces fear."
The instructor set both bottles back onto the desk. "So tell me, how could these poisons be used together?" She asked, looking around the room.
Eager hands immediately shot into the air determined to answer.
"They're for different situations." The first one said.
"You use one depending on the mission." The second one continued the reasoning.
"They would cancel each other out." The third challenged the instructor's question.
Each answer earned the same response. The response was a slow shake of the head. "No."
The instructor folded her arms. "Love and fear seem like opposites but they accomplish something remarkably similar. Any examples?"
"They reduce rational thinking, weaken judgement and make it easier to manipulate people?" A girl in answered, hiding a textbook under the desk.
The instructor threw a chalkpiece at the girl's head, "Close your book. Open it when I tell you."
Several girls frowned, still unconvinced by the now, hurt girl's answer. The instructor continued on.
"When administered in the exact proportions, one toxin creates overwhelming emotional attachment and the other creates an overwhelming fear of disappointing or angering the same person." She wrote the dosage on the chalkboard, "The result is neither simple affection nor simple terror."
The classroom fell silent. It wasn't just because of what the poison did. The sheer accuracy required for the dosage to actually make it effective was insane.
One girl hesitantly raised her hand. "Wouldn't those feelings contradict each other?"
"They would. That is, if it's was under ordinary circumstances. Here's a question for you all. Who is the one person you have never truly been dishonest with?"
She walked slowly between the desks before stopping.
The room became filled with guesses. Some said their parents, some said theirs friends or sibling, most of the students said themselves.
Each answer was rejected.
"No. Need a hint?" The instructor smiled slightly. "It isn't you or any of your family."
Several students looked completely lost. Keiko smiled to herself as she thought of 'Therapist.'
Finally, the instructor asked another question. "Are any of you religious?" A few hesitant hands rose. "Or at least spiritual?"
Something clicked within their minds. The expressions around the room slowly changed.
One girl quietly whispered, "...God."
"Exactly." The instructor smiled, turning back towards the class.
"The easiest person to deceive is someone who only fears you and the easiest person to manipulate is someone who only loves you." She walked backed to her desk, "But someone who does both..."
She rested a hand on the desk beside the bottles."...will begin to worship you."
Keiko watched the bottles without saying anything. After several moments, she raised her hand. "How is it administered?"
The instructor looked at her.
"Injection causes severe instability, ingestion destroys the compound before it can take effect."
She gently rubbed for forearm as if she was applying some cream, "It must be absorbed through the skin."
Keiko's eyes drifted toward her own palms. "...I see."
The instructor continued the lecture, but Keiko's thoughts had already moved elsewhere.
'Direct contact, huh? Then anyone intending to use it without exposing themselves...' Her gaze settled on the classroom window. '...would need a clone.'
---
Keiko looked into Kudo's eyes and offered him a gentle smile as Kudo responded with a smile of his own.
'This interrogation is going to be troublesome after all this is over.' Keiko thought, observing the blush on Kudo's face. The poison had worked better than she expected.
She slowly rose from the sofa, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt. "I should get going."
She had barely taken two steps before she felt someone grab her wrist. "...Keiko."
She looked over her shoulder, to see Kudo had grabbed her wrist.
Kudo was still seated, but his grip on her hand was unexpectedly firm. There was no lust in his expression now. Only reluctance.
"Where are you going?"
"My shift is almost over." Keiko answered calmly. "I should head home."
Kudo's fingers tightened slightly before relaxing again, as though he had realized he was holding her too tightly. "...Stay a little longer. Please."
Keiko gave him a small apologetic smile. "I can't. I have to leave."
"There has to be another hour left." Kudo looked at his wrist watch desperately, and Keiko answered what he saw in his watch.
"There isn't." Silence settled between them.
Kudo searched her face as though trying to find another reason to get her to stay. "...When will you be working again?"
"Next week." Keiko looked away, as if she didn't want it to be this way.
"...That's too long. Too long of a time without you." Kudo blurred out. The words escaped before he could stop himself. Even Kudo looked slightly surprised by what he had just said.
Keiko quietly lowered her eyes. "I didn't know you'd miss me that much."
Kudo let out a quiet laugh, trying to hide the awkwardness. "...Neither did I."
He slowly stood from the sofa, now towering over Keiko. He used his hand to gently hold Keiko's chin, "I don't really want this night to end."
Keiko remained silent as his eyes gazed into her own.
After several moments, Kudo spoke again. "...Come home with me." His voice carried far less confidence than before. "We can continue talking there."
Keiko looked at him silently. Taking Kudo somewhere isolated had obvious advantages. There would be no bodyguards constantly interrupting them, fewer variables to account for and far more opportunities to question him.
"...Alright, I'll come with you." Keiko said with a soft smile.
Kudo blinked in surprise "...Really? You'll come with me?" Keiko nodded in agreement.
The two of them walked together to leave the building. The cold empty alleyway has no one but the two of them. Kudo saw that they didn't have any observers and turned to face Keiko.
For a brief moment he simply stared at her only for a smile spread across his face. "I..." He laughed quietly, almost to himself. "I don't know what's gotten into me."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I've never looked forward to spending time with someone like this before."
"Not even..." He hesitated—as if what he was about to say was wrong, "...Not even with my wife."
Her footsteps came to a halt. She turned away from Kudo and looked towards the faraway buildings.
Kudo immediately noticed. "Keiko...What's wrong?"
Keiko slowly turned back toward him, kudo could see that she had a deep frown on her face, "You never told me you were married."
The excitement on Kudo's face faltered. "I..." He tried to say anything but nothing came out.
She looked away. "I understand." "No, wait."
"It's fine." Her smile returned, though it looked noticeably weaker than before. "I shouldn't have assumed."
She gently pulled her hand free from his, leaving it devoid of all the heat from before, "You'll go home to your wife."
The words were spoken softly—Without accusation or anger. Yet they struck Kudo harder than if she had shouted.
"No." Kudo said impulsively. His answer came almost instantly. "It's not like that."
Keiko eyes widened for a second before looking down. Kudo gently held her face to see her eyes. "You think I only wanted to have fun?" Kudo asked, genuine panic beginning to creep into his voice.
She opened her mouth but then stopped. "You think you're just another woman to me?"
"...Aren't I?"
The question landed like a knife. "No." His reply came without hesitation. "No...you're not."
He stepped closer, his lips quivered as if he was mustering every bit of strength he had to say something. "I've never treated anyone the way I've treated you and if my marriage is the problem..." He swallowed. "...Then I'll end it."
"Wha—" She was interrupted.
"I don't want you thinking you're competing with someone else." His breathing had become uneven."I only want to be with you."
Keiko studied him for several seconds before giving a slow nod.
"...Let's go."
Relief washed over Kudo's face so quickly it was almost painful to watch.
Keiko walked in silence, listening to his footsteps following closely behind. 'This is absurd.'
For some reason, the situation reminded her of those awkward romantic comedies Satoru used to describe whenever he convinced Tatsuo and Dai to watch them. The only difference was that those stories usually ended with an awkward confession.
This one would end with an interrogation.
Keiko internally thanked God that the walk to Kudo's house was quiet.
Kudo walked beside Keiko without trying to start another conversation. Every so often Kudo glanced toward her, only to look away again whenever their eyes nearly met.
His house stood near the quieter side of the village, separated from the neighboring homes by a modest stone wall and a carefully maintained garden.
Kudo unlocked the front door and stepped aside to let Keiko pass through, "Please...come in." Kudo said.
Keiko entered and quietly observed the layout of the house. The entrance hall led into a spacious sitting room, while a staircase disappeared toward the upper floor. Framed family photographs decorated one wall.
" Do you have some spare clothes? I'll change into something more comfortable," she said.
Kudo nodded almost immediately. "The guest room is upstairs. There should be some spare clothes in the wardrobe." Kudo said pointing at the staircase.
"Thank you."
She climbed the stairs at an unhurried pace, making certain he could still hear her footsteps.
Keiko changed into a simple set of loose clothes she found neatly folded inside the wardrobe. They were comfortable but several sizes too large, but suitable enough for the evening.
A few moments later she returned downstairs, Kudo looked up from the sofa and smiled almost absentmindedly, "...They suit you."
Keiko thanked him with a small smile before sitting beside him.
"So what now? Didn't really expect me to come to your house, didn't you?" Keiko observed how Kudo reaching into his mind for anything they could together.
"How about...we play a game?" Keiko suggested, her fingers trailed her lips in a way that meant a different genre of games than what Kudo thought of.
"A game? Which kind of game?" Kudo said with eyes narrowed with interest.
"You win, you get kisses—and then more. You lose, you drink." Keiko said with a smirk, making Kudo laugh. He could barely contain himself.
She reached across the table, picked up a notepad and tore off several small pieces of paper before handing half of them to Kudo.
"Each round we both write any four-digit number we want."
"And then?"
"When we're finished, we'll compare them with another number we choose...uh, from that newspaper, over there! Whoever ends up closest wins."
Kudo chuckled. "That sounds oddly specific...or improvised," Kudo picked up the newspaper and placed it in between them.
"It sounded more interesting in my head." Keiko added awkwardly. She genuinely had to improvise and somehow survived.
He laughed louder this time as they both began writing. Kudo folded his paper before placing it on the table and Keiko did the same.
They revealed them together. Keiko took the newspaper and picked a number with aher eyes closed.
Kudo won the first round by pure chance.
Keiko smiled before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss against his forehead.
"There."
Kudo blinked, smirked. He couldn't wait to win more.
"...another round? Higher stakes?" Kudo asked, his fingers traces the wet spot on his cheek from Keiko's kiss.
Several more rounds followed.
Sometimes Keiko won. Which led to Kudo recieving more kisses in more inappropriate places...or Kudo kissing her.
Sometimes Kudo lost. Now a drunken mess from the higher stakes.
"You know," Keiko said after another round, pretending to study the latest numbers, "I'm getting a little bored. Let's do a final round."
"Whaat will ha-appen if I win or looose?" Kudo slurred his words and he giggled like the drunken mess that he was.
She mouthed a word which instantly straightened up Kudo. He adjusted his pants to adjust the rising heat in his crotch.
"And if a lose?" Kudo asked with wide eyes. "You go to sleep and I go home. Never to meet again."
He couldn't afford to lose now. Not after everything that was to lose.
"I think you should choose a number that means a lot to you. The kind of number you would bet your life on."
Kudo looked down at the paper in front of him, picking up the pencil again without another thought.
As he lowered the tip toward the paper, his movements slowed almost imperceptibly before he wrote the number with complete confidence.
Keiko watched only long enough to notice the certainty in his hand. She didn't need to ask why he had chosen it.
Whatever significance the number carried, it had come naturally.
Across the room, hidden where no ordinary person would think to look, her shadow clone quietly committed every movement and every written digit to memory while neither of them paid it the slightest attention.