*squints at the last update's date, and sweats nervously* Well. Here we are.

Things started to drift off of my original plans when a new Hellhound appeared. And then Jiraiya began talking, which of course, usually gets things to go into wild directions. The tone of this update is more on the lighthearted/funny side because of multiple factors, despite the mission and setting.

Also, I'd like to thank everyone who's supported this story, from the bottom of my heart. Despite any difficulties that life throws at me, all of you are what keep me writing.

Raido: Masks (Part 2)

Raidō froze. The moment seemed to stretch out.

"You're with Kakashi."

His heartbeat thundered, as dozens of scenarios vied for attention in his head. She knew. She knew that he had a mission with Kakashi—but they were supposed to be ANBU—so how did she…

His hand moved towards one of the hidden weapons in his sleeve—

"I'm with Jiraiya," the white-haired young woman went on quickly, scooting away from him and leaving her hands opened by her sides. The shinobi way to show peace. "I know Kakashi—I sense some of his chakra on you, and can feel him hiding outside the building. That's how I know."

Raidō forced himself to still. Stabbing first and asking questions later would just make this situation even more complicated and messy.

"Calm down, Raidō…If she's with Jiraiya, she's clean," he thinks.

His throat still felt oddly dry, his heartbeat thudding so loudly, it resonated in his ears. But…He was going to listen to what she had to say.

He was about to ask her to verify her identity—because she still felt oddly familiar, in a way he couldn't put a finger on— but Anko-san beat him to it. "I travel with Jiraiya, and I believe I have a Bingo Book entry," she said, slowly bringing up a finger and sticking it into an eye. Red replaced blue, as she removed the contact. "I'm Shiroi. You may have heard of me…?"

Raidō felt the line of his shoulders relax. Pieces finally came together in his mind.

Shiroi. The name does ring a bell. And now that he has a name to connect with the face, Raidō sees that she is, in fact, the young woman who's been said to travel with Jiraiya of the Sannin.

It was a bit like a slap to the head. And rather obvious, now that he thought of it.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, voice coming out in an incredulous hiss.

Shiroi-san gave a put-upon sigh, carefully tilting her head back to return the colored contact into her red eye. "Sometimes, I wonder that too…Hm…It's a bit of a long story, but I suppose I can give you the short version."

"Some of our contacts blipped out from the radar. Disappeared. We tracked down the trail for a while, which eventually led here," she explained, slinging her arm over the couch and idly tapping her fingers on the material, placing some form of privacy seal there. "I ended up being the perfect person to come in here undercover to find out what's been happening, you know, with my…What was it? 'Womanly wiles'."

Shiroi-san used air-quotes, rolling her eyes and snorting inelegantly. "Jiraiya-sama's words, not mine, mind you. With his backing, and my singing, I managed to convince those needed about the validity of my role of a singer. Jiraiya-sama's still around here, going from various women to find his contacts and sniff out more trouble."

…That definitely sounds like something Jiraiya would do.

"How long have the two of you been here?" he asked, feeling curious.

"A few days. Maybe four? Five?" the young woman replied, cocking her head to the side as she seemed to think it over. "And your squad's barely been here two or so hours."

"That's…correct," he replied eventually. "Two of us—"

"Infiltrated Willow Palace as customers," she finished, an amused lilt to her mouth at his surprised blink. "Sensor. I felt you split up." She gave a hum. "Actually, I think that friend of yours has met up with Jiraiya-sama already. How about that…."

Well then. Gaining information from Jiraiya-sama would most definitely be helpful, for the mission.

"Have you found what you were looking for, yet?" Shiroi-san asks. "For the mission that you're on, or whatever."

"Classified," Raidō replied automatically. At the woman's deadpan look, he gave her a polite little smile. "That's part of the regulations."

"Right," she said through pursed lips, letting out a long breath through her nose. "Well, I believe that us joining forces would be beneficial, regardless if you're allowed to give me information or not. I'm fairly sure our goals run parallel to one another."

"Is that so?" he mused. In all actuality, it was a good idea overall. Shiroi-san had already infiltrated this place, and had a veritable trove of information. Jiraiya was the spymaster of Konoha.

Yes, overall, things would go by much quicker if they cooperated.

"That would be acceptable," he nodded. The white-haired woman leaned back, looking pleased.

"Right, so…I've already managed to copy some of Yanagi's documents, recorded some shady dealings of his, talked to a number of the girls here, and scoped out just how far the corruption went in some of their men," she ticked off each point on her fingers.

"You did all this…in five days?" he asked, squinting incredulously at Shiroi-san.

"Jiraiya-sama gave me a time limit of a week, since staying any longer would cause undue suspicion," the pale woman shrugged nonchalantly. "And say what you will about the man, but his teachings get results."

Raidō had no doubts about that. For all his eccentric habits, Jiraiya was a legendary ninja, after all.

"I think you're selling yourself a bit short. Managing to do all that in five days is impressive," he notes, getting up from the couch and stretching, testing out the readiness of his muscles.

"Oh, I know. I just don't brag about it, usually," the white-haired woman said, with a ghost of a smirk. "You'd also be surprised with how much prime information you can glean from whores gossiping, and the overall carelessness of clients. I barely had to try, when getting into Yanagi's office."

The woman gracefully stood, taking the privacy seal off from behind the couch. "So, are you ready to act like my escort once more, mister…?"

At her pointed look and arched eyebrow, he blinked, realizing she wanted a name.

It should be fine to give his name, shouldn't it…? It's not like he's specifying that he's ANBU, or revealing his mask. Just giving a name for a name, in order to help identify himself to an ally.

"Raidō Namiashi." He gestured to the bandages to his face. "These hide the scars that make me recognizable from my Bingo Book entry."

The woman tilted her head, the free strands of hair framing her face moving along with the gesture. She stared at his face intensely, squinting slightly. "Ah…Yes, I think I remember you, now. Sometimes, I need to jog my memory."

"No worries," he replied easily. It was actually a bit flattering that she knew of him at all. His entry in the books wasn't as impressive as others he knew.

(Like Kakashi, who's held a full-page entry in the books since he made Jonin. He himself only had a section amounting to a fifth of a page, if that.)

"Well, I'm glad to be working with you, Raidō-san," Shiroi-san said after a long moment, extending her hand. The man looked down at the slender appendage, eyes quickly going back up to her face.

"You're supposed to take my hand and execute a firm handshake," she drawled dryly, with a quick roll of her eyes. "Stop being such a paranoid ninja."

"That's not possible. A paranoid ninja is an oxymoron," he replied readily, but still took her hand to shake. Her hands were much rougher than they looked, full of nicks and calluses. She also held a surprisingly strong grip.

"We should get going, before they think we're up to something," she said, going over to the door without preamble. "Rumors start from less."

After leaving the room, Shiroi-san paused a few paces away, pulling out a small object from her collar, amongst the various folds of her layered kimono.

When she blew into it, Raidō realized that it was a dog whistle. He recognized it from the times Kakashi needed to round up his Summons.

A few moments passed, before there came the soft clicking of nails against the polished wooden floors, echoing throughout the silent halls.

No doubt, Shiroi-san had just summoned one of her Hellhounds.

There was very little information about the Hellhound Summons available— but what little there was, it created a fierce reputation. Menacing beasts that came from the fiery pits of Hell, with pitch-black fur and glowing eyes, that were able to breath fire…Beings that one would only see within their nightmares…

There was so little information on these Hellhounds, some rumors say, because not very many live after seeing them, dragged down into the bowels of Hell itself. The only reason Konoha knew anything at all about them was because of Jiraiya sending back information on his newest protégé's Summoning Contract.

Raidō waited with baited breath, heart thudding in a staccato within his chest. He stretched his senses, acutely aware of the beast's footfalls getting louder, the clicking sharper. A large, looming shadow ghosted across the walls, as the Hellhound neared…

A tiny, black-coated dog with large, beady eyes and upright ears rounded the corner.

The man instantly let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, at the…underwhelming sight.

The Hellhound appeared to be a surprisingly normal dog, not at all like some being from Hell. It was more fit for a little noble girl's pet, all sleek fur and big eyes, small and harmless. There were no indications of it even being a Summons, except for the unique white collar it wore, that appeared to be made of thin bird bones corded together.

"Epimetheus," Shiroi-san greeted her Summons, crouching and picking it up expertly in her arms. The Hellhound could probably balance itself in her cupped hands, it was that small. "Meet Raidō Namiashi. He'll be working with us under the code-name 'Rai'."

The dog swiveled its deer-like head, its comically large ears twitching. "Arf…?" it yipped, staring straight at Raidō. "Ar-arf, Ya-Arf!"

"I think he says, 'hello, human'," she explained, amused.

The man blinked. Tentatively, he gave a small wave at the Hellhound. "Hello…Epemithiiosu?" he murmured, trying and failing to pronounce the very odd name. The dog grinned, tongue lolling out, at the acknowledgement.

"Now that the introductions are over with… Epemithiiosu, have you found out anything new?" the woman questioned, looking down at the dog that seemed quite comfortable, cushioned against her bosom.

The dog answered through indecipherable yips. Shiroi-san rolled her eyes. "Use the human-speak I've taught you, please," she deadpanned, shifting a hand to lightly flick at one of its ears.

The puppy gave a small growl, and began to gnaw on the offending hand. Shiroi-san didn't even flinch at the action. Overall, she looked unimpressed, and just a touch resigned.

"Well, at least your disguise is up to snuff," the woman sighed, rolling her fake-blue eyes. "You can give your report to one of the others later."

Shiroi-san led the way, through the maze of hallways of the workers' quarters. She kept the pup balance in her arms, occasionally bouncing it as if it was a fussy human baby. Her gaze was fond and amused, whenever she looked down at the small dog, who seemed to have the habit of chewing playfully on her hand.

"Little guy's gonna be my infiltration specialist, once I train him up a bit more," she told Raidō, scratching the pup behind its large ears. "Aren't you, Epemithiiosu?" she cooed.

Shiroi-san honestly didn't seem the type that would devolve into baby talk, but…Well…Apparently, puppies were her weakness. She all but melted with the Hellhound in her arms.

(Maybe this was just a byproduct of caring for and raising animals. Kakashi had a similar soft spot for his Dog Summons, despite how hard he drove them, even if he rarely showed it. And the Inuzukas generally became rather maternal and protective, when first given their nin-ken to raise.)

"So, the women…" he started, after a few moments of awkwardly watching Shiroi-san coddle her Summon. "I suppose you've gotten in their good books, then?"

"Yeah. A majority of them are total dolls, you know," she replied simply, with no clarification.

Before he could ask for more information, the pale woman shot him a hard look. "We're back."

Raidō took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, readying himself to play his part again.

Rai stepped forwards, opening the door for Anko-san. "After you," he said politely, with a wave of his arm.

"Thank you, Rai-san," the singer replied pompously. Once she stepped foot into the large sitting room, she was flocked by a group of colorful women, who babbled at her.

"Oh, the little pup had run off—" "We thought he got lost—" "We're sorry!" "Are you okay, Anko-san?" "Ei-chan just loves to go off, and—"

"Ladies, ladies," the singer drawled, waving them off, causing them to quiet down. "It's fine. I found Ei-chan, safe and sound."

The women cooed over the puppy, and Anko-san gently handed the tiny dog over to them. Rai found the entire debacle to be amusing, all things told. Many men would dream of being in the puppy's place, surrounded by beautiful women and being doted on.

"I'm sure you'll all take care of him well, until I get back," the white-haired woman told them warmly, giving a wave and attaching herself to Rai's elbow. "Rai-san is going to escort me to see Jiraiya-sama."

"I am?" he muttered to her. In response, Anko-san discreetly stepped on his foot, as she made herself stumble.

Of course, Rai pretended she didn't do so purposefully, and she pretended to be sorry and flustered in her 'clumsiness'. There was a suspicious amount of muffled giggling that wafted through the room, after they went through the motions of their act. From his peripherals, Rai noted that they held quite the invested audience.

Women were odd and terrifying creatures. Especially when they got in packs, and giggled amongst each other.

(This was probably one of the reasons he was gay. Women were just…really hard to comprehend.)

As they left the room, the red-haired woman looked as if she was trying not to laugh at the pair of them. From the knowing twinkle in her eyes, the redhead knew full well that they were simply acting. And she also no doubt knew that they were more than just a regular man and singer.

That woman was definitely much smarter than she looked, and only made the sense of déjàvu strengthen in his mind. Maybe she was related to Ku…

No. Rai didn't know any other red-haired women. He had to remember the mission, and his role.

It was surprisingly easy to leave the top floor.

The bouncers at the main doors seemed ready to stop them, before Anko-san shot the men a sweet smile full of bright, even teeth. As if remembering how important she was, the two beefy men paused, before bowing and allowing them through.

Rai and Anko-san descended the staircase, the singer pressed firmly against his side, leaving behind the oddly flustered bouncers. The power of a woman's smile was astounding, really. It was a deadly weapon in of itself.

Considering that he had no clue where Jiraiya was, Rai simply followed the white-haired woman's lead. Through the different floors and confusing layout of the super-brothel, he kept an eye out for the women from the reports, as well as his partner.

All the way down on the second floor, they weaved through a myriad of passages, until they hit a room nestled off in a corner of the building. Shiroi-san produced a slip of paper, hidden within one of her sleeves. She crouched down and placed it on the bottom-corner of the closed, wooden door.

The ink pulsed, the seal glowing blue, before Shiroi-san reached out and opened the door with no trouble.

Stepping inside the somewhat dingy room, they found Genshiken and Jiraiya sitting down at a low table, being served tea by a dark-haired woman. Various scrolls were scattered across the table, some only half-filled with intel. Genshiken's hair was down—so Genma had probably dropped the pretense of his act, and was no doubt talking logistics with the Sannin.

The main source of light in the room were the two windows, which showed the long stretch of sky and sea. This meant that the room was in the Eastern most part of Willow Palace—what was essentially the back of the establishment—and closest to the cliff the brothel was built on.

The windows also created two extra exit points. They were closed, and held seals placed on them. There was most likely a seal on the table, buried under the veritable pile of scrolls, to help with privacy. Jiraiya wasn't taking chances.

"Hey, Rai! What a coincidence," Genma drawled, smirking around the senbon in his mouth.

"Good, you're here," the white-haired man said, his previously serious disposition disappearing, replaced with a wide, jovial grin.

There was suddenly a high-pitched crow of "Master!". Raidō swiveled his head, pinpointing the sound. It came from a dog with massive amounts of fluffy black fur, which seemingly popped out from behind Jiraiya's back.

The furry, relatively small dog bounded towards Shiroi-san, its tongue lolling out. It wasn't nearly as small as Epemithiiosu, but would be outclassed in size by most of Kakashi's Summons.

"Hello, Hermes," Shiroi-san said, voice and eyes soft, as she crouched down and scratched the dog behind the ears. The Hellhound gave a happy yip in response.

Herumiisu wore a doggy-sized white robe, and a large satchel across its back. Contrasting with the custom-made outfit, the dog had curled horns, and a jagged collar made of bones. However, Raidō still personally considered that it looked much too cute to be some fierce being from Hell.

"It's good you came when you did. I was just about to send him over to you for a status report to bring you here, Shiroi-chan," Jiraiya mused, idly taking a drag from his teacup.

The white-haired woman scoffed. "As if I would ignore such strong chakra signatures suddenly showing up," she said dryly, picking Herumiisu up in her arms and settling down in a space next to her teacher at the table. "They stand out like beacons, in the swarm of civilian signatures."

Raidō went and followed her lead. Genma was sitting across from the white-haired duo, so he sat in the space at the table in between Genma and Shiroi.

Across from the bandage-wearing man was the oiran woman. The server was no doubt a contact of Jiraiya's, if she was in the room while they all talked shop.

She would have to be civilian, since her seat was the most disadvantageous, and yet it didn't bother her. Her back was displayed towards the two windows of the room, open to attack. The others had a better vantage point to view the room's exits, and could defend themselves from enemy action, if necessary.

"Tea?" the dolled-up woman asked demurely to the pair of newcomers.

"Yes, thank you, Ume-san," Shiroi-san said politely. Raidō shook his head, but watched as the woman deftly poured the tea. Ume-san passed the cup to the younger woman—who promptly moved the papers on the table, clearing a small space for her cup, despite Jiraiya's protests.

"Oh, quiet," the pale woman rolled her eyes. "Ume-san's doing her job, and I like tea."

"Amen," Genma said, raising his cup and saluting the hostess, who smiled charmingly.

Shiroi-san then shifted restlessly in her spot, pulling at the folds of her proper kimono with one of her hands. She looked like she was trying to arrange herself in a comfortable way, but eventually just gave up with a huff, and set her Summons down. The dog instantly nestled against her side, on the floor.

"Besides, if I'm going to be giving a long report, and subject myself to more hell with this kimono…Might as well have something to drink, in hand," she said, sighing irately. "And shouldn't we invite the other two in here?" she added, gesturing to the windows with her chin.

The three men's attention instantly went over to the two innocent windows, before they forced their gazes back to the young woman, who was looking at them expectantly.

"Well, I suppose it would make this all go quicker…" Jiraiya mused. He turned to Ume-san. "Can you ready three more cups of your delicious tea? If we need more of your input later, I'll call for you."

"Of course, Jiraiya-sama," the worker nodded, smiling in determination. "Anything to help."

The worker poured three more cups of tea quickly, but with no less amount of finesse as before. She gave a bow to them, before rising. "I will check up on the other girls."

"That would be great," the Sannin replied, looking relieved to have one less thing on his plate. He slipped a wad of ryo in the woman's hand, closing it and around the money and patting it, before letting her leave the room.

Ume-san opened the door, stepped out, bowed, and closed it. After a moment, the corner of the door glowed blue, signifying that the seal on it was active once more.

"…Master?" the Hellhound piped up curiously after a few stagnant moments, from his perch next to Shiroi-san. The dog's voice was distinct, one of a sunny young man.

"Yes, Herumiisu?" she replied, looking askance at the dog.

The Hellhound cocked his head cutely to the side, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. "Why is there a lightning he-dog just outside the window?"

Genma let out a short spasm of laughter, as everyone in the room turned to look at the window that the Hellhound was facing.

"'Lightning he-dog'…That's actually pretty accurate, for Captain," the senbon-wielder mused, smiling. He idly tapped his teacup in code for 'clear'.

"That's because he's going to help us, Herumiisu," Shiroi-san told the innocent dog, voice tinged with amusement.

Jiraiya heaved himself up on his feet, and strolled over to the second window, peeling off the seal and sliding it open. "Alright, kid," he spoke lazily to seemingly the open air. "Get your partner, and get in here."

The Sannin stepped back, arms crossed loosely in front of his chest. From down at the table, the others waited—Genma and Raidō a bit more tense than the lone female.

A few seconds passed in utter silence—the only sound being the calm waters of the ocean— before there came the distinct 'whoosh!' of rushing air. It announced the appearance of two mask-wearing figures that deftly entered through the window, crouched down in front of the Sannin.

Genma and Raidō relaxed at seeing the familiar forms of Hound and Wildcat.

"Jiraiya-sama," the two masked ANBU said, heads bowed respectfully to the older shinobi.

The bear of a man gave a snort. "Oh, don't do this now. Get up, and take a seat. Go on, now."

The Sannin stepped around the (now standing) ANBU, making shooing motions over at the low table. He closed the window decisively, placing and activating a seal on it once more, while the two Black-Ops slowly and cautiously made their way towards the table.

Hound and Wildcat soundlessly took seats across from Raidō, the Captain seated closer to Jiraiya's temporarily vacated spot.

In the lull of semi-awkward silence—because both Hound and Wildcat weren't much for speaking or social interaction, even off-duty—there came a yip from Herumiisu.

"Master, Master!" the small dog said excitedly, pawing at Shiroi-san's lap, tail wagging. "It's the lighting he-dog! And he has a friend—tree-human pup!"

The young woman bit her lip, trying to hold back laughter. Genma wasn't as reserved or polite, bursting into snickers.

"Well, Herumiisu's pretty on-the-nose," the bandaged man mused, watching as Hound all but puffed up indignantly.

"Yes," the horned dog chirped guilelessly, licking at his hand. "My nose is very good!" Raidō couldn't help but smile down at the Summon, giving a quick scratch behind the curled horns, gaining a pleased grin from the Hellhound.

"Tree…Pup…?" Wildcat muttered under his breath, posture wilting, triggering Genma to loudly snigger, and for Jiraiya to give a jovial laugh.

Shiroi-san brought a sleeve up to cover her mouth. "I hope you don't take offense to Herumiisu," she said, loud enough to be heard around her sleeve. "He's very…open, and has a unique way to describe things."

"It is fine," Hound-taichou replied, while Tenzō sulked silently. Sulking silently was a specialty of his.

The white-haired woman sets her elbows on the table, leaning forwards, attention fully on the captain. The smile she gives Hound is surprisingly genuine, with a bit of softness that Raidō thought was only reserved for those she was particularly close to, like her Hellhounds.

"It's good to see you again, Kakashi-san," she tells the ANBU captain warmly. "It's been a while. More than four years, hasn't it?"

Hound stills, body tense.

The rest of the squad stills as well, staring blatantly over at Shiroi-san.

There's a few seconds delay, before Jiraiya starts to cackle.

"…What?" the young woman asks, frowning in confusion. She throws a glare over at the white-haired ninja, when he starts to slap his hand against his knee. "Why are you laughing? Are you going senile, old man?"

Raidō couldn't help but cough in surprise at how casually disrespectful Shiroi-san was against one of the legendary Sannin. It definitely spoke of familiarity with the man.

"It's just…" Raidō started, when the Sannin didn't look to unable to give his student an explanation. "You're not supposed to blatantly out an ANBU's identity, even if you know it…"

"But that was the first damn thing you did," the white-haired man said fondly, wiping the stray tear from his eye. "Because of course you would."

The bear of a man reached out, ruffling the young woman's hair. She gave a huff, batting his hand away.

"Well…Forgive me," she eventually said, voice laced with heavy awkwardness. Pink slowly bloomed on her pale cheeks. "I suppose I got…excited."

Hound-taichou was silent for a few more moments. He slowly reached up, and undid the clasps on his porcelain mask, cradling it in his glove-clad hand, before speaking stiffly. "I will forgive you. I shouldn't have forgotten that your sensor capabilities were so advanced, and your memory so accurate."

"In Kakashi-speak, that's probably the equivalent of a proclamation of love," Genma drawled, smirking. Kakashi gave a strangled sound, like that of a cat being thrown in a river, and not-so-discreetly kicked Genma under the table. The silver-haired teen was firing a potent glare at the senbon-wielder.

"Yeah, that was quite a bit of expert smooth-talking. Are you trying to court Shiroi-chan, Kakashi?" Jiraiya teased, with a wide grin, voice thick with a fervent glee that was on par with a parent wanting to embarrass their child to death.

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened. Shiroi-san rolled her eyes and whacked the aging man on the back of his head, her pale complexion firmly pink. "Stop making this needlessly perverted."

"Hey—he started it!" the Sannin whined, jabbing a finger at a snickering Genma.

"And I'm ending it," she sniped, rubbing at her temple. "Even if I hadn't identified Kakashi by his chakra signature, I could've still easily done it."

"How so?" Raidō asked, curious. Sensing seemed to be Shiroi-san's specialty. Did she have another skill up her sleeve…?

"Kakashi-human smells like lightning and he-dog. Is that how, Master?" Herumiisu asked, raising his head to peer up from his previous lying-down position. Before, the dog had been oddly quiet, simply following the conversation with a bemused air, like a child that didn't understand big words adults used when talking to each other.

"Despite being your Summoner—no. My sense of smell isn't good enough for that," the woman replied, giving an amused huff as she scratched the Hellhound behind his ears. "Although, that's a good guess."

"Shiroi-san's Bingo Book entry is not very detailed," Wildcat spoke up quietly. "I assume there is another important information-gathering skill she has in her disposal."

She spared a quick, surprised look over at Wildcat, before shaking her head. "Not particularly. It's just…" she trailed off, gesturing at her head as she spoke to Kakashi. "Well. Your hair. You should really do something about it. It's a pretty obvious indicator, when distinguishing you."

A few beats of baffled silence followed her proclamation. Kakashi slowly buried his face in his hands, no doubt mortified—rather obvious from the red tips of his ears that poked out of his spiky shock of hair.

And then, quite suddenly, Genma broke out into laughter. "I told you…That your hair… would give you away, earlier…! Ahaha!"

When Genma didn't stop laughing after a few moments, (although, really, it was charitable to even give a few moments, when it could have simply been cut off right after it started) Kakashi detached a hand and started to smack him blindly, the other hand still covering his face in shame.

Really, it spoke volumes that no one in the squad seemed surprised at this break in conduct. For how elite and professional their squad was, for how strict Kakashi was as a leader, they really did just act like a fresh-faced Genin squad sometimes…

"I mean—I'm sure a quick genjutsu or a hood would fix that right up," Shiroi-san spoke up eventually, seemingly trying to help alleviate the embarrassment she accidentally caused the silver-haired teen. "I used to wear a hooded cloak, and that worked for a while…"

"It is part of conduct, for ANBU to wear their cloaks while still within the village, unless given orders otherwise. It hides distinguishing features like hair, body shape, and weapons," Wildcat said, in an even tone. As if he was reciting straight from the (unofficial and totally non-existent) handbook that all ANBU's had to memorize, before subsequently destroying, to hide the evidence of a handbook ever existing in the first place.

(Which, knowing how Tenzō was…reciting the unofficial ANBU handbook was something he would totally do.)

"And we were…ahaha…wearing the cloaks earlier…" Genma wheezed, countering all of Kakashi's blind head-slaps.

"Oh," Shiroi-san stated blankly, looking at a loss for anything else to say.

"A constant genjutsu would slowly leech chakra, be hard to maintain for prolonged periods of time, and would be a beacon to all sensors," Raidō told the pale-haired female, offering another explanation.

"Not with good control," Shiroi-san muttered under her breath, and Jiraiya gave an amused snort.

"One of the first lessons Shiroi-chan learned about undercover missions and disguises was the pros and cons of genjutsu," the Sannin said, smirking behind his teacup. "Maybe she should give you pointers, Kakashi!"

"Stop trying to set us up," the pale-haired woman scoffed, rolling her fake-blue eyes. "You stupid, meddling old man. I know you—you farm any interactions between me and a person of appropriate age and attractiveness as material for your horribly-written books."

"They're not horribly-written!" Jiraiya exclaimed, slapping a hand against the table, causing the cups perched upon it to rattle and the hot tea to slosh. Yet, the movement was not jarring enough to spill any of the tea, or cause the ninjas to twitch; which honestly takes quite a bit of skill. "Icha Icha Paradise and Icha Icha Travels are already best-sellers…!"

"Yes, because I have to edit in things like—oh, I don't know—spelling and grammar and punctuation into them," Shiroi-san rebuffed, quickly shielding Herumiisu's perked-up ears with her hands. "Plus, editing out all of your shitty ideas—"

"That lesbian three-way in the bathhouse was a great idea, damn it—"

"It was unrealistic, had the cheesiest and most cringe-worthy dialogue imaginable, and completely ruined the previous pace and flow of the story," the young woman said, taking up a chiding tone fit more for a mother scolding her child. "It's also rude to include homosexual characters—"

"To just sexualize them and use them as fodder. Yeah, yeah, yeah," the Sannin said, waving a hand, rolling his eyes dramatically. From the relaxed body language and over-suffering tones, the teacher and student were going through the motions of an already well-debated argument, just for the sake of it. "Honestly, your additions to my books aren't any better—"

"Like hell they aren't," Shiroi-san scoffed, offended. "Let me remind you that Icha Icha Travels nearly doubled your revenue, and had a slew of positive reviews because of that gay love-interest subplot I made you introduce—"

The debate would have gone on longer, no doubt—as well as the ANBU members essentially following it all the while like a particularly riveting ping-pong match, with mounting speechlessness—but one of said Black-Ops members actually spoke up.

"Wait a minute. Hold on," Genma suddenly interjected, raising a hand in a halting motion, looking between the white-haired duo. "Shiroi, are you saying that the entire thing with Hideshi in Travels was because of you…? 'Cuz, shit, that scene where he kisses Junichi was probably the best plot twist I've ever read."

The other ANBU turned to look incredulously at the bright-eyed senbon-wielder.

The young woman, meanwhile, gave a smug look at her mentor. "See? I told you my subplot with Hideshi was good. Even Senbon-san agrees with me." She turned her gaze to Genma, giving a slight grin. "I like you, Senbon-san. You've got good taste."

"Call me Genma," he chuckled. "And, really, I think Travels is my favorite book because of you."

The two high-fived over the table, and the world seemed to tip slightly on its axis from the absurdity of not only the turn of conversation, but the fact that such an aloof young woman was high-fiving Raidō's kind-of-maybe boyfriend over gay subplots in porn. Porn that she apparently helped edit and write.

(Honestly, life made much more sense three days ago, before all of…this…started happening. It only really started to spiral out of control, when they got to Tea.

Actually, Raidō's fairly sure that it was going pear-shaped when he met Shiroi-san in her disguise…)

"You…You're…Editor Mashiro-chan," Kakashi said weakly, after a few splutters, his lone eye looking as wide as a dinner plate.

Shiroi-san was silent for a few heartbeats. "Yes." She shot a glare over at Jiraiya, speaking directly to the white-haired man. "And I still can't believe that you couldn't think of a more creative pseudonym for me to take, as one of your editors. I wanted anonymity, not for anyone with half a brain to figure it out..."

The Sannin shrugged his large shoulders, giving a bright smile that was obviously made for maximum irritation to his protégé. "Well, I was already using 'Anko' for the character that cropped up, that was based on your likeness. Should've thought of another alias, Shiroi-chan!"

"As if I already don't go under enough nicknames and personas as it is," the young woman groused. She began to rub Herumiisu's side—either to let out her irritation into something more productive, or as a way to sooth her aggravation. Petting the dog's fur seemed like a rather fun activity in of itself; the Summon was also enjoying the attention.

Genma slyly shot a glance at the still wide-eyed Kakashi. "So, Kakashi…You going to fill out the marriage papers, after you get her to sign your books?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the silver-haired teen hissed, trying for an even tone, and failing. It was hard to read expressions under Kakashi's cloth mask, but the dips in the fabric told that the teen was gaping. The flush creeping into his ears signaled embarrassment. The furrowed brow and squinted eye was the penchant slant for venomous glaring.

The glaring didn't seem to deter Genma or Jiraiya from further ribbing. Rather, it seemed to fuel it.

"I think he meant those two mint-condition, first edition copies signed straight from me that you have," Jiraiya intoned smarmily, winking.

"Unless you were thinking of something else," the brunette said cheekily, giving a pointed waggle of his eyebrows.

Kakashi proceeded to choke on his spit for a few heartbeats. "I…have only cracked them open once. Just so certain persons would stop badgering me," he finally said weakly, gaze engrossed in the teacup in front of him. Wildcat's face was turned squarely towards the captain, and Raidō was fairly sure that the younger boy was staring at Kakashi in disbelief.

(Jiraiya could be blamed for the occurrence of Kakashi uncharacteristically reading adult novels, as well as peer pressure. But, really, there was also the issue of hormones.

Give a hormone-ridden teenager access to porn, and more often than not, that teenager is going to look at it. Even if it's just a peek, to see what all the fuss is about. And it seems like Kakashi, despite all his incredibly unhealthy emotional repression…fell for the siren song, like many other teenagers before him.)

"You'd have to do more than 'crack them open' to know the exact pseudonym of one of my editors," the Sannin said gleefully, his voice nearing singsong.

"I'm sure his favorite 'skimmed-over' sections were about the fair and beautiful Anko-hime," Genma stage-whispered to the Sannin. Jiraiya gave a lecherous giggle that sounded disturbingly like that of a young child. Genma's snickering was cut off by the young ANBU Captain swiftly stuffing a dry ration bar down his throat.

Raidō kept himself from palming his face, but barely. Across from him, Wildcat looked rather longsuffering, despite still wearing his porcelain mask that hid his expression. Really, it was all in the body language.

"Awwwww, taichou!" came the garbled whine, as Genma choked around both the tasteless ration bar, and the senbon still balanced in his mouth.

"I think we've gone wildly off-topic," Raidō finally spoke up, his statement a touch dry. He idly handed his teacup to Genma, allowing the other man to swig down the liquid to clear his throat and taste palette.

"Yeah. As amusing as this is, I'm sure we can catch up properly at a later date," the Sannin noted bemusedly, leaning back to lounge in a different position. "And Shiroi-chan will then have all the time she wants to grill you all over your entire life stories, like she's no doubt dying to do."

The deadpanned look the woman shot Jiraiya was mitigated slightly by the flush in her cheeks. "Right," she drawled, voice dry as a desert. "Later, I'll be sure to give you a list of reasons on why adult literature isn't an appropriate gift for an underaged teenager, Jiraiya-sama. Again."

Honestly, it shouldn't be a surprise that there was an 'again', nor that Jiraiya gave his adult novels as gifts, no matter the age of the recipients.

Despite still seeming embarrassed, Kakashi's body tensed, and he opened his mouth in affront. Probably to say something along the lines that nothing could be too mature for someone with his amount of genius, and dig himself deeper in the proverbial grave.

But despite his lack of people skills and emotional constipation, the silver-haired Jonin was still smart enough to keep quiet so that the conversation would not get derailed even further. It also saved himself from being teased. Two enemies, one jutsu.

"Master, I am still confused," Herumiisu spoke guilelessly. Once more, the Hellhound had staid silent, lost in the conversation of things that no doubt didn't interest him.

"It's okay, Herumiisu," Shiroi-san said quickly. Her countenance seemed to transform, as she smiled down slightly at the dog, her voice holding a tone like a schoolteacher speaking with a student. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this talking, without giving you a task. Can you pop down to the Archives in your realm, and bring back the important reports over this trip, that I had you store before…?"

"Yes! I can do that!" the Hellhound exclaimed, jumping up into a standing position, his tail furiously wagging.

In a burst of flames—causing all the ANBU to instantly ready a weapon in defense—the Hellhound disappeared.

Kakashi gave a strong exhale through his nose. "Sulfur…?" he muttered, sounding mildly perplexed. "As well as ashes and…lava?"

Shiroi-san gave a slow blink. "You can smell all that, when he Summoned himself back to the Hellhound Caverns?" she asked, intrigued.

"I have a better sense of smell than most," the silver-haired ninja replied simply. He sheathed his tanto, and the others put their weapons back as well. Except for Genma, who had spat his senbon at where the Summons had been. He sheepishly took the item back from Shiroi-san, who simply raised a thin eyebrow at him.

"I suppose all of you have some background knowledge on Yaseru Yanagi, right…?" Jiraiya asked after a pause, his countenance shifting subtly into something more readily commanding.

The ANBU squad nodded in-unison, straightening in their seats, all wearing their professional masks of curt seriousness.

"Good. That gives us less to explain," the Sannin noted appreciatively, taking a drink of his tea. When he quietly set the cup down, he turned his gaze to his protégé that sat besides him.

"Shiroi managed to get her hands on a lot of important reports, from Yanagi's very office," the white-haired man informed the squad. "The both of us have also questioned as many workers as we were able, but I believe she has a better grasp on the details."

"The statistics I found out were…concerning," the young woman agreed, voice low, mouth tightened into a thin line.

The tense atmosphere was interrupted by a burst of flames, signaling the reappearance of the Hellhound messenger. The ANBU all drew their weapons with a twitch, but they discreetly slipped them back in place after another moment.

The Summons was bogged down with a bag clamped in its jaws, the pack on its back bulging as well.

"You managed to get all of it in one trip…?" Shiroi-san asked, seeming a bit impressed at the feat, relieving the Hellhound of the bag in its mouth.

"Mrs. Athena and Elder Persephone helped me!" Herumiisu yipped sunnily.

Again, with the very odd names…Most likely other Hellhounds, then. Did all Hellhounds hold odd, hard-to-pronounce names?

"Well, Atsiina all but lives in the Archives," the woman noted bemused, tone a touch dry, as she unloaded the pack on the dog's back. "It was nice of them to help you. Thank you for your hard work, Herumiisu."

"Anything for Master!" the Summons chirped in reply, giving a quick lick of her hand, looking rather proud to receive praise from his Summoner.

"Jiraiya-sama, please treat him," Shiroi-san said, waving a hand vaguely over at her teacher, as she riffled through the bags of paper reports.

The Hellhound instantly turned his attention over to the Sannin, giving the man a potent dose of puppy-dog eyes.

"You spoil your Summons too much, Shiroi-chan. They're going to get fat, at this rate," Jiraiya mused, riffling through a pocket and producing some form of treat for the dog.

"I'm simply rewarding them for their good work," she sniped defensively, in reply. Her pale complexion flushed, her eyes firmly planted on the reports in her hands that she was shuffling around, seemingly organizing. "They work it off through training."

There came a soft snort. Raidō turned his attention to the source in mild surprise. Kakashi was shaking his head slightly, incredulous at the young woman's coddling of her Summons.

Right. Kakashi was a bit of an expert, when it came to raising dog Summons.

"It's the stick and carrot method," Shiroi-san stated to the air, gaze only momentarily flickering up to Kakashi while she created stacks from the papers in her hands. "Good things should be rewarded."

"'Rewarding' them too much makes them soft," the silver-haired ninja refuted in a drawl.

"Not doing so enough can make them attention-starved."

Ouch. Raidō barely held back a wince. That was a bit…harsh. It was like a double-blow on how hard Kakashi drove his ninken, and of how he isolated himself.

If this was a match of who could burn the other through sheer force of words, then Shiroi-san just won.

An awkward, tense silence fell upon the room. Which seemed to be some sort of Thing that kept happening every time Shiroi-san and Kakashi interacted, it seems. The other occupants looked warily between the two light-haired teenagers.

"Well, uh," Jiraiya-sama coughed. "Shiroi-chan can smother her Summons, but she does it so the Hellhounds can get used to having a Summoner again."

"Again?" Genma asked, perking up.

"They haven't had one for a few decades," the young woman said quietly. "Their contract had been last used by the Samsara Clan, from Uzushiogakure."

If the atmosphere already hadn't been tense and awkward, the feeling just intensified.

Kushina Uzumaki was a close, dear friend to most of them, and being unable to help Whirlpool in the Second Shinobi World War was considered one of the greatest regrets and tragedies of the Leaf.

Herumiisu gave a low, sad whine at the mention of the Samsara Clan, understanding the unspoken words that Uzushio and the Samsara were long gone.

"So…" Jiraiya trailed off, looking somewhat pained, but trying to hide it through a weak show of bravado. "I guess I'll also add 'will kill the mood' to the list of similarities you share with Kakashi, then."

Without even looking up, the young woman whacked the Sannin's chest with the back of her hand, taking up a nearby form off the low table while she was at it.

"The way you've 'organized' things on the table is going to make this a pain, Jiraiya-sama. But I'll suppose it'll have to do," she huffed out a sigh.

Shiroi-san set down some of the stacks on certain parts of the table carefully. As she straightened her back, readying herself to start her report, she paused.

"Herumiisu…You may go back to your realm, to rest," she told her Summons softly, running a hand over his side gently.

The Hellhound still seemed uncharacteristically morose, as he nodded his head. "Yes, Master." Even the dog's high-pitched voice was subdued.

When the Summons disappeared in fire and flecks of brimstone, the ANBU didn't even move for their weapons, simply giving a unified twitch.

"Alright, boys," Shiroi-san drawled, carefully spreading her hands on the table, looking at those sitting around her. "Let's talk logistics."

Chapter notes:

[Ages: Shiroi is 19. Kakashi is 17, Genma is 20, Raidō is 22, Tenzō is 14/15.]

This arc is getting surprisingly long. My hands have slipped off the slippery slope, at this point. Whoops?

There will definitely be a part three to this Masks/Tea Arc, that will wrap things up. It'll go over the information our favorite white-haired pair have over this fishy brothel, a rescue effort that involves killing corrupt politicians, and we'll be introduced to a kid Karin.

A surprising number of you reviewers replied to my challenge last chapter to guess who the red-haired woman could be. A lot of you were right; she's related to Karin. Karou is Karin's mother! An internet cookie to all that guessed correctly.

In canon, Karin's mother died unnamed, while Karin was young. They were seeking refuge in Grass. But naturally, Shiroi's involvement is shaking things up. Any theories on what will happen to this mother-daughter duo in the future…?

Reply to reviews:

To Guest on Chapter 7: Mei is a bae, and she'll get another chapter in the future...Just not sure when.

Reply to as: Thank you so much for the praise! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Reply to Guest (numero uno) on Chapter 15: The scars did, in fact, come from the Uzumaki healing bite. You were close with your guess, but it's actually Karin's Mom.

Reply to Guest on Chapter 13: Thank you! Yes, that was a One Piece reference. A lot of reviewers caught it. And quite a few asked me why Sanji let Shiroi cook.

Well, this isn't exactly the One Piece crew, just an alternate universe version of them. Maybe alternate-Sanji was just really damn tired. Maybe he doesn't even like cooking, but can make the food of the gods anyways, so he's the de-facto chef of the crew. It's up to interpretation.

Reply to Bless You: No, bless you! You're honestly too sweet. :')

Reply to Guest (number two) on Chapter 15: I'm glad you think this fic is amazing!