WAB: Chapter 2

Tetsumizu City was more like Amegakure than anything more traditional. With its large, towering, buildings and electrical grid planned out from the start, it appeared more like something from Earth than any other population center I'd seen thus far in my life here as Choji. The difference, of course, was that while Hanzo may have decreed that Amegakure had no real need for decoration, preferring brutalist towers of concrete and steel for Amegakure, Tetsumizu City still retained the Pagodas and other architectural features common to Fire Country, it simply did them in a unique way.

Of course, the steam-powered trolley carts and arc lamps that lit the streets and ferried goods and people around the city gave the lie to the idea that Tetsumizu City was just another typical Fire Country City. Of course, I'd known that Lord Kobayakawa had been an aficionado of the Polar People's Technology, but I hadn't realized he'd transformed his City quite so drastically.

As we walked through the town, I marveled at the whole Steampunk Vibe of the place. I turned to look at my Cousin, but Kiba seemed nonplussed by the whole thing like he'd seen it all before and it was nothing special. I cocked an eyebrow at him, and he just snorted amused in response. I frowned at that, about to start asking questions, but my Cousin pre-empted me on that front with the answers.

"This is all new." Spoke up Kiba, sensing I was about to start asking questions.

"How new is new?" I questioned.

"I mean, the stuff with the Arc Lamps were already a thing for at least a decade, but the powered carts and the way most of the buildings've been changed is all stuff that'd been done in the past couple years. I asked around the last time I was out this way and apparently, it all started during the time we were fighting with Oto." Answered Kiba.

"I wonder what changed?" I queried.

"Well, apparently, this guy came down from the North. Harathoka of the Polar People. One of their Mechanists who got exiled for some reason or another. He came out this way and Lord Kobayakawa snapped him up. It's no big deal, Cuz. Nobles do that sorta thing all the time, yeah?" Explained Kiba.

"Harathoka? That's not a Polar Person name." I mused.

"You think I speak Polar Person? You're lucky you got that much outta me." Scoffed Kiba.

He had me there, though there was something worrying at me as we walked through the City. There were an awful lot of Trolley Carts that didn't seem to be ferrying anyone headed to dockyards on the lakeside. Instead, those carts were carrying what looked like steel, coal, brass, and other materials. It may be nothing, but then again, when was the last time I was lucky enough that something weird turned out to be nothing worth checking into? I should probably look into things while we were here.

"Come on, there's a place with an Onsen in the Castle District I like to stop at while in town." Insisted Kiba, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"There's no hot springs here." I frowned.

"They figured out a way to make fake hot springs with the electricity and steam. It ain't as good as a regular Onsen, but it's all right." Informed Kiba.

"They have that much surplus electricity?" I asked.

"Seems like. The Polar People know what they're doing with this kinda stuff, after all." Shrugged Kiba.

He led me through the town as the sun started to set, casting an orange glow over everything that reflected light off the various brass and bronze fittings that seemed endemic to the whole town. I dunno what it was about the Polar People, but their tech seemed to conform to the Steampunk Aesthetic even though from what I knew of them, they had initially been very much the sort of Norse Venturers who would've settled places like Iceland, Greenland, or the various Hebrides back on Earth. It seemed like being able to make Steampunk Tech and being trapped on this side of the world near the Elemental Nations for hundreds of years had caused that Steampunk Aesthetic to override most of the Norse Aesthetic. Either way, this Harathoka seemed to be bringing the Aesthetic to Tetsumize City. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, personally.

Eventually, however, Kiba and I found ourselves in the Castle District, where the wealthier sorts of people lived and worked. It was very much a high-end district on the lakeshore near the Castle, with electric lamps that were covered by paper covers strung across the streets, giving the illusion of normal paper lanterns. At the same time, in the distance, jutting out into Lake Moeru on its own Penninsula was Castle Kobayakawa, the seat of the Kobayakawa Lords of Tetsumizu City ever since they had conquered the lands around Lake Moeru from the Itsuzumi Clan during the Late Warring Clans Period and forced them back into what was now Rain Country. Of course, the Itsuzumi were destroyed during the dying days of the Warring Clans period, during the process of Aoi Hattori founding Amegakure.

Castle Kobayakawa was a formidable fortress, lit up using electric lamps to prevent possible infiltration by Shinobi and Spies. That was sensible, and not the only Feudal Lord who had done that sort of thing. However, as I looked at the Castle, I thought I saw the glint of light off something I hadn't thought to see. The Barrel of a Steam Cannon, a technology that was banned throughout the Elemental Nations Proper by mutual decree of all the Daimyo.

Steam Cannons were, effectively, a common sort of modern artillery that the Polar People used as part of their strategy for ensuring that the Samurai and Shinobi of the Elemental Nations did not maintain military superiority. A steam cannon was worth multiple Genin on the Battlefield and was generally a match for a Chunin in terms of effectiveness. Furthermore, they could be made in batches of hundreds and a crew could be trained to effectively use them in battle in a matter of weeks, compared to the years it took to train a Samurai or Shinobi.

It was considered an unacceptable escalation of power by all the ruling Daimyo for any Daimyo to field them, and the Hidden Villages had agreed, since something so powerful that it took a Chunin to match, which could be produced and operational quickly would fast eliminate mission possibilities. Furthermore, the Polar People had banned their sale to the Elemental Nations on the grounds that the Elemental Nations would become emboldened to potentially attack them if they no longer had to fear such an edge. It had been a tit-for-tat exchange that the Daimyo, Kage, and Smaller Village Heads had banned them and that the Polar People had prohibited trading them.

If Lord Kobayakawa had made this Harathoka produce steam cannons for him, I had to wonder just what else he had the Polar Person producing. To what end? This whole thing stank to the Heavens, and it was likely that I was going to have to be the one to deal with it before our stay here was finished. Kiba wasn't curious in the least about it, however. Instead, he just pulled me into the reception area for a Hotel.

The Woman at the front desk smiled at Kiba and Akamaru as we entered. She was all things considered, fairly good-looking, though the fashion of her Kimono seemed to incorporate the bronze ornamentation and steampunk aesthetic that most of the people here seemed to ascribe to, or at the very least, that was in fashion in Lord Kobayakawa's Court. Perhaps literally in this case, as one of those ornaments, the one on her Obi, bore the Kobayakawa Clan Mon. Only members of the Clan or those in service to the Clan were allowed to wear the Mon of the Clan, either way, this Hostess was connected somehow.

"Kiba-Kun, how nice to see you return! Not on another mission out to the Border with Earth Country, I hope?" Questioned the Hostess.

"Actually, we're coming back from a mission to River Country to bring my Cousin home from his own posting!" Beamed Kiba.

"And would that be you?" Queried the Hostess.

"It would. Akimichi Choji, nice to meet you." I offered with a short bow.

"My, how formal." Giggled the Hostess.

"Yeah, Cuz! Stop being such a stick in the mud." Chided Kiba.

"If I am formal, it is only because she wears the Mon of the Kobayakawa Clan, whose head is Lord of the City." I pointed out.

"Lord Kobayakawa is my third cousin. We are distantly related on my father's side. Not nearly related enough for one of your station to be so formal. Are you not the heir to the Akimichi Clan?" Asked the Hostess.

"Ah, sorry." I muttered, scratching the back of my head. If that was true, I was acting way too formally here.

"He's been stuck in Tanigakure on a diplomatic posting for the past couple years. They're famously sticks in the mud about that kinda thing." Grinned Kiba.

Akamaru chose that moment to let out a short bark of annoyance that he hadn't been greeted yet. The Hostess giggled at that, moving around the desk to give Akamaru a scratch behind his floppy ears, which my Cousin's Ninken Partner chuffed in enjoyment at.

"Apologies, Akamaru, I didn't forget about you." Promised the Hostess.

When she finished greeting Akamaru properly, the Hostess stood up and I realized that she was actually fairly tall, coming up to my eyes, even though I'd had the first of my Growth Spurts in the past couple years, which put me at six feet one inch, or one-hundred-eighty-four centimeters. She was even an inch or two taller than Kiba was. She also seemed to have decent muscle definition, even though she was just the owner and operator of a Hotel, though I could tell her Kimono hid more of her assets than just muscle definition.

It suddenly made sense why my cousin was being so friendly and not bothering to notice the signs of potential issues. He was clearly being led around by his Kunai by Lord Kobayakawa's Third Cousin. It was a troubling development, though as yet, I had only suspicions that things weren't on the level in Tetsumizu City and nothing concrete to go off of. Still, if we were staying at a place like this, sneaking off to do some digging might be a problem if we were being watched, at all.

"Apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kobayakawa Yumiko, the owner of the Hotel Moeru. We cater to visiting dignitaries, wealthy merchants, and members of the Nobility visiting our fair city." Introduced the Hostess, Yumiko.

"Tell him about the fake onsen!" Beamed Kiba.

"Our Jinko-Onsen may be man-made, but that hardly means they're fake, Kiba-Kun. I'll have you know that they're specially crafted to mimic the mineral content of a natural, Tennen-Onsen fed by Hot Springs." Admonished Yumiko.

"My Bad, Yumiko-chan." Offered Kiba.

"Is that so?" I questioned.

"Indeed. If you take a dip in our Jinko-Onsen, you won't believe that you're not swimming in a Tennen-Onsen somewhere in Hot Springs Country and that's a guarantee!" Nodded Yumiko.

"I think we'll take a pair of rooms then." I agreed.

"Two rooms? For cousins?" Queried Yumiko.

"I don't want to sleep in the same room as Akamaru." I offered, even though that wasn't really the case.

"Fair enough, Akimichi-San. Of course, two rooms mean double the price. Two-hundred-thousand Ryo for both rooms." Intoned Yumiko.

"Of course." I concurred, reaching into my storage scroll and pulling out a couple stacks of Ryo. I handed them over and Yumiko handed me a pair of brass keys with bamboo chains on them that read Two-Oh-One and Two-Oh-Two. I handed the key to Room Two-Oh-Two to Kiba, who took it with a frown. Yumi gave us directions and we headed on our way to the rooms.

"All right, what gives, Cuz? I know you don't mind sleeping with the Ninken, so why two rooms?" Asked Kiba as soon as we were out of earshot of Yumiko.

"Kiba, did you catch a glimpse of the Castle at all?" I questioned.

"No, why?" Queried Kiba.

"Because I did. There were steam cannons on the walls. Those are banned weapons by decree of literally every Diamyo and Hidden Village in the Elemental Nations. It's literally the only thing that all of them could agree on." I informed.

"So? Who cares if some local regional Lord is trying to skirt the law? We aren't getting a mission out of it, so why mention it?" Asked Kiba.

"I'm worried, Kiba. Especially with all those materials headed to the dockyards we saw earlier. Konoha is stretched thin enough as it is after the Oto War, but if a Local Lord Decides to use Polar People Weaponry to stage a rebellion, then we're the ones who are going to be called in to stop that. A big rebellion like that with weapons like these may just stretch us far enough to hit the breaking point." I insisted.

"Bah, I think you're worrying too much. If we get a mission to deal with it, we get a mission to deal with it. Otherwise, it's no sweat off our backs, right Akamaru?" Scoffed Kiba. His Ninken made a yip of agreement. I could only shake my head at that.

"Kiba, we might be being watched. Does that not bother you?" I questioned.

"So what? You think we won't be watched in two rooms?" Queried Kiba.

"It might be more difficult for them to keep an eye on two rooms instead of one. It couldn't hurt at least." I pointed out.

"Man, you sure got paranoid out in Tani, didn't you, Cuz?" Asked Kiba with a chuckle.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I wouldn't be doing my job as a Shinobi if I didn't take security seriously." I pressed.

"Whatever, Cuz. You might wanna join me for a dip in the fake onsen. It might help you loosen up." Smirked Kiba.

I could only roll my eyes at that. Kiba, however, wouldn't take no for an answer, practically dragging me to the Man-Made Onsen. The place was nice to look at, at least. Located in a small garden area out back, with trees and both outdoor and indoor baths. Kiba and I picked the outdoor baths so Akamaru could lie down nearby, as he wasn't allowed in any of the wooden buildings that housed the indoor baths. It was relaxing out under the starlight, and I made sure to give the appearance that I was enjoying myself and having a good time. At the very least it might throw off anyone watching us.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. We had returned to our rooms to change into normal clothing and had just headed down to try and rustle up dinner when we were approached by someone who was clearly one of Lord Kobayakawa's Samurai. Brass-embossed Armor and a full facemask and helmet powered by some kind of battery pack lent speed to the Man's movements, clearly as a form of crude, steampunk, powered armor. He bore a Katana that seemed well-crafted of Chakra Conductive Metal. Between the powered armor and the fact that this Samurai could clearly use Chakra, I got the impression of someone fairly high-ranking within whatever conspiracy was afoot here.

"Can I help you?" I questioned.

"Akimichi Choji and Inuzuka Kiba?" Queried the Samurai.

"That's us, who's asking?" Asked Kiba, Akamaru yipping in confirmation.

"I am Kurosawa Yojiro, Hatamoto to Lord Kobayakawa. Your presence is requested at the Castle." Intoned the Samurai, Yojiro.

"Well, shit. . ." Muttered Kiba.

"Yeah, you said it." I grumbled.

Unfortunately, there was nothing for it. We couldn't exactly say no and cause a fight right now without catching a bunch of civilians in the crossfire. At the same time, going to the Castle might give us a chance to confirm my suspicions if we could figure out a way to escape whatever it is that Lord Kobayakawa was planning. When thought of like that, there really was only one choice to make here. Nodding to the Hatamoto, we allowed him to lead us to Kobayakawa Castle.

Hopefully, we could put an end to whatever treachery was being planned while there. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Choji and Kiba arrive at Tetsumizu City and get drawn into a potential plot by Lord Kobayakawa to revolt or something using banned Polar People Technology. Choji isn't a hundred percent sure of what's going on, but he does know he saw banned weapons technology mounted on the walls of Kobayakawa Castle, and now that they're headed to the Castle to meet with Lord Kobayakawa, Choji is going to try to investigate.

At any rate, the next chapter will feature Lord Kobayakawa and his Polar People Advisor, the oddly named Harathoka, which is a mispronunciation of the Old Norse name Hrothgar said by someone who speaks Japanese as their first language. I'll also have some images out before then.

Stay tuned. . .