high_seas | PIRATES vs. NAVY BATTLE LOG

The town had descended into outright chaos by the time they'd secured the area around the Backwater Brig, and it had been disturbingly easy to isolate a target -- a man who looked to be giving orders to many of the others around him -- and draw him away from the disordered fighting before ambushing him. The ambush itself had been easy enough that it was almost embarrassing to even call it one, but throwing a sack over the man's head and temporarily paralyzing him was far from actually extracting information.

The question now was finding an empty house far away enough from the commotion to avoid interruption, and close enough that any screaming would be assumed to be part of the battle. Their unresponsive victim slung over one shoulder, Sasuke followed Itachi's lighter movements, keeping an eye out for both enemy forces and any overly-curious civilians.

Interrogation had never been enjoyable for Itachi, but this would certainly not be the first time he'd been involved with it. He wasn't usually the interrogator, despite the fact that the Sharingan made such things easy, but there were a couple of instances where he'd been there as 'the worse option.'

He scanned the area ahead, eyes red, finally settling on a building that didn't appear to be occupied and should suit their needs. Bothering with the lock might take too much time, so he simply kicked the door in. They would get enough privacy in one of the back rooms, and he was able to do it without too much of a racket.

"Here." He motioned his brother inside.

It wasn't difficult once inside to locate a sturdy-looking chair and drop the officer into it -- the pain was the truly uncomfortable lack of weaponry he had on him. Where Sasuke would have normally simply pulled a length of wire from a side-pouch, he had here to locate a tablecloth and tear it apart, trusting Itachi to keep an eye on their subject until he was securely tied down.

Once he was, though, Sasuke gave him a short slap across the cheek to wake him, straightening up to look down at the man.

He wasn't fond of needing to needle information out of others -- locating the source was always more efficient -- but they were short of options. Still, the irritation showed clear in his expression and made it even more threatening than it perhaps needed to be.

"If you even think about escape, the man at the door will stop you." A stretch to call this Itachi a man, but he was a full-fledged shinobi: no other real way to describe him to someone who might not even know what a ninja was.

Was that how it was? Very well, he could play that role. Itachi leaned back against the door frame with his arms crossed, as the door itself wasn't very sturdy after being kicked in. He doubted that, if the man even managed to escape while Sasuke was there, he would be able to get as far as the door. One look into his brother's eyes was all it would take.

The Sharingan was an unfair advantage over most. Itachi would readily admit this. However, in the ninja world one couldn't afford not to learn all their abilities to their fullest. There would always be someone that could give them a run for their money. Of course that wasn't the case here. This man was little more than an armed civilian in comparison, his authority being the only thing that separated him.

Itachi was young, yes, but he looked a little older than he should. He let the red of the Sharingan linger in his eyes. That might make him more threatening where his age and stature would not.

One look, but Sasuke's genjutsu was less the precise refinement of Itachi's Tsukuyomi -- elegantly timed, a perfect disruption of chakra to trap the mind in a loop of its fears defined -- and more a blast of something that was at least half raw killing intent. It had worked as an interpretation of Orochimaru's sakki technique, and it had worked well enough for him adapted for the Mangekyou thus far, but there was no telling how easy it would be to push too hard and break the man beyond use. For all that this was no shinobi, the defiance in the man's expression spoke to more trouble than would be convenient.

The expectation proved true in the next moment -- Sasuke folded his arms, glaring downward, and started to ask, "What do you know of how we were brought here?"

But he was cut off when, after a quick glance between the brothers the officer turned to shout at Itachi, evidently deciding the younger-looking might be more sympathetic: "You're just a kid! What are you doing running with pirates and trash?!"

That sort of comment was one rarely received from other ninja, only civilians or others that were unaware of how little age could matter when determining how dangerous certain ninja could be. It didn't bother Itachi, as he'd heard it many times before. Only those of his own village would respect the title of captain when it was given to a thirteen year old.

He would not argue about being called a pirate despite not having picked the status out for himself. The man's ignorance wasn't important to the situation at hand. Though their captive was also lucky Itachi wasn't a petty sort, as he didn't like the idea of his brother being referred to as 'trash'.

It was true that Itachi's genjutsu could be more subtle than Sasuke's, but he was just as capable of performing basic scare tactics that didn't even require the use of his Mangekyo. He did this then, red eyes seeming to glow brighter even as his silhouette faded further into the shadows. The man's heartbeat would seem louder, his breath harder to come by. The flutter of crow's wings and caws from the rafters of what should have been an otherwise empty house add to the effect. There is just a moment of this before everything is normal again.

He would be receiving no help from that end.

It was -- a weird sensation, at the very least, to feel as if he had backup of any sort, let alone reliable backup. But it was there nonetheless, Sasuke fully expecting that twist of chakra from Itachi and the shudder of terror that wracked the officer's frame in the next second. For all the showy ease of meshing his chakra with Naruto's in the war, being able to expect competence in something as routine as an interrogation was ... was weird.

He watched the red glare of Itachi's Sharingan for a moment, expression complicated, before shoving the feeling aside to reach down and grab the man's collar instead, shaking his frightened gaze away from Itachi and back to himself.

"I'll ask a second time," he started, but the man shook his head frantically and shouted instead:

"I don't know! I don't know how any of you freaks were brought here -- leave me out of your witchcraft!"

... there was a disappointing timbre of real fear in the man's voice that spoke to truth. Sasuke's mouth tightened, annoyed.

Witchcraft? This man was unfamiliar with genjutsu techniques, or at least hadn't experienced any of theirs. That added a ring of truth to his response that his reaction backed up. He didn't seem to be a good enough actor to hide that much.

Itachi's eyes remained red, the threat to his presence necessary. Their captive had to continue to realize the danger he was in. If he picked out any mercy in their reactions, he would be less likely to give them the information they needed. He couldn't be completely ignorant. If nothing else, he had at least been in this world longer than he had - a citizen born and raised most likely.

It might be wrong of him to butt into Sasuke's interrogation - the teen was fully capable of conducting it himself, after all - but Itachi was also used to going solo. He would not undermine the other's authority, but he could do more than simply stand there.

"But you have lived here some time. You know that our arrival was not of our own doing and yet we are still immediately treated as criminals. Why?"

The man shuddered at the sight of Itachi's Sharingan, quickly averting his eyes -- yet still glancing up at them, gaze flickering between Itachi's and Sasuke's red-flooded eyes as if only now working out the resemblance between them. "You get here because of the pirates, because of Davy Jones -- he's the monster who brought freaks here. Of course we'd defend ourselves against something unnatural brought in by pirates!"

It was an answer, but it was no answer that brought any responsibility upon him or his military -- Sasuke's eyes narrowed, annoyed, and with a brusque motion he turned the officer's chin until their gazes locked.

"I can make you a drooling idiot in under a minute with these eyes," he said, voice low with the tone of threat that was familiar to him by now. "Don't try to avoid the question. It's clear we know nothing about this world's pirates' goals. You're after us for a reason."

But for all the growing fear in the man's expression, he stayed stubbornly silent, panicked eyes still flicking between Sasuke and Itachi as if hoping one of them would prove to be somehow softer.

Edited (icon fail) 2013-12-27 05:34 (UTC)

For however soft Itachi had wanted to be with others, he'd long since had to harden his heart and ignore the pleas of his opponents. He understood this man's agony, but he would provide no sympathy. That would get them nowhere.

Their captive remained under his genjutsu, however light it was, and a caw from the rafters reminded him of the existence of the illusioned crows. They were more red eyes in the dark, smaller, far more than should have been able to fit in that space. They watched him like the scavengers they were, eager to pick his bones clean, to peck his still roaming eyes from their sockets.

He said nothing else yet, but this was a casual reminder that silence wasn't going to get their captive anywhere.

Sasuke could sense the touch of Itachi's chakra, genjutsu for once not used to direct or misdirect him. It was something at once known (seven years in its presence and another ten with it colouring his nightmares) and unknown (to see it from the outside in, the luxury to notice the careful control of it). It took a moment before he found the flow of it, relaxing his own chakra enough to match it and work with the atmosphere Itachi was creating.

The man's eyes were tracking frantically across the ceiling, picking out one pair after another of beady red eyes; there was a palpable tremble in his body that wasn't stopping, now, the strain of illusion on an untrained civilian telling quickly.

"The stone," he garbled finally. "You're all -- you're all after the stone for him. That's why you're here. That's all I know, I swear! I don't know how he did it!"

The stone that could supposedly be used to return them home. That was it, wasn't it? The way the man spoke he made it seem as though their hunt wouldn't end with them reaping the rewards. And that wasn't anything they couldn't have seen coming, what with how little they knew about this 'Davy Jones' character to begin with. What was to say that the stone would do what was promised in the first place?

He gave his brother a significant look. Unfortunately, abandoning this quest wasn't an option either. It was all they had to go on, and should they manage to piece together the sought-after stone, there was still a chance that they could use it as a bargaining chip while it was still in their hands. Until they learned more about this world, they had to follow the goal set out before them.

"We want to return home just as much as you want us gone." His voice was calm, far too reasonable a tone to be accompanying the illusion he still held in place. "You only do yourself a disservice by not helping us."

For him? Sasuke had never expected to place any trust in the power that had supposedly brought them here, but the knowledge that the military fully assumed that they were serving as lackeys to piece together something this Davy Jones was unable to do himself only confirmed it. He met Itachi's look with a frown -- for all that it was obvious, there was little they could do other than search for it.

Unless they'd simply captured too low-ranking an officer in the confusion? But the overall goal of the military seemed to be to get rid of them more than anything else, which meant if they had anything to send them back it would likely have been used long ago.

"You just say that," the officer was saying, still shaking, but voice growing angry. "As if you haven't heard from him how powerful it is -- a power like that needs to be controlled!

"But you won't get it," he said, fear and pride seeming to overcome his judgment. "We've figured it out -- how to stop you freaks from using your magic --"

"Those cuffs," Sasuke said, grip tightening on the man's jaw. It clicked shut, sudden awareness in his expression that he'd said too much. "How do they work?"

Cuffs. Itachi didn't know much about them either, and he had no further questions to add on top of Sasuke's own. Not yet. If his brother couldn't get anything more out of him then he would push the genjutsu further, but not yet. The other ninja had a good enough handle on things.

Their abilities were already weakened here - that much was apparent, especially in how much they were tired out after enough use of them. That there was a way of sealing them off further shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was still important to have it confirmed. Anything they could learn about it and how to keep it from being used against them would be helpful. Of course, given the competence this man had shown so far, who could say if he really had much else worth adding. Those who knew what they needed were most likely not even placed on the field.

"It doesn't matter how they work, they'll take you down just fine --" the man started, but flinched when Sasuke let his eyes shift, the darker pattern of the Mangekyou an ominous threat alongside the rustling feathers of the Sharingan-eyed crows still lining the rafters. Panicking, he babbled, "I don't know, some scientists came up with them, I don't know how they work!"

It looked increasingly likely that he was being honest, and Sasuke tossed him back into the chair with a disgusted noise. "They sent their lowest-level idiots to deal with us here. As if any cuffs could hold us for long."

He'd seen them only in passing when they'd rushed through the town, but even that quick glance had made it clear that whatever they were doing to suppress powers, they didn't look sturdy enough to withstand any determined assault. He was halfway ready to call the questioning done, assume they'd gotten most of what they could get from this fool, but pride apparently felt the need to assert itself in the officer: straining forward against the ropes, he worked his mouth for a furious moment and proceeded to spit at Sasuke.

The angle was nowhere near good enough for him to strike Sasuke's face, where he was clearly aiming, but the action was so unexpected that Sasuke's instinctive reflex to defend only meant that it struck him in the sleeve instead, the man snarling:

"They'll hold you and sap any of your magic, and we're making more of them! Soon we'll all have them and you freaks won't stand a chance!"

A bit of spit wasn't much of a threat to his brother, but Itachi's reaction was immediate. As the man continued to speak, dark hands clawed their way out of the illusion and wrapped themselves around his neck, sealing off his air supply. He wouldn't kill him, that wasn't their purpose here, but as long as he was in this situation such 'attacks' against his brother wouldn't be tolerated.

He knew Sasuke didn't need his protection, but it wouldn't do to have this soldier think he could get away with his bravado either.

"The problem with your strategy is that they have to be able to get them on us first." He didn't like it, but as long as they remained in groups their chances of being caught would be slim. There always needed to be someone to be able to help a 'pirate' who might have allowed themself to be shackled. How they dealt with the issue would depend on how the navy planned to attach them on their victims.

His hold on the man's neck lasted only a short time, as there was still the possibility that he might spill further parts of their grand scheme.

"Doesn't matter, every ship and every one of us will -- you'll just be a weak kid and we'll take you down like the filthy scum you are -- " but the man's voice choked off in the next second, taken over by a strained whimper of fear as the shadowy hands sealed around his neck -- and as Sasuke yanked him up by the collar of his uniform at the same time, chair lifting off its back legs. Sharingan spinning, he snarled, low with threat:

"You don't threaten my brother." Drawing him closer, Mangekyou reddening his vision and chakra gathering, "You're worthless. You know nothing --"

"It doesn't matter what I know, the Admiral will get you," the officer hissed, gasping through the release of the illusion's hands. "Alexander Hawkins won't let us down --"

"And where --" Sasuke started, only to be interrupted by a tremendous crash through the next room that shook the entire house, accompanied by a distant shout that sounded strangely like Bring the sixteen-pounder 'round! He glanced at Itachi, mouth twisting in impatient displeasure: had the navy men come after their officer after all?

At the sound, Itachi strode over to a nearby cabinet. He'd been considering uses for this since he'd spotted it earlier and now was their chance. Picking up a half-empty liquor bottle, he joined his brother at the man's side. The illusion ended completely, but his eyes remained red. He wasn't done with the Sharingan yet.

"Forget all this." It was spoken lowly, a command, and with it he hit their captive's mind hard enough to stun, erasing from it any memories of their interrogation. This wasn't a ninja, but a soldier without chakra control. He had no desire to harm his mind too deeply, enemy or no.

Once he had done this, he poured some of the bottle into the man's slack jaw so that some went in and the rest dribbled down the front of his shirt. "We should untie him and go."

The information they'd gotten was lacking, but still helpful. For now it looked to be the best they would get. Spending any more time with him would get them nowhere.

Sasuke moved at the same time Itachi did, dropping the officer carelessly from his grip and flicking out one of the few kunai he'd retrieved from his arrival. The chair legs hit the floor with a thud and the man startled into a backwards scramble, shoes scuffing even more frantically in the carpet as Itachi approached. His mouth opened, a garbled protest escaping before he succumbed to the jutsu and went slack, body straining the ropes.

They'd gotten scant information for the risk they'd taken, a name and the knowledge that the navy would be working on creating more of whatever they'd found could suppress their powers -- as if that was something that couldn't be assumed on its own.

"We should leave him as a warning," he said, mouth still twisted in contempt even as another crash sounded from the next room. "Let the navy know they're fucking with the wrong people."

"No." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He wanted to let Sasuke take charge, show that he had faith in him, but this was an instance where some of his most basic beliefs came into play. Shisui's recent death, recent from his perspective at least, was still at the corner of his mind, and with it the words that had become so important to his way of thinking.

"It will be better for them not to know what they're dealing with. It will leave them less prepared in the future." A ninja did not seek to have his exploits known. They worked from the shadows, keeping their secrets and their protectorates safely guarded. Now was the time to disappear without a trace. "Let's leave him. They need never know who was here."

If Sasuke decided to go against this, he wasn't going to push the matter further. He had said what he'd wanted to say.

"I said --" He started, and then paused. It had been long enough since someone he'd chosen to work with him had contradicted him in the middle of action that the disagreement made him halt his turn away from the bound officer, blinking in surprise. Hawk had been contradictory, but it wasn't quite the same thing. Then again, he probably should have expected it from someone who had been ANBU captain at thirteen.

More than that, the way Itachi operated was fundamentally different from how Sasuke had lived, notoriety more a background fact of life than a choice. He was accustomed to a shinobi world that already knew the legends of the Sharingan, strangers who had expectations around the sound of his name. The parts of the shinobi manual about operating from the shadows had never really applied to him.

It was weird to have to recall them now; but this man could take back a tale of sorcerers with magic eyes, or he could be laughed out of his position for a drunk. Itachi had pointed out before that they were already at a disadvantage for information, however confused and terrified their rank-and-file and civilians seemed.

"Fine," he said finally, practically winning out over the habit of leaving his bloodline behind him as a threatening calling card. "Untie him and let's go."

He moved as he spoke, striding to a back window and glancing out of it before pushing up the sash, preparing to slip out unnoticed by whoever was attacking the front now.

Wordlessly, Itachi moved to untie the bound man. He left him in the chair, but removed the bindings completely and tucked them away so that there would be no evidence that the officer had ever been tied up in the first place. The more they thought had happened to him, the more they would press him to reveal.

Not that there should be anything left in the man's memory about his capture, but in the very small off-chance that they had someone among them who could pull those memories out again, he wanted them to have as little reason to try as possible.

Sasuke might have almost started to argue with him, but he hadn't. Itachi knew what it was like to work alone and to be used to giving out the orders. It pleased him that, despite that, his brother had decided to listen to him anyway. He understood his reasoning enough to allow them to proceed as he suggested, and that was all he could ask for.

He just needed to make sure he didn't boss the other around too often.

Once finished, he was quick to follow Sasuke toward their exit. He would use another genjutsu if necessary, but they would likely be able to sneak away undetected without it.

PIRATES vs. NAVY BATTLE LOG

Interrogation Schminterrogation

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