Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

A Suit of Hacks

"My testimony?" Mana muttered. She did feel a bit stumped about these stakes. Maybe she should have felt bad about not having foreseen it sooner. This was, after all, what this entire event was about, why all these ninja of different backgrounds came together. Of course, Jagaimo would not just be in it for the money or to satisfy some sick, sadistic gambling fantasy. The testimony was always what this was all about.

"Yeah. If I win, you will have to tell the council what I tell you to say." Jagaimo nodded. Mana's glare sharpened, she noticed something interesting. It did not appear that the young man was too enthusiastic about what he was saying. Here he was, letting his net out, looking to catch a pretty important fish to him, based on what he was doing, where and how big the stakes were if he got caught doing what he did. He basically put the entire trust that Kirigakure had managed to gather over the years since the bloody Kage Summit on top of a very wobbly card tower. Jagaimo evidently did not want to play this game himself.

"This is... Disgraceful, even for such as yourself." Tokui grumbled out, it was notable that he did not run off to tell on Jagaimo either. He just sat there still and watched.

"If you're trying to offend me, you can do much better than this." Jagaimo finally fired back. This, however, sounded much more defensive. Whereas the Kirigakure street rat barely registered the previous social jabs thrown his way, this one he took very seriously. It hit him right in the ribs.

Something was forcing Jagaimo to play this game. That much was self-evident, of this Mana needed no confirmation, no questions asked. The figure behind the Voice of Kirigakure intrigued her, however. Was it the new Mizukage? Did it really only take the following successor of Mizukage Shirona to already set Kirigakure to a plot to destroy and kill? Back on its Bloody Mist way?

No. Something here did not feel like something the Mizukage would want. The Bloody Mist supporters always treasured strength. That was one thing they respected above all, not just combat potential but also the ability to deceit and trick one's stronger opponent, making the deceitful one stronger in the end. It was a cutthroat way of life but it would not have craved the end of the ninja system as they knew it. The current system was perfect and well-liked by the Bloody Mist supporters. This would not make much sense, too much risk for too confusing of a reward, everything could be lost for something detrimental gained.

"Well... What will you say, Nakotsumi Mana?" Tokui was the one who turned his look at the magician.

"I am under the impression that I cannot refuse this game, is that true? It would take a mad person or a complete idiot to gamble with these odds, the success of my mission objective, the fate of the entire ninja system and the world as we know it placed on the way cards fall into our hands." Mana asked.

"Oh, you can absolutely refuse to play." Jagaimo sighed. Once again the feeling of self-loathing soaked his very essence. It was true that sometimes the tall and slim human-moray hybrid looked pathetic in the way he sneered and grumped his laughter and passionately uttered words like a pig, with a marginally neighing manner, but that the street rat owned. His current words, his behavior, he utterly despised and the wish for an honorable way out was simply leaking out from the young man. "However... You must know that I have already won seven games just like this one. I'm sure you can do the math..."

"Seven?" Mana thought to herself as her eyes rolled up, she slipped into the void of her own thoughts, quickly analyzing the importance of this number, before it all returned to her in a split instant. An entire universe-worth of calculations and weighing transpiring in her mind in a blink of an eye. "I must say, you've planned this remarkably."

"It is rare of you to compliment people you find foul, Konoha's Sorceress. Your shows, judging from what I've heard, are always so cheerful, full of upbeat crap." Jagaimo looked down, letting his greasy hair cover up his ashamed of his own actions face. "I made a gamble, I bet on you being the same way as a ninja and I see that I have hit the bullseye. You can simply refuse this, let me go to another room and play this game with another ninja, but you have figured out what this means, right? I've gambled literally half of these people in this mansion, tricked them into telling exactly what that man... No, what I want them to say tomorrow. You can stop that, if you play the game, or you can refuse and send me my way. That would be the equivalent of you looking the other way but that's not you, is it?"