My Sunshine

Snake Oil - Kakashi

"Why would I want a submissive village? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

The man across the desk gave him an evil looking smirk.

"It has a lot of benefits. Poverty, mental illness, and unwanted children are three huge drains on any society. Ukiyo can eradicate that."

"Isn't this just drugging them?"

"Drugging has such a negative connotation. We're simply giving people a life free of the burdens that they don't know they can't handle. Children, wrong careers, financial worries. The lack of peasant children alone takes an enormous burden off of our economy, as well as giving us the ability to cherry pick the best candidates to continue the future of the village. Why, we've basically cut our island's poverty in half in the past 10 years-"

This man had been talking for the past half hour with his companion trying to look threatening in the corner near the door., and the entire time Kakashi could feel his blood pressure rising.  If this Ukiyo did exist, it was clearly meant for submission and eugenics.

A question came from his left. Mizuka.

"And how does it do that?"

The man looked at her with a hint of disgust on his face. Just from that, Kakashi could tell that this man came from a society that looks at women as second class citizens.

"I won't tell you the secret ingredients, but I will tell you that along with having a soothing effect on, let's be honest, undesirable populations, it also suppresses both male and female reproductive systems. That's the added beauty to Ukiyo: it not only suppresses behaviors, it also stops those dirty bloodlines."

Another question from his right. Shikamaru.

"Is the Ukiyo still needed for the next generation? If there are no more undesirable populations, than that's it, right?"

The two people beside him knew damn well that they weren't going to do this. It was insane. But, everyone was curious about how this worked, or how this man thought it worked. What was it made of?

"That would be up to you. Ukiyo could cleanse whatever population you don't like. Don't like people with green eyes? You, as the Hokage, could instill that belief in your son so when he takes over as the next Hokage, he could see your vision through."

He could feel the sharp change of mood on either side of him. There was a lot to unravel in the man's answer, so Kakashi chose to ignore it. He needed to get this man out of his office, and out of his village. He stood.

"This is something that my head of medicine, my advisor, and myself will have to talk about. Could we get a sample of this Ukiyo?"

The man sneered.

"I unfortunately, don't carry any on me. It's so powerful and so in demand that I would undoubtedly be mugged, even with my bodyguard, Migo, protecting me."

"Can we at least get your name and where you're from?"

"My name is Ryujin and I am the chief advisor to King Hachiro of the Dragon Island."

Kakashi stood and bowed to Ryujin respectfully, even though he had no respect for this man. Ryujin did the same before turning and heading for the door.

"Come, Migo."

His bald, mean looking bodyguard turned to follow before glaring back at Kakashi, attempting to look especially threatening as he left. If Kakashi was younger and as hot headed as he used to be in his earliest Anbu days, he would've blown Migo through the building as a show of dominance. Now, he just stared at the man tiredly as the door shut, hanging his head when they were gone.

"Fuck."

He heard Mizuka next to him as she laid her forehead against his desk. On his other side, Shikamaru had his head bent down in frustration, running his hands over his slick backed hair.

"What in the fuck did we just sit through? Was that a presentation in drugging and eugenics?"

Kakashi walked to the window and watched the men walk out of the building and out to the front gates, passing through and disappearing into the forest.

"At least they're gone."

He turned back to Mizuka and Shikamaru, leaning against the windowsill.

"Ryujin and King Hachiro from the Dragon Islands..."

Before he could ask if anyone knew where they were, Mizuka offered some insight.

"That's an island near the Crescent Moon Kingdom, but I'm almost positive it's uninhabited. It couldn't be habitable. I've never been there, but it's the island that Lady Suoh and the first generation of Plague Healers burned to the ground over 50 years ago."

"Maybe he's just saying that's where he's from?"

"Plague Healers?"

A dark grin spread across Mizuka's face as Shikamaru asked the second question. It wasn't a look he saw often., but it made him remember that the kind and bubbly Mizuka also had a darker, vengeful side when someone or something triggered it.

"Plague Healers are like the Anbu of Tenchi, but we don't have a set group. And that's all I can say."

She quickly changed the subject.

"That was slick of you, Kakashi, trying to get a sample so we could analyze it."

He shrugged.

"Unfortunately, all we have is a name.   I don't trust the location.  That is, if any of this is real. This may be snake oil. These may just be con men."

Either way Kakashi had a bad taste in his mouth from the meeting.