[4] Kazekage Tower

[Deleted]

"That so? Hah, maybe we're neighbors! Well, probably not. I didn't recognize the name anyway, when the last Kage was on the way out. Any openings in the schedule so I can check in, see what they think?

"And hey, if you can afford it though, and get time off to go there often enough to be worth bothering, I can't reccomend it enough. It's a seriously nice place. Definitely a big contrast from the desert. Small enough to reach the ocean from anywhere in less than a day's walk and great weather - most of the time, the storms can get nasty though. All the modern amenities, but they dont encroach too badly on the green. I mean its basically a country full of resort towns, at least near the coastline. Deeper inland, its...different, but pretty welcoming all the same as long as you dont have any bad intentions."

[Deleted]

A small moment passed as the receptionist listened to the ninja talk. After a few moments she started writing on a small note. "Lord Kazekage seems to be training right now in the east hall. You should be able to go speak to him now if you like. If not he should be done and in his office within the next hour or so. Aside from that it looks like his next available time would be about 2 days out from now."

[Deleted]

"Training huh? Y'know, I think I'm gonna go see him there. I'm kinda curious to what kind of training a person who can be picked as the next one to run an operation like this does. Don't hesitate to hit me up later if you need something, yeah? Later!"

Richard headed off along the directions indicated, keeping an ear out for any training-like sounds that might help him along. Time to meet the new boss man in town.

[Flower]

After having spoken to Shiki about Krystal and met some of the newcomers, Shihana had taken to hanging outside of the Kazekage Tower for some time. She didn't know what but it seemed to ease her to some extent to be close by. However, after a short while she deecided that she really did need to leave and accomplish what she had come to do. Shihana grabbed all of her stuff and left from the Tower.

[exit from long ago.]

[Deleted]

I heard the footsteps approaching from inside my training grounds. No matter how much I tried to sound proof the building It would seem that the mutations to my body rendered my hearing too good. While it generally made me as a whole a lot more capable of surviving in dangerous areas. It did make finding a bit of silence and peace a bit harder than one would think. As the boy entered the room, following the directions indicated. He would find myself reading a book and enjoying a bit of coffee. 

Sitting behind a large wooden desk there was a series of scrolls and books open out on the desk. Several scraps of parchment and journals lay open and the scent of freshly mixed ink filled the room. I raised an eyebrow looking up from the beastiary I was working on. "Welcome" I'd say. 

[Deleted]

Reading. Of course he was reading. Richard wasn't sure why he had expected anything else. By the time someone was strong enough to be considered the strongest ninja in ththe village, and so among the top class in the world, their abilities physically would have to already be at their peak. At that point all there was to train was the mind, learning enemy attributes so they can be identified and worked around in the field.

That made sense. Still a little disappointing though. That was a boring result.

"Hey there. You the new boss? Dont mind me, just came to wait until you were free. Thought id sneak a peek at what the top guys, like yourself, do to train in the process. Figured it would give me some clues how to get there myself."

[Deleted]

I had a moment were I listened to the kid ramble on before I knew most of what I needed. After a few moments when he had finished speaking I set my book down and tucked it away. "My teacher once taught me that a man of few words puts more value to them." I would say with a bit of edge growing in my voice. "I am your Kazekage. Not your buddy on the block." My sapphire eyes narrowed on him. "Did they teach you nothing about addressing senior officers at the academy?"

[Flower]

[enter.]

Valerys entered the Kazekage Tower wearing the face of Shihana, one of her personalities which was a bit more commanding than the others (based on Shiki to some extent) with white hair that fell long down her back, with a strip of black hair on her left side. She was wearing a black dress and her messenger pack, filled with very few items, and the spear Bitter Mercy on her back which further revealed who it really was. Her Sand Village headband had been tied around her throat. Shihana looked closely at the tower and its occupants as she got closer, going into the lobby and knowing that Shiki probably knew that she was here with his extra-sensory abilities. No surprise.

If there had been anything to report, normally she would have gone and seen him. However, the last mission he sent her on had been a bust and she had not yet gone to the Land of Fire, so she had nothing to report yet. She assumed if he needed something, he would let her know -- either by coming out to see her or telling the secretary. Meanwhile, Shihana stepped up to the receptionist and looked over the missions, seeing one called "Following the Strands" which needed an investigation of several dead bodies.

Taking quite the interest, Shihana would request to take this mission -- ready to do something that would not fail. Not while she was in control.

Name: Following the strands
Rank: "D" rank
IIC Length: 5 Days
Difficulty: low-medium
Objective: Investigate rumors of local serial killings.
Description: Dead bodies have been reported and brought to the local autopsy chambers in the Sunagakure hospital. Head there and take some testimonies by speaking to the locals before heading to the hospital.
Reward: 15,000 Ryo

[Deleted]

The receptionist smiled as the ninja entered the building once more. There had been a short amount of time since the last ninja who wanted to see the kazekage had moved through. Still, the kazekage had made it very clear that any missions embarked on by the kedoin was to be treated promptly. The ninja quickly would receive a parcel with the instructions of the mission.

"Happy hunting"

[Flower]

"Understood." Shihana said and collected the instructions for her mission. She gathered her items as well as her thoughts, knowing that she would need to think clearly in order to do a proper investigation, and moved out of the tower. Shihana knew the whole time that she left that if all went well she should be back within a couple of days, if it all went well.

[exit.]

[Christoff]

[Enter]

Isamu stepped in to the tower from the village. He had arrived back in the village the night before and spent the evening compiling his reports from Taki no Kuni. Encrypted copies had been sent to village by messenger during his assignment but protocol and thoroughness called for a final report to be made both in writing and in person and after nearly two years on assignment to the Feudal Lord of Takigakure there were many reports to compile.

Isamu had formed his combat uniform that morning. A black T-shirt under his tactical vest and his BDU desert camouflage pants tucked into combat boots. Isamu had left all of his equipment at home save for his thermal enhanced blade which he wore sheathed on his left hip and the wireless radio that ran from his butt pack under the tactical vest and to his left ear. The radio was tuned to the village's emergency and distress channel. Fortunately it had been silent this morning on his way to the tower.

The Genin approached the security desk and pulled the blade from his hip. The strip of sand that constituted his belt parted and sealed itself behind the sheath. Isamu had become increasingly loathe to part with the blade. It was nothing special, just an unnamed sword modified with an aftermarket thermal unit, but over the last two years of training and combat it had served him well and rarely left his side. It had become, as the old swordsmen's cliche went, an extension of himself.

Still Isamu knew that surrendering the blade was an act of obedience and deference to the village and the Kazekage, not to mention a prerequisite to completing his task. Isamu placed the blade on the desk and turned to look at the atrium. The broader brushstrokes were still the same. The statues of the Kage's still stood and the tapestry depicting the founding of the village occupied the same place on the wall. Isamu had received a letter from the village notifying him that a new Kazekage, Shikki Senri, had been selected but knew nothing else of the man.

Isamu had kept up a correspondence with his family but the news they passed on was personal or else related to the ever shifting markets for the goods they distributed. On days when he particularly missed his Shinobi comrades he had indulged with the idea of writing Lady Amira, but always protocol and prudence had stayed his hand. She was, had been, the Kazekage and he was only a Genin. No matter how much favor she had bestowed upon him it would have been inappropriate to write her unsolicited in a personal context and so it came to pass that he knew little of why she had stepped down or why the new Kazekage had been chosen.

The Sadojin walked to the reception desk and waited his turn in line. When he reached the front he examined the person manning the desk. Another new face in a familiar place. Giving a nod he spoke, "Good morning. Isamu Shounin, here to make my report." As he mentioned the report his fingers tensed on the folder containing the reams of paper detailing his time in Taki no Kuni.

[Flower]

Link to Mission

[enter.]

Having completed her mission, Shihana returned to the Kazekage Tower. Shihana was one of Valerys' taller personalities and wore a black and white dress that stretched down to her knees, along with a hair-tie in her hair that kept it out of her face as he she moved around -- long and white as it was stretching past her waist and streaked on one side in black. She looked around with her purple eyes and a soft smile, looking in some ways even similar to Shiki himself, and a Sand headband wrapped around her neck like a necklace. The spear Bitter Mercy was wrapped around her back as well, just as it had appeared on the day it had been given to her. Her messenger pack was strapped on her shoulder as she approached the lobby. Getting closer, Shihana noticed that there seemed to already be someone here. It was a man who was dressed in all sorts of intricate military clothing but little gear, and was placing some sort of small weapon on the counter.

Who is this? Valerys wondered from somewhere deep inside, but Shihana was usually good at maintaining composure. She walked up to the counter next to the man and placed her mission slip on the counter, detailing her completed mission and how she had investigated some of the deaths at an autopsy chamber near the hospital. There wasn't yet enough information about this criminal underground, but it was a good start.

"Mission completed." She looked at the man as she presented her slip and smiled at him, looking serene with those lilac-colored eyes. "Well hello -- I haven't seen you around before. My name is Shihana." And then she put out her hand to shake, waiting to get her mission approved and to see if there was any other business that was required of her. She knew that Shiki would already be aware of her arrival. Not to mention that she harbored a certain curiosity at the scene that was beginning to play out.

[Deleted]

So many people in here at once... Different heart beats going off asymmetrically to each other. One was larger, palpitations strong... Footsteps? Footsteps were wider than normal. Extended hips. Skeletal structure is that of a male. Voice? Unfamiliar. Stranger... Weapons? One metal sword.

The other. The other Carried the spear of bitter mercy.

I paused given that I was needed and quickly made the seals to form a shadow clone. Once I did I sent him down to go see the other ninja out in the lobby. Wearing the traditional white cloak with my clans sigil and my trusty hand-and-a-half sword Thanatos strung across my back. It's engraved wolf head hilt gleaming under the orange and warm lights in the hallway. The deepset magical gems flickering, bewitchingly as the white wolf moved into the reception room.

I turned the corner and caught the sight of the returning ninja. "You have a report for me? Feel free to report it here. Everyone here should be of a suitable security clearance." I said loud enough to get their attention. I gave a small nod to the other ninja simply to confirm I recognized her. I'd look over as the receptionist was finishing the parcel of Ryo for the completed mission.

[Christoff]

"Well hey there -- I haven't seen you around before. My name is Shihana." Isamu had noticed the woman as she entered the tower. Noticed how she had never surrendered her weapon to the security desk. Notice the uniqueness of the spear she bore. Noticed how no one in the tower had blinked an eye. There was no way for him to tell her rank but the reaction of the building suggested to him that she was somebody important to the village.

Isamu shifted his report to his left hand and took the proffered hand in a shake, meeting Shihana's eyes. "Good morning Shihana, I'm Isamu." The warmth of her skin contrasted to the cool temperature of his body, a dead giveaway that something was different about him. His own observation of it triggered a brief flood of his old adolescent insecurities about the differences between himself and the humans he was constantly surrounded by.

If she was particularly observant she might notice the lack of hair on his arms or an unnatural stillness of his clothing and the hair on his head. Isamu was braced for the all too familiar look of surprise however fleeting, and for the inevitable questions. His bloodline gave him great strength but also carried with it the stigmas of otherness. He was not human but he lived his life to their codes. Practiced in assimilation from the crib, Isamu had once been wounded by those looks. Now as he crushed the rush of thoughts that had come unbidden to his mind he reminded himself that the difference was natural and a source of his strength. It seemed nearly two years as the only Sadojin for hundreds of miles had awoken some of those old insecurities.

Isamu heard someone enter from the stairwell and broke his eye contact and handshake to look. "You have a report for me? Feel free to report it here. Everyone here should be of a suitable security clearance." The man entering the lobby was slightly shorter than him but carried himself with authority. Isamu noted the scars on the man as well. The markers of a career in combat carved into the flesh.

The formal white robes bore a sigil unfamiliar to Isamu, but it was the sword on the man's back that caught the Genin's eye. Isamu's eye lingered on the man's blade and noticed the twinkle of the gems on the hilt. Was this the Kazekage? A Jounin? There was no way for him to know but it was clear the man knew Isamu's purpose.

Isamu straightened himself and turned to the stranger, hands at his side. "Isamu Shounin reporting back from a long term assignment in Taki no Kuni. I have completed the terms of the personal protection contract the village signed with the Fedual Lord of Seisui. I have also completed my study of Gyakusatsu under Master Hijikata Toshizo and been named a Grand Master." Isamu paused and presented the written report, "The details are in here should you wish to read them. They are consistent with my previous reports. The Feudal Lord has put down a rebellion from the south but the country is filled with sell swords and bandits from the unsettled lands to its East."

Isamu fell silent awaiting further questioning or his dismissal, hoping he had not volunteered too much or too little to this man. Isamu had purposely included no mention of his role in the slaying of the rebellious Lord of Mansu. He wished to avoid any appearance of arrogance.

[Deleted]

I listened to the words. "No wasted words. Respectable." It took me a moment as I looked the man up and down. I had misheard... perhaps not. He had no heartbeat and it only took me a moment to realize why. He was one of the stone men. I had met a man of a similar bloodline many years back during my chuunin exams. "The martial arts take years to learn, and the title of grandmaster is no small title. I too was named a grandmaster as a chuunin but in the art of the sword saint. I opened my own dojo and the leadership positions offered by the village opened up instantly."

I picked up his report and felt the weight of the pages. Funny how valuable the information scrawled across this paper could be. "Your sword. May I see it?" I would ask curiously as I eyed the blade.

[Christoff]

"No wasted words. Respectable." Isamu took the compliment without blinking. Of course he never blinked and was glad he lacked a nervous system that might involuntarily betray the relief he felt. Humans were always twitching and betraying some thought or emotion that they meant to hide. Isamu had become skilled at reading it over the years, but as the man paused, observing him for a second, Isamu saw nothing to betray his thoughts.

"The martial arts take years to learn, and the title of grandmaster is no small title. I too was named a grandmaster as a chuunin but in the art of the sword saint. I opened my own dojo and the leadership positions offered by the village opened up instantly." Isamu processed this information quickly. He had already surmised this man to be a swordsman and now he knew just how skilled he was. Any grandmaster of the sword had Isamu's respect.

The mention of the dojo piqued Isamu's interest. Many times over the last two years he had indulged in the idea of opening his own dojo only to remind himself that his duty was first and foremost to the village. Now this shinobi was telling him that he had not only done it while he was still a ninja, it had actively benefited his career. The white haired man took the report from Isamu's hand and the Genin let it drop back down to his side.

"Your sword. May I see it?" Isamu nodded, "Of course, sir." Now that the stranger had confirmed his higher rank, Isamu needed to observe the proper protocol. Isamu walked over to the security desk. The guards had already produced his katana. The sheath was black and unadorned with scratches on it from years of training and combat. The handle was wrapped in worn black leather with a steel guard that housed the control unit for the thermal modification. Isamu kept the blade itself meticulously polished and sharpened. Along each side of the sharpened edge ran thin copper wires, attached long after the blade had already been forged and responsible for heating the blade.

Isamu returned to the two shinobi and presented the blade to the white haired man.

[Deleted]

As I held the blade out in front of me I would give a pause. "A fine blade. Did you keep this one with you during your travels?" I would say as my face would appear to enter a trance like state for close to a minute. During this time my eyes would glow faintly as I channeled more of my souls energy through the blade itself. My energy shifting through the latent time that was held to the weapon. It wasn't just the mind the kept memories. Metal was just as revealing. My eyes traced over the tempered metal going over its craftsmanship.

[Christoff]

"A fine blade. Did you keep this one with you during your travels?" Isamu responded quickly, "Yes I...." Isamu paused caught off guard by the glow of the man's eyes. The man stared at the blade silently and Isamu thought it best to continue. "Yes I have had it since I left the academy." Isamu thought of the endless hours spent mastering Busosen, the dark and bloody prison in Amegakure where it had first tasted blood, the untold hours sparring, the duel against the Dioskouri, the battle in Takigakure where it had been stained crimson and slain untold numbers ending in the duel against the Lord of Mansu. While it may not have had the flair and obvious craftsmanship of the other two Shinobis' weapons it had served him well over the years. He felt it was a testament to the blacksmiths of the village that he had never needed another blade.

[Deleted]

The blade had memories all right. Within those 60 seconds I quickly saw every moment that this blade had faced within the last 10 weeks. Every sparring practice, every training exercise, every cleaning and every kill rushed into my mind in that one shallow minute. With a small twist I'd extend the hilt back out towards him. My eyes would glow softly once more as I learned his name.

"Your sword tells me your name is Isamu Shounin as you say. It says it was crafted along with 4 other blades by a Smith in the capital by the name of Ryu Otari." I would present the sword back to the ninja. "A ninja is only as sharp as his weapon. I am Shiki Senri. Current Kazekage and you interest me. Both you and Shihana are far too talented to remain Genin. I want you both to be ready for the next chuunin exams."

[Flower]

As Shiki appeared from the stairwell, Shihana bowed slightly to demonstrate her respect -- she was more amiable than some of Valerys' other personalities, having been born for purposes such as these. "Nice to see you again, Sir," she said and looked at him closely, the same eyes from before now in a familiar purple and robbed of their crimson depths. She listened and watched the rest of the events unfold in silence eventually crossing her arms and leaning against the desk as she watched and listened to Shiki's observation of the sword and the man that bore it, her eyes cast slightly askew as they spoke.

"Your words are too kind, but you know that I'll take on these exams for you. And it would appear, Isamu, that we may be taking on these exams together. Perhaps going on a mission could teach us more about one another before we must demonstrate our strength in the Chuunin Exams?" Shihana lifted her right hand to her headband and looked at it, a little surprised at how far she had come. Especially when she remembered her sojourn in the Land of Stone for so long. But she deferred to Shiki and waited to see what recommendations he would make about the exams and which mission they should take. He was good at these sorts of things.