The Kazeraikou mansion [NDE]

[hagane]

Hagane listened intently to Gosei speak, noting the things he'd be able to teach to them. Hagane picked up however that some of the details were lost to Kohaku who, instead of taking in the wisdom, decided to leave in a huff. Ryuichi meanwhile simply stated the obvious. But the intent of Gosei wasn't obvious though as Hagane shook his head.

"He was demonstrating to us what happens when you lack the ability to work as a team. Making us go for it individually by goading us with a position of power to make us act in greed. However instead of greed, we all acted in stupidity. We were put in a lose-lose situation to show the reality of our inability."

Hagane said plainly as he then looked towards Gosei and pondered exactly what he could pick up on from him as well as the finer details. He'd pay close attention to those specific details as he paid to the fact that this was a failure. He merely shook his head.

"So naive. Do you think it's your job sensei or our job to teach Kohaku the reality of the situation and get her head out of her ass? If you want it to be our job, I'd be more than happy to take the responsibility on. Unlike Kohaku and probably Ryuichi here, I'm the only one of us that has witnessed death and felt the life of an enemy fade away at the end of my blade. Then again, one kill is far from enough experience for me to preach I suppose. I'm more than aware of that."

Hagane leaned against the wall and pondered the situation. He knew the only way to teach reality to an individual was to expose them directly to it. Hagane was a malicious sort however, he doubt his sensei would just let him torment the girl into submission. All the same, Hagane cracked his neck as he glanced upwards.

"It's kind of ironic that the most offensively and technically capable shinobi of our band of misfits is the team's medic, he who is barred from combat unless absolutely necessary. No offense to you Ryuichi, just my observation. Unless you think you can prove otherwise, of course. I'd ask Kohaku the same thing but I'm pretty sure all she'd do is throw vulgarities my way, attempt to insult me and then walk off in a huff."

Hagane said with a smirk. Hagane was in the mood for something to do and a spar wouldn't hurt. Kohaku had left so the amazingly easy mark was gone. Didn't mean he couldn't learn about his teammates capacities through this method. Of course, everything depended on what Gosei's decision was.

[Solus]

0/10

SPOILER: Click to show

Relearning for extra uses:

Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi (Body Flicker Technique - Push)
Rank: "C"
Skill: NinJutsu/TaiJutsu
Effect: A Jutsu that allows a user to rush forward in almost instantaneous speed. Used to draw the user close to the opponent.
Special: ---
Drawback: May use 3 times a day. May perform 1 more each time learned. Passing amount renders the user's legs immobile due to severe pain. Unable to perform again unless gained medical treatment. Must move through an opening. Unable to maneuver around obstructing objects. Can't attack while performing any Shunshin or Variation.
Description: User is able to move forward in a straight line along the ground in almost instantaneous untraceable speed while temporarily masking the user's movements within 10 meters. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by focusing the user's chi along the ankles and foot. User mostly moves just with their ankles and feet. Jutsu takes up no movements. User may only use this Jutsu half of the movements may allow in a single round while rounding down. Example: User has 5 movements, user is able to perform Jutsu 2 times per round.
Limit: Universal NinJutsu or Universal TaiJutsu.

M

ore drama ensued as two still seemed to get to grips with the situation, whereas the third tried to assert dominance over the rest again with a renewed lecture. ”You never know whom you might end up working with. Sometimes you are sent on a mission with people you have never met before and then you too need to improvise some teamwork quickly. Of course a balanced team of people who know each other are far more effective as a team than stranger, but you need to be able to learn how to cooperate with anyone on a whim.” With sadness in his eyes Gosei saw Kohaku moving back to the veranda and setting herself down in his seat, distancing herself from the rest. Not so much the distancing, he could still hear her from here and talk to her, but it was more the fact that she just took the chair he had loaded up with cushions for his own comfort.

Once again Higan tried to downgrade the rest, promoting himself whereas he criticized the others to the point where nothing of their dignity would be left. ”Okay, that is enough Higan. Kohaku is right, you didn’t fare much better than the other two. As far as having killed before, you are way behind me young man. I lost track of how many have died at my hands. And I barely ever lifted anything like a blade to accomplish that.” He chuckled a bit, most people who had opposed him had died as electricity coursed through their bodies, but his first and last victims had died a bit more colourful than that. ”I once drowned a man in his soup and my last kill choked on her own vomit, but I digress. You should respect your teammates more Higan. You can’t entrust them with your life if you keep sneering at them. As far as reality teaching goes, that is my job, not yours.”

Pondering a bit on what to teach these kids first the Godaime decided to take a bite out of Higan. ”If you by ‘offensively and technically capable’ and ‘medic’ try to indicate me you are completely right. Do not presume yourself above the others just because you know a few more jutsu. Many have died because they underestimated a weaker opponent.” However hateful his comments, Higan had touched a subject that had not yet been addressed, the division of roles within the team. ”As for working together, you are right about not engaging in combat for medics. Before you all came here I already had a division of roles in mind. Higan of course is the medic of this team, that much is clear. Therefore you are support, you have to hide behind the other two whilst you support them from a distance. Ryuichi, it is clear that so far you are the most capable in the department of long range combat. From what you have said before I assume that you will delve deeper into that role too. That only leaves the close and medium ranges. Kohaku, I would like you to take that role. This set up should have all the combat ranges and support covered.”

There were many flaws so far still in the team. Despite his over the top confidence Higan seemed to indeed have the highest combat class, meaning that the other two could still learn a bit before they would be at his level. All of them however seemed to miss an important skill. ”I will teach all of you a very important basic skill now, no matter which role you have, this is an important skill. It is called ‘Shunshin’. It will allow you to quickly move in or out of combat. I used it in our battle to retreat quickly to a safe position, since it basically allows you to clear a small distance almost instantly. Like this...”

Focussing his chakra towards legs for a second Gosei would launch himself backwards ten meters, ending up next to Kohaku who was still perched in his chair like a queen. Reaching over her shoulder he would grab his teapot and pour some of the light green liquid into his cup. ”As you can see it is almost as if you teleport. Yet that is far from the truth, what I actually do is move incredibly fast for ten meters maximum.” Taking a swig of tea the Kazeraikou would reach once again over Kohaku’s shoulder to fill it almost up to the rim.

It was something that came naturally to the Godaime now, although he could remember when he had first learned this small yet so important skill. How he had fumbled and fallen over his own feet. Thinking back he recalled how the actual first time he had managed to move a bit with shunshin he had overestimated how far he would go and had hit a tree face first. It was one of the moments when he had been glad to be a medic.

”There are two ways of doing this, the first is the one that requires the most work because it is the less sophisticated version. You just practice doing it until your ankle muscles are strong enough to do it without the aid of chakra. I personally use the less vulgar version where I send chakra into my legs to give a temporary speed boost. Do not try to run, just use your feet and ankles, nothing else, keep your back straight, do not lean forward or backward or you will fall over when you stop. Try it going only forward first, after that you can learn more difficult versions by leaning to different sides whilst moving during your shunshin.” For a second the Godaime deliberated to have the Genin practice with glasses of water on their heads to improve their posture. But that would not only get messy, he would probably end up too with a bunch of broken glasses.

It had been ages ago since he had last tried to push his limits whilst doing shunshin. Not that he really needed to, the excess stress on his legs could be mitigated by the muscle relaxing medical jutsu he knew. This was also one of the reasons why these Genin could now practice to their hearts content under his guidance without having to worry about cramps.

Closing his eyes for a second he would focus on how his chakra gathered, swirling around in his stomach, before he would resolutely push it towards the very extremities of his legs. Chakra was power and he had always liked the little tingle the concentrated mass of energy made him feel. It was as if his toes were receiving an acupuncture treatment. Slightly tilting his cup forward he would accelerate. The slight angle of the cup would ensure that none of the scalding hot brown liquid would spill out over his hand as the sudden acceleration would push the tea backwards into the cup.

At an insane speed, in which it seemed as if the entire world around him stood still the Godaime propelled himself forward, reaching the spot which had occupied before his previous shunshin. Coming to a sudden halt next to Higane and Ryuichi he would quickly tilt the cup the other way to prevent the tea from sloshing out of its container as the sudden deceleration would now push the hot beverage into the other side of the cup.

Looking down at the white piece of ceramic he would notice that not a drop had been spilled. Not very surprising since he had been doing this for almost twenty years now and his posture whilst performing the jutsu was perfect. That he could start and stop so controlled however was a surprise. Was he really improving? Not that improvement in itself was a stranger to Gosei, but he had not even tried the last few years to increase his proficiency in this field.

This was fascinating to the Kazeraikou to say the least. However, as far as the Genin were concerned, having shown them how to do this three times now -including the first shunshin during the spar- was no guarantee for them to master this new skill quickly. They would probably have to try quite a few times with all due consequences like the cramping of the leg muscles. ”Try it yourself now. If your legs start to feel sore come to me and I will use a medical jutsu that relaxes the legs on you so that you may carry on a bit longer.”

[/blockquote]

[A I R O N T O K U]

Yes the kid surely had more to say. His belittling of me seemed to prove that rather than taking it out on the entire group, Higane seemed to target me more than Ryuichi. I avert my gaze away from the child and pours myself a cup of tea using the pot that Gosei had used. Seeing the empty tea cup sitting on the tray, I placed the pot down and tested the tea first to see if it was hot enough. “Sticks and stones, kid. Sticks and stones.” I said simply, heating the tea cup using my inherited abilities.

The child was simply targeting me because he had nothing else better to do. Well either that, or he liked me. My gaze traveled over toward Ryuichi for a moment, but my mouth remained shut as Gosei began addressing the group, starting first with a lecture toward our smallest, youngest shit-head team member. My smile was sly and belittling toward Higane as Gosei stated that I was correct; ha beat that you arrogant, self-obsessed prick! But the moment he began talking about Shunshin, my attention shifted toward the former Hokage just moments before he disappeared.

I hardly blinked the moment he reappeared by my side, leaning over to pour himself a cup. His speech continued, yet I couldn't help but find myself impressed by his performance. Leaning back into the chair accumulated with various cushions, I propped one leg over the other and took a sip of my newly heated tea. “What kind of tea is this?” I then mused aloud, a simple thought surfacing when it really should have been silent. But when Gosei stated that we were to learn this Shunshin, my attention shifted toward the garden.

“I'm not training in here. As much as I would like to, I can't ruin the garden or risk touching these losers. I will focus on learning this teleporting technique when I get home tonight.” I said smugly, tilting my head back to look down at the other two members of my team. I was not ready to begin training with anyone, especially them, and Gosei will just have to accept that. However, while the others would continue their training, my attention went back to the tea pot. “Tea's running empty, bring some more will you?” I then called out toward the butler who would be floating around nearby.

OOC: Can't train in here gentlemen, I'm in a training thread now and is currently learning something. But I will be learning Shunshin in the near future, so don't worry. Hope this is alright.

[Hitora Ryunobu (Uchiha)]

SPOILER: Click to show

Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi (Body Flicker Technique - Push)
Rank: "C"
Skill: NinJutsu/TaiJutsu
Effect: A Jutsu that allows a user to rush forward in almost instantaneous speed. Used to draw the user close to the opponent.
Special: ---
Drawback: May use 3 times a day. May perform 1 more each time learned. Passing amount renders the user's legs immobile due to severe pain. Unable to perform again unless gained medical treatment. Must move through an opening. Unable to maneuver around obstructing objects. Can't attack while performing any Shunshin or Variation.
Description: User is able to move forward in a straight line along the ground in almost instantaneous untraceable speed while temporarily masking the user's movements within 10 meters. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by focusing the user's chi along the ankles and foot. User mostly moves just with their ankles and feet. Jutsu takes up no movements. User may only use this Jutsu half of the movements may allow in a single round while rounding down. Example: User has 5 movements, user is able to perform Jutsu 2 times per round.
Limit: Universal NinJutsu or Universal TaiJutsu.

o/3o
--------------------------

Ryuichi listened as Gosei spoke, speaking to the other two members of the team about their pitiful arguing and being spiteful to one another. Ryuichi then listened as he spoke about them learning a new technique, it’d be a basic yet important one. Then Gosei disappeared, reappearing near Kohaku who had been lounging in Gosei’s specially prepared chair, he continued to speak about the benefits of the technique and how it would be useful in combat.

Gosei then explained there were two ways to do it, the painful way of letting your legs do all of the work till you could properly do it or to use chakra and have it done that much faster, he also said that he’d be there to use his medical ninjutsu to help heal any cramps or such injuries that would occur from using the technique.

Ryuichi decided that he’d use the chakra one, which whilst it would limit his chakra usage in combat more so if he had to use it, it would be easier to use as well. Ryuichi then put his cigarette out, flicking the dead bud over into the nearby trees, he then closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled, letting a long stream of smoke escape his mouth, he then began channeling chakra down into his legs.

Ryuichi followed the chakra flow as it mimicked his circulatory system, it would start in his stomach and flow down to his legs, splitting at his waist near the pubic region, he would then feel almost like he himself was split in two as he followed the chakra, he’d notice as he passed both his femoral arteries and his poplietal arteries finally ending in his feet where the chakra would radiate around the feet and ankles.

The area near his feet would move out of his way, bending away from him as the excess chakra that flowed out of his body forced them to move, much as if a nice wind were emanating from his feet. Once he felt that he had gathered enough chakra into his feet and legs he let the technique fully activate.

He tried not to lean forwards or anything, but he ended up doing so and in a puff of smoke he disappeared, only to reappear five meters later, tumbling end over end, until he lay on his back, looking up at the sky wondering what had happened. He had a bit of a dazed look on his face, one that would fit his confusion as to what had happened.

Ryuichi thought that he had done the technique perfectly, only to have it fail on him, almost critically so, his legs didn’t hurt or anything, so he couldn’t have over done it, he then began to replay it all in his mind, to try and figure out where he had gone wrong.

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[KoKoKo]

+ 10 solus

+ 9 Okuda

[Solus]

W

hile Ryuichi was quick to try the technique for himself the girl seemed content with just making snide remarks from the side whilst absorbing the information. For some reason Higan merely stood there observing. "It is Lapsang Souchong tea, mylady. The taste comes from the leaves being smoked in bamboo baskets." James answered more or less absently as he moved over to pour some water in a pot filled with roses on the veranda. "Immediately mylady..." He answered to the girl, taking the almost empty pot and returning with a filled one only seconds later, he probably had a kettle of the liquid brewing somewhere in the kitchen, considering the speed at which he produced the new pot.

Meanwhile Higan had attempted his first try at performing Shunshin, only half succeeding in his endeavour as he tumbled over after a few meters, dropping backwards into the meadow. "A good first try, you need to work on the balance of your upper body, try to keep it straight. This is a good exercise too for training your core as you might notice by now." Gosei commented.

[color=cyan["Pacing back to the table Gosei would observe the girl lounging in his chair for a second, before filling his cup again with the steaming hot liquid. "Fair enough, but I expect all of you to be able to perform a shunshin when we gather again." Closing his eyes he would take a small sip and sigh. "I think this is enough for now. Tomorrow we will start in earnest. I will sign us up for a mission that should challenge your abilities. We will meet tomorrow, just outside the gates around ten oçlock in the morning. I expect you to have learned Shunshin by then and I expect you to show up in mission gear. I will supply each of you with a communication device then, since all you seem to lack one and they are imperative for long distance communication." Standing whilst observing the guarding he would slowly drink his tea, since sitting in an 'inferior' chair was out of the question. "That will be all for now, I am going to the tower now to sign us up for the mission. I will see you tomorrow, ten o'clock AM, sharp, outside the gates. Leave whenever you feel ready." And with that he would leave, walking through the house to exit through the front door.

[/blockquote]

[Exit!]

[Hitora Ryunobu (Uchiha)]

o9.3o

Blinking, the young male slowly sat up, looking at the pale sensei of the team. Ryuichi listened as he was given praise by the man once known as a Hokage. He was then given some suggestions on what to do by the man, to which Ryuichi listened intently. Once the man finished he began to talk about how they would meet the following day to complete a mission, Ryuichi didn’t mind, though he would have preferred to learn more jutsu first.

Ryuichi then watched as the man disappeared, Ryuichi then stood and began to focus his chakra down to his legs, then to his feet and finally into the ground. Not moving an inch the young man suddenly saw a puff of white clouds and then was suddenly moving, everything seemed to be at a standstill as Ryuichi sped ahead. Ryuichi could see everything around him seeming to move in slow motion, he could see birds wings slowly going up and then down and repeat the motion.

Though he had managed to get into this faster than life movement, he didn’t know how to stop on a dime like their leader seemed to be able to do. Ryuichi then stopped sending chakra to the ground and tried to slow his movements down, sliding to a stop, before stumbling a bit. Ryuichi cheered a bit to himself as he managed to finish a small portion of this technique, he managed to get into the speed of the Shunshin without much effort and without leaning forwards.

Ryuichi though knew he had a long way to go still before he was truly finished with this technique. He then began to focus more chakra into his legs, he had to learn this technique before he could meet the rest of his team for the mission the following day, even if he came tired and beaten up, Ryuichi thought what could the man possibly have in mind for them. The team was comprised completely of Genin who were all but fresh from the Academy and it was obvious they had teamwork problems.

Ryuichi then focused the chakra he had been building up in his legs through his feet and then into the ground once more, once he had done that he willed himself forwards, not even noticing the clouds that masked his departure this time, the young main with the double colored hair was moving faster than the average person could see again, he was watching the world seemingly move in slow motion.

Ryuichi knew that the world hadn’t slowed down simply he sped up to the point where they seemed to have slowed down. Ryuichi also knew that if he stopped moving to try to interact with this slowed down world he too would stop, but then suddenly he noticed he had stopped, he wasn’t laying on the ground and he didn’t feel himself stumble or in the process of stumbling he was simply standing still ten meters from where he had last been, as if he had unconsciously stopped when he thought of stopping to interact with the slowed down world.

Ryuichi couldn’t believe it that his barely considered a conscious thought to slow down and interact with the world around him had caused him to break the technique without issue at all. Ryuichi then felt a bit of pain in his legs and found himself falling down to his knees suddenly, his legs were a bit cramped from the new sensation running through them, not used to moving so fast or stopping on a dime like that.

((OOC: I think you meant to mention me trying and failing Shunshin Solus, not Higan since he basically timed out lol))

[/blockquote][/font][/size]

[KoKoKo]

+10

[Hitora Ryunobu (Uchiha)]

19.3o

Ryuichi, now kneeling on the ground after his legs gave out on him, slowly stood up once more, then looked around, his legs still a bit sore, he needed to get better at using the Shunshin before the following day. Ryuichi groaned a bit as his legs were sore, he then began focusing his chakra into them, now less conscious of moving the chakra and more thinking about wanting to use the technique.

Ryuichi then found himself running, the world having slowed down to practically a standstill once more. He could see leaves slowly falling at what seemed to be a pace that would never let them touch the ground. Birds would flap their wings and get nowhere but maybe a few microns from where they were seconds prior. Ryuichi understood what happened; he without consciously thinking sent the chakra through his legs and feet and into the ground.

Doing this allowed the young man to take off like a rocket, he knew that he was moving fast, but he still didn’t have a clue how to stop, then suddenly he must have reached the maximum range of the Shunshin and found himself now having been launched into the air as he hit a rock, normally that would have caused him to flip over it and land on his back, but in his heightened speed he ended up going soaring through the air.

Ryuichi then saw a tree fast approaching thinking fast he reached for the nearest branch of the tree and grabbed hold of it. He then used his momentum to do a full spin which wasted most of its energy. Once he was upside down and facing the way he came he let go of the tree and allowed himself to roll to a stop on the ground.

Ryuichi stood up not too long after finishing his roll he then barely gave it a thought and found himself moving within the Shunshin again. Ryuichi then realized what happened with this technique, it wasn’t just telling chakra to go or not to go but it also was the desire to go somewhere that controlled the technique. Ryuichi figured that if he wanted to stop moving he would want to have to have the desire to stop.

Ryuichi decided to try this theory, and began to decide that he wanted to stop at nine meters. To his surprise his theory was correct; he stopped almost exactly nine meters from where he had started. He smiled a bit, and knew that he was getting closer to knowing the technique. Ryuichi then felt his legs start to ache and nearly gave out on him, but he weathered the pain and stayed standing.

[/blockquote][/font][/size]

[KoKoKo]

+9

[Hitora Ryunobu (Uchiha)]

28.3o

Rubbing his legs, Ryuichi looked at the spot that he would go to next; it was only five meters away. It would be pretty much no time at all before he reached where he wanted. He wouldn’t have much time to run in the shunshin but if he managed to get this, he would be able to consider this technique learned. Ryuichi knew also he wouldn’t be able to do much more of this, he sighed, feeling a bit tired.

Ryuichi then channeled some chakra through his legs again, slightly less than what he was using before. But before he knew what had happened, he was suddenly at the five feet from where he stood before. Ryuichi then felt his legs disappear from under him and found himself looking up at the blue sky. There were very few clouds in the sky this day…

[/blockquote][/font][/size]

[The Roar of the Falls]

Learned

[Hitora Ryunobu (Uchiha)]

[Exit]

[A I R O N T O K U]

As exciting as watching my team train and fail at their attempts, I did have other matters to attend to. My parents needed to be informed of my new placing in the villages only team among other things. So after draining the new cup of tea I had poured after Gosei moved away from me. Thank God for that I must add. Fuck that guy really needed to change his aftershave! “Nice meeting you all I guess.” I say bluntly. “No wait, no, it wasn't. I really am sorry I even met people like you three. Anyway, I must head home to tell my family about this.. uh.. team.”

The words felt icky in my mouth and spitting them out was exactly what I did. I couldn't care less about any of my team members, especially that fucking kid, Higane or whatever you call him. That little bastard needed a lesson in speaking toward his superiors. Ha, perhaps I might teach him a thing or two in the future now that we're all members in a team. “Like Mr. Former Hokage, you know how to find me. Laters.” I then said, throwing a simple hand over my shoulder in a makeshift wave. But before I left, my gaze met up with the butler.

“Thanks for the tea, loved it.” I said before finally exiting the building just like Gosei had prior.

..Exit..

[Layla]

Layla moved slowly though the woods, her mind flashing back to what she had just seen in those rooms. Tall darken men, with sporks as weapons. They had taken her from leaf, and were threatening to murder her man if she didn’t do what they wanted to. Her feet stepped on a twig and made a noise, a sudden floodlight would wake her up then. She bolted up right, panting really hard, her hair was limp on her head, her lack of sweating was really handy sometimes. This was one of those times. But she moved off the bed she was in, somehow, she had never chosen a room, and she had stayed in Gosei's room.

She would stumble out of area of the bedroom, and she would move, and stare at the water plumbing before she would turn it hot and take a long shower. Her mind didnt want to think about her nightmare. Something had happened in it that made her iffy about the whole nightmare. Her touch and go on reality was iffy again, she could tell. She wondered what was happening to her now. Gosei had things to do with the village. She would turn off the water, go to dry her hair, and then find her clothes. Her hands would place the clothes on, her bottom up the front shirt, and her skirt. She would then exit the the room, she would then go to kitchen and stare at the stove, she wondered slightly how hot it could go, but she didnt linger on that thought, her hands would move to open doors and hunt for a kettle.

I … need something to drink.

[Layla]

Her eyes would glance though the upper cabinets as she would hunt for a kettle. Her mind reaching back just now, “you were never worth anything, the reason father likes you is because you remind him of that witch woman, but I can see though you, witch. What I see, makes me hate you, you take away our father's mind to replace it with something that wasn’t there to start with.” if her eyes would tear up, they would right this second, but she didn't cry, as she glanced though the cabinets shelves in a hurried manner now. Layla. Layla. She turned suddenly and with a small noise of something broken, as she realized she was hearing things again. She had defeated them once before, she could do it again, she believed. Layla. Layla, come back to us. First step, ignore all the voices. Her eyes closed as she calmed herself down.

To anyone else, she may have looked deeply troubled, but not many knew of her touch of insanity. It would prove to be in her best interest to fix herself. Layla, you must listen to us. The blood of your father demands it. Her hands shook slightly before she would turn and start to open the bottom cabinets looking for that kettle. Her eyes looking at them all, then she would fix on the stove its self. It was kept on the stove top it seems. You must listen to us. You are alone, are you not? Seemly her voices were persist of all things this time around. Her eyes would fix on that kettle, it was seemly right then a key to help her out of all things, her hands would move to shut the doors of the cabinets. then she would turn on the water in the water allow the warm water to enter the kettle by removing of the lid. The voices or rather the voice, seemed to have taken a hint, and were quiet for now, her hand would rub the back of her head at the base and the neck area. She moved to sit at the table as she would wait for the water to boil now. Her crisis she prayed was over for now. Her mind wondered what Gosei would do with her, if he found out about her mental problems. She could make herself out to be a almost normal female figure, but at times like this, she wondered, what he would say about it.

[Layla]

It was startling to her, not more then twenty minutes later, that she looked up from her spot and stared at the kettle, sitting in the sink, the water running still, the water running was smoothing to her ears though, she almost didn’t want to move to to turn it off, but she supposed she shouldn’t waste water. She moved to stand up, and walked over to the kettle and turned off the water. She would then move to place the kettle on the stove. Filth, you let the water run over the top the kettle its going to be nasty tea now. Her eyes widen slightly, her hand went to her face as the voice spoke, her other hand fumbled but managed to get the stove on to boil the water. Her breath was short as she shook her head as stared at the kettle. The voice was quiet for now, she was denying it the freedom to speak fully. She moved to the living room, her eyes moved over the bookcase and she would pull down a book to read while she waited for the kettle to whistle.

You will have to listen to us again, one day.. he is waking back up.. we are just warning you.. that to stop us, to stop him forever.. blood must be spilled. Her eyes took the words, forcing herself not to react to a word that was spoken to her by her abused brain. Shortly she was saved by a whistle, her book was laid face down to save her spot in the book. Her feet would move across the wooden floor to the other part of the room, to where the stove was, with now heated kettle. Reaching for the hot pads, and arming herself with two. Careful. Her hand almost dropped the hot pad, then tighten up around the kettle lifting it to bring it to the counter and then digging though the doors of the space above the counter. She would find some tea, namely Earl Gray. Putting a couple loose tea into the tea ball, she would sink it into the pot. Allowing it to ripen up and become tea. Her hands and eyes would look for tea cups now, and the sugar and cream or was it milk? She paused, did she like cream or milk with her tea? She would have to figure this one out shortly. So she would have to find all three items then, along with the tea cups. Filth, cups are in the right cabinet, sugar below, and cream and milk are in the cold box. Filth, I am also sure, you hate tea.

[Solus]

T

here had not been much change on the outside since your last visit, five and a half years ago. Last visit it had been winter and everything had been covered in a thick layer of snow. This time everything was covered in a thin layer of leaves, ranging in colour between brownish yellow and deep red. The trees still had some leaves left, but every time the wind picked up a steady stream of colourful leaves would be taken along on the invisible currents. "Welcome again to the Kazeraikou mansion. The Konoha variant of course." Against these colours the Godaime would stand out in his white kosode and hakama.

The Godaime said, walking past the gate, inviting you inside. The wind started to rustle Gosei's cobalt and gold trimmed haori, of which he took note. Despite this the large amount of metal he wore on him, 14 kunai, 4 smoke and 4 stun grenades and 20 senbon (of which ten had explosive tags wrapped around them), did not make a sound. "The autumns here have a temper. Usually the wind picks up just before a storm." The Kazeraikou remarked, his eyes glancing at the sky.

Inside there one large change. A large silver and opal plate with the Konoha version of the clan kamon had been hung up in the hallway. A few tables and couches had been moved around, but apart from that it was still pretty much the same. Gosei would take the large fan out of his blue obi and the huge scroll and put them in the hallway with his gas mask. These were hardly items for at home. The other items however, 2 wireless radios, 3 blood clot pills, 2 soldier pills, 2 small scrolls, a lensatic compass, manacles with impossible locks, and a world map would remain in his pocket. To empty his haori, two pouches and bag would take ages. The ornate bracelet he wore on his left wrist which was loaded with 57 senbon, cleverly hidden in the designs of the accessory, would remain on too. It looked decorative anyway.

"Let's sit in the living to talk." Gosei suggested. He usually used the family room, but Layla could be sitting there and he did not want to bother her with diplomatic talks. It was also the closest room, directly to the right of the entrance. With a gesture of his arm he would invite Marii to sit down anywhere she preferred on one of the leather sofas or chairs, sitting down in one of the chairs only after she sat down.

Pre-informed of their arrival, James had already put a kettle of tea and cups on the tables, of which without asking Gosei immediately poured two cups. Taking a sip from the tea to drive away the autumn cold the Godaime would peer at his family member from the Kumogakure. "So, let's go straight to business before we discuss the pleasant stuff. The relationship between our villages is strained at the moment. I assume that you were sent to fix that and it is my desire too to have it mended. Are you aware of what caused this situation?"

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

[Enter]

'Hm. This place looks quite similar from the last time I was here' thought the female as she walked into the mansion. Her animal companions were sitting at the top of her backpacker.
It had taken a while to get them out, but it was not too surprising considering the giant spider. At least the male had 'parked' it a decent distance from the house.

But there was one change in the mansion that made Marii smile. It was a large version of the family kamon that hung in the hallway. 'Hold on a moment...maybe he just hung it up to impress me' thought the young woman. She could not take any chances considering her current rank in the clan.

"Let's sit in the living to talk" told Gosei. The Sannin nodded as she followed him into the room. She sat down at the soft leather sofa while Daiki flied towards the other one.
Shiori however curled up next to her owner before she closed her eyes. The traveling had been taxing on the animal duo.

The young man poured some tea into the two cups. "Thanks Gosei-san" replied the female in a low voice. She was happy to get something warm to drink instead of the cold water.
Amethyst purple eyes met her own ice blue ones moments later. Apparently, he was just as ready to get onto the serious matters.

"So, let's go straight to business before we discuss the pleasant stuff. The relationship between our villages is strained at the moment.
I assume that you were sent to fix that and it is my desire too to have it mended. Are you aware of what caused this situation?" inquired the former Hokage. The brunette had a rather grim look at her face as she opened up her backpacker.

"You should probably have a look at this article. It gives a pretty clear picture of what happened...quite literally" informed the young woman. She laid the newspaper at the table right in front of him.
The front page of Kumogakures daily news had a large photo taken from a bird perspective. It showed a section of the village that had been completely ravaged.

Buildings had been destroyed while smoke appeared from some of the ruins. 'Kumogakure no Sato devastated by foreign empire! See page 3-8 for information' said the headline.
At the said pages were interviews of the Raikage, the feature of the funeral where a Raikage had died plus a series of interviews of those involved in the rescue operations. A map that marked where the biggest attacks had found place where there too. The section about the Academy had written that Marii as well as Okuda had saved 20 children from being attacked by armed samurais.

Marii would remain quiet as the male read the article. She knew that he was familiar with this since Konohagakure had suffered the same destiny for about 11 years ago. Her eyes glanced at the Coopers hawk plus her Havana brown cat...they were both asleep.
The female then looked back at the ivory-haired man once he had finished reading the paper. "I think this should explain why we're vary of strangers now" told the Sannin with a somewhat pained look at her face.

[Solus]

C

urious the Godaime picked up the magazine, he had expected these talks to only contain the usual diplomatic struggles, but this added another layer to the talks. The front page said enough. Gosei had been to the Kumogakure before, then it had been a beautiful thriving village. Of course the resemblance was uncanny, except for the fact that the opponent he battled had wanted the village as it was rather than destroy it. Flipping swiftly to the pages he would take in the most important information.

He had heard of the attack and that the Kumogakure had more or less fended it off. He had not imagined that this was the resulting damage of that battle. "This makes the demands of Konoha look like the whining of a little child." With a sigh he would put the magazine back onto the table when he was done with it. "Let me be frank. If something like this happened to the Kumogakure right now, Konoha would not rush to its aid. About five years ago I tried to enter the Kumogakure with a group of my shinobi. However, I was the only one allowed to enter as they were not. These were orders from Machiko Kana, who was your kage at the time. I got angry and left. Apart from that I ignored the incident, hoping to clean the slate with a new Raikage. Unfortunately for us, one of those shinobi from back then is now Hokage. She did not forgive or forget."

Outside the rain began, crashing against the windows, flowing down in sheets against the glass. The Godaime sighed again, he was torn. Of course he could impose his will on Amarante through the village council, but that could set bad blood. The best would be to appease her will and reinstate the defensive alliance between the two villages in full glory. "I would like to make things again as they were, a strong central alliance between our villages, a bastion at the Jikoku-Ten Ocean. All I need in return is something from Kumo to appease my Kage. Also, I'll keep silent to her about your village's flirt with the Yukigakure."