A Replacement for a Dangerous Woman [Open to Kumo Only]

Age : 29 Posts : 3145

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A Replacement for a Dangerous Woman

4:20 AM.

A man is pacing; another sits on a wooden chair - the chair threatens to fail under his weight; another stands idly in the corner, holding a glass of wine, though it's clear he hasn't taken a sip; an elderly woman has, in contrast, drunken all of the contents of her cup; lastly, a younger golden-haired man has sat himself on the desk, his legs crossed, a stray finger tapping his lip, as if to symbolise a desire to say something - but the words are not coming to mind. They are all silent, with the exception of the pacing man's footsteps, and the gentle tap of the youngest man's finger. His lips are soft and unlike the others, un-marred by a grimace.

4:22 AM.

A clock ticks away the seconds gently, though each little beat causes a tremour in the hearts of all but the younger man. He doesn't feel it - the sadness, nor, the importance or significance of the moment. He is emotionless or rather, to put it more accurately, indifferent. He's here because of an unfortunate coincidence; they are here because they have to be - want to be - need to be. For the village. An elder's job is a stressful one, but Shigen wouldn't understand - he's only on the council. It gives him power, but a power unlike theirs for they hold the crown and the throne with their olden hands; what are they thinking at this very moment? Perhaps a new candidate has dawned upon them; the younger man continues to sit quietly.

4:34 AM.

The door opens excitedly; the tension and solemnity of the room had rusted its hinges. An even younger face appears - it's clear she doesn't understand the gravity of the situation; her expression is fake, mocking even, though everyone but the golden-haired man ignores this fact; they look to her for guidance, but she shakes her head when those prying olden eyes fall upon her. "Shingen-san was right" she mutters - mutters words that reinstall an even heavier silence - before closing the door once more. Should he look triumphant? Perhaps... that would be wrong - uncalled for, so to speak. His fingers hide the small smile, as he places his hand over his mouth as if in mock-shock. Or perhaps a yawn; perhaps a cough. No one notices; their minds are preoccupied.

4:41 AM.

Finally someone speaks up; the voice is so soft it's difficult to identify its source. "This is shameful" the voice states, alike a beacon, lighting the way for the others - they take cue, and respond, anger mixing with agreement. "To die of her own experiment!", "Back in our day-", "Incompetence!", "-this would have never happened", "We musn't let anyone know"...the last sentence brings the room into an uncomfortable silence; it is very clear the voice is younger and stronger, than all of the other voices combined perhaps - it carries an interesting power, though the source of the sound looks quite innocent in comparison. His eyes however, are lit and impassioned. Surprisingly these old, proud, wise elders allow for a moment of weakness and look to him for guidance; their mistake. "If the other villages, no... countries hear that the Raikage killed herself because of a Medical Experiment, we will be the laughing stock of the world" he explains to these olden souls, and they nod solemnly, recognising the truth behind his words. "We would be an instant target" someone remarks - the young man nods; this is what he wants.

5:06 AM

"I'll tell them Kioku, Ame was gravely ill and sought a cure for her illness, a cure which unfortunately backfired and quickened her demise" he repeated once more, taking the small, lazy nods for the agreement and sincerity that he sought. This was his chance. "I'll them that in her stead, I, myself, Takeda Shingen will take on the mantle of the Raikage" and to that, no one said a thing. They look at him with a new curiosity, measuring up this suddenly-exposed ambition; he seems so confident of himself and so ready to make this vision a reality. They consider what great symbol he already is to the village; what deeds he had done; what duties he had performed. He isn't perhaps perfect, but, by chance or perhaps destiny, he is here - at the right place, at the right time. It suddenly seems to them, that he is an obvious choice - a perfect candidate. He had served under the Yondaime, had he not? He had sat on the village council under three Raikage; healed a thousand men; killed dozens. He has them where he wants them and continues his drafted-speech...

6:41 AM.

The preparations are almost complete. The golden-haired man has been dressed in a Raikage's uniform, a terrible hat forced upon his head - it's a crown not to his liking. He fiddles incessantly, trying to fake an uneasiness yet in truth - in his heart and mind - he feels perfectly calm, if not excessively excited and ecstatic; this had been a long time in the making. The only thing he regrets is not killing Ame himself - how lucky, or perhaps unfortunate, that she had been the one to end her own miserable life. How had she managed to steal his position, he did not know? It stung however. A younger, less experience jounin cutting the line like that. It was disrespectful - she had paid the price.

7:03 AM.

A crowd of drowsy shinobi has already gathered; the time is up; he's ready, but is everyone else ready too? They don't seem envigoured nor ecstatic to see him; the news hasn't been released yet. They think he's Ame - his clothing masks his true personage. The KYOBU and the council know. Some of the Jounin have been informed, and yet nonetheless, this will come as an amusing shock to all.

He stands at a podium, higher than everyone but the elders, who stand by either side - all four of them, two on the left and two on the right; they seem tense and yet relaxed, all at the same time. Do they fear a backlash? The change is so sudden; the young man had pushed for it - insisted, that it was better for the village and the country. The daiymo had already been messaged - normally, he would have had an important say in the matter, yet for once the elders and the council had all agreed; their decision was irreversible.

This odd figure takes in the crowd, before he tugs at his clothing, throwing off the uncomfortably long white robes, though the hat remains. What he dons underneath this official outfit, is enough of a clue to betray him to be someone other than the Godaime; his clothes are odd - exotic - rich and yet unnatural. He wears a pearly white shirt, where each button is golden and decorated by a small family-symbol; his black trousers are linen, or perhaps silken, and look both comfortable and loose, and yet betray his extremely thin shape. His skin is of the shade and tone of snow; his smile is uncanny and yet beautiful - his face is handsome and his eyes are vibrantly green. The hat is lifted by long, bony fingers, revealing a golden mess of long and graceful locks. He looks young and quite familiar to many of the crowd, and yet they still act shocked.

"Kioku, Ame has passed away last night..." he begins, maintaining a façade of solemnity and sadness, all the whilst brimming with an overwhelming brightness, alike a second sun. His golden mane burns brightly with hope and he radiates elation. His voice is mesmerising and entices them to listen to the velvet tale he has spun.

7:12 AM.

"Henceforth, hereby, we pronounce Takeda, Shingen the Rokudaime Raikage" the olden woman speaks, she being the one chosen to conclude the ceremony. After explaining the story to the crowd, the mysterious figure told his new-followers of his own fate; and the elder thus sealed it, by once more forcefully placing the blasted hat on his head. He bowed respectfully, and a faint polite clapping resounded somewhere in the crowd - most took this as a cue, and joined in, thus leading to a reaction that he deemed satisfactory. It was all rather sudden; his expectations were low, and they had done well thus far.

"For my first order, I demand that you all finally wake up" the newly crowned king commands, provoking a few laughs from his enlivened people. It's a good way to leave the stage - a gift of a pleasant after-taste. All that is left, is to finally sit behind THE desk. A procession of KYOBU and council members escorts him, though he cares little, already lost in his thoughts. His mind is an anti-climatic organ but what would he be without it? The crowds of civilians gather around this little group; their reactions are mixed, but all their shouts are of little value. Whether elated or otherwise, the young man smiles to himself at this unexpected turnout. How lovely of them to show up...

Posts : 73

Though his face hid it well, Mujina found the state of his fellow shinobi most annoying. The fact that most of them still seemed drowsy showcased the fact that little of them had the discipline to maintain a healthy rhythm. The Enenra had already been up for about an hour, doing his morning workouts to ensure he was at his peak for the day when he had been summoned to a gathering in front of the Administrative Building. As such, he was already wide awake among the horde of drowsy ninja. He calmly watched the Raikage and her council appear. Any of her distinguishing features were completely hidden by that white cloak and white hat, but with the council at her back, who else could it be?

The Raikage then did something Mujina hadn't expected. She removed her white mantle and tossed it aside...

..That wasn't the Raikage.

Correction, it wasn't Kioku Ame. This surprised the Enenra. While his emotions were usually subtle, his raised brow and slightly opened mouth were clear indicators of how much he hadn't seen this coming. Then again, no one would have expected him to. He recovered quickly, and continued watching the event with a neutral look, only the slightest hint of the curiosity he was currently feeling.

As sudden as it was, this man having previously worn that cloak and currently wearing that hat could only mean that a new rule had just been established. Kioku Ame was no longer the Raikage, for whatever reason. Honestly, Mujina never truly liked Ame, nor did he consider her a capable leader. While she did her best, she was still young and naive, and, even worse, sick. One of the reasons why Mujina felt Kumogakure was changing for the worse because he felt that Ame simply wasn't the leader the village needed. Now that she was apparently out of the picture, why wasn't Mujina satisfied?

It was because Mujina had his eyes set for the sky for quite some time. Kumogakure was growing soft, and was in desperate need of a hard hand to bring it back to its glory days. A leader with a heart of stone, without attachments or useless feelings that could keep him from fulfilling his duties whatever they might have been. A harsh leader, but a fair one. A strong one.

The village needed Mujina.

He had been working towards increasing his power in the village for a while now, especially by trying to influence important people like the the Jinjuuriki and members of the intelligent Nara clan. He had even taken an apprentice of sorts in the form of Kurenai. The girl possessed talent, attitude and was the perfect medium to increase influence within the Samatage clan, who would prove a powerful ally. The plan had been set in motion, but while it was still in quite a juvenile state something new had come in his path.

"Kioku, Ame has passed away last night...",

There it was. This news had the expected reaction; all around Mujina the muttering and chattering of surprised souls began. His attention was briefly drawn to his surroundings. Shinobi were discussing what they had just heard. Some were surprised, others indifferent. Some were even glad. Mujina managed to spy a few sad faces too. Faces of shinobi who'd want to do nothing more than cry, but were forced to keep up a strong appearance due to their position. Friends of the late Godaime no doubt. This should have to be the moment for them to regret letting their hearts form attachments.

At least the new Raikage had gotten the speech part down quite well. Apparently the Godaime had been looking for ways to cure her disease, but medical experiments had only accelerated the process, resulting in her death. Shingen then announced himself as the Rokudaime Raikage, spoke about his duties and responsibilities, and allowed one of the elders to seal the process and to show the council's approval.

So was this a setback or something he could take advantage of? Much of this would depend on the new Raikage. His ethics, his method of ruling, his intelligence... how well he was able to manipulate those around him... For now, however, Mujina was displeased. The previous Kage, Ame, was a sickly individual. And very young at that. In terms of an obstacle for his ambitions, she didn't seem particularly threatening. If only she could've waited a while before keeling over.. Waited for Mujina to advance his plans some more. Now he had to deal with a new obstacle, one whose threat he was yet to define. That being said, what little he did know about Takeda Shingen made the man seem very competent.

An apprentice of the late Yondaime and a council member for years now, Shingen was older than Ame had been, but younger than Mujina. Him having amassed such an amount of power at such a young age hinted a talented shinobi, yet one with just enough experience to allow him to utilize his skill in the right way. The Enenra had dealt with him before, as a superior Shingen had given him orders and missions in the past. From what the Jounin recalled, he was someone capable of masking his thoughts and intentions to an amazing degree. This alone could make him a threat.

Or a powerful ally..

”I should get to know the new Raikage. , he thought to himself as the new Raikage exited the stage with a joke that managed to evoke some laughter and managed to lighten the mood after such a sudden change. Perhaps I ought to congratulate him soon..”

Age : 37 Posts : 22

THE BEAUTY OF THE EARLY MORNING SURROUNDED THE QUIET VILLAGE OF KUMOGAKURE. Slowly, the mounting sun shook its restful sleep from its rays, shining brightly, and brighter still, as it rose to its daily ascension at the peak of the sky. It was the king of the world, one could say, an infinite, unknown star that coaxed prosperity with nimble fingers, and desecrated areas that it felt were not worthy. It was a powerful being that was beyond comprehension; a volatile creature that existed solely for its own will that brought forth necessities when it wished. Like a tyrant, the sun knew it was crucial to the world, and ensured that everyone understood its power too. In some ironically, beautiful way, it shaped the culture of today and it was only during these dregs of awakening, did one truly get the chance to appreciate the hunting rays and scattering shadows that was offered to them.

It was just too damn unfortunate that Yanagi was usually still dead to the world during these philosophically inspirational moments.

Usually, being the key word right here.

“This is fuckin’ ridiculous,” a figure murmured crossly, shoving a flailing arm across his face, “Who the hell thinks it’s fine to call a village meeting at this hour?”

“The Raikage, if this message is anything to go by,” a softer voice easily replied, the being already up and moving towards the closet, “Come, brother. We need to get ready. Being punctual is very important.”

Said brother growled in annoyance. “I seriously doubt that the woman is goin’ to notice that we’re missin’.”

“I know we won’t be there.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh – Kami, were noises going to be his main form of communication this morning? – the redhead didn’t even bother responding, knowing that it would be utterly useless to appeal to the nonexistent empathy of his twin. So, cracking his neck in a satisfying manner, the elder finally shifted his internal gears to drive and began to get ready for the day ahead, too.

Working in tandem, they took over their regular duties, giving each other enough space to mentally prep for the unfortunately long day ahead. Unless there was a mission or a deadline, Nao tended to let Kata sleep in, as his brother’s reaction to the early sunlight somewhat resembled that of a vampire’s. He’d bristle and hiss, cowering behind scarves or hoods, just so that he could ‘avoid’ the overwhelming effects of the blindingly beautiful star. Nao never really questioned him over it, as his brother’s logic was far beyond his understanding, but his mind did inquiry about his sibling’s affliction; especially when one took into account their identical DNA and structural existence, and his lack of disability.

If Naoki could hypothesize about the illogical reasoning of Katamuki’s, it all seemed to stem from the conclusion that his older sibling was simply a pussy. Yes, a little, whiny, pathetic excuse for a man and cat that he happened to spend nearly twenty four hours a day with. Bloody fuckin’ fantastic.

Of course though, Nao would never state his observations out loud as he did not have substantial evidence to support them, but he figured if he continued to watch his brother closely, he’d have a seventy-eight percent chance of building a strong case against him. Let’s see his brother come out of that one winning!

Letting a smile dress his moistened lips, Naoki let out a groan of his own as he watched his brother through the mirror as he delicately place Sophia in her designated spot. Considering it was a professional function, the younger sibling coaxed Kata into placing it forward upon his head, and with a quick adjustment, a small pat, and a wink at the handsome devil that looked back at them, the chūnin was ready to go. He wanted to get all this shit over with, because Kata could already feel the need to nap coming on.

“You just woke up, you lazy ass,” he heard his brother mutter darkly from his corner, an obvious frown marring his face, “Maybe we should start taking early missions again as it seems your skills for a smooth and efficient awakening have dimmed considerably.”

“Oh shut up,” he returned gracelessly as he walked through their halls towards the front door, closing it with a satisfying slam that he knew would irritate Naoki, “My mornin’ routine is fine – that girl just kept me up all night so I haven’t gotten my beauty sleep yet.”

“… She was a screamer.”

“How was I supposed to know that three hands weren’t better than two?”

If there was ever a moment for some merciful god to make an appearance, now would be that time.

Grumpily staring off into the distance, the rumpled shinobi let out an exasperated sigh through his teeth, the carbon dioxide whistling between his pinched lips and escaping into the crisp morning air. All around him, people were sluggishly mulling about, settling in front of some makeshift stage, or whatever the fuck it was, for some special announcement by the Raikage.
Personally, the man had no clue why it couldn’t have waited for a more humane hour, but alas, like the good little dedicated shinobi that he was – ha, sorry, that Naoki was – they didn’t question why they were summoned, but instead stood waiting patiently for whatever important news needed to be said.

’Kami willing, just strike me down now.’

“Oh shut up,” a hissed voice whispered close to his face, “Just stop slouching and look attentive.”

Kata was already annoyed. His brother telling him to shut his yammerin’ was not going to appease his dangerously dark mood, nor was it going to appease his need to go the fuck back to sleep. Gripping his scarf more tightly around his head to better protect him from the morning dew, the older man sought out comfort by stroking the bony ridge of Sophia’s snout. At least she was her to support and understand him.

“It concerns me that you rely so heavily on a deceased carcass for companionship. Shall I get you a pet rock as well so you can add to your ‘inanimate friends’ collection?”

What a snarky bastard.

“Otouto, I believe I need your physical assistance.”

He chuckles.

Fuck you.

Taking another moment to simmer, Kata finally let out an annoyed sigh and continued his previous train of thought: “Seriously though. How long is this fuckin’ speech going to be? We’ve already passed the eight minute mark and I don’t know if there is any more time left for any additional bullshit to be added to the shit show we’re experiencing right now.”

Coughing into his hand in order to stifle the laugh that escaped his mouth, Naoki could only silently agree with his brother. This whole experience felt somewhat unusual; he was not sure if it was necessarily the reception to the news of the newly deceased Raikage, or the falsity of the speech that pricked his perceptive ears, but there was an underlying truth that seemed to be missing. What it was, the twins did not know, and to be honest, they truly didn’t care. For different reasons, obviously; Naoki because he knew of Shingen and his capabilities, and Kata because really, it was just another leader he’d only interact with on mission briefings and due to his loyalty to his village and country, would follow needlessly in whatever potentially detrimental decision the idiot could make.

Yes, he had much confidence in that one.

Following the ornate train of people that surrounded the newly appointed Rokudaime like a commoner, the brothers waited at the respectful distance for the man to finally sit his ass down so they could get the fuck outta there. And just as that glorious moment was approaching, Kata finally noticed something:

“That is a fuckin’ fabulous chair.”

He facepalms.

“We need to sit in it.”

“No, we do not.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s callin’ my name right Nao. Ha! See what I did there?”

“Honestly, your academy humor does not impress me.”

“What are you talkin’ about? This shit is gold – “

“… Kaa-chan, why is that man arguing with himself?”

A pause.

Yanagi turns, a sly smile spilling across his lips viciously. He leans down towards the child - to the mother’s absolute horror, of course - and whispers, “It’s because I’m fuckin’ crazy.”

Naoki facepalms. The child cries. The mother slaps, and Kata laughs.